A/N – Here I am, updating on the last day of my Spring Break. Sorry it took so long.

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Disclaimer – I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or 24 or Jeep or anything else I forgot to mention.

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Silver Cross

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Chapter 22 – Simply Smile

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This is so great. Look at that group over there. They're all so high they won't remember anything.
I know your hypnotic skills are bad, but I didn't know they were this bad.
Hey, it's Woodstock. The cops'll never let something like this happen again. I'm not too keen on the music, but the opportunities are out of this world. You going to pick a girl?
No. Unlike you, I have no problems charming contacts.
Already had one this week, huh?
…Yeah.
Sucka

-

The spy life really wasn't all it's cracked up to be. Kaoru realized this when she found herself in the kitchen, trying to come up with a way to outwit Jake, who turned out to be smarter than she'd hoped. He acted nervous, antsy even, but he sure wasn't dumb. The original plan Tsubame had proposed to her wasn't going to work on this guy, and judging from the way he walked he was quick on his feet, meaning Kaoru would have to do a little inventing. Spontaneity had never been one of her strong points, at least not when it concerned beating a man at least fifty pounds heavier then her senseless. But with a little skill, she might be able to make it work. Who'd have ever known her judo training would turn out so useful when it came to saving humans from the clutches of evil vampires, just in the nick of time?

"So what private matter did you want to discuss?" Jake asked, sitting down at the kitchen counter's only stool.

"You're two friends," Kaoru answered, opting to stand by the door. "Ben is obviously deeply enveloped in the process of getting drunk. What kind of operation are you running when you allow him to drink on the job?" Kaoru asked, deciding to take the forceful approach to improvising.

Jake looked confused. "He's drunk?"

Kaoru shook her head. "You can't tell when your own friend is a little tipsy? Even I recognize the signs."

"Quite frankly, Amy," Jake spoke the name as though he knew it wasn't really hers, "he's only started drinking since we got mixed up in this crap. We'll complete this mission and be out of here soon enough. I don't see how it's any of your business whether he's drunk or not, especially with your brother out there sipping bourbon."

Oops. Kaoru mentally winced. Maybe going on the attack had been a bit of a mistake. Eh, it would have come to that sooner or later.

"Forget about my idiot brother, he's only along to warn me if anything's out of the ordinary. I have complete control over him. As long as I'm around, he'll follow any orders. Now your boys, I don't trust them, and I've been ordered to ensure that this mission is carried out without a hitch."

"This is what you wanted to talk to me about? Why don't you say it to their faces instead of talking about them behind their backs? We're all adults here. I'm sure they can take it."

So, Kaoru concluded, this is the point where I back down and completely change the subject. "That wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about. I just thought I'd mention it. I wanted to warn you that if you think you're done working for the dark one after this, you're wrong. Once you start, you're in. Your life is no longer your own. I just thought I'd give you a heads up."

"No," Jake shook his head. "After this we're going to disappear. We were promised that. The dark one is in debt to us."

Kaoru managed to summon a sarcastic laugh. "Oh please, the dark one could have gotten any number of desperate humans for this job. The organization never needed you three in particular. Look, it's not me who's got you imprisoned. I'm just warning you. How do you think my brother and I got into this mess? One mistake and it was all over. I have to keep him in line or the dark one will have him killed for sure. Then I'm dead. We're trapped until we fail a mission and someone high up decides we're not needed anymore. If that happens, we're still dead. We know too much. Are you ready to accept the same responsibility for your friends here? Watching both of them constantly so they don't mess up and get themselves killed? The dark one doesn't play favorites, and you work with whoever you come in with. If one of them dies or fails a mission, all of you wind up dead."

"Unlike you and your brother, we don't know too much; and it's too late now. I have to believe we can get out of this," Jake said.

"Ben's drunk. You have to get him out too. Knowing my brother, all three of them are out cold by now."

