Dark
Chapter Five
A/N: Wow. 56 reviews. I can't believe that you people are actually so into this story that you're willing to meet and exceed my 'review requirements'. Heh.
Kenshin: Why, I will never know. *Innocent Rurouni smile.*
Dove: *Thoinks him over the head* You're getting awfully mean, mr-jump-at-hiko-to-hug-him-because-he's-alive-and-then-let-him-dodge-so-you-smash-head-first-into-a-shelf.
Kenshin: Just HAD to bring THAT up.
**As a thank you to everyone who's put up with my oh-so-short chapters so far, here's a really really long and revealing chapter!**
Kaoru woke up and for a moment had the unsettling moment of confusion that normally accompanies waking up in a friend's house after spending the night. Of course, when she thought about it, she was not in a friend's house nor had she spent the night.
Everything came back to her in a rush of emotions, followed by a slight nausea. She rolled over on the bed, and stared at the clock. It took a full 15 seconds for the numbers to register in her fogged brain. Seven-thirty. WONDERFUL.
The 17-year-old rolled to her feet. She smoothed out the covers – sleeping in a killer's bed was not on her to-do list, so she'd flopped on top of the blankets.
"So you're up." That same deep, emotionless, controlled voice. Kaoru let out a series of incomprehensible grunts. Battousai smirked, somewhat amused. "Well, hurry up. Breakfast is ready." He did a sharp about-face and swiftly set out two plates. He put scrambled eggs, toast, ham, and one apple (peeled and sliced) on each.
He turned, and froze. And then almost laughed. Kaoru's hair had dried a complete mass of unruly curls. She had somewhat glazed eyes, and her lips were dry. All-in-all, she looked like the almost-living dead.
"Perhaps you should freshen up." She snorted at him, and dissapeared into the bathroom. There was a sound of running water, and then she came out with a much more alert look, her features smoother and her lips more normal-looking. Battousai just looked at her, and continued setting out the plates.
While she waited, Kaoru walked over to the rack on the wall. It really was a work of art.
It was made of a tough wood. She guessed oak, but wasn't willing to bet her life on it. It had intricate, interlocking designs of different things. Vines, Kanji and Katakana symbols, and dragons made up the majority of the design. The swords were just as beautiful. It was strange, the awe and admiration that these weapons of mass-murder produced.
The cold steel of the knife against her waist reminded her of her own 'weapon of mass-murder'. She was going to have to time her attack carefully. Very, very carefully.
Kaoru reached out, curious. She touched the hilt of the Sakabatou in a feather-light caress.
Battousai turned once more, just in time to see her, with an expression of pure curiosity, reach out and brush her fingers gently across the hilt of his sword. He moved so fast that if Kaoru had been looking she probably would have been stunned into complete immobility.
His fingers closed roughly about her wrist, and jerked her hand away.
"Don't touch those." He snarled. Kaoru stared at him in sudden surprise, and some fear. She nodded slowly and he released her.
"I.. I didn't mean to-" He waved a hand at her, and walked back to the table. He took a seat, and waited for her.
Kaoru was still somewhat shocked – his hand had come from NOWHERE! She watched him sit, and saw him staring at her.
"Are you going to eat?" He growled. Kaoru considered. She was hungry, and that did look good..
"Are you nuts? You kidnapped me! I'm not going to eat anything you make!" She snapped defiantly. Battousai shrugged, appearing not to care while inwardly wondering how long her thin frame would allow her to stick to that resolution. It was already obvious that she was hungry.
She leaned against the wall. He ate quickly and firmly, as though daring the food to come to life and attack him. She almost wished it would. At least it would be something to watch.
Battousai finished, and washed the dishes with no hurry at all in his movements. That done, he looked at Kaoru.
Who, did the unthinkable. She looked right back at him without flinching.
Battousai headed to the bathroom.
"I'm taking a shower."
"Obsessive compulsive?" She grumbled.
"What was that." Another 'question'.
"You took one last night."
"So?" Wow, he actually asked that one like a question. Kaoru was impressed.
"Whatever." He headed into the bathroom. After she was sure of the sounds of water running, she pulled the large knife out from her pocket. It was time to put her plan into action.
Battousai finished his ritual morning shower quickly. He dressed in a pair of jeans and a comfortable gray t-shirt. After pulling his hair up into it's usual high ponytail, he opened the door and stepped out.
Battousai knew something was off the instant he stepped out of the bathroom. Had he been even an instant slower, he would have had a kitchen knife buried up to the hilt in his shoulder.
For a little girl, she had a lot of power in her swing. And control. After trying to stab him like that, he knew quite a few grown men that had fallen. He glared down at her, and reached for the blade. Her eyes had an oddly dangerous gleam.
She swung again, and a thin line of blood sprang up in his palm. He looked at his own bleeding hand, and smiled.
Kaoru blinked. Why was he smi- where was he? She blinked again, and in that moment he appeared behind her at a speed worthy of the gods. In mere seconds, he had twisted the knife out of her hand, and had it at her throat, her body pressed against his own.
