Disclaimer: Last time I checked I still don't own Kenshin or anyone related to Kenshin in any way shape or form. I doubt I ever will, even though my sister did give me a pic she did of Saitou with a big bow around him :grins:

Anyway…on with the story. I hate college homework. I love holidays cause I can write. Thanks to charmedsword for her review.

Highway to the Danger Zone

Kenshin looked at his partners, the best friends he had. "I'm not asking you to do anything. I just wanted you to know the truth, because I'm sure that Seijuro is going to twist into something crazy."

"Whoa, whoa wait just a second." Sano stared hard at him. "You told us all this…then expect us to just stay out of it? You're more nuts then I thought!"

Kenshin looked at Sano and sighed. "I can't ask any of you to take part in this. You don't understand…when Seijuro finds out about this he's already told me he's going to arrest me. I'm throwing my career away and I won't let any of you do this." Kenshin spoke with quiet determination. He was prepared to do what he had to do, but he wouldn't let them do this.

"Haven't you forgotten you never could tell me what to do?" Saitou asked flatly, eyeing up the slight redhead.

"Hey, I mean it's not like we really have careers now…" Yahiko quipped.

"Well looks like it's unanimous." Sano grinned, tossing his badge into the middle of the table in a joking gesture. "Where do we start?"

Kenshin looked at them, he hadn't wanted this, but who was he to tell them what they could or couldn't do. "I know Shishio is going to strike again. I just don't know who or where. I have to try and stop him."

"And how are you planning on doing that?" Saitou asked.

"Maybe if there's a pattern or something….that we can figure out…" Kenshin mused.

"Hey, there's a city map in the patrol car…lemme go grab it!" Yahiko announced suddenly, pushing his way out of the booth. He returned moments later with a slightly crumpled, badly folded map.

"Sano doesn't know how to fold a map." He said semi accusingly.

Sano snorted and grabbed the map away from Yahiko. "Let me see that."

He spread the map out on the table, then taking a pen out of his uniform pocket started to mark on the map. "He was here, here and here…." Sano started circling locations until he had them all marked out.

"Seems to be striking the outer lying areas first." Saitou remarked, looking at the placement on the circles. "None of them are in the central part of the city. And in the order he went, he went from one to another, it's not just random." He pointed in order to each one with an unlit cigarette.

"Funny none of Seijuro's 'professionals' noticed that…or if they did they're not acting on it." Kenshin remarked.

"We just need to figure out who else might be in his plan…" Yahiko leaned over the table looking at the map.

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Shishio crept through the shadows towards the almost darkened house. One light seemed to be on inside, but he wasn't concerned about that. His victim lived alone, and was never home at this time. His extensive and painstaking researching had shown that.

Just a few well placed explosives, and when that smug, two faced so called police officer returned home, he'd get just what he deserved. Shishio allowed himself a pained, but pleased smile. He was going to enjoy this immensely.

The back was all dark, and the shadowy figure slipped onto the back porch and the door that went with it. It was locked, as he expected, so he was prepared for that. Sliding something out of his pocket he quickly manipulated the lock, cutting past it and pushing the door open. He stepped in, careful not to brush anything, and looked around. It seemed to be some kind of back or utility room, this wouldn't work. He needed to get into one of the main rooms. He started towards the doorway, stepping carefully, and feeling his way in the darkness, to attract no attention to himself.

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Kenshin stared at the map, his expression screwing up as he tried to think, to reason the way Shishio would.

"So who else is left?" Yahiko asked. "Wait Kenshin…you said he knew about you…that you were with the cops…you think maybe…"

He stopped as Kenshin's head shot up, looking at Yahiko startled. He looked back at the map, pulling the pen out of Sano's hand. "Wha…what are you doing?" Sano demanded.

Kenshin followed the path Saitou had pointed out, then suddenly drew a dark circle around the next spot on the map. Then he looked up, horror on his face as a new thought dawned on him. "Miss Kaoru!"

"What?" Sano looked confused.

Kenshin was already on his feet. "There's no time to explain! All I can say is she's in danger!"

The other three exchanged a fast look, and followed the fast retreating Kenshin. In their hurry to leave the diner they missed the fact they'd left not only the map, but Sano's badge, still sitting on the table in between the coffee cups and cigarette butts.

As Tae moved to clean up the table she picked them up with a confused expression, and looked after the men, but they were already gone.

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Kenshin ran across the parking lot to one of the patrols cars, looking up at Saitou who'd followed him. "Let me drive. Please." He said quickly. Saitou only nodded as they climbed into the car. Kenshin threw it in reverse, screeching out of the parking lot with Sano right behind him in the second car.

As he sped down the streets as quickly as he dared he sweated and prayed they weren't too late. It was he Shishio wanted, but he was sure if Kaoru got in his way the deranged man would kill her too. And if another woman Kenshin loved was killed because of him, he'd never forgive himself.

Because if he wasn't sure of it before, he was now. He loved her, and couldn't stand by and let something happen to her. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed the number for Kaoru's that she'd given him that morning. He had to warn her to get out, go anywhere but there. He waited impatiently as the phone rang.

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In one of the personnel lockers back at the station, a cell phone rang, where it had fallen out of Kaoru's purse as she'd left work that day.