Jake dismissed her words. "You don't know how much Ben can drink. He's not out after only one bottle, and Trevor won't let him drink more than that." He paused. "But if it's necessary, I know I can get myself out."

Kaoru smirked, "What a great friend you are."

"What else am I supposed to do?"

She was starting to wear on him; at least, she hoped so. He looked as if he half believed her, afraid to look her in the eye. Hell, it was probably all true anyway. "You have to get both of them out too. If they're caught, they'll be turned into vampires. Then they'll come after you. The dark one excels at brainwashing."

"How are we supposed to get out then?"

"I'll help you."

Jake turned distrustful eyes to her. "Why?"

"I don't want what happened to my brother and me to happen to you."

He seemed to be evaluating her. Kaoru hoped she passed.

"What's your plan?"

He was still distrustful, but Kaoru was confident she could take him down, so she plunged ahead. "I'll knock you unconscious and take Suzume. They'll discover you all out cold and come after me. I'll be sure to leave a trail so they can get to me easily enough and spin them a story about enemy vampires attacking. They'll believe me. When you wake up, I'd suggest you head off the continent. Give me the keys to Suzume's handcuffs," Kaoru ordered, sure to keep her voice confident and upbeat.

"You're plan is to knock me unconscious and take over my assignment?" Jake asked incredulously.

"I'm going to save you, Jake," Kaoru said, surprised to find out she actually meant it. "Unless you have another plan, this is what we're doing. Now give me the keys."

"Don't be ridiculous. They'll find out and we'll all wind up dead or worse."

"Jake, you can't let them win. That girl up there could throw everything off. There's a lot at stake here. The only way you're going to come out of this alive is to work with me. If you stay with the dark one, the enemy vampires will kill you before you and Trevor and Ben can make it across the border. You won't be safe from either side even if you do make it that far."

"I know, I know," Jake moaned. "I just don't know what to do. It was dumb to let you in. You could be anyone."

"Jake look at me, I'm not a vampire. I'm a double agent for the humans."

"The hunters will kill me too."

"Not the hunters, the human side. Give me the keys, Jake," Kaoru ordered. "You won't get any money from this, but at least you'll escape with your life."

"You know, when they first approached me, I swore Suzume must have done something wrong to warrant this. But I still didn't ask what they'd do with her. A little too much information, you know?" He slid off the stool and walked towards her across the linoleum floor, thrusting his hand into his left pocket. "I have a jail record. I can't get a steady job. I can barely support myself. This seemed like a good opportunity for a new start."

Kaoru wondered what he planned on pulling from his pocket. Hopefully the key.

-

What are you doing!
Vacuuming!
We've stayed here too long if you need to vacuum!
What? I can't hear you!
I said we've stayed here too long if you need to vacuum!
You say it's your turn to vacuum!
No! We need to leave!
What did you say!
We need to leave!
What! You can vacuum next time! I didn't know you wanted to! I'm already almost done!

-

Okay Kenshin, you have two knives against a guy with a sword. Granted, they're sharp knives, but still. You don't know how skilled he is with a katana. You only know him by reputation. Once upon a time he and Yahiko Myojin were rivals, although Myojin did best him in the end. Just don't kill him.

"I know who you are." Tsukayama smiled, still in his fighting stance. "You're the Battousai. Forgive me. I would have recognized you sooner if I wasn't a little tipsy."

"Why would you recognize me?" Ken asked, waiting for the other vampire to drop his guard.

"At my last briefing we had a lengthy talk about you. You're quite an interesting vampire. I was ordered to kill you if I happened to run into you. Actually, I was ordered to go looking for you and then kill you. I appreciate you finding me so promptly. This frees up my schedule."

"Who were you meeting with?" Ken asked, wishing for a full moon so he could see his opponent better.

"Anji was there."

Hiko would kill him. Relying on sight was an elementary mistake. If he tried to use his sight and fight this vampire the results would not turn out like he wanted them to.

