Author's Note: (laughs nervously) Pretty late update, huh? Yeah…I've been pretty lax in my updating these past few months, though I hope to keep the chapters coming at a swifter pace. I blame it on school…darn college…zaps all your free time and leaves you with nothing but studying to do. Arg… (wink) Reviewer responses are at the bottom.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

Red River Raging

Chapter 3

"Complications"

From Chapter 2:

Pushing Tsubame quickly into the storeroom, Yahiko slammed the heavy door shut and twisted the lock hurriedly. Glancing wildly around him, he shoved a tilting stack of boxes against he door, as well as a small table and squatty crate that hadn't been opened yet. Twisting around to glance at Tsubame, he smiled weakly at her, trying to vainly reassure her.

Through the door, Cho's ominous voice filtered evenly. "Here I come…."

As the weak door shook loudly against the sudden heavy pounding, Yahiko stumbled back, his hands grasping the base of a baseball bat his father kept in the room.

"I'm ready," Yahiko replied in a deadly serious tone, eyes peeled to the shaking form of the door.

His palms were sweaty against the smooth surface of the baseball bat he held securely in his hands. Yahiko's shoulders tensed instinctually as a long, sinuous crack split through the middle of the wooden door, a loud burst of sound filling the thick air. Another sudden onslaught of brute force splintered the wood, cracking the door into countless individual pieces as it burst apart, spilling over the floor and slashing through the air. Though Yahiko could barely hear the hushed whisper of fanatical laughter of the blonde man, he felt his vision dim slightly with a blinding wave of panic. Biting his tongue with enough pressure to cause a stab of pain, he felt his vision widen again, restored, as his heart hammered heavily in his chest.

He watched with partially veiled fear, adrenaline pulsing in his veins as Cho moved the shattered pieces of wood out of the way, his black gaze lighting on the two teenagers. His eyes glinted openly with evil delight as he watched a distinct shiver of apprehension climb up Yahiko's body.

"Amateur," Cho whispered, smirking as he leaned down to pick up a jagged slab of wood. Curling his hand around it, he lifted it and smoothed his fingers over the rough surface in an intimidating movement. "I suggest that you hurry up and tell me what I need to know, or else there will be some…interesting…repercussions."

Yahiko could feel the damp pressure of sweat beading on his back making the thick fabric of his shirt stick to his moist skin. Narrowing his eyes, he clenched his teeth together reflexively and hefted the baseball bat, bringing it up and into a position to swing the makeshift weapon. Determination and anger filled his mind. "Even if I knew anything, I still wouldn't tell you," he spit out vehemently, watching as the older man tensed and shift his stance.

"You're going regret ever saying that."

Cho moved closer, his eyes flashing, his movements collected, deliberate, and deadly.

"No," a new voice said from behind Cho, a slight slip of dark amusement hidden in his tone, "You're going to regret ever stepping foot in this diner, Cho."

Cho didn't seem surprised by the newcomer, though Yahiko watched as his left eye twitched, revealing apparent agitated anxiety. Cho's lips curled scathingly as he tilted his head to the side, keeping his back to the newcomer, though straightening the line of his shoulders and raising his eyebrows in a move of disguised nonchalance. "I should have known you'd show up. Never far behind your master's heels, huh?" he replied, sneering disgust dripping from his voice.

Yahiko watched as the tall, brunette took a step closer, his features coming into view from the shadowed hold of the doorway, revealing a cruel twist of the mouth, and two very tightly clenched fists. "We'll see how well you talk when all your damn teeth are missing, you wise ass," the menacing man gritted out, swiping out his arm to quickly grab the back of Cho's shirt, abruptly jerking him backwards as of he weighed nothing and tossing him lack a sack of belligerent potatoes across the diner. The man smiled slightly in a pleased manner as the blonde smashed into the front glass of the windows, shattering it into a million tiny pieces.