"Let me go, you loathsome KIDNAPPER." She snarled. Battousai just tightened his grip, dragging the blade gently along her jawline. She twitched a bit, but Battousai could tell that she was angry, more than she was afraid.
"Aren't you afraid that I will kill you?" He asked, honestly curious.
"No. I'm going to die anyway." Her voice was slightly strained. Kaoru reached for the knife she had hidden in her waistband as she spoke. Battousai wondered about her words for a measly two seconds before something sharp went into his side.
He gave a sudden – very rare – yelp of surprise, letting Kaoru go. She whirled around, stepping back some. He blinked down with some surprise at the blade sticking about two inches into his side. One inch to the left, and it would have pierced an organ.
She was shaking, shocked at the blood on her hands.
That she'd drawn.
"Pretty impressive. Why didn't you kill me? You could have. I felt the blade brush me, and then it moved over before plunging."
"Why didn't YOU dodge?" She retorted, still shaking. Her skin was even paler than usual, if that was possible. He shrugged, and pulled the knife out of his side. Kaoru was trying to figure out why he was not angry. And then she very suddenly felt the knife at her throat once more.
"Any more hidden suprises?" She felt pain as the blade dug lightly into her flesh, just shy of cutting. She considered shaking her head, but realized that the action would cut her own throat.
"No."
"Good." Suddenly, he picked her up by the waist, turned, and opened a door behind him. He pushed. Kaoru tumbled into the bedroom.
She hit the ground, bounced, and flipped over. She sat up, dazed.
"If you ever try that again, I will kill you." His voice was very soft, and very harsh.
"Um. Okay." She said, for lack of anything better. Her blue eyes made the mistake of finding their way to his gold ones. They fairly burned with anger. Perhaps she would have had it easier NOT trying to escape.
She saw the blood running freely from where she'd stabbed him. And suddenly felt as though she'd stabbed herself. Kaoru looked back up into his Amber eyes, suddenly feeling real, pure fear for the first time. And even stronger than the fear was the shame.
Battousai quirked an eyebrow. She looked oddly remorseful. He turned to go, closing the door. Just before he could completely shut the door, he heard something so faint he wasn't sure if it was supposed to reach his ears.
"I'm Sorry."
After he left the room, Battousai made quick work of cleaning and bandaging the wound. It really wasn't all that bad. He'd had to put two stitches in, that was all.
In all honesty, he hadn't dodged because he'd wanted to see if this little creature was brave enough to stab him. Apparently she was. He pulled on a new gray shirt. After sitting alone in the livingroom for a few hours, he stood and went to the door of the bedroom.
He paused with his hand on the doorknob, and listened. He heard a very gentle, soft voice. It was Kaoru, singing. He listened.
"If elephants could fly, I'd be a little more optimistic.
But I don't see that happening any time soon!
I don't mean to sound,
So pessimistic,
But I don't think that cow,
Really jumped over the moon.
When will I wake up?
Why did we break up?
When will we make up?
When,
money grows on trees,
people live in peace,
everyone agrees.
When,
Happiness is free,
Love can guarantee,
You'll come back to me.
That's, when."
Battousai opened the door. Kaoru's voice went silent. She stared at him.
She was in the corner, arms wrapped around her legs. Her eyes were wide, and impossibly innocent. She was rocking slowly. The blood on her hands had long since dried.
"You can come out." He growled at her. And was somewhat surprised when she winced at his tone. That was how he usually spoke to her, was it not?
"Okay." Something in her tone was different.
"Kaoru?" She shook her head slowly, almost chipperly.
"Nooo." She dragged the word out like a child.
"What do you mean, no?" She stood, her arms were loose and bouncy like a little girl's.
"My name is-" She choked off her own words. She stared at him for a long moment. And then her eyes took on a different, less innocent quality. "Nothing. Just kidding." He was slightly confused. Her eyes were odd. First, they were as they were at that moment. And then they were totally homicidal. And then they were as innocent and open as an eight-year-old's. Something was off about her.
Kaoru slipped past him, and went into the livingroom. She sat primly on the couch, where she'd been when she'd first woken up as a Battousai's prisioner.
He followed her out, and stared at her long and hard. Her cheeks steadily turned red under his gaze. She wouldn't meet his eyes.
"You're not normal." He announced finally. She didn't respond, hoping he'd let it drop. Unfortunatly, he was not that kind of person. "Tell me."
"No."
"Tell me, now."
"Or what?" Battousai considered. He was still not supposed to actually hurt her.. what would a girl her age be upset by?
"I'll cut your hair." He threatened. Kaoru met his gaze fiercly.
"Go ahead." He sighed.
"Just tell me. If you do, I'll consider us even for you stabbing me." She stared at him hard.
"No lie?"
"No lie. Answer my question, and you never stabbed me." Kaoru was a bit unsettled by the fact that Battousai was willing to bargain. But she took his offer.
