He had his eyes closed, feeling the warm sun beating down on his face. A cool breeze passed, playing in his hair, the scent of the sea carried on its winds. He wasn't sure how long he'd been lying there. His ears were pricked, listening in case someone found him. He felt tired, though he'd been resting on the park bench for quite a while now. His run from the train station had taken more out of him than he wanted to admit, even though he'd managed to get away so easily.

Hiko clearly hadn't given the police officers a warning on how slippery the redhead could be. They'd come to take him to the station, where he was supposed to board a train that would take him out of the city. He'd tricked them into thinking he had gotten on, they were probably just coming to the realization right about now that he wasn't even there.

It had been so easy to slip away unnoticed on the platform, sliding into the large crowds that flowed there. No one had suspected a thing, he'd disappeared so completely, just like always. A humourless smile slipped onto his face, Hiko would be furious with him when he got back. But the mischievous grin evaporated instantly as he realized, he wasn't ever going back. That thought left a mysterious numbness, a chill that even the sun couldn't effect.

He slowly opened his deep lavender eyes, watching white clouds that slowly gathered together. He shifted his position slightly on the old wooden bench on which he lay. He raised his left hand above him, blocking out the sun. He studied the small rays that slipped past his fingers. He shifted the hand, ever so slightly, trying to block the light out completely, casting an almost complete shadow over his face. No matter how hard he tried though, the smallest pinprick of light always managed to slip through.

He sighed, letting his hand fall, giving up in his futile quest. The wind brushed passed, sending threads of crimson dancing in his vision like flames. He pushed them away, shivering as he sat up. He still felt chilly, he just couldn't seem to shake it.

"Haven't recovered completely yet," he thought, tacking the feeling to just being the tail end of his cold. He surveyed the seemingly empty park around him. His eyes narrowed as they flickered over the landscape. "Who's there?" he called. He rose off the bench, muscles tensed as his hands curled into fists. He cursed silently, wishing that he had a weapon. There was an ever so soft rustle in the tree branches.

"This one knows you're there, come out," he ordered. The person in the tree didn't move. Kenshin sighed, bending over, picking up three fist-sized rocks. With amazing accuracy he flung one into the tree. There was a cry of pain that followed as a familiar young girl toppled out onto the ground. Misao groaned as she sat up, wincing as she touched the growing lump on her head. "Why are you here?" he hadn't moved from his place, glaring down at her with narrowed eyes.

She rose to her feet, dusting her clothes off indignantly. She took a deep breath, meeting his fierce gaze with utter confidence. "I've come for revenge against you Himura," she answered savagely.

He regarded her calmly for a moment before he began to walk away. "Go home, this one has no intention of fighting you, that he does not."

A flash of anger sparked in her eyes as she pulled out two throwing knifes, chucking one with all her might at him. He ducked under it fluidly, turning on his heels to face her. A flare of pain shot through his right knee, the injury Soujiro had aggravated. He grit his teeth, hissing with pain. With a well-aimed flick, he sent the second rock crashing into her hand. She dropped the knife, but made a dive for it, only to find Kenshin's foot planted firmly on the handle. She slowly raised her gaze from where she knelt to stare up into blank, violet eyes.

"I won't just go home," she growled, rising to her feet and backing quickly away from Kenshin. "I won't forgive you for what you've done!" She suddenly sprang forwards, using the extra distance to gain speed as she pulled out her last knife. He jumped backwards, out of reach, as she swiped at the air with the small blade. He danced easily away from each blow she threw at him. "Because of you the Oniwaban has been destroyed!"

Her attacks became wild as her anger overpowered her. Her rage built as each strike missed hitting its intended mark. She shrieked with frustration, throwing her last dagger with all her might. Kenshin merely shifted his head to the right as the knife whistled past, hitting a tree behind him. Misao charged blindly at him, fists raised. He sidestepped quickly, tripping her with a foot. She crashed to the ground, breathing hard, too frustrated to move.

Kenshin stood beside her. "Finished?" he asked quietly.

"Lord Aoshi disappeared after you sicced the police on us," her voice was shaky as she spoke, glaring at the grass before her with hatred.

He sighed, stepping away. "There's nothing you can do about it."

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" she demanded, sitting up.

He stopped, turning to face her. "Aoshi disappeared to keep himself safe. You should just give up looking, that you should, he isn't going to come back."

"How do you know?" she yelled, rising to her feet. "Lord Aoshi wouldn't abandon me or anyone of the Oniwaban!"

"Then where has he gone?" asked Kenshin coldly. Misao fell silent, not finding any answer to give. He began walking away again, facing the wind, accepting the sea breeze that brushed past him. "It's better to just forget him completely, that it is."