Somewhat dazed by the sudden turn of events, Yahiko stood there for a second, stationary, with the bat still held tightly in his grasp. His eyes, lightly hazed with uncertainty, met the domineering, shrewd gaze of the stranger, holding it for second before the other man turned away.

A fierce, furious yell sounded throughout the diner, filling the air with a tight tension. "Sanosuke, I'm going to kill you!" Apparently, Cho resented being thrown across the diner.

He answered with a disdainful chuckled as Yahiko watched the man stalk away, his footsteps deliberate. The distinct crackling of broken glass resonated, snapping Yahiko out of his weak state of stupefied bewilderment.

Loosening his grip on the baseball bat, he whipped around, his eyes landing on the still form of Tsubame. Her face, still pale from the horror of their situation, was tight with fear and disbelief. He watched her wide gaze shift from the open doorway to his countenance, some of the harsh reality of the situation clearing her mind she looked into his eyes. She pushed away from the wall she was leaning weakly against and sat up, brushing trembling fingers through her long bangs to move the hair out of her eyes.

An immediate, impulsive urgency zapped through Yahiko's muscles, urging him to get away from the horrific chaos as far and as fast as he could. Leaning down to grab the upper portion of the girl's arm, he silently helped her to her unsteady feet, sliding his tight grip down to her forearm when she gained her tentative balance.

He kept the wooden bat, not wanting to desert his only means of protecting the two of them and quickly scanned the room for anything, absolutely anything, which could help them escape. He pressed the burning urgency of the situation into the back of his mind, knowing that even though he needed to hurry as quickly as possible, it did him no good to panic. He knew there had to be a way out of the room.

Wait!

Suddenly, he remembered the absent stuttering of his father when they had opened the diner about his expressed disappointment in having a window in the storeroom leading out to alley. He had mumbled something along the lines of 'trouble' and plain 'stupidity' to put a window in such an impractical place. At the time, the torrent ramblings of his father had been a mild annoyance and he'd filed the small bit of information away in his mind.

Narrowing his eyes, he sighted the partially blocked window high in the corner of the room, hidden incompletely by a tall stack of cardboard boxes. Pulling Tsubame, he hurried to the stack and quickly started to remove boxes from the stop.

He took them off, throwing them on the floor quickly, ignoring the messy spill of supplies littering the floor. After a short time, the stack was just short enough for them to step up on, allowing them enough height to get out of the room through the window.

Stepping up, Yahiko jammed the end of the bat through the dirty glass, breaking it stridently.

Turning, he moved the grab Tsubame's arm, but stopped suddenly when he saw the stranger, named Sanosuke, standing over the frail young woman, his eyes narrowed and glinting impatiently.

"And where do you think you're going?"

As Kaoru trailed after the silent, ominous duo, her feet muffled by the loose dirt of the nature-covered path, she wrapped her arms more tightly around herself, loosing herself in the folds of Kenshin's warm jacket.

They had been walking for what seemed like forever, in silence, of course, careful not attract unwanted attention. Or so Kenshin had said. Casting a wary glance behind her, her eyes trying to adjust to the deeper darkness of the forest they'd already past through, she sighed and turned back.

From what she could discern, this Aoshi was also one of the so-called vampires Kenshin claimed to be. No proclaimed human could move with the insurmountable power and stealth he seemed to rein within his steely subconscious, and be as blank, cool and superiorly aloof as he. His eyes were as cool as ice, frigidly devoid of emotional tangles. And his voice…his voice dripped of sterile words, purposely deficient of human sentiment and sensations.

Aoshi walked noiselessly in front of Kenshin, his searing gaze capturing all movement around him, processing and dismissing it as woodland nightlife. Before her, Kenshin walked, the moonlight slanting high above, halfway hidden by the grasping slips of lethargic clouds, and partially illuminating his fiery red hair.

A sharp, painful stitch formed in her side, cramping her fatigued muscles. Grimacing, she pressed a hand to the throbbing muscle, stretching to the side in attempt to release the burning pressure.