"Okay." He waited, patient. Very, very, annoyingly patient. She sighed. "I have DID." She grumbled. He waited. "It's Disassociative Identity Disorder," She explained. "It means that there's more than one of me in my head. Basically, I'm crazy. At least, that's how it's been described. Most of the reported cases are just attention-seekers. Each personality differs, and they have different names. There's no medication for it, mostly just anti-depressants. My personalities tend to protect me when I'm upset, angry, or afraid. Are you happy now?" Her voice had gotten noticably more tense as she'd spoken.
Battousai had not moved throughout her entire speech. He did not miss the bitterness that crept into her tone. She did, at the same time, seem to be in the mood to answer one more question.
"Why are you so thin – why did you say what you did, about how you are going to die anyway?" He made sure to ask this as a question.
Kaoru stared at him. Underneath that exterior of a cold-hearted jerk, there was an annoying, curious jerk. But it was almost funny. And she had nothing better to do than answer his questions.
"I have Leukemia, Battousai." She said softly, her voice more defeated than angry. "That was why I ended up having Multiple Personalities. I had a panic attack when the doctor told me and instead of passing out I went into a totally different person. I'm very good at denial, you see. The cancer is in my bone marrow."
"Well, just get a replacement." He said haughtily. Her voice was even weaker,
"I can't. First, because I'm here. Second, because my blood type is O-negative and no one with that blood type has come forward. We tried my father, who was AB, since O is supposed to be universal. But it didn't take. It was very painful, when my body rejected the marrow." Her voice was very, very tiny. She seemed to shrink.
Battousai had a crazy image of a leprechaun-Kaoru sitting on the couch.
They sat in silence. It was going to be a long. Long. LONG Day.
"HURRY UP!" Battousai shouted. Kaoru mumbled under her breath and stomped out. She'd finally worked all of the tangles and knots out of her hair after a two-hour argument, and she'd stolen one of Battousai's elastic bands."Took you long enough." He growled, and hauled her out the door by the arm. She winced.
That was going to bruise. She was very bruisable. Already, every phsyical encounter they'd had in the past hours had come back in all of their glory as bruises on Kaoru's porcelain skin.
He pulled her down a lot of stairs. She tried to count and gave up at two-hundred. Battousai opened the passenger door to a red Thunderbird and waited. Kaoru slid in, wishing that Sano had not gone back to his apartment last night/that morning. At least he didn't glare so much.
Battousai drove quickly, but with the same grace he did everything else with. They arrived at the building in one piece.
Kaoru got up, and stared at the sign. 'Katakena Gentlemen's Club'. That wasn't good. She felt Battousai's hand latch onto her arm, thumb gently pressed just above her elbow. It was a pressure point – even the slightest application of pressure would bring her to the ground. And she knew it. And oddly enough, she was grateful for it. If he had a hand on her arm, he would be able to make sure no 'gentlemen' in there tried to mess with her. She hoped. Fervently.
"Why are we here?" She asked Battousai. Her tone suggested that life would get a lot harder if he didn't reply.
"The Katakena is one of my employer's favorite meeting places. Just be quiet and stick close. The people will leave you alone. The man I work for always reserves a private room. Come on." Kaoru complied, following closely.
They almost made it to the room where Battousai's boss waited with no incident. Almost, but not quite. After all, why have a meeting at a place where the less the women wore the better if nothing was supposed to happen? There's always one very drunk idiot at a place with alcohol. It's a given.
A rough hand encircled Kaoru's wrist from behind and she found herself pulled forcibly away from Battousai and into some large idiot's arms. A very drunk large idiot. Said idiot tightened his grip. She winced – another bruise. Great.
However, the Kamiya family did not breed helpless little girls. Kaoru twisted her right wrist – that the meaty hand was gripping. Now he was at her mercy. She jerked hard, bringing the tequila-filled man onto her knee. She sunk it very hard into his solar plexis. When he fell to the ground gasping, coughing and wheezing she pronounced him taken care of.
Battousai was somewhat impressed with her quick reaction. Unfortunatly, she'd just dropped an assassin. And plastered or not, an assassin still has his reflexes drilled in.
For lack of anyone safer, Kaoru went back to Battousai. She dared not look at anything but his eyes. They were safe, odd to use that word in reference to the molten gold orbs. But they calmed her, made her feel as though he was going to protect her. She really hoped he would. He was a very steady presence.
Something very suddenly grabbed her from behind. Beefy fingers caused severe pain as they pressed two different pressure points on the left side of her neck as an arm wrapped around her waist.
Kaoru struggled to no avail.
When all else fails: Do the chick-fight thing.
Kaoru dug the fingernails of her right hand into the arm around her waist, and the fingernails of her left hand into the hand at her throat. He would have the scars for the rest of his life.
"Come on now, precious." He whispered in her ear. His breath had a cloying odor of alcohol that made her gag. Kaoru tried to shrink away, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Lets have a little fun. You wanna-"
"No." Kaoru interrupted his lewd suggestion defiantly.
"Aw, but I want us to have a little fun.."
"I don't." She retorted.
It happened to fast for her to comprehend for a few seconds.
A thin hand flashed through her vision, and the hand at her throat was knocked away. It flashed by again, and the hand at her waist released. Everything happened in a blur, leaving Kaoru amazed.
