Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue.
A/N: hey thanks for reviewing you guys! Now if I don't update quickly enough I apologize now; you know how exams can be, anyway on with the story.
The figure that had a hold of her noticed this too and it leaned down to her ear and whispered to her, "I am going to let you go but do not scream if you do they will only hear you, and will be back here."
Kaoru nodded, like she was going to scream.
The figure let her go and she turned around quickly as a defensive reaction, but it was her surprise to who she came face to face with "Kenshin..."
"You look good in magenta," He said with his rurouni smile.
Tears brimmed in her azure eyes. "You idiot, don't scare me like that!" She hit him on the head before saying, "I thought I would never see you again..." She threw her arms around his neck almost forgetting what was going on around her at the moment. "You have to get away from me before they find out..." She whispered.
"Kaoru what happened?" Kenshin pulled her away to look at her weary eyes.
"Now is not the time or the place. I have to go..." Kaoru started to walk away from him but she felt a hand in close around her wrist.
"I won't let you go alone, I don't know what happened, but it won't help if you runaway-" but she interrupted him.
"So you condemn me to death as well!?" She said harshly as she wrenched her hand from his grasp. "I'm sorry Kenshin, you don't know. You just don't-" she stopped and her eye's widened as the sound of the officers walking through the forest. "I have to go." She whispered inaudibly as she backed away from Kenshin.
She was running again, she didn't even look back to see what happened to Kenshin; it killed her to run from him like that. He deserved an explanation, one that she prayed that one day she could give to him.
The trees started to thin and ahead she could see the light of the moon shine on the pure white snow that had blanketed the ground. Kaoru looked around to decide where to run when she noticed that she had ran straight towards a cliff and there was nothing below but the lake that a waterfall was flowing to.
"She went this way, quickly we can catch up!" shouted a voice from the trees.
Kaoru's heart pounded, 'Was this the end?' she wondered 'Had she come this far, to only end it all here.' Kaoru closed her eyes and prayed it would end soon.
It was then that she decided that if she was to die there she wouldn't die at their hands. Kaoru jumped for the frigid water below. She hit the water and floated down in the water she noticed how heavy her body was, and how much the frozen water stabbed like knives at her wounds. Her body went rigid with pain and she couldn't move and she looked up as she hit the floor of the lake. 'At least I will not die for what I did not do,' she thought closing her eyes.
Kaoru could feel herself floating upward as the air began to deplete within her body. 'I can finally rest,' she sighed inwardly. But for some reason she had the urge to open her eyes, when she did she noticed yet again Kenshin was there to save her. They broke the water and Kaoru inhaled greeting the frozen air with a mixture of thankfulness and anguish, she wanted to die there but if she could live longer and maybe have a small chance of redemption maybe she could greet that as well. She grabbed onto Kenshin's gi and whimpered out of spite of herself.
"Why?" she whispered.
Kenshin swam on under the waterfall to what seemed to be a cave behind it. "Are you all right Miss Kaoru?"
She just nodded and huddled in silence as she watched him start a fire.
"They won't find you here," Kenshin was full of questions but he held them all back.
"I'm sorry Kenshin," Kaoru said pulling her knees closer to her chest to keep her warm.
"For what?" Kenshin looked up from what he was doing.
"Running,"
Kenshin didn't answer. He just kept stoking the fire.
"Kenshin where are we?" Kaoru changed the subject as she looked around noticing that this little cave seemed to have more than just rocks in it; it had food and many other supplies.
"My friend Shuichi, this is his supply hold. I was coming back from here when I saw you run for the grove." Kenshin stood up and walked off behind some crates. When he came back he had a dry kimono and handed it to her; "here, I think this will fit you, wearing wet clothes in the winter isn't the smartest thing."
Kaoru looked at him for a moment, "and what about you?"
"don't worry about that, I am going to go back to the farm and say my goodbyes, no one will find you here so you can rest and change I will be back soon."
"You are going with me?"
"I don't know what has happened Kaoru, but I promised to protect you, and this I will do." Kenshin left leaving Kaoru with the kimono. She slid out of the wet clothing she had and slipped on the surprisingly warm kimono.
Kaoru sighed and sat down against the wall of the cave and let all that had happened flow over her. 'Should I tell him?' She mulled the thought over and over in her mind.
Kenshin came back after talking to his friend, and explaining to them what had happened and apologized for leaving so suddenly. When he entered the cave Kaoru noticed that he carried with him a package.
"What's that?" Kaoru looked at the package suspiciously
"Yuki made me bring some fresh bandages and food for you." Kenshin smiled at her. "I think that we should change that bandage on your arm." He pointed at her arm which was now bleeding through the kimono. Kaoru blushed, and allowed Kenshin to help her and clean the wound for her.
For some reason as Kenshin bandaged the wound he found that he couldn't hold it in any longer, "Kaoru what happened to you?"
Kaoru looked down; images of the past month flooded her mind. "It wasn't long after you left..."
To Be Continued...A/N: don't be mad it's just because the next part would be way to long to be a part of this chapter, (if you can't tell I don't like long chapters 10 pages is my max!) I will be nice and load the next chapter the same day as this one so I don't get smacked around by some people (you know who you are =P) well until the next chapter waves