"I wonder if it's the Anji you were asking me about?" Tsukayama asked, as if they each weren't waiting for the moment when the other dropped his guard.

"Anji the ex-monk," Ken clarified.

Yutaro Tsukayama laughed. "I'm afraid I know two ex-monks named Anji. My organization loves recruiting from the monastery world. What's his last name?"

"Yukyuzan."

"Oh him." Tsukayama nodded. "His whereabouts are classified. Sorry. I know you want to kill him because of Sanosuke."

Hiko would have killed him again, because for one instant, he'd let his guard down. And Tsukayama attacked. Ken had barely enough time to cross the two knives in front of him as a shield to block Tsukayama's forward slash at his face.

"Pity," Tsukayama said. His breath smelled like vodka and lemonade. "I was going for the asymmetrical cut."

"Your last drink was a Blue Lagoon."

"That's quite a talent you have there. But what's your point?"

"That'll be your last drink." Ken pushed Tsukayama's blade off his and slashed upward with a knife. Tsukayama easily evaded this attack and slid his katana down Ken's short knife towards his hand. Ken was forced to jump back as the other vampire launched a flurry of attacks against him. Any other vampire in Ken's position would have been at a great disadvantage, especially since Ken was forced to let one of the knives go flying from his hand towards the other end of the roof in order to keep his fingers.

-

You want to head to France! Is the revolution over yet?
Yes. A man named Robespierre is ruling now, a dictator. I'm interested in his system.
He's guillotine man. Why are you interested in that?
It's the way he does it. He's tried to take over every part of his people's lives. He probably controls what mothers sing to their children before they fall asleep.
And you find that interesting?
Yes.
Well okay then. Let's head back to France
We can leave tomorrow night. Glad you agree to go.
Sure… morbid.

-

She should have known life wasn't that good.

"You've been watching too much television," Jake told her when they were two feet apart and the gun was leveled at her forehead. "You think you can just waltz in here and make me second guess my decision to work for the dark one? I've already made that decision. There's no backing out of it, so why should I let you talk me out of it? You're still just a kid. How old are you, twenty?"

It was kind of hard to concentrate on the conversation with a gun pointed at her head, but the man seemed to expect an answer, and Kaoru was going to be damn sure to give him all the answers he needed until she could figure out a way to get the gun pointed away from her head.

"I'm twenty."

"That's what I thought. Although you could be lying about that too, with all the other things you've said since you got here, Amy. And it's only been ten minutes. My how time does creep by. I'd shoot you, but this gun doesn't have a silencer. Of course, in L.A. they might not pick up on it until I'm gone. Then again, your brother would hear, and I'm sure he's not passed out in the living room, although the guys might be. I left them alone for too long. They're a couple of lazy asses."

"Jake-"

"Shut up and let me think this out."

Kaoru was offended. He was actually rationalizing whether he was going to shoot her or not. Couldn't he just make up his mind and get it over with? And how dare he tell her to shut up!

"If I shoot you, you're brother will come running in. Then I'll shoot him. But wait, Amy, he's probably not really your brother. He's probably a highly trained operative who won't come barging in. He'll be trained to assume the shooter is hostile and to take him out. I can't deal with a trained agent unless I get lucky."

Unless I get lucky, Kaoru repeated to herself. I'm going to die, unless I get lucky.

She did it. She kicked. Miraculously, her aim wasn't off for once and the gun flew from his hand and skidded underneath the refrigerator.

"You bitch!" Jake yelled as she tackled him, falling with him to the ground. Wasting no time at getting more offended, she kneed him in the crotch as hard as she could manage and retrieved the small tranquilizer gun Tsubame had supplied her with from her purse.

"Where's the key?" Kaoru demanded, holding the gun in Jake's face. His face was a mask of anger, pain from his throbbing crotch, and fear. Oh yeah, he didn't know it wasn't a real gun. He looked too scared and confused to reply to her question, so she asked again, making a slight motion with her knee towards his crotch, which was easily accessible, since she was still where she'd landed: firmly on top of him.

