Disclaimer: A dream is a wish the heart makes, and I can only dream about owning rk.
A/N: Again I offer my sincerest apologies for being horrible on my updates, but to tell you the truth my life has been revolving around my A.P.and core classes... and I am freaking out about my college apps ( I know it seems late but these are for culinary and tech schools). But on the plus side spring break is a few weeks away and I can have free time to write.
Hiko is a scary crazy man, as I will now try to prove XDDD have fun reading this!
The late morning sun blazed through the mountains, waking up a sleepy little kendo instructor. Grumbling she forced herself to rise, some part of her knew Kenshin had left earlier, she half remembered him saying something to her when she was still in lala land. Kaoru wasn't sure but she thought she may have grumbled some kind of acknowledgment to whatever he said. Knowing him it was probably something overprotective and rurouni-ish.
"Well, well it looks like the little Tokyo Kamiya has decided to wake up." Hiko said amused as Kaoru finally made herself present.
"You aren't going to pick on me are you?" she asked stifling a yawn.
"No, no" Hiko shook his head still smiling, "I will, however, tell you embarrassing stories about my idiot apprentice, and pick on him behind his back. What better way to pass the time ne?"
"Sounds like a very good idea to me," Kaoru's smile broadened.
"Have you heard about the time that he got drunk and nearly burned down my hut?"
"No I haven't," Kaoru laughed, this information could come in handy someday.
"Well, it all started when I made him go into the local village and get me some sake..." Hiko stopped as his eyes shot around the wooded area. "We're being watched," His voice dropped a few levels as he grabbed his sword, "Do not move from my sight unless I tell you to, do you understand?"
Kaoru nodded standing up, staying a few feet away from Hiko.
"I know you are hiding, come out on your own or I will come and find you." Truthfully the latter sounded like more fun, but with Kaoru there he didn't want to risk it.
"All we want is the girl, she is the suspect in a homicides." Said a rat faced officer, as he came out from hiding.
Kaoru's stomach churned, he was one of the men from Hokkaido, she shuddered looking at him, they had finally found her.
"Well I just can't allow that." Hiko smiled, this was no challenge, he could beat them without stretching.
"Pity," The rodent man signaled and thirty officers came out all brandishing swords or guns.
Hiko glared, it was easy enough to protect a person from thirty flying swords... but guns, that was a different story. Hiko backed up a pace, "When I tell you, run down the mountain don't stop until make it into the city, you will be safer there."
Kaoru looked up at him, was he saying what she thought he was? Can you say: from the frying pan into the fire? She gulped down her fear and nodded her understanding.
"Run."
"AFTER HER!" rodent man squealed. ((A/N: I like that name! I think I am gonna name my new gerbil that XD))
"I don't think so," in a blink of an eye Hiko had half of the men sprawled on the ground, sure half of them were running after Kaoru now, but that was half the fun. It was now time to play the predator. He stalked after them with speed blessed by kami.
"Run, run as fast as you can..." Hiko laughed, he hadn't had this much fun since the time he made his idiot apprentice run around the forest blindfolded making the baka find him. Ah the memories...
With in moments he had all of his lack-luster attackers unconscious and tied up, none of them ever made it close to catching Kaoru.
0-0-0
Kaoru flew down the mountain like a bat out of hell, not daring to look back she kept running praying that she wouldn't trip. She swore she heard some of them chasing after her, but none caught up. 'Maybe Hiko had caught them...' she wondered as she saw the first signs of civilization in the distance. She only slowed down when her heart began to tear at her ribcage, threatening to jump out if it could. She walked at a normal pace now, her legs feeling like jelly. The amount of people on the road was enough that she could easily blend in and disappear if she wished.
What would she do now? She couldn't go back to the mountain top, that was just pure suicide. The Aoiya was probably still under surveillance, and who knew where the hell Kenshin was, probably at the Aoiya himself, but Kaoru, not being able to go there tried to think up a different option. Where could she go? Kyoto was teeming with police, most of them looking for her.
"Looks like the raccoon has been chased off her mountain."
"What the hell do you want?" Kaoru asked haughtily as the putrid scent of smoke filled her nostrils.
"Making sure you don't get caught." Mibu wolves could be so annoying.
"Then why weren't you on the damn mountain?"
"I can't be everywhere." Saitou stamped out his cigarette, "Where will you go now?"
Kaoru glared at him for a moment, "Well... since you are so keen on making sure I don't get caught..."
"Don't push your luck."
"Then what do you suggest?"
"That you go pray," Saitou nodded towards a Shinto shrine before walking off.