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Another pair of police officers entered the Akebeko, Detective Shinomori, and another one of his detectives. Tae met them at the door with a smile. "Hello and welcome…this way please." She led them to a table then went to get some coffee.

It was then she remembered the map and the badge. Carrying the coffee in one hand she held the others in her other hand. "Excuse me…I didn't know if you'd want these back, but there were some other officers in here earlier. They seemed very worked up, and they left these behind…"

They looked at the map and it's scribbling, and one picked up the badge, looking at the number on it. "You have any idea what unit they were from?" Aoshi asked, but already having a good idea.

Tae nodded. "That I do. It was the four from Unit 42."

The officers exchanged looks. "There were four of them?"

Tae nodded. "Yep, all of them were here. But Kenshin wasn't in his uniform, struck me as rather odd."

Aoshi stood up. "Do you have a phone I can use?" He fingered the badge and looked serious.

"Right through that hallway. Before you get to the bathrooms." Tae looked concerned.

He picked up the map as well, and with a nod walked to the phone. Picking it up he dialed a number, then waited.

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Kenshin hung up in frustration after he'd only managed to reach Kaoru's voice mail. He skidded around a corner, one hand on the wheel as he tried to dial another number. Saitou grabbed the edge of the dashboard. "You won't do anyone good if you get us killed out here!" he growled.

Kenshin ignored him, holding up the phone again and hoping wildly she'd answer as he called his own house.

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Kaoru was in the kitchen, heating up some water to make tea. She wasn't really tired yet, but she was hoping the tea would help. It was quiet, but somehow she felt restless.

Suddenly Kenshin's cat shot out of nowhere, his tail puffed to three times it's normal size as he shot around the room and onto the counter, knocking the phone off it's hook. But Kaoru didn't notice at first, looking at the cat with no little concern.

"What's the matter sweetie? Something startle you?"

As if on cue the floor in the backroom squeaked, as though something heavy was on it, followed by the squeak of a door being opened slowly. Kaoru felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, something wasn't right. Looking again at the panting cat she stepped slowly towards the back rooms.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

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Seijuro looked at his ringing phone for a moment before he picked it up. "Hello. Captain Seijuro speaking." He spoke, sounding bored.

"Captain, Shinomori here, I have something you might find interesting."

"Go on." Seijuro prompted.

"Sir, we're down at the Akebeko, and the waitress down here says Unit 42 was in here. All four of them, she said Kenshin was out of uniform." Aoshi paused. "I thought he walked out."

Seijuro ground his teeth. "He did."

"Well he was here with the rest of them. Sagara left his badge on the table, along with a map. The map has been marked on, detailing the bombing sites. There's another site marked, that hasn't been hit." Aoshi explained, then told Seijuro the address marked on the last site.

Seijuro growled. "How much you wanna bet that's where he's going?"

Aoshi said nothing.

Seijuro continued. "I told him to leave it alone. If he went out there, and if he took the others with him…they've gone rogue, and I'll see them all in jail. Thank you Shinomori. I'll take it from here."

He continued to growl to himself as he hung up. He didn't want to do this, but someone had to show Himura that he didn't run this department. And if he had to arrest him to do it, so be it. Standing up he walked to dispatch, taking one of the radio units from one of the dispatchers.

"All units in the area, we have several rogue officers at large, along with a civilian. They're to be apprehended at any cost!"

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Kaoru looked around the darkness again, reaching out to turn on the light switch, but before she could she was grabbed from behind, a hand slapping over her mouth before she could scream.

"Don't move, or I'll kill you." A wheezing voice spoke low, hot, stale breath in her ear.

Kaoru froze, terror chilling her to the core as she felt the end of a gun pressed into the side of her neck.

Shishio hadn't planned on anyone being in the house, and had been very startled to find the woman there, but he was resourceful, and quickly tried to think of a way to manipulate the situation to his advantage. This woman could come in useful yet…

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Kenshin snapped off the phone and tossed it to Saitou, stepping on the gas again, she wasn't answering his phone either, for all he knew, it might already be too late. He spun around the last corner, and skidded to a stop in front of his own house. Sano sped to a stop right behind him, and the men rushed out of the car, to see what Kenshin was doing.

But before he could explain several more police cars, lights and sirens on skidded to a stop as well, cutting off anyone coming up or down the street. "Step away from the car! Put your hands on your head, all of you!" A young officer barked at Kenshin.

"No, you don't understand…!" Kenshin started, but was cut off.

"Put your hands on your head!" the officer shouted again, and Kenshin started to raise his hands, as did the others. He noted with dismay they'd even brought out a canine unit, what did they think he was, a hardened criminal?

Towards the back Aoshi stood back and watched everything unfold, wondering if there was any validity to anything Kenshin had been saying. The man didn't look so positive now.

The young officer started to walk towards them, several more with him. "You are under arrest. Anything you say…"

Before anything else could be done the front door of the house was thrown open. "All of you! If any of you move I'll blow her head off!" A voice shouted above the commotion.

As a group everyone turned towards the door and an unexpected shocked silence settled on the group. And to Kenshin's horror he found his hunch had been right. Standing in the doorway was Shishio, maniacal look in his eyes as he held Kaoru tightly, the gun still pressed into her neck….