"My left pants pocket."

"Don't reach." Kaoru halted the cautious movement of his hand with her tone and a gesture with the gun. "I'll get it after I shoot you."

Ah the delicious emotion of fear that passed along his face in the instant before she shot him in the shoulder with the tranquilizer gun. Payback. Jake seemed confused when he found out he wasn't dead, but his mind didn't have time to process possible reasons as to why he wasn't dead before he passed out. Since Kaoru didn't think tranquilizer guns worked that fast, even shot at point blank range, she was inclined to believe he'd fainted.

And now she was left with the wonderful task of reaching into his pants pocket. It looked like Jake had had the last laugh after all.

-

This class is good for me.
What?
European history. A lot was happening back when I was human that I had no clue. I mean, I only knew what was going on in my little corner of Japan. How sad is that?
Humans aren't that different today. And neither are vampires.
You ain't telling a lie.

-

Ken was tired of sparring in a tuxedo. Tsukayama was good, Ken had even started to sweat, but the fact remained that he wasn't much of a challenge. He was too typical. It was as if he'd learned his moves from a book, moves which he never delineated from. He was an excellent swordsman who lacked imagination. No wonder Myojin had beaten him. Still, Tsukayama was also a welcome warm up to whoever Ken might have to face in the future. The night was still young, and Ken had a feeling about it. Not all the dark one's forces were gathered, but it was the best time to attack. Why else would he have had a briefing about Ken? He wouldn't have wanted that information released until the last possible moment before an attack. He had to get over to the Juppongatana headquarters, but first he had to take care of Tsukayama and get back to the apartment to pick up Kaoru. He couldn't leave her there with no one to protect her, and he knew that would be the place where she would request Tsubame to drop her off.

But the question of what to do with Tsukayama remained. Should he kill him, as Myojin had suggested, or leave him to rejoin the dark one and fight against him sometime in the future? As long as Tsukayama didn't catch him unawares, he could defeat the man. Ken had a feeling Myojin carried a personal grudge against him anyway. It would be best to let him live so Myojin could kill him later. Ken had a feeling Kaoru wouldn't approve of him killing the vampire anyway, not unless it was the only way. But it wasn't. Why wasn't it the only way! Ken admitted to himself that he was just too good for this.

He parried a thrust, lunged, and Tsukayama was forced to back up against a convenient wall to avoid his guts splashing on the ground from a slash across his stomach. Ken pressed his last knife to the vampire's throat.

"Tsukayama Yutaro. Where can I find Anji? Tell me."

They stared at each other. Ken could almost see the thoughts running through his opponent's mind. First Tsukayama debated killing Ken with an upward slice, but realized the knife would be through his neck before he could complete the strike. Next he contemplated a kick, a punch, a different katana attack, and various combinations of the three. But Tsukayama came up short every time, because all of those options would take too much time.

"Drop the katana," Ken ordered.

Tsukayama weighed his options. He dropped it.

Ken kicked it twenty feet away. "Raise your hands."

The other vampire complied. Having decided he wasn't going to be able to kill Ken, he adopted a bored look.

"Where's Anji?"

Tsukayama sighed. "In the event that I lost this match and remained alive, my superiors gave me a message to deliver to you."

So the bastard had been keeping information from him all along. Typical. Ken didn't comment.

"Anji has been elevated to the status of personal slave to the dark one, a result of the successful completion of a recent task. What time is it?"

"Why do you want to know?" Ken asked warily. He couldn't afford to take his eyes from Tsukayama to look at his watch.

"So I can tell you where Anji is at the moment."

"It's around one."

Tsukayama thought for a moment. "Then he's approaching Juppongatana headquarters, or he may be in already. I wasn't provided with details."

"How will they get in?"

"There's a conspiracy in the Juppongatana. So. Are you going to seek out the dark one? You could always head in the opposite direction, you know, live to fight another day."