Kenshin seemed to sense her immediate discomfort, turning to see if she was okay. Ignoring the questioning tilt of his head, she turned her eyes to subtle sway of the leaves as the wind blew weakly through the foliage, brushing the branches with a faint hand.

She had been trying for the last hour not to think of the situation that her brother was in, which just made her worry incessantly. Frowning, she remembered the panicked look on his face before she had disappeared into the alley. She had left him to deal with that blonde demon. Her brother was strong, but not that strong; especially against a being who could magically resurrect himself. Shuddering involuntarily, Kaoru frowned and rubbed the tips of her fingers between her eyebrows, massaging the building headache in her mind.

The steady fall of her footsteps added a monotone feel to the tedious walk. She turned her eyes to the sky, loosing herself in the vast brightness of the stars as they winked in and out of the branches reaching across and blocking her view.

She was completely lost in her thoughts when Aoshi and Kenshin slowed their pace minutely, their body language changing drastically.

"Aoshi," Kenshin uttered in a soft, but deadly urgent tone, turning his gaze to a thick brush of trees.

"I hear it," the other man returned slowly, his body already tense and honed to the faint and soundless movements just beyond their sight.

Kaoru's eyes narrowed as she desperately searched the trees for whatever the inhuman beings in front of her seemed so sure lurked behind the deep coverage of the lush foliage. Bending down, but keeping her eyes peeled to the unknown intruders' assumed place, she moved her hand blindly along the ground, brushing her digits through the dirt and leaves, finally coming into contact with exactly what she was looking for.

She wouldn't be desperate for help this time.

She stood up, bending her head down and flattening her lips in a thin line of grave focus as she sharpened her concentration.

She was taking care of herself from now on.

Despite her quiet and firm resolve, her blood pressure spiked involuntarily as a growling canine slowly emerged, intrepidly stepping into the small clearing. Eyes flashing with a deadly calculation of malice, its lips slowly curled back from glinting teeth, barring the deadly weapons. Two more aggressively vigorous animals stepped from the bush to stand beside the first, their ears laid flat against their midnight black skulls, saliva pooling in their mouths, dripping down as aggression seeped from their trembling muscles as the malevolently indomitable kill instinct diffused through their sharp, insular mentalities.

Their bodies shuddered with expecting exhilaration, their minds awash with the singular satisfaction of an oncoming kill. One beastly body stepped forward, eyes glinting madly, a snarl curling on its tongue as a wicked call to the night erupted from its throat, tearing the silence of the forest with a vicious ferocity.

Gritting her teeth, Kaoru's hands tightened on the large wooden branch she'd picked up from the ground, her eyes hard with fierce fortitude.

And before she could blink, they erupted from their unnatural standstill, charging rapidly with a daring speed of deliberate intensity.

Watching them to charge, her heart accelerated at an unnatural speed, panic threatening to overwhelm her. She jammed her eyes shut, blotting out the stark truth of reality and losing herself in the blackness of her subconscious. In an impulsive stroke of uneasy energy, she started to count.

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Oh, God.

Six

Open them.

Seven

Open your eyes.

Eight

Open your eyes!

Nine

OPEM THEM!

Ten

Opening her eyes, Kaoru watched with an amazed, widened gaze as the black body launched forward, aiming with clear accuracy at her unprotected face. As she watched the knowing maliciousness cloud the animal's eyes as a thick animosity stirred in its gut, she felt her resolve stiffen, her mind suddenly clearing itself of shameful emotions of weakened fear.

Hefting the thick branch back, a deep-throated yell filled her lungs; she swung the heavy wood, brutally bashing the animal severely in the side of the face.

It fell heavily to the ground, unmoving.

Flicking her gaze momentarily over to the two vampires, she felt a ribbon of satisfaction snake into her chest. Sure, their beasts lay lifeless at their feet, bleeding like stuck pigs while hers still breathed, unfortunately, but she'd shown it who was boss. Kaoru was boss!