First, she was in some disgusting man's way-to-drunk arms and suddenly she was in Battousai's much more comfortable arms. He released her, and then stepped in front of her.
"What, exactly, is your problem you animalistic, stupid, drunk?" He asked, voice low and very deadly. Almost silky, Kaoru mused. The crowd had long since backed away. She started to back away, but Battousai looked at her and from the glint of his eyes it was obvious that she was not to move. So she didn't.
Battousai strode calmly forward, seeming bored. And then he delivered a fantastic right cross to the man's face.
The opponent went sprawling. Battousai waited, impassive. The heavy-set man stood, breathing hard.
Battousai delivered an unrestrained, spinning, roundhouse kick to his face. Standing over the man's prone body, Battousai spoke in a soft voice that was heard clearly in the absolute silence.
"That girl is my assignment. If you touch her again, Gohei, I will kill you." That was all he said. But the meaning rung painfully clear to all present. 'Gohei, messing with my girl is really quite bad for your health.' Well, it rung clear to everyone but the aforementioned 'girl'. And then he spun gracefully on his heel, and went back to Kaoru. He draped an arm casually around her shoulders, and led her through the crowd. Anyone in their way scrambled to correct that mistake and the crowd quickly parted.
Whispers of 'Are you NUTS, Hiruma?' could be heard throughout the crowd.
"Let me see your wrist." Kaoru complied, still stunned. He looked at the bruises.
"Why didn't I notice how easily you bruise before."
"Because I hid the fact. Most of the bruises can be hidden in my sleeves, or the neck of my shirt, or just under the clothes." She admitted. "And not EVERY little thing bruises me." She added defensivly. Battousai snorted.
"Right."
They reached the back room in no time. They entered, and a tall man stood. He looked them up and down for a moment, and then said in calm, 'I'm going to take my time, and you can't do anything about it' tone,
"Hello, Miss Kamiya. I'm the man who employ's the man standing next to you. My name is Hiko Seijuro."
A/N: HA! Ten pages. This is my longest chapter yet. I'm sooo proud. Really. Um.. 62 reviews for chapter six. Please correct me on anything you want, I wasn't SURE about the bruising being a symptom of leukemia, but I read somewhere that it was. If anyone thinks otherwise, please feel free to tell me. I want to keep it accurate. Please don't worry about me getting mad or anything. About the DID/MPD.. I thought it might be intresting to see Kaoru having different personalities. And if anyone is wondering why she didn't go into a different personality when she was attacked by Gohei, it's because she reacted on instinct and didn't need any sort of 'protection' or 'help'. And yes, I have a reason for using Gohei Hiruma. Alright, not much else to babble about. Thank you, for everyone that has stuck with me so far! (In the story, as well as the author notes. ^_-)
Kenshin: Kami-sama only knows why.
Dove: *Sniffle* YOU'RE SO MEEAAANNN! *Steals Kenshin's Sakabatou and runs off.*
Kenshin: HEY! *Chases*
Dove: *Three miles later* Still got the.. *cough* *hack* *falls over*
Kenshin: *catches up and steals his sword back.* I'm glad she doesn't have THAT much in the way of endurance.
Dove: *Latches onto his ankle.*
Kenshin: AAAHHHH! *Hops around frantically*
Dove: *Holds on with deathgrip*
Sano: *Recording everything for future use.*
Kaoru: I'm not reading 'em. You read 'em.
Yahiko: Ugly.
I can't believe the response I got to my poll!
Pidge – Thank you, for the review. However, I don't mean scalding in any literal bye-bye skin sense. ^-^
Midoriko - *poke* Um..try not to drool on my carpet, kay? I like my carpet. *Sticks pillow under head*
CurlsofSerenity – Hey, curls. Thanks for the tip, but it was 'reported' and then deleted by FF.net
Nanikilover/Brukaoru – I got MORE than enough reviews. I'm still shocked at the reception this story has gotten!
Faerie-chan – I'm glad you liked it. I almost died from a giggle-fit while I was writing it. ^-^
M.P. Neidhardt – Ugghhh.. Cherries. I like cherries. *cries* But I can't give you Kenshin, 'cause.. I.. I LOVE HIM MORE THAN CHERRIES! MWAHAHAHAHA! *runs away* Oh, yeah, and a rude 'what' would probably never be heard by Kenshin.. is he even CAPABLE of being rude lol. Marshmellow sedatives. They came to me in the middle of the night.
Koniko-chan – You like?
Nanie – Don't worry, It's supposed to be funny. I've been trying to find the funny. Lol.
Amanda H. – Thank you very much! Alright. I'll just have to keep up my evil little author's notes, hmm? I have a really nifty one planned, 'Almost-Death of Hiko' ^-^
LunaAngel - *Laughs until realization that Battousai has been kidnapped sets in* GET BACK HERE!!
Tyonna – Heh. Thank you!
MysticGohan – Thank you very much! ^-^
Daine – Lol. No offense taken. Yeah, don't ya just love it? ^-^
Chai girl – Thank you!
Emilie - Okay, thank you!
