Konnichiwa! Minna's! I hope you enjoy this chapter everyone! Aya45

Maybe life has given me the chance to experience new things,

I am no longer afraid,

Protecting you is my life,

I will become a manslayer but to protect,

This will not be in vain,

My beauty is for a goddess to appeal and disappear,

My skill is from training night and day,

My hands no longer gentle but rough,

Years pass and then I will become just as strong as once hitokiri…

Chapter 5

To Protect Thee

1 week later

Kanna looked at Kaoru admiringly, Kaoru was practicing with her katana and kodachi she was wearing a gi and hakama. Kaoru pretending to block an attack did a back flip and landed on her two feet, unsheathing her kodachi she swiped the air and then her eyes narrowed, it chilled Kanna to the bone. When Kaoru stopped practicing she resheathed her sword and kodachi and then turned around to look at Kanna who had her forest green eyes wide open with amazement and shock.

Kaoru smiled and then said, "Well what do you think Kanna?"

Kanna smiled widely and exclaimed, "That was good real good Kaoru!"

Kaoru smiled and wiped the sweat of her forehead and said, "Thanks Kanna."

Maho came out of the small house with two cups of tea in her hand and smiled.

Mah, "Well then…are you finished training already Kaoru-chan…here is a nice cup of tea yours too Kanna-chan…"

Kaoru bowed and said, "Thank you Maho-san."

Kanna nodded thankfully and repeated, "Thanks Maho!"

Kamiya Dojo

Kenshin woke up to the bright morning light that shone in his room he slowly got up thinking that the event of Kaoru leaving was all a dream…but he knew it wasn't and sighed saying to himself, "We have been looking for her for a week now yet still we can't find her, it's getting harder and harder each---

Yahiko interrupted his thoughts as he yelled, "Kenshin get up were going to the police station!"

Kenshin sighed and thought once again, "We have to resort to going to the police station…" He instantly replied, "Alright Yahiko, I'll be right there."

Kenshin got up and dressed himself while opening the shoji door entering the hall way he could see that everyone was wide awake and ready to get the day started.

Sanosuke managed to smile as he remarked, "Oy Kenshin its usually you that's up early cooking breakfast."

Megumi added it with her ever-famous laugh, "Ohohoho, yes you are quite correct tori-atama!"

Misao sighed and got up where she was seated as she said, "Lets go, I don't want to waste anymore time."

They all headed to the police station where they met Saitoh who was as usual cold as he said, "Battousai why are you here? Have you come to finish our battle?"

Kenshin's eyes showed a spark of amber and then he replied darkly, "No Saitoh we are here to see if we can gain help, to search for Kaoru-dono."

Saitou snickered silently and smirked as he replied, "Ah, so your woman has left you battousai and you want me to search for her? This is no concern to the police, plus she is the tanuki girl she could turn out anywhere."

Kenshin growled and then his eyes turned full amber while speaking lowly, "We came here seeking for your help Saitoh, we have already searched everywhere we could possibly have thinked off."

Saitou smiled and then replied, "Fine then…I'll send some of my police squads to go look for your woman, will that make you happy battousai?"

Aoshi then interrupted what Kenshin was going to say as he stated, "That will be fine Hajime. We will as well do some searching, if you have any news please contact us at Kamiya's house."

Kenshin's regular lavender eyes where back and then he said stiffly, "Yes that would do great help if you where to find her whereabouts Saitoh."

Saitou smirked even wider then he said coldly, "Fine…Battousai."

Village

Kaoru sensed a strong aura that was coming toward the village and then walked out the small house carrying her sword and kodachi.

Maho looked at Kaoru walking out of the house as she was about to enter it and she asked, "Where are you going Kaoru?"

Kaoru turned around to face the old fragile women and replied coldly, "I sense strong aura coming to this village…it may be danger…I swore that I would protect this village…but it is more then that now…---

Kaoru glanced at the direction where Kanna was playing in the dirt with some of her friends.

Maho then sighed tiredly and said, "I will go warn some of the villagers then, do be careful."

Kaoru seemed to have smirked slightly as she remarked, "Does that mean you care about me Maho? Or is it that you don't want me to die so quickly and you'll have to find another protector for this village?"

Maho scowled at this implying remark, "That's utterly preposterous, even if I have known you for only a short while it feels like years."

Kaoru seemed to have ignored the remark and said coolly, "Protect Kanna will you."

Maho nodded and walked over to Kanna who by then was laughing at her friend, who had his cheeks smudged in dirt.