Ken glared at him. "If you're trying to prolong your life, don't waste your time. I'm not going to kill you."

"Really? I can't say I'm not happy about that. I'm looking forward to a rematch with Myojin. So guess this means you're going after it then. From what I've heard of you, I don't blame you. The dark one has something you need, by the looks of it."

"What?" Ken asked, pressing the blade a little harder against Tsukayama's throat.

"Classified. You'd better hurry back to your apartment. They've sent a couple vampires to retrieve the Kamiya girl. Don't you care what happens to her?"

Ken wasted no time in knocking Tsukayama unconscious with the hilt of his knife. He had places to be.

-

Ugh. Getting dressed up is so much trouble. Why are we going to this thing again?
To find out what's going on in the vampire world. We both need updates.
I know, but did we have to find it out from the rich, snotty vampires? If we just hit up the streets for a couple days, I'm sure we'd find out the same information.
This is quicker, and you know the lower class vampires resent us because of the money we have stashed. You're just looking for a fight.
What can I say? I had to try, didn't I?

-

"I've got the key," Soujiro heard Kaoru yell. From the sound of her footsteps, she was booking it up the stairs in her heels. "We only have three minutes until Tsubame leaves-"

"Who are you two?" a now un-gagged Suzume asked from her hand-cuffed position. "Who are you working for?"

"I know, Kaoru!" Sou called, keeping his eyes on Suzume's. It was imperative that he get her to trust him, or they were going to have a lot of trouble once they actually freed her. "Hurry up, she's untied besides the handcuffs."

"You work with that woman? She was in here with Jake earlier. I don't trust her."

"That was just an act," Sou explained. "You're going to have to trust us both. We're taking you back to your aunt."

But Suzume was glaring behind him at the door. "I don't like you," she said to Kaoru.

Sou winced. Kaoru wasn't going to react favorably to that. He turned around and met her gaze with sympathy. Surprisingly, she didn't look pissed at all, just tired and determined. And she didn't slow at Suzume's words. She simply kept on walking towards them, the handcuff key prominent in her right hand. But that was the Kaoru he knew. They were so close to saving Suzume. There was no way either of them would let even Suzume mess this up. Sou vowed to knock the girl unconscious and carry her down the stairs and outside if she didn't agree to cooperate. They weren't apt to attract attention before Tsubame picked them up this time of night.

"But for some reason, I trust you," Suzume said from behind him. Eyes wide, Sou turned back to face her as Kaoru brushed past him and knelt to unlock the handcuffs and free the young woman's wrists. "When will I see my aunt again?"

Sou was amazed at her ability to completely and utterly ignore Kaoru's presence. That just wasn't done. But even as her wrists slid from the handcuffs to rest in her lap, even as she rubbed her wrists to resume blood circulation, even as Kaoru told her to get up, that they had to get going, Suzume ignored the whole world, except for him. He used to do that when he spoke to Kaoru.

"When?" she asked again, as if ten seconds hadn't elapsed, her brown eyes trained on his.

Sou blinked. "We're taking you to a safe-house. I don't know if your aunt will be there, but friends of hers will watch over you."

"Will you be there?"

"Get up, we have to go," Kaoru interrupted impatiently. "Tsubame's going to leave in two minutes. Soujiro, Suzume, get up. Can you run?"

"Yes," Sou said, not sure if he was answering Suzume or Kaoru. He rose to his feet, grabbing Suzume's wrists and pulling her to her feet. Kaoru was already standing in the doorway to the hall.

"I'm a little wobbly," Suzume said, looking down at her unsteady feet. "I was tied up for too long. Keep holding my hand and pull me along, will you?"

Sou nodded, doing as she asked and pulling her after Kaoru at a run. She hadn't been lying. Her balance was precarious. As he followed Kaoru's retreating form down the stairs with Suzume in tow, he only hoped the latter wouldn't fall on top of him as they half-ran, half-jumped, down the stairs. It was strange following his ex-girlfriend with Suzume. There was no possible reason as to why it should be strange, but Sou couldn't deny that fact.