I'm still totally shocked. Thanks, everyone! ^-^
Chapter Five
A/N: Wow. 56 reviews. I can't believe that you people are actually so into this story that you're willing to meet and exceed my 'review requirements'. Heh.
Kenshin: Why, I will never know. *Innocent Rurouni smile.*
Dove: *Thoinks him over the head* You're getting awfully mean, mr-jump-at-hiko-to-hug-him-because-he's-alive-and-then-let-him-dodge-so-you-smash-head-first-into-a-shelf.
Kenshin: Just HAD to bring THAT up.
**As a thank you to everyone who's put up with my oh-so-short chapters so far, here's a really really long and revealing chapter!**
Kaoru woke up and for a moment had the unsettling moment of confusion that normally accompanies waking up in a friend's house after spending the night. Of course, when she thought about it, she was not in a friend's house nor had she spent the night.
Everything came back to her in a rush of emotions, followed by a slight nausea. She rolled over on the bed, and stared at the clock. It took a full 15 seconds for the numbers to register in her fogged brain. Seven-thirty. WONDERFUL.
The 17-year-old rolled to her feet. She smoothed out the covers – sleeping in a killer's bed was not on her to-do list, so she'd flopped on top of the blankets.
"So you're up." That same deep, emotionless, controlled voice. Kaoru let out a series of incomprehensible grunts. Battousai smirked, somewhat amused. "Well, hurry up. Breakfast is ready." He did a sharp about-face and swiftly set out two plates. He put scrambled eggs, toast, ham, and one apple (peeled and sliced) on each.
He turned, and froze. And then almost laughed. Kaoru's hair had dried a complete mass of unruly curls. She had somewhat glazed eyes, and her lips were dry. All-in-all, she looked like the almost-living dead.
"Perhaps you should freshen up." She snorted at him, and dissapeared into the bathroom. There was a sound of running water, and then she came out with a much more alert look, her features smoother and her lips more normal-looking. Battousai just looked at her, and continued setting out the plates.
While she waited, Kaoru walked over to the rack on the wall. It really was a work of art.
It was made of a tough wood. She guessed oak, but wasn't willing to bet her life on it. It had intricate, interlocking designs of different things. Vines, Kanji and Katakana symbols, and dragons made up the majority of the design. The swords were just as beautiful. It was strange, the awe and admiration that these weapons of mass-murder produced.
The cold steel of the knife against her waist reminded her of her own 'weapon of mass-murder'. She was going to have to time her attack carefully. Very, very carefully.
Kaoru reached out, curious. She touched the hilt of the Sakabatou in a feather-light caress.
Battousai turned once more, just in time to see her, with an expression of pure curiosity, reach out and brush her fingers gently across the hilt of his sword. He moved so fast that if Kaoru had been looking she probably would have been stunned into complete immobility.
His fingers closed roughly about her wrist, and jerked her hand away.
"Don't touch those." He snarled. Kaoru stared at him in sudden surprise, and some fear. She nodded slowly and he released her.
"I.. I didn't mean to-" He waved a hand at her, and walked back to the table. He took a seat, and waited for her.
Kaoru was still somewhat shocked – his hand had come from NOWHERE! She watched him sit, and saw him staring at her.
"Are you going to eat?" He growled. Kaoru considered. She was hungry, and that did look good..
"Are you nuts? You kidnapped me! I'm not going to eat anything you make!" She snapped defiantly. Battousai shrugged, appearing not to care while inwardly wondering how long her thin frame would allow her to stick to that resolution. It was already obvious that she was hungry.
She leaned against the wall. He ate quickly and firmly, as though daring the food to come to life and attack him. She almost wished it would. At least it would be something to watch.
Battousai finished, and washed the dishes with no hurry at all in his movements. That done, he looked at Kaoru.
Who, did the unthinkable. She looked right back at him without flinching.
Battousai headed to the bathroom.
"I'm taking a shower."
"Obsessive compulsive?" She grumbled.
"What was that." Another 'question'.
"You took one last night."
"So?" Wow, he actually asked that one like a question. Kaoru was impressed.
"Whatever." He headed into the bathroom. After she was sure of the sounds of water running, she pulled the large knife out from her pocket. It was time to put her plan into action.
Battousai finished his ritual morning shower quickly. He dressed in a pair of jeans and a comfortable gray t-shirt. After pulling his hair up into it's usual high ponytail, he opened the door and stepped out.
Battousai knew something was off the instant he stepped out of the bathroom. Had he been even an instant slower, he would have had a kitchen knife buried up to the hilt in his shoulder.
For a little girl, she had a lot of power in her swing. And control. After trying to stab him like that, he knew quite a few grown men that had fallen. He glared down at her, and reached for the blade. Her eyes had an oddly dangerous gleam.
She swung again, and a thin line of blood sprang up in his palm. He looked at his own bleeding hand, and smiled.
Kaoru blinked. Why was he smi- where was he? She blinked again, and in that moment he appeared behind her at a speed worthy of the gods. In mere seconds, he had twisted the knife out of her hand, and had it at her throat, her body pressed against his own.