Kaoru saw a faint flicker of what she thought was small show of admiration in Kenshin's eyes before he turned away, scanning the trees again.

Her fingers loosened their hold on the heavy wood, letting in fall to the ground with a resounding thump. The three of them remained rooted in place for a few moments, assuring themselves no other night creature lurked in the shadows, ready to hunt them down with merciless vengeance. Sucking in a nervous breath, she turned silently as she watched the two men start to walk again.

Here we go again, she thought moodily, her mouth curling distastefully. Surely there were better ways to travel than thump idiotically through the woods, tiring their bodies for no particularly good reason. Sighing and shoving her hands into the deep pockets of Kenshin's jacket, she trudged onward, her gaze squarely on the back of the red-head's solid form.

She had been expecting the walking to go on forever, but it wasn't five minutes later, Aoshi led them out of the heavy trees, and to the side of a deserted gravel road. Across the sparse road, a small, blue car was parked inauspiciously.

"Ah, so now we get to drive in the car," she muttered sarcastically to herself, casting a surreptitious glance in Kenshin's direction, watching as her words had no effect on him as he skillfully ignored them.

Aoshi unlocked the doors, getting behind the steering wheel while Kenshin opened the door to the backseat, motioning for Kaoru to slide in.

She sent him a hooded glare before ducking her head and sitting down.

"You're too, kind," she mumbled irreverently, crossing her arms over her chest. He sat down beside her, his posture strictly rigid.

Compared to the smooth, uneventful drive to the woods, this drive was also uneventful, but anything except smooth. The rocky substrate on the gravel road varied in heaviness and size, creating an odd mixture to drive on. After a while, Kaoru was amazingly almost lulled to sleep by the rocking motions, her eyelids growing heavy with emotional fatigue. She was in-between conscious worlds when she felt the light touch of Kenshin fingers against her arm. Blinking, she opened her heavy lids, spearing the man with a bleary glare, her mind slightly jumbled. Sighing when she realized they had stopped, she unbuckled the seatbelt and followed him out, leaning a little against the side of the car.

They had parked at the side of large mansion, daunting in appearance and stature. Windows were illuminated by a flickering of light as ivy snaked up the side of the red bricks, covering the walls with spider-like arms. It stood three stories high and spanned a great length of land. It reminded her a cold mausoleum, closed off to life and the ongoing world around it.

"Where are we?" she asked, uncertainty tickling her voice.

"Follow me, and you'll see," Kenshin replied, walking along the side of the mansion, up a small flight of stairs and to a side door, unmarked and dark in color. Sliding a shiny key into the lock, he turned the knob and entered the dimly lit room, ushering Kaoru in silently.

She had expected the walk into an empty entrance room, serving as something like a servant's side entrance. Instead, they had walked straight into a small room filled with three people, or…er…vampires?

A slight woman with thick, long hair braided and slung over her shoulder sat on top of a grand piano, her lips curled in a contented smile. The happy sheen in her eyes lit up with pleased surprise as she eyed Kaoru, one of her black eyebrows rising in question. She wore a slinky black dress molded to the subtle curves of her body. To Kaoru she seemed exotic and unusual, a thin veil of tough fortitude cloaking her.

Two men were also in the room, one standing beside the small woman, and another across the room, leaning against the wall beside a window. The man beside the woman was elderly, wisdom and age covering his body like a badge, while his eyes were sharp with intuition and held a kind glint. The other man beside the window stood almost belligerently, tall and straight, his posture stiff and reticent. A cigarette hung limply between his lips, lighting up as he sucked the poisonous smoke into his lungs. Kaoru sincerely doubted it would harm him, though.

Turning silently to Kenshin, she crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head, daring him to inform her of exactly where they were.

His violet eyes deepened with an unreadable emotion as he sucked in a shallow breath, spearing her with his perceptive gaze. "Welcome to Daaku Manor, home to the Gyoukou Clan."