He supposed he admired Suzume for being able to shut Kaoru out. He'd never been able to do that. He'd been conscious of her even the first time he'd met her, and after they'd started going out she'd become the center of whatever room they were in, or whatever group of people they were talking to. He knew her walk. He could spot her from across campus. She'd visit him at the job he had during the school year, and when she'd leave he'd stare after her retreating back, smiling just because he got to watch her walk. He knew her voice, the smell of her perfume, how she acted when she was nervous or sad or happy or shy. He loved her so much and in so many ways, and every day he had to talk to her or he physically missed her. He actually physically missed her. And when they couldn't see each other for a week or so, he'd try to put her out of his mind so it didn't hurt so much, but he'd always wind up thinking of her before he fell asleep: recalling some memory of when they'd gone out for lunch, or something funny she'd said or done that had made him laugh. And no matter how much he deluded himself, there was no way he was over her, no possible way he could be over her already.

He'd known first loves seldom lasted, but he'd hoped to God his would. He could stand there and he could watch her hug another man and he could put on a happy face for her and make him think he hated her now. He could insult her and yell at her and deny the fact that she'd ever meant everything to him, or even anything to him. He could deny the fact that she still meant something to him. He would do everything to make her think he was over her, that she had his blessings concerning her new relationship, because that was the only way she would be happy. He couldn't wish guilt on her. He could only wish he was over her.

So as he strolled down the dark street, Kaoru grasping his left arm, Suzume clinging to his right, all three waiting for Tsubame to pull up alongside them, he made a vow to keep Kaoru from seeing the emotion written on his face. He'd simply smile. If you were happy and you smiled all the time, no one would think anything was wrong. No one would ask questions. More importantly, Kaoru wouldn't ask questions. Or at least when she did he'd be able to answer with a reassuring smile so she could get on with her life, because he loved her too much to fight for her.

"That's her pulling up behind us now," Kaoru informed him and Suzume. She'd been using her compact mirror to keep tabs on the street behind them, although she must have known that wouldn't do any good when it came to spotting vampires. "I'll ride shotgun. I'd feel better if Suzume was with you since she trusts you more," Kaoru said in his ear.

"Good call," Sou agreed, glad his voice came out sounding pleasant. Perhaps he could pull this off after all.

"Suzume! Glad you're alright," Sou heard Tsubame say as he held the back door open and watched Suzume climb in. Kaoru had already hopped in the front passenger seat and slammed the door shut.

"Mrs. Myojin? You sent these two to come get me?" Suzume asked incredulously.

Tsubame's laughed soothed Soujiro somewhat as he climbed into the jeep after Suzume. The young woman had seated herself in the middle so she could talk to Tsubame.

"Yes. I'm sorry it took so long, Suzume. Times are rather stressful. I had to find two humans I could trust to send in after you."

Sou blinked as he shut the car door. Tsubame pressed a button and locked all the doors. He hadn't known Suzume knew about the vampire world, but if her aunt was a vampire, he supposed she had to know.

"You trust both of them?" Suzume asked. Sou knew she was really asking if she trusted Kaoru.

"Where do you want to be dropped off, Kaoru?" Tsubame ignored Suzume to ask as she pulled away from the curb and into traffic.

"My apartment, please," Kaoru replied. "It's in Aliso Village. I don't know where else to wait for Ken."

"Alright. Aliso Village it is. I know the address, so you can sit back and relax. You've probably had a rough night so far."

Kaoru sighed. "And it's only one in the morning."

"You trust both of them?" Suzume asked again, louder.

Sou sensed some tension, so he occupied himself with putting on his seatbelt while he waited for Tsubame to reply.

"I already answered that question, so why are you asking again? I would not send two people I didn't trust to save your life. Don't question either Kaoru or Soujiro's character. Neither of them have done anything to offend you. If I were you, I'd thank them for saving your life, because right now, I don't think what they did was worth the risk."