"Let me go, you loathsome KIDNAPPER." She snarled. Battousai just tightened his grip, dragging the blade gently along her jawline. She twitched a bit, but Battousai could tell that she was angry, more than she was afraid.
"Aren't you afraid that I will kill you?" He asked, honestly curious.
"No. I'm going to die anyway." Her voice was slightly strained. Kaoru reached for the knife she had hidden in her waistband as she spoke. Battousai wondered about her words for a measly two seconds before something sharp went into his side.
He gave a sudden – very rare – yelp of surprise, letting Kaoru go. She whirled around, stepping back some. He blinked down with some surprise at the blade sticking about two inches into his side. One inch to the left, and it would have pierced an organ.
She was shaking, shocked at the blood on her hands.
That she'd drawn.
"Pretty impressive. Why didn't you kill me? You could have. I felt the blade brush me, and then it moved over before plunging."
"Why didn't YOU dodge?" She retorted, still shaking. Her skin was even paler than usual, if that was possible. He shrugged, and pulled the knife out of his side. Kaoru was trying to figure out why he was not angry. And then she very suddenly felt the knife at her throat once more.
"Any more hidden suprises?" She felt pain as the blade dug lightly into her flesh, just shy of cutting. She considered shaking her head, but realized that the action would cut her own throat.
"No."
"Good." Suddenly, he picked her up by the waist, turned, and opened a door behind him. He pushed. Kaoru tumbled into the bedroom.
She hit the ground, bounced, and flipped over. She sat up, dazed.
"If you ever try that again, I will kill you." His voice was very soft, and very harsh.
"Um. Okay." She said, for lack of anything better. Her blue eyes made the mistake of finding their way to his gold ones. They fairly burned with anger. Perhaps she would have had it easier NOT trying to escape.
She saw the blood running freely from where she'd stabbed him. And suddenly felt as though she'd stabbed herself. Kaoru looked back up into his Amber eyes, suddenly feeling real, pure fear for the first time. And even stronger than the fear was the shame.
Battousai quirked an eyebrow. She looked oddly remorseful. He turned to go, closing the door. Just before he could completely shut the door, he heard something so faint he wasn't sure if it was supposed to reach his ears.
"I'm Sorry."
After he left the room, Battousai made quick work of cleaning and bandaging the wound. It really wasn't all that bad. He'd had to put two stitches in, that was all.
In all honesty, he hadn't dodged because he'd wanted to see if this little creature was brave enough to stab him. Apparently she was. He pulled on a new gray shirt. After sitting alone in the livingroom for a few hours, he stood and went to the door of the bedroom.
He paused with his hand on the doorknob, and listened. He heard a very gentle, soft voice. It was Kaoru, singing. He listened.
"If elephants could fly, I'd be a little more optimistic.
But I don't see that happening any time soon!
I don't mean to sound,
So pessimistic,
But I don't think that cow,
Really jumped over the moon.
When will I wake up?
Why did we break up?
When will we make up?
When,
money grows on trees,
people live in peace,
everyone agrees.
When,
Happiness is free,
Love can guarantee,
You'll come back to me.
That's, when."
Battousai opened the door. Kaoru's voice went silent. She stared at him.
She was in the corner, arms wrapped around her legs. Her eyes were wide, and impossibly innocent. She was rocking slowly. The blood on her hands had long since dried.
"You can come out." He growled at her. And was somewhat surprised when she winced at his tone. That was how he usually spoke to her, was it not?
"Okay." Something in her tone was different.
"Kaoru?" She shook her head slowly, almost chipperly.
"Nooo." She dragged the word out like a child.
"What do you mean, no?" She stood, her arms were loose and bouncy like a little girl's.
"My name is-" She choked off her own words. She stared at him for a long moment. And then her eyes took on a different, less innocent quality. "Nothing. Just kidding." He was slightly confused. Her eyes were odd. First, they were as they were at that moment. And then they were totally homicidal. And then they were as innocent and open as an eight-year-old's. Something was off about her.
Kaoru slipped past him, and went into the livingroom. She sat primly on the couch, where she'd been when she'd first woken up as a Battousai's prisioner.
He followed her out, and stared at her long and hard. Her cheeks steadily turned red under his gaze. She wouldn't meet his eyes.
"You're not normal." He announced finally. She didn't respond, hoping he'd let it drop. Unfortunatly, he was not that kind of person. "Tell me."
"No."
"Tell me, now."
"Or what?" Battousai considered. He was still not supposed to actually hurt her.. what would a girl her age be upset by?
"I'll cut your hair." He threatened. Kaoru met his gaze fiercly.
"Go ahead." He sighed.
"Just tell me. If you do, I'll consider us even for you stabbing me." She stared at him hard.
"No lie?"
"No lie. Answer my question, and you never stabbed me." Kaoru was a bit unsettled by the fact that Battousai was willing to bargain. But she took his offer.