"Is that what you want?" shouted Misao. Kenshin froze, eyes wide, flickering at the invisible mark she'd just hit. "What about that girl? The one who looked like a raccoon, is that what you've done to her?" He wanted to get away, his mind screamed at his feet to move. But they refused to obey his command, his ears forcing him to listen to every word she said. "Or have you completely blocked her from your mind because it's too painful." Kenshin cringed, Misao hit another mark she didn't even know about. "She cared about you, and you think that she'd be eased by just forgetting about you? I swear I'll never forget Lord Aoshi for as long as I live! I swear I'll find him no matter how long it takes. He's too important to me. If I let him go, if I forget about him, there's no way I can be happy. I want to be with him, no matter what!"

A vision of Kaoru passed through his mind, causing his stomach to twist sickeningly. He tried to push the image away, he couldn't look at her, not now, but she refused to go. "She's scared of you," his mind whispered to him. "Afraid of who you really are. There's no way she'll accept you. You saw the look on her face, in her eyes." He bit his lip, the memory of her sapphireorbs, staring at him with fear, was still painfully fresh. She had looked at him as if he was…

…a demon.

A cold shudder ran through his body. Battosai, the bloodthirsty creature of the Juppongatanna, a beast she no longer recognized as friend. He took a shaky breath. She was afraid of him, and he had to accept that.

"He's doing this to protect you. To keep you safe, that he is."

"His protection can go to hell," Misao snapped back. "If I have to choose between my safety and being by his side, then I want to be there. No matter how dangerous it is, I want to be with Lord Aoshi."

Kenshin regarded her for a moment, before looking away. "You're a fool then."

"What was that!" she yelled, temper flaring. "How dare you call me that!" He tensed, readying his last rock, incase she came at him again. "How is following my heart foolish!"

"It'll get you killed," he replied bluntly. "People will use your heart against you, that they will."

"That's why I'll find Lord Aoshi," she answered in a strong voice. "So I can protect my heart." She looked up at him, a decisive look in her eyes. "I won't let you out of my sight, Himura. Lord Aoshi took an interest in you, he'll definitely come looking for you."

"Oro," exclaimed Kenshin in bewilderment. First this girl had tried to kill him, now she wasn't going to let him out of her sight, he never could understand how he managed to attract the weirdest people to himself. "How can you be sure Aoshi is looking for this one?"

She smiled triumphantly. "Because you're going to face that Makoto guy."

A ripple of anger ran through him. "How do you know that?" he demanded in a dark tone. Misao took a shaky step away, scared by the sudden change in his demeanor. "Answer!" he barked.

She jumped, stammering. "It's my job to know these things."

"How did you find out?" he snapped, advancing towards her. His narrow violet eyes glaring at her with a powerful intensity.

She began to panic, even Aoshi's cold gaze didn't scare her this much. "L-Lord Aoshi told me that guy Makoto wanted revenge against you," she spluttered. "He didn't tell me anymore, I swear!"

"Then how did you find this one?"

"Just luck! I swear I spotted you just by chance."

Kenshin regarded her for a moment more. She was trembling, trying to act tough, but she was clearly terrified. Terrified. Terrified of him. He winced inwardly at the thought. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He stood there, trying to let the anger drain away. It bothered him slightly how difficult it was to do. His temper was dangerous. If he didn't keep it under control, he couldn't bear to think what might happen. It was a long while before he had the courage to open his eyes again. Misao stood, shaking before him still, like a deer caught in headlights. He felt sick at the sight, though his face never showed it. He remembered, all to well, that look on so many people's face when he was called Battosai and not to long ago when that same look was on Kaoru's face. He immediately pushed her name away, he couldn't think of her, not now.

"You should go home, that you should," he told Misao in a soft tone. He turned for the final time towards his destination, slipping the last rock into his pocket.

"No way," came her retort.

"Oro," exclaimed Kenshin with surprise. He glanced sideways, to see her marching towards him.

"There's no way I'm giving up. I'm sticking to you like glue until I find Lord Aoshi!"

"Oro?" was all he could say.

"Hurry up! We haven't got all day. We've got a lot of looking to do!" she cheered, charging forwards along the path. "Come on Himura!" He slowly followed after her. His confused mind trying to understand exactly how he'd managed to get roped in by her.

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Have to say not entirely impressed with this chapter. I kept changing bits and it just didn't turn out entirely the way I wanted… oh well.

Big thanks to my wonderful reviews:

MikaylaMae: Glad you found the last chapter interesting, that one I found was more of a character oriented. It was fun having Megumi stand up to Saito since she isn't a fighter like Sano and Kaoru, and threatening him with Hiko really seemed like her style.

Summer Star: It's great to hear my story getting better, I loathe grammar with a passion and thank you for the get well wish.

Reignashii: Mwahaaa evil author strikes again! Well at least last chapter.

Stella-neko: Oooo caffeine (starts bouncing off the wall) caffeine is an author's greatest ally that is next to chocolate. I had fun writing the interaction between all the characters in that scene. Sano's comment shall be explained! …next chapter… (Evil grin)

Well, see ya next chapter!