Yes, tension was definitely heavy and present in the jeep. Sou hadn't known Tsubame could speak so harshly, but he did agree with her. Suzume hadn't acted like anything but a spoiled brat so far, especially with the way she ignored Kaoru.

Kaoru laughed. "Don't hold it against her, Tsubame. Ayame doesn't like me either."

And just like that the tension was broken. Kaoru was wonderful that way.

-

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing them. To die; to sleep;
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache…
…
The heart-ache…
…
Damnit! You win. I can't remember anymore.
Where's my hundred dollars?
…

-

Kaoru sighed as she exited the elevator on the floor of Mr. and Mrs. Sato and walked towards their apartment. She and Sou had succeeded in saving a young woman from death and brainwashing, but she didn't feel as if it had gone very well at all. Somehow, it just seemed a little too easy. Jake was right. One shouldn't be able to complete a covert operation with no training but one season of that television show called 24, numerous spy movies, and a hundred Nancy Drew novels. And the 'hostage' they'd rescued had turned out to be nothing but a little 'Miss Priss' who disliked Kaoru on sight. But to be fair, there was probably more to the girl then she'd displayed in the forty-five minutes in which Kaoru had known her. And she obviously had the hots for Soujiro. How could you think about stuff like that at a time like this? Kaoru knew it was immature, but as far as she was concerned, Ayame and Suzume were perfect for each other. Stick them together with Myojin and Saitou and wouldn't that make a wonderful group, chock full of people Kaoru wished she hadn't met during the past several days in Los Angeles.

Kaoru sighed again as she inserted her key in the door and entered the apartment. They'd been in a hurry and left the lights on, so the place was looking generally inviting.

"I love air-conditioning," Kaoru said out loud in a dramatic voice as she locked the door behind her. "And I hate these shoes," she finished, kicking them off and dropping her purse and keys on the couch along with her wrap. They'd probably be leaving again when Ken got back, so she figured she should hurry and get into clothes more suited for running around in. But first, she was already so sweaty from stress and taking out Jake, that shower time approached. Any why not? She had nothing better to do while she waited for Ken. And after the shower, she'd fix a snack. She was a little hungry.

-

What the hell is wrong with kids today? Those brats tried to steal my shoes.
Why'd you take off your shoes?
Don't laugh. I didn't. They tried to steal them right off my feet!

-

"Damn traffic jams", Ken swore under his breath. Really, traffic jams at almost two in the morning were pushing it. If he didn't get to Kaoru in time because some idiot humans had had a fender bender, which he'd just found out was the cause of that particular traffic jam, he was going to be very pissed.

His cell phone rang.

Ken swore he didn't have time for this, but if it was Kaoru who was calling, though he seemed to remember she'd forgotten to bring her cell phone to the opera, then he couldn't afford to miss the call. Careful to keep his eyes on the road, because he really was driving too fast, he felt around for the phone on the seat next to him. After a few seconds and a tight hair-pin turn, he finally found it.

"Hello?"

"Ken! How are you? Aoshi and I are coming to your apartment from the airport. We'll be there in a few."

"Misao?" Where had she been when he'd needed her on the roof? Not that he'd really needed her, but it would have been so much easier if she'd been there. He would have had to waste so many of Myojin's throwing knives. The vampire was going to be pissed when Ken came back with one out of seven.

"Yeah it's me, silly. Put Kaoru on the line so I can say hi."

"She's not here."

"What?" Misao screeched in his ear. "Where is she? Don't you know how dangerous it is for her without you, and especially tonight!"

"I know. I'm on my way to the apartment now."

"What happened? Why are you split up?" Misao sounded frantic.

"I followed up on a lead while Kaoru did something for the Juppongatana. I think she's back at the apartment."

"Why don't you know? Why don't you just call her?"

