Disclaimer: please don't taunt me. If I owned it why would I be putting this disclaimer here saying that I don't?

A/N: thank you for your reviews! And I have a favor for you guys tell me if I rated this story wrong (I am bad at choosing a proper rating for stories). Now on with the story!!!

It always seemed like they where walking in silence, they hadn't said a word since they left the last town and that was a day ago. Kaoru had to break the uneasy silence she couldn't stand it anymore.

"Kenshin are we going through Tokyo on our way to Kyoto?" Kaoru had by now discarded her male disguise (for the time at least, she didn't much like the western clothes they where too restricting and she couldn't move easily) and had put on a training gi that she had 'borrowed' from someone's clothes line, she was just glad Yahiko wasn't there to comment of her new phony since of 'borrowing'.

Kenshin would have loved to say 'yes' he wanted to show the other's back home as much as she did, that they where ok but he knew better. "I don't think it would be wise Miss Kaoru. They probably have Tokyo swarming with police officers looking for you. I don't even want to think of how many of them could be watching the dojo."

Kaoru nodded she understood, she knew deep down before Kenshin had said anything that they wouldn't be able to stop at home but she had to ask, the silence was killing her.

- - -

They stopped that night and found refuge under the shelter of a dense forest at the base of a mountain. They had not been traveling on the roads they could not take any chances no matter how small they may be.

Kaoru propped herself against a tree to rest her tired body.

"You haven't been sleeping, not since we left the farm." Kenshin said concerned that Kaoru was running her body too far.

"I can't" she said letting herself relax against the tree but not letting herself drift to sleep.

"Why?" He was going to get an answer out of her if it killed him.

"I-I just can't" tears threatened to sting her eye's as she felt the demons that haunted her close in.

"Kaoru-" Kenshin felt a strain on his heart. "Please tell me what's wrong..."

Kaoru's eye's narrowed she wasn't going to tell him; she wasn't going to cave that easily. "Nothing is wrong, nothing at all."

"You lie."

"You don't want to know." Her voice had turned bitter and she glanced at him her eyes pleading with him not to press this any further.

Kenshin ignored the look in her eyes, he knew what inner demons could do to a person, "Kaoru something is eating at your soul, if you don't say something you will burst..."

Kaoru's tears spilled from her sapphire orbs she couldn't stand keeping it all to herself anymore it's true it was eating at her soul, "You want to know?" She stood up and faced him her body shaking she couldn't take being silent anymore, "Do you really want to know!?"

She felt an anger and a fiery pain inside of her explode, "They took my dignity! Is that what you wanted to hear?" Her voice shook as Kenshin looked at her with udder shock. "Not only did they beat me to get their fake answers... but they forced themselves on me without mercy to punish me. Punish me for something I never even did. You wanted to know, right? You wanted to know, the humiliation, the fear that consumes me every time I close my eyes. Every time I see their faces, they killed me that day, and every time I close my eyes I feel myself die." Her walls had crumbled before her and she didn't even realize that it had happened.

"You wanted to know. So tell me, are you happy, are you glad you know now!?" Kaoru's tears burned as they rolled down her face and she started to cry, She cried as if she was never going to stop, but still she stood there defiantly looking at Kenshin waiting for his answer.

All he did was hang his head down. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. He didn't know what else to do so he did what his heart told him, Kenshin put his arms around Kaoru and held her as he combed his fingers through her hair to console her, he whispered softly into her ear, "It's alright now... I won't let anything like that happen to you again, for as long as I live."

If anything Kaoru cried harder and she grabbed fistfuls of his gi and buried her face into his shoulder. Kaoru cried in his arms, and she cried until her body gave up and she found herself consumed by overwhelming exhaustion.

- - -

Kaoru woke up the next morning lying in Kenshin's arms. She blushed a little she didn't remember falling asleep last night, let alone in his arms. She moved a little to let him know she was awake.

Kenshin felt her move slightly and his eye's soon snapped open. The sun had barely risen, as the sky showed a hint of pink and gold which shone down beautifully on Kaoru's silk skin. 'What am I thinking?' Kenshin thought, 'I do not deserve to think of Miss Kaoru that way!'

"Kenshin are you ok?" Kaoru said looking at his furrowed expression.

"Hmm...Yes Miss Kaoru how are you?"

Kaoru blushed. "I-I'm sorry for last night, I-"

"I understand," He said softly, "Miss Kaoru I think it is time to get up, that it is."

Kaoru blushed furiously and jumped up almost automatically. She turned her back trying not to show her obvious embarrassment.

Kenshin went to work fixing them a meager breakfast from what they had carried with them (which wasn't very much).

"How far do you think we would be if it where safe to travel by train?" She asked idly looking at the blue skies beyond the trees.

Kenshin smiled inwardly as he looked at Kaoru, 'To think I am wandering again, but this time I have a destination, I have a reason...'

"Kenshin why are you staring like that?" She said walking up to him waving her hand in front of his face.

"Oro?"