"Okay." He waited, patient. Very, very, annoyingly patient. She sighed. "I have DID." She grumbled. He waited. "It's Disassociative Identity Disorder," She explained. "It means that there's more than one of me in my head. Basically, I'm crazy. At least, that's how it's been described. Most of the reported cases are just attention-seekers. Each personality differs, and they have different names. There's no medication for it, mostly just anti-depressants. My personalities tend to protect me when I'm upset, angry, or afraid. Are you happy now?" Her voice had gotten noticably more tense as she'd spoken.
Battousai had not moved throughout her entire speech. He did not miss the bitterness that crept into her tone. She did, at the same time, seem to be in the mood to answer one more question.
"Why are you so thin – why did you say what you did, about how you are going to die anyway?" He made sure to ask this as a question.
Kaoru stared at him. Underneath that exterior of a cold-hearted jerk, there was an annoying, curious jerk. But it was almost funny. And she had nothing better to do than answer his questions.
"I have Leukemia, Battousai." She said softly, her voice more defeated than angry. "That was why I ended up having Multiple Personalities. I had a panic attack when the doctor told me and instead of passing out I went into a totally different person. I'm very good at denial, you see. The cancer is in my bone marrow."
"Well, just get a replacement." He said haughtily. Her voice was even weaker,
"I can't. First, because I'm here. Second, because my blood type is O-negative and no one with that blood type has come forward. We tried my father, who was AB, since O is supposed to be universal. But it didn't take. It was very painful, when my body rejected the marrow." Her voice was very, very tiny. She seemed to shrink.
Battousai had a crazy image of a leprechaun-Kaoru sitting on the couch.
They sat in silence. It was going to be a long. Long. LONG Day.
"HURRY UP!" Battousai shouted. Kaoru mumbled under her breath and stomped out. She'd finally worked all of the tangles and knots out of her hair after a two-hour argument, and she'd stolen one of Battousai's elastic bands."Took you long enough." He growled, and hauled her out the door by the arm. She winced.
That was going to bruise. She was very bruisable. Already, every phsyical encounter they'd had in the past hours had come back in all of their glory as bruises on Kaoru's porcelain skin.
He pulled her down a lot of stairs. She tried to count and gave up at two-hundred. Battousai opened the passenger door to a red Thunderbird and waited. Kaoru slid in, wishing that Sano had not gone back to his apartment last night/that morning. At least he didn't glare so much.
Battousai drove quickly, but with the same grace he did everything else with. They arrived at the building in one piece.
Kaoru got up, and stared at the sign. 'Katakena Gentlemen's Club'. That wasn't good. She felt Battousai's hand latch onto her arm, thumb gently pressed just above her elbow. It was a pressure point – even the slightest application of pressure would bring her to the ground. And she knew it. And oddly enough, she was grateful for it. If he had a hand on her arm, he would be able to make sure no 'gentlemen' in there tried to mess with her. She hoped. Fervently.
"Why are we here?" She asked Battousai. Her tone suggested that life would get a lot harder if he didn't reply.
"The Katakena is one of my employer's favorite meeting places. Just be quiet and stick close. The people will leave you alone. The man I work for always reserves a private room. Come on." Kaoru complied, following closely.
They almost made it to the room where Battousai's boss waited with no incident. Almost, but not quite. After all, why have a meeting at a place where the less the women wore the better if nothing was supposed to happen? There's always one very drunk idiot at a place with alcohol. It's a given.
A rough hand encircled Kaoru's wrist from behind and she found herself pulled forcibly away from Battousai and into some large idiot's arms. A very drunk large idiot. Said idiot tightened his grip. She winced – another bruise. Great.
However, the Kamiya family did not breed helpless little girls. Kaoru twisted her right wrist – that the meaty hand was gripping. Now he was at her mercy. She jerked hard, bringing the tequila-filled man onto her knee. She sunk it very hard into his solar plexis. When he fell to the ground gasping, coughing and wheezing she pronounced him taken care of.
Battousai was somewhat impressed with her quick reaction. Unfortunatly, she'd just dropped an assassin. And plastered or not, an assassin still has his reflexes drilled in.
For lack of anyone safer, Kaoru went back to Battousai. She dared not look at anything but his eyes. They were safe, odd to use that word in reference to the molten gold orbs. But they calmed her, made her feel as though he was going to protect her. She really hoped he would. He was a very steady presence.
Something very suddenly grabbed her from behind. Beefy fingers caused severe pain as they pressed two different pressure points on the left side of her neck as an arm wrapped around her waist.
Kaoru struggled to no avail.
When all else fails: Do the chick-fight thing.
Kaoru dug the fingernails of her right hand into the arm around her waist, and the fingernails of her left hand into the hand at her throat. He would have the scars for the rest of his life.
"Come on now, precious." He whispered in her ear. His breath had a cloying odor of alcohol that made her gag. Kaoru tried to shrink away, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Lets have a little fun. You wanna-"
"No." Kaoru interrupted his lewd suggestion defiantly.
"Aw, but I want us to have a little fun.."
"I don't." She retorted.
It happened to fast for her to comprehend for a few seconds.
A thin hand flashed through her vision, and the hand at her throat was knocked away. It flashed by again, and the hand at her waist released. Everything happened in a blur, leaving Kaoru amazed.