Kaoru sighed and walked out the village gates and then toward the woods. She could sense people watching her but the pinpoint location, was harder to imply as she looked around gingerly. Her eyes narrowed to a death glare and she flared her ki as she said, "Who is there. If you come out sooner and accept your death then I probably won't make you suffer when I kill you."

Kaoru's hair was in a high ponytail and she was wearing a blue gi and a white hakama she had her katana and kodachi on her waist and her bright sapphire eyes where darker.

Man 1 who was on a shadowed tree whispered to his comrade, "She knows were here…there is a faint scent in the air…jasmine?"

Man 2 who ignored the question said, "Isn't it obvious she's staring right at us and were hiding in a perfectly shadowed place."

Kaoru looked at the man who still was clueless that she knew that he was there…she smiled some what and then unsheathed her katana and pointed it to the men, "I am coming for you---I'll kill you one by one without mercy!"

Man 2 furiously yelled, "Damn it all throw the kunai's!"

The first man seemed paralyzed by Kaoru's deadly glare and you knew from the look on his face he was DEAD afraid.

Kaoru with one slash of her katana cut the branch both men where seated on.

Man 2 landed on both his feet but the first man was lying on his side dead from the attack, it seemed he was cut when the woman slashed the tree.

Man 2 growled angrily as he said, "I Akira Sonja am will defeat you for the Daimio Clan."

Kaoru's eyes where narrowed and she was standing a few yards away the man Kaoru then said in a voice that matched that of the battousai but far worse, "I accept the challenge the name I go by is Sakura Matura, I work for no clan…so get up and defeat me if you can!"

Akira cautiously got up from his crouched position and seethed menacingly, "Don't underestimate those of the Daimio Clan woman."

Kaoru pointed her gleaming katana at the corpse and said, "Ha, I thought that man was a challenge but now look at his corpse it rots in hell by now!"

Akira clenched the hilt of his sword and took it out in mere seconds saying, "He was just a mere rookie I am far much better."

Kaoru mockingly said, "Then come and fight and stop talking."

Akira ran toward Kaoru and in mere seconds they where face to face in combat Kaoru's sword crashed into Akira's she instantly blocked an attack coming from the side with her kodachi and then she did a hi-air front flip making herself right behind Akira who was wide open she did her attack but was surprised to see that he wasn't there anymore but was up above her about to make his attack. Kaoru put her kodachi in front of herself and blocking the attack that Akira did, then with her knee she thrust it forward hitting Akira in the stomach with full impact she gracefully put her kodachi back in it's sheath and with a attack that caught Akira of guard she yelled out, "Treken Su Ya Ryuu!"

Akira fell backwards and with the last of his energy asked, "What was that attack, I haved never heard of it before?"

Kaoru, her blue eyes adorned to the blood, replied softly, "It is not surprising for I ma the founder of this technique."

Akira's eyes widened and he muttered, "Amazing…your going to protect this village aren't you? What a sweet smell…jasmine…reminds me of my---

Akira was now running out of breath and blood continued flowing freely. His head fell to the ground in exhaustion and he closed his eyes for the final blow reminding himself of his dead wife.

Kaoru nodded for no reason as if to say I shall grant you your final wish she finished him off in another swipe of her katana and thrust her sword forward making the blood come off. Kaoru then sheathed her sword and walked away from the corpses and unto the village until she came to open view, she saw many villagers and among them she saw Kanna and Maho there.

Maho questionably asked, "How was it?"

Kanna sniffed the air and commented, "Kaoru that scent---

Kaoru shook her head and finished off, "It must be the blood."

Kanna made a lopsided smiled and continued, "No it has a sweet smell like jasmine."

Kanna walked over to Kaoru and smelled her swords then her clothes and saw that Kanna smiled.

Kaoru clueless to the event asked, "What?"

Maho smiled and replied, "You are the one who smells like jasmine my dear, which Kanna takes rather unusual for an assassin should come with the scent of blood and you come with the scent of jasmine."

Kanna nodded her head in agreement and said, "Yea that's it."

Kaoru smiled slightly and made no comment.

The villagers smiled all grateful the event was over and then went back to their homes or to work.

Walking to the port of Kyoto

Misao who was walking ahead of everyone proclaimed, "Will head to the Aoiya to that old perverted man and will look for Kaoru-san there."

Megumi nodded and said, "Good thing that Dr. Genzai gave me the week off, he was more worried about Kaoru then me."

Everyone cheered that they where all going to go look for Kaoru but in one persons heart he seemed to be wishing that they weren't…because he felt like they where going to find a Kaoru they never wanted to meet… a Kaoru that had no remorse for killing others or hurting them

To be continued….

A/N- Reviews please! I hope you enjoyed…Aya45