"I did, I'm not stupid. Her cell phone's off and we don't have a phone installed in the apartment. I tried to reach the landlord to get him to go up and check on her, but he's not answering the number I gave him."

"Well did you leave him a message?"

"Of course, but I couldn't make it sound too urgent or he'd get suspicious. Listen, when you get there, just break in."

"What!"

"My lead flat out said the dark one's vampires are going to be at the apartment tonight to take Kaoru and use her against us. Tell Aoshi to speed. I'm still twenty minutes away. I don't care who gets there first, but we need to find Kaoru."

"Hang in there, Ken. Aoshi will speed. Bye."

Ken pressed the 'end' button. He decided to take a cue from those times when he'd seen Kaoru kneeling, talking to her God, and he started praying.

-

Whoever invented taxes really sucks.
Sano-
I mean, they really suck. I wish I could go back in time and kill them, or at least prevent their parents from hooking up. Just something!

-

Kaoru exited the bathroom clean again clad in a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, with a spring in her step. Once again, she smelled pleasant and felt great. In short, she was in a good mood.

Her good mood abruptly ended when she turned on the kitchen light and saw a woman standing in her kitchen, eating one of the cookies she and Ken had baked a couple nights earlier.

Kaoru picked up the closest weapon, which happened to be a magazine. "Get out of my kitchen."

The woman smiled. Her fangs glinted from light reflected off the counter top. "I'm not leaving without you, Kaoru."

Kaoru thanked the Lord she was wearing the silver cross earrings. "You work for the dark one."

She nodded, dipping her head so low that a shock of brown hair covered her left eye. The rest of her hair was tied in a messy bun, and her mouth was green with lipstick.

"I do," she admitted, raising her head. "And I'm to bring you to my master, as leverage against the Battousai."

Kaoru stared at the woman in front of her. She had looks, and it seemed like she had personality to boot. Why was she working for the dark one?

"Why are you doing this to Ken?" Kaoru couldn't help asking.

"He is the last threat to the dark one's conquest. With you in its custody, the dark one won't lose to him."

"So that's what this is about," Kaoru realized. "The dark one is afraid of him. It's ironic; I don't think Ken knows there's a reason for his opponent to be afraid. Well after I defeat you, I can tell him myself."

"You're going to defeat me with a rolled up magazine?" the woman asked, popping the last part of the cookie in her mouth.

"Yes," Kaoru said defiantly, mentally preparing herself to attack.

"Hey, I don't fight. I only do poisons. But I wish you'd cooperate. It would save us the trouble of carrying you so far."

Kaoru realized the 'us' too late. By the time she started to turn around her vision was fading along with the rest of her five senses.

-

A/N –

Sorry that took so long. Thank you readers! Thank you reviewers:

Kyla Minamoto, Neko Oni-chan, Kya, Shadow-Within, KenshinObsessed, KendoPunk, RogueSummersLove, KurounesLove52, Mishorou Mie, alex, the sacred night, Devil's Wing, Aye, Coiling Death, trunksgirl85, kik-ting, Hikari-kawaii, Wanted, laku, starry night blue, Serenity Komoshiro, MidnightRosebud, crasyducky, Witchitta, dolphingirl0113, Hitokiri-miao miao, paisita, legolasEstelstar, Kyia, Jupiter's Light, MZ. AMbER EYES, Sagitarious Devil, Sapphire Priestess, Bradybunch4529, Iram, animegurl23, Shannon, De Lazy Lime, Brittanie Love, Hiei's.punk.rocker.girl, pruningshears, Videl621, KCSobe, Ashes of the Star Phoenix, Kuroi Tsuki Jyurian, Innocent Battousai

Yes, I am still alive. That overachiever school called JHU is taking it out of me, that's all. I swear, all I do is school work. I promise it will get better over the summer. But summer's a long while away, so I will try to write while I'm at school. Expect slow updates though. Sorry about that. Just ensuring I don't flunk out of college. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Aryanne