"You know you can be a little more spacey than Yahiko sometimes." Kaoru laughed as they started there journey once again.

They walked on for a while, though covered by the forest they still walked in silence, neither person had much to say. Kenshin walked a few steps ahead of Kaoru leading the way. They had been walking for a while when Kenshin stuck a hand in front of Kaoru.

"Kenshin..." she said

"We're being followed." He said quietly to her putting his hand towards his sakabatou, he had felt the presence for a while now but it had been distant and hadn't threatened to come close to them, now however was a different story. "Might as well show yourself." He said so the person could hear him.

"Oh Himura you don't want to fight an unarmed boy do you?" came the voice of a soft spoken boy.

"Seta Soujiro, you're not exactly unarmed." Kenshin said looking at him but he felt a little calmer as he saw the boy walk out of a thicket.

"Well I can't say that I am surprised to see you out here, headed to Kyoto are you?" Soujiro asked looking at Kaoru who was still protectively behind Kenshin.

Kenshin smiled a little, "Yes we are."

"I've been through Tokyo lately and ever since her escape," Soujiro motioned towards Kaoru. "They have had police scouring the streets of the city not to mention they have closed her Dojo and kicked that kid out, I think he himself went to Kyoto."

"You have become very perceptive of these happenings why is that?"

"It's hard to move in the shadows and not hear things." Soujiro was still smiling and he looked at Kaoru, "You better get a move on you have some of those federal officers out for your blood and they probably aren't too far behind your trail."

And without another word Soujiro kept walking to his destination.

Kaoru watched his retreating back. She breathed a sigh, "I hope that Yahiko made it to the Aoiya all right."

Kenshin didn't answer, his eyes had narrowed and became a blue hue.

His look frightened Kaoru a little, "what are you thinking about?"

"It's going to be a little harder than I thought. Now that Yahiko is in Kyoto as well we will only be putting him in danger."

"But-" Kaoru didn't finish Kenshin interrupted her once again.

"I planned on going to the Aoiya. Your answers are in Kyoto and the Aoiya is a safe place, but with people flocking there it is going to be harder than I anticipated."

"How so?"

Kenshin looked at her gravely "Well... It is a good guess to say that the Police are tailing Yahiko to see if he has connections in Kyoto that could lead to you..."

"But if he is staying at the Aoiya then wouldn't Aoshi, Misao and the other Oniwabanshu be in trouble there too?" She asked as they started their trek through the mountains.

"I don't know, I sent a letter to Okina to tell him what happened and asked for their assistance."

"That was reckless."

"Oro?" usually he told her that she did something reckless what did she mean that what he did was reckless?

"What if someone intercepted the letter what if they knew we were coming!?" Kaoru started to panic.

"Kaoru- do you take me for a fool? I know that, The Oniwabanshu have connections everywhere..."

"But that can be intercepted! And when did you get time to do this?" She had realized he was talking about the carrier pidgins that the Oniwabanshu used to send messages. Kenshin had obviously left the message to someone within the group who sent the letter by carrier pidgin.

"It was when we were in that town waiting for the boat, and I doubt that it could be intercepted, at least not by the police that is."

"Oh," They walked on in silence once again; both had new things to think about since their run in with Soujiro. What more could you say? What more could be uttered?

Winter was slowly breaking into spring and it was easily seen as the snow slowly melted in the mountains creating little springs of water that where perfect for drinking. The fear of being found had wound around Kaoru's heart as she refused the offer for them to rest even though her legs where burning with the pain of walking all day long. 'How did Kenshin do this for ten years?'

"Miss Kaoru I think it would be a good idea for you to rest." Kenshin had noticed the weariness in her eyes starting to become stronger. Although she may be very strong for a woman she still was not used to traveling a whole day, especially in the type of terrain a mountain has.

Kaoru shook her head. "No Kenshin I'm fine I already told you that." She looked behind her.

"Kaoru, they are not going to catch up with us if we rest for ten minuets. Even this unworthy one needs to rest at some point." He didn't really need to rest but he was ready to say almost anything to get her to rest.

Kaoru glared at him before she caved. "Fine but we're not resting for long!"

As soon as Kaoru sat on a nearby rock she realized how fatigued she really was, she closed her eyes and she was asleep before Kenshin could ask if she was hungry.

Kenshin looked at Kaoru and smiled, 'I knew she was tired. She looks so sweet like that... No stop thinking of that I am not worthy enough to think like that!' Kenshin gently picked her up and put her under the protection of a tree and proceeded to keep watch from a tree branch.

Kaoru had fallen into an exhausted sleep, to tired to dream, even of her demons that had followed her from Hokkaido. Though it seemed a weight had been lifted off of her shoulder when she had entrusted her story with Kenshin it was now replaced with an equal if not larger weight. Guilt.

To be continued...

A/N: Ok what did you think? I had a hard time keeping this chapter long (well long for me) Please review, because they are an incentive to update faster.

And thank you again for those of you who did review.