First, she was in some disgusting man's way-to-drunk arms and suddenly she was in Battousai's much more comfortable arms. He released her, and then stepped in front of her.
"What, exactly, is your problem you animalistic, stupid, drunk?" He asked, voice low and very deadly. Almost silky, Kaoru mused. The crowd had long since backed away. She started to back away, but Battousai looked at her and from the glint of his eyes it was obvious that she was not to move. So she didn't.
Battousai strode calmly forward, seeming bored. And then he delivered a fantastic right cross to the man's face.
The opponent went sprawling. Battousai waited, impassive. The heavy-set man stood, breathing hard.
Battousai delivered an unrestrained, spinning, roundhouse kick to his face. Standing over the man's prone body, Battousai spoke in a soft voice that was heard clearly in the absolute silence.
"That girl is my assignment. If you touch her again, Gohei, I will kill you." That was all he said. But the meaning rung painfully clear to all present. 'Gohei, messing with my girl is really quite bad for your health.' Well, it rung clear to everyone but the aforementioned 'girl'. And then he spun gracefully on his heel, and went back to Kaoru. He draped an arm casually around her shoulders, and led her through the crowd. Anyone in their way scrambled to correct that mistake and the crowd quickly parted.
Whispers of 'Are you NUTS, Hiruma?' could be heard throughout the crowd.
"Let me see your wrist." Kaoru complied, still stunned. He looked at the bruises.
"Why didn't I notice how easily you bruise before."
"Because I hid the fact. Most of the bruises can be hidden in my sleeves, or the neck of my shirt, or just under the clothes." She admitted. "And not EVERY little thing bruises me." She added defensivly. Battousai snorted.
"Right."
They reached the back room in no time. They entered, and a tall man stood. He looked them up and down for a moment, and then said in calm, 'I'm going to take my time, and you can't do anything about it' tone,
"Hello, Miss Kamiya. I'm the man who employ's the man standing next to you. My name is Hiko Seijuro."
A/N: HA! Ten pages. This is my longest chapter yet. I'm sooo proud. Really. Um.. 62 reviews for chapter six. Please correct me on anything you want, I wasn't SURE about the bruising being a symptom of leukemia, but I read somewhere that it was. If anyone thinks otherwise, please feel free to tell me. I want to keep it accurate. Please don't worry about me getting mad or anything. About the DID/MPD.. I thought it might be intresting to see Kaoru having different personalities. And if anyone is wondering why she didn't go into a different personality when she was attacked by Gohei, it's because she reacted on instinct and didn't need any sort of 'protection' or 'help'. And yes, I have a reason for using Gohei Hiruma. Alright, not much else to babble about. Thank you, for everyone that has stuck with me so far! (In the story, as well as the author notes. ^_-)
Kenshin: Kami-sama only knows why.
Dove: *Sniffle* YOU'RE SO MEEAAANNN! *Steals Kenshin's Sakabatou and runs off.*
Kenshin: HEY! *Chases*
Dove: *Three miles later* Still got the.. *cough* *hack* *falls over*
Kenshin: *catches up and steals his sword back.* I'm glad she doesn't have THAT much in the way of endurance.
Dove: *Latches onto his ankle.*
Kenshin: AAAHHHH! *Hops around frantically*
Dove: *Holds on with deathgrip*
Sano: *Recording everything for future use.*
Kaoru: I'm not reading 'em. You read 'em.
Yahiko: Ugly.
I can't believe the response I got to my poll!
Pidge – Thank you, for the review. However, I don't mean scalding in any literal bye-bye skin sense. ^-^
Midoriko - *poke* Um..try not to drool on my carpet, kay? I like my carpet. *Sticks pillow under head*
CurlsofSerenity – Hey, curls. Thanks for the tip, but it was 'reported' and then deleted by FF.net
Nanikilover/Brukaoru – I got MORE than enough reviews. I'm still shocked at the reception this story has gotten!
Faerie-chan – I'm glad you liked it. I almost died from a giggle-fit while I was writing it. ^-^
M.P. Neidhardt – Ugghhh.. Cherries. I like cherries. *cries* But I can't give you Kenshin, 'cause.. I.. I LOVE HIM MORE THAN CHERRIES! MWAHAHAHAHA! *runs away* Oh, yeah, and a rude 'what' would probably never be heard by Kenshin.. is he even CAPABLE of being rude lol. Marshmellow sedatives. They came to me in the middle of the night.
Koniko-chan – You like?
Nanie – Don't worry, It's supposed to be funny. I've been trying to find the funny. Lol.
Amanda H. – Thank you very much! Alright. I'll just have to keep up my evil little author's notes, hmm? I have a really nifty one planned, 'Almost-Death of Hiko' ^-^
LunaAngel - *Laughs until realization that Battousai has been kidnapped sets in* GET BACK HERE!!
Tyonna – Heh. Thank you!
MysticGohan – Thank you very much! ^-^
Daine – Lol. No offense taken. Yeah, don't ya just love it? ^-^
Chai girl – Thank you!
Emilie - Okay, thank you!
I'm still totally shocked. Thanks, everyone! ^-^