"What?" Pray? Had Saitou completely lost his mind? At a loss to do anything else she walked to the temple that the wolf had motioned towards.
There is always something about a shrine that is so calming, maybe it was the security. It really didn't matter to Kaoru as she walked up the many steps towards the shrine. The overpowering scent of the incense was already working like a drug, and she wasn't even inside yet.
"Miss Kamiya."
"Hn?" She responded, that voice sounded awfully familiar. She turned in the direction of the voice only to see the stoic Oniwabanshu Shinimori Aoshi. "Aoshi..." She said snapping out of her incense induced daze "I am surprised to see you here."
"Likewise Miss Kamiya," He looked around the Shrine, "Where is battousai?"
"Probably at the Inn, I came here to erm hide..." her voice faltered.
"Ah." Not one for small talk he tried to cut the conversation short, "This shrine is perfect for one seeking refuge, no police are permitted to arrest anyone here. I suggest you stay here until you hear otherwise. I can talk to the priest here if you wish?" He added seeing her unease, why he was helping her was a complete mystery, but part of him was convinced that his karma would come back to haunt him three fold if he did nothing.
Kaoru nodded, staying at a shrine wouldn't be so bad, at least not for now.
0-0-0
Kenshin sighed as he walked up the mountainside, they had found nothing. He wished he could say 'there is always tomorrow,' but he didn't have many tomorrows to count on. Stopping a moment he noticed that the wilds seemed too quiet, and too calm. Fearing some horrible fate he sprinted the rest of the way.
He could sense the presence of many people but he couldn't find Kaoru's ki, it should have stuck out, panicking he looked around blind to everything else.
"I'm over here idiot." Hiko called from a tree in which he had what looked like thirty or so men tied up.
"M-master?" Not exactly the person he was looking for, but he would do.
"These fine men thought that they would ambush me and the young lady while we were distracted." Hiko motioned to the men who were all scared out of their wits.
"Where is Miss Kaoru." It was more of a demand than a question.
"She is probably in Kyoto by now; did she not turn up at the Aoiya or whatever you call that Oniwabanshuu headquarters?" Hiko questioned.
"No."
"Not surprising, she is a smart girl." Hiko smiled proudly, "Well I suggest you find her before night falls."
Kenshin didn't need the man to say more, he made his way back down the mountain and towards the city.
"Hopeless. Completely hopeless." Hiko muttered before turning back to the men tied to the tree. "Now I'm gonna ask you one more time, who do you really work for?"
0-0-0
Kaoru had contended herself with sleeping in the back of the shrine, it was comfortable, the head priest had let her in after speaking with Aoshi. She had a humble meal of rice and fish, she hadn't expected more than that anyway (it was a shrine after all). The shrines silence -with the exception of the drawl of the prayers in the background- was calming. The sound of the prayer seemed almost like a lullaby and soon she was in the world of her dreams, quite content on the thoughtless oblivion it offered for once.
0-0-0
It must have been a record, no one had ever made it down the mountain and back to the city as fast as Kenshin had (but how many other people had god like speed?). Dusk had barely fallen and he was already halfway to the Aoiya. His only hope was that Kaoru was there as well. To bad Kenshin had the worst luck that anyone in Japan had ever been 'blessed' with.
"Kenshin what are you doing back here?" Misao asked taken back by his sudden reappearance at the inn it was bad enough that he had spent most of the day berating them with questions and new ideas, now he was back again?
"Is Kaoru here?"
Misao blinked, "No" she said cautiously, "Why would she be, shouldn't she be in the mountains?"
"She's not here?" He grabbed the young ninja's shoulders looking her straight in the eye.
"No s-she's not here." Misao stumbled over the words. The look he gave her was terrifying, he looked like all of his composure had just leapt out the window.
"Battousai," A frozen voice echoed from behind the shadows, "Miss Kamiya is fine, you can bring her here in the morning, but she is most likely asleep at the moment."
Kenshin swiftly turned towards the man who spoke.
"Where is she?" He finally asked after a moment of silence.
"She is safe, and that is all you need to know right now."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Kenshin asked incredulously.
"That the city has ears," Aoshi replied cryptically, "And some need not hear more than they deserve." Aoshi glared at nothing before turning to leave.
"You expect me to just sit here, when I have no idea where Kaoru is?" This was just unacceptable!
"No." Aoshi said stopping, "I am only advising you to do it, unless you want to bring us all more trouble than is needed."
To be continued...
A/N: I know Aoshi at a Shinto shrine? It makes no sense the man is a Buddhist! But don't worry it will work out I promise. D