Walking down the deserted city sidewalk in the middle of the night wasn't the brightest thing Megumi had ever done in her life, but it was much better than working herself to death in that damn diner, she reasoned with herself vainly, shivering as a particularly sharp sting of wind hit her face. Raising a hand to brush her long hair away from her cold face, she worried her bottom lip with her teeth, clutching her purse more tightly to her side.

She couldn't get the wounded look in Kaoru's eyes out of her mind. She hadn't meant to be as blunt as she had, but she just wished her sister would gain some backbone and stand up for herself once in her lifetime. Megumi knew the younger woman had great potential, especially in the arts, and she was stumped as to why she wanted to waste her younger years slaving away for the family diner, losing herself in the mindless work.

Rounding the corner, she felt a small flutter of relief when she caught sight of the front of her apartment building, the familiar setting calming her. Slightly quickening her pace, she walked up the small flight of stairs to the glass entrance door, swiftly unlocking it and closing it firmly behind her. Hurrying up the flight of stairs to the second floor, she felt a trickle of nervous energy pool in the back of her mind.

She almost dreaded seeing her sister, wondering how the younger woman would act around her. The apartment they shared had brought them closer over the year and half that they had lived together, but occasionally, like tonight, when their parting words had been cross and angry, she almost wished they lived separately to let the feeling cool to a muted buzz.

Coming to a halt in front of the door, she slowly unlocked it, letting herself into the cool interior.

Odd.

Usually Kaoru left most of the lights on when Megumi hadn't returned back from her late nights. Moving over to a dark lamp, she flipped the switch, bathing the room with muted light. Running her gaze over the furniture, she frowned when she noticed nothing had changed from when she had left that morning. Wondering if Kaoru had stayed late, or was just avoiding her, Megumi walked to the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of cool iced tea before moving back to the den and flipping on the television.

Leaning back to rest partially on the armrest of the couch, she held the television remote loosely in her hand while sipping the cool, refreshing liquid. Flipping through the channels, she groaned at the mundane programming, getting ready to shut it off, when a familiar sight greeted her eyes. Frowning, she lowered the remote, watching as a stoic newswoman stood in front a smashed restaurant, her voice droning on about a late night attack.

The glass slipped from her fingers falling to the floor with a muffled thunk, spilling the liquid all over the carpet. Her body grew numb as her vision dimmed, shock spreading through her limbs as she looked at the destruction of her diner.

Her diner!

Raising her hands to her mouth to muffle her cry of horror, Megumi slumped against the sofa, her knees giving out momentarily.

Scanning the screen for any sign of life, any life…for her sister, her brother, her father - her family.

Where were they?

Bursting to her feet, Megumi hastily grabbed her purse, her feet carrying her abruptly out of her apartment and to the place of destruction.

"The police are afraid to come in," Sanosuke remarked with a smirk, watching as the uniformed people huddle around the outside of the shattered windows of the diner, uncertainty apparent in their hesitant movements.

Yahiko watched as the tall man paced to the side of the room, his eyes still glued outside the door on the hurried happenings outside the diner, skillfully keeping his form out of view from prying eyes.

"Why are we just sitting here? If you're here to help us as you say, shouldn't we be going somewhere…like after my sister," Yahiko stated firmly, leaning against the back of the chair he sat in, eyeing Sanosuke suspiciously.

"Can't leave until I get the signal," he replied absently, brushing a hand through his tousled brown hair, and turning to look momentarily at the brooding teenager.

"And what's that?"

"You'll know when it happens."

Yahiko snorted derisively, fidgeting and turning his gaze to Tsubame. She smiled weakly, trying to assure him that she was alright for the time being. Kicking the leg of his chair impatiently, Yahiko stood up and crossed his arms over his chest.

"If that signal doesn't come soon, I'm leaving."

Sanosuke smiled with apparent amusement, raising an eyebrow mockingly. "And do what? Scour every alley of the city? Track down every suspicious looking man and tackle him to the ground so he can tell you where your poor, lost sister is?"

