Hey guys. I guess you really like the story. Keep the reviews coming. I love the really long ones. Since you love my story so much, I'll start the next chapter.

Samurais of the Meji Army

Kaoru started to wake up. She wished that she hadn't awakened. Her head was throbbing and her neck was sore. She tried to stand up but fell to the ground. She tried to focus the room, but it kept spinning. She sat against a wall and closed her eyes. She tried to think what had happened and how she got there. Then she remembered the mysterious voice telling her that he could end her life in an instant. She remembered the cold sword on the back of her neck. Then…nothing. Everything had gone black.

As she opened her eyes, things stopped moving. She looked around the room she was in. It was very dark. She managed to make out chains connecting to the wall and the pile of straw she laid on. In front of her was a door made of bars. She finally figured out that she was in some sort of prison. She had to cover her mouth to muffle the scream when she saw a human skeleton covered in spider webs sitting in the corner. That was when she realized that she was a prisoner of war.

She heard footsteps coming toward her. She quickly grabbed a leg bone from the skeleton and hid it behind her. Two men appeared in front of the door. One of them took out a set of keys and unlocked the door. They smiled at the girl as they walked forward. One of them laughed and said, "We're going to have fun with this one."

"Yeah," the other one answered. "She looks like she has a lot of spunk."

"You got that right," Kaoru said as she hit them both over the head. One grabbed his sword, but Kaoru easily dodged him and hit his neck. The other swung at her with his sword, just catching her long black hair. She managed to hit him in the groin and run out of the cell. She had some hope. Maybe she could make it out of the prison and back to Kyochi. All hope faded when she turned the corner. It was a dead end.

She started running back but stopped when her way was blocked by two samurais. The one with short black hair spoke first. "Don't make this any harder than this is, unless you want Shishio and me to hurt you." Kaoru pointed her bone at them. Both of them stared at her and laughed.

"Let me take her, Shiro," Shishio said. He drew his sword and switched it so the dull side would hit his target.

"I am the assistant master of the Kamiya Kasshin style. I'm not going to let you boss me around like some housewife!" She charged at Shishio and started swinging, but the man dodged every attempt. The only swing that had made contact was one that hit the side of his face. He then swung the sword into Kaoru's abdomen, causing a shallow cut from the force. After she fell to the ground, Shishio raised his sword and switched the blade back to its original position, ready for the kill. Shiro laughed

"That's enough, Shishio. We need the girl alive. We'll tie her up and take her to see the boss." The men made sure that her hands were tied tightly behind her back. Since she had taken out two other guards and had managed to hit Shishio in the face, she would need to be restrained. She tried to scream for help, but the two men gagged her with a piece of cloth. They then led her away to the officer's headquarters.

Kaoru had heard about these samurais. They went around trying to bring the corrupt government to a fall. They stealthily rushed through the night killing men for numerous crimes against the Meji army. She even heard stories of innocent woman and children being slaughtered by this elite force of samurais. She could only pray that they would show her mercy. But why was she here? Was it because of her father or because she was connected to the shogun?

When they entered the officer's quarters, they pushed her to her knees. She looked up to discover a red haired samurai, the same one that had slaughtered her father. He glanced at her and then back at the man in the chair. He got up and walked to Kaoru. He removed the handkerchief covering her mouth and examined her. This girl is pretty, he thought. It's no wonder why the shogun's son would want her so badly. He lifted her chin up and rubbed her cheek. He was surprised when she whipped her head to throw his hand off her. She has spunk, too.

"I am Katsura, your captor. I am sorry about the way you were brought here, but I had no choice. I wanted to make sure you got here unharmed, which I see failed." He had noticed the gash in her stomach and instantly glared at the two samurais behind her. "You will be staying here until we receive your ransom. I will soon inform the shogun about your capture and give him our requests. I suggest that you behave during your stay with us. As long as you do, you will not be harmed. Kenshin," The red haired boy looked at his superior. "You will look after her for the time being. Make sure you take care of that cut."

Kenshin picked her up bridal style and carried her back to her cell. Kaoru could hear the man yelling at his soldiers as they left. It felt funny to be carried by the samurai. She wasn't really afraid. This samurai seemed to be gentle. It almost made her blush when he carried her back. When they got back to her cell, a futon had been set up for her. Kenshin laid her down, untied her bindings, and took out some bandages. He then lit a torch and filled a bucket of water from the pump. He looked at the girl as if he was waiting for something.

"If you want me to clean your wound, you are going to have to lift your shirt up." Kaoru did as he said and pulled her shirt out of her skirt. She then opened it so the wound was exposed, careful not to let anything else be exposed. Kenshin started cleaning the blood away. When he first touched it with the wet towel, Kaoru winced in pain. "Sorry. I have a swordsman's hands. They aren't very careful."

"How long will I be here?" Kaoru asked.

"I'm not sure. It could be a week or even a month. Until then, I'll make sure you are safe, and you get what you need. If you behave, I'm sure Katsura will let you walk around the prison. We will return you to the shogun if he meets our wishes. If he doesn't, I guess you'll have to live with us." Kaoru liked his voice. It was so warm and comforting, even though the words should have made her uneasy. Then Kaoru asked what was really bothering her.

"You killed my father. Why?" Kenshin stopped tying her bandages for a moment when she asked the question. How could he answer her? He decided to tell her the truth.

"Your father abandoned his post and worked with the shogun when he was fighting for us. He gave the shogun information about our attacks, and because of that, he caused us to lose our men." Kenshin finished tying the bandages. He started packing up but pulled out a loaf of bread. "It isn't much, but it should nourish you. I'll check back with you in a few hours." He left, locking the door behind him. At least now she could make herself somewhat comfortable. She thought about what he had said about her father. She couldn't see why her dad would betray someone. She supposed that he thought the shogun would win the war, and if he went back to him and married her off, they would be safe.

It didn't matter to her if she got out of there. There was nothing left to return to. Sure, she would go back to Kyochi and marry him, but she didn't love him. All she wanted to do was drop dead. But something told her to hang on. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the one called Kenshin seemed to bring her comfort. There was nothing to do except do what the samurais asked. She couldn't eat anything now, so she crawled into the futon and fell asleep, hoping that this was all a bad dream.

I guess there aren't really any footnotes, but I have some reviews to answer.

Lmymomol: I am a Samurai X fan, but I only watched the movie because I watched the Rurouni Kenshin series and thought that it might be good. Actually, we were studying about the "great sword hunt" performed by the Tokugawa Shogunate in the 19th century. I was excited about it because I love anything that has to do with Japan. So my history teacher, who is also a big Samurai X fan, brought in the Samurai X Trust/Betrayal movie in. I wish he would have brought in Reflection too so I could find out what happens. I think I have a good idea. Then I bought both movies from Right Stuf International Inc. (which is an awesome catalog to buy Anime) and found out that Reflection was about Kaoru and Kenshin's past together. I loved the movie though. It made me cry. It's a pretty said movie, but really good. It's my favorite video. I thought that Kaoru and Tomoe looked a lot alike because of their skin tone, hair and eye color were similar. They act differently, but why would Kenshin fall in love with Kaoru if she didn't somehow resemble Tomoe? I don't know, maybe I'm crazy. Hey, you're not the only one that writes reviews that are novel-length. But anyways, I hope I answered your review. Thanks for reviewing.

Nolifer: I'll try to make the chapters really long. ; )

Anyone I Forgot: Sorry, thanks for the reviews though.