Yahiko's cheeks reddened slightly with an angry flush, his eyes narrowing. "Well, at least that would be doing something."

BANG. A huge explosion ripped the street outside the diner, lighting up the night sky with an orange and red flare of furious fire. An enormous wave of heat whooshed through the building, bathing Yahiko's face with a splintering warmth that caused an instantaneous sweat to dampen his skin. Coughing against the sudden onslaught of bruising heat, Yahiko jerked his gaze to the stationary form of the tall man that had unceremoniously come to their rescue.

Sanosuke turned, flashing Yahiko a feral grin, his eyes sparking with apparent excitement.

"Time to go."

Author's Note: Ack! It's over already. I feel sorry for Megumi…having to find out about her poor diner on the TV and all…that would terrify me, finding out my family was in trouble from the news. Erg…

I hope everyone liked the update…and I hope everyone reviews. You don't know exactly how much that helps me when I sit down to write the chapter, well…except for those who are authors…they know how neat it is to hear back from readers. Thanks for reading!

Reviewer Responses:

Have I mentioned how much I appreciate all you guys? Ah, well…here's an individual thanks to everyone that reviewed. Thanks! (smile)

person: (laughs sheepishly) Bet you won't be sarcastic when you say that this chapter was late…I hope you wuved this one as much as the previous two. (crosses fingers) I brought in come other characters other than Yahiko, so that should make it even better. There actually wasn't much Kenshin in this chapter, which is good, I guess. Gotta let others soak up the lime-light, huh? I'm glad you think the vampirness is good…kinds hard to write once I got down to it…and I should have caught the petit/petite thing! I took French in high school darnit! Lol I really hope the wait was worth it. Hope you review again. (crosses fingers again and grins).

Kean: I hope you loved this chappie, too. Tell me, tell me! (looks at screen expectantly)

RogueSummersLover: Heh, well the update wasn't that soon, but I hope you liked it, nonetheless. Please drop by and tell me what you thought. I'm curious. (smile)

Aine of Knockaine: Of course you like it? Great! I hope you liked this, too. Didja, didja?

Strawberry'd: Kaoru thought of Yahiko finally in this chapter. Doesn't know how he is, but she thought about him. (grin) Yep…Aoshi has arrived and he is, in fact, a vampire. More characters have arrived, too, and more will come in future chapters. I hope you liked the update. Please review and tell me what you think!

Jbella: This one isn't as action-packed, and not as long, but I hope you like it as much. I actually did mention who the mysterious stranger was in chapter 2…it is Aoshi. But, now that I go back, it really isn't crystal clear…I only mentioned his name once. But it's him. (smile) Hope you liked this chapter!

ixten: Here's more! What do think?

Ange Noir: I'm not quite sure if diversing is a word, but, hey, does it matter? (grin) KK will be in this story eventually, but I'm not going to go into that just yet. There's a lot to establish first, if you know what I mean. I hope you having been gnawing on your fingernails the entire time…you'd have nothing left by now (wink). Hope you still have fingernails, and I hope you enjoyed the update.

Minchi: Was this chapter interesting as well? Yea, nay? You hafta tell me. (grin) Thanks for the review and I'm glad you liked chapter 2!

Lendra-chan: You love Kenshin's character? Ah, thanks. It's harder than I thought trying to turn him into a vampire…don't exactly know how to write his mannerisms n' such. I think the bond between Kaoru and Yahiko is so neat in the anime and the manga and I just love to expound upon it. It's so fun because they already have so, so, so much chemistry with each other. It just makes it even better to make them siblings. lol I hope you'll forgive me for the long wait for this chapter, and I hope you liked it. Thanks for reviewing.

The-Lone-Lemon: I hope you liked this chapter as much as the previous one. Thanks so much for the kind review, and I hope you review this chapter as well. Thanks!

en route: I hate being confused as well. But, everything will become clearer as the chapters progress. I hope, despite your confusion, that you enjoyed this chapter as well. (grin) And I hope your own writing is coming along as well! Thanks so much!

Lady Dark Angel: Thanks for the kind compliment. I hope you liked this chapter, too. Review!

Reignashii: (smiles) Thanks so much! What do you think of this chapter?

scorpion's lady: Were you sitting on the edge of your seat for this chapter? You have to tell me. (smile) Thanks for the review…I really appreciate it.

Triste1: I always like your reviews. You have just enough compliments, with some critiques in there that really, honestly help me out with my writing. Thanks so much for being a great reviewer! I hope you liked this chapter, too. And be sure to tell me if anything is off. (grin)

Ookami-Hitomi: Addicted? That's great to hear. Yes, I agree about Yahiko. He doesn't get much credit, does he? I'm glad you like him my story. Way with words? (blushes) Thanks so much. I agree…there are some that try and fail to write supernatural…I just hope I don't eventually fall into that category…always my worst fear. I hope you enjoyed this update as much the other two chapters. Thanks so much for reviewing both and I hope you review this one as well! (smile)

half-demon-from-Azarath: Awesome? (smiles) Thanks muchly. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Did you like this chapter as well?

Bradybunch4529: (laughs) Worth the price of admission? Thanks so much…I'm really glad you liked it. Once again I love your reviews. You're always such a great reviewer. I hope you liked this chapter as well. (smile)

De Lazy Lime: Yeah, unfortunately someone already told me it had some similar points. I hope it's not too close. Sticker of originality? I like how you put that. What a great phrase. (grins) About all that running…geez, I know (laughs)…I'd have probably collapsed. No running in this chapter, but some walking and driving. Not as taxing. lol Only a select few know what the heck a River Soul is…and in the future you will too if you keep reading. Thanks for the review. Hope you liked this chapter as well.

Apathetic Empath2: (bursts out laughing) I'm glad this shit is good. Your review is pretty darn good as well. Well, both actually. I'm glad you continued on and took the time to review both chapters (gonna review this one, too?(wink)) I hope you still like it after all this time of lack of updates. I hope your opinion of this one doesn't change either and that you'll enjoy it all the way through. (smile) Thanks for the two awesome reviews. Review again!

pruningshears: Um, let's see…Yes, Yes, and I hope you didn't loose all interest with the long gap between updates. (smiles) Thanks for the review and I hope you liked the chapter.

Kinomoto: The next chapter is up and waiting for your review! I hope you liked it as much as its predecessors. You'll have to tell me. Thanks muchly for your review.

erica6060: Yeah, Kaoru and Yahiko are being tossed around a lot aren't they? Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this chapter, too.

Sakura Noki: You weren't kidding when you typed long wait. Really looooooong. Sorry about that. I hoped you studied and did well on your midterms! Hopefully this small update helped with your sleeping disorder. Thanks for your review! (smile) Hope you review again.

royal blueKitsune: I've started updating again! Yay! I hope you liked this one. Thanks for your constant support on all my stories. It means a lot. (smiles)

PH34R3VIL: I'm kinda antsy myself to see what's going to happen. (grin) I'm trying to making them as IC as possible, but it's an AU, and a vampire one at that so, I guess having some OC is to be expected. (sigh) But, I'm so glad you like it anyways! Yeah…Megumi and Kaoru are being little boogers aren't they? Hopefully with the new turn of events, they'll snap out of it. I'm very, very happy you're enjoying it so far. I hope that you liked this chapter as much as the previous ones. Thanks again! (smiles)

blooded wyngs: I like the way you spell wings…wyngs…neato. I hope Kaoru got a little more interesting in this chapter…starting to get out of the shock of finding out vampires exist. I hope you liked this chapter. Thanks for your review!

myinuyasha04: Kaoru really is taking a beating. I wouldn't want to be a waitress for the very reason in this story…people can be so moody sometimes. lol Thanks for the really nice review. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Crystalz Tearz: I updated! I updated! Do you still think it's nice?