Late Walk
She drew a shaky breath. No matter how many times she walked home at night, she never got used to the creepy feeling of someone watching her from the shadows. It seems to follow her everywhere.
There were no one else in sight, but what could you expect at 2:30 am on a workday? Those who were still out were either at a bar getting wasted or driving home in their cars, not walking down a ghost street. And not to mention the temperature, it was bloody freezing!
It was times like this she wished she would have taken one of her friends up on their offers of a ride home, but as always she had to be stubborn and forget how scary it was out in the streets after midnight.
Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk. Her back straightening and the pace quickening, she glanced up at the sky to find it pitch black. No stars, no moon. Just black.
Shivering as a sudden chill washed through the lit street, she pulled her jacket closer around herself and hunched her shoulders against the cold.
Quickly looking around for shelter, but the only thing open was the nightclub further down the street. But everyone knew all the nightclubs in this area had bad reputations. Fights were extremely common and people ending up in hospitals for pumping were nothing new. Not to mention the half naked prostitutes running around.
"Hey babe…"
She whipped around; startled that someone had snuck up on her.
"Sooo…how bout ya come with me…" He stumbled closer and leaned against the concrete wall. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, he reeked of alcohol and smoke. Once he realized he was not getting an answer he smirked at her and held out a bottle toward her. "Wanna share? Got loads more in the car." He made a grab for her arm.
But she backed away and held up her hand in front of her body. She didn't know if it was to keep him away or to defend herself. "No, but thank you." Was that really her voice? It sounded like a freaked mouse! She cleared her throat and repeated her earlier words, more confident this time.
"C'mon…" He encouraged, making a clumsy step to follow her retreating form. "We'll have fun, promise."
She started to panic when he kept advancing forward. "Don't worry sweet…I'ma take good care o' ya." He grinned and she could feel his eyes roam her body hungrily. It was disgusting. "How much you want?"
"I said no. Now please remove yourself so I can pass through." Panic was quickly replaced by anger. Hoe dare he take her for a whore?
He ignored it and kept walking toward her; if she kept walking backward she would soon be standing on the road.
Suddenly he moved, she didn't have time to react as he lunged for her, he had her arms in a dead grip and started dragging her toward a car she had failed to notice standing a little down the street.
"Let me go you bastard!" The panic was back and much stronger than before. He just laughed at my struggling attempts to get free.
"Now now, calm down and let me show you a good time." He grinned at me and kept sure she had no access to kick his groin.
A scream ripped free from my throat, she didn't know what else to do and the panic clouding her better judgment was not helping.
He slapped her hard. "Quiet, bitch!"
Warm blood dripped down her chin. "Let me go! You piece of shit!" Tears were clouding her vision. She was truly scared now.
He saw this and brought one of her hands to his face; he bit down on her pinky finger and chuckled. Never once did he stop dragging her toward the white car.
"Please!" She was begging, terror flowing through her veins like poison. The Adrenalin was making her heartbeat quickening and her whole body shook, ready to act quickly. "Let me go! No! You fucking rapist!" She kept screaming the same words over and over, hoping desperately that someone would hear and come to her rescue.
She thrashed wildly, trying to get free from his iron grip. But no matter what she did the car kept coming closer every time she saw it.
There was a sudden screech of tires and a car door being slammed shut with unnecessary force. She looked toward the sound and saw a black sports car parked right behind them. Someone was hurrying toward them.
The man's grip slackened at the new arrival. Obviously things were not going according to the plan.
She screamed and used the weakened grip to her advantage. He let go of her right arm, but yanked her back to him before she could get away.
"Hey!" A male shouted. "What the hell are you doing? Let her go!"
She looked back up in hoped of being rescued. She barely had time to register glowing amber and a lot of crimson before the new arrival sucked her captor straight in the jaw. A sickening crack was heard before he howled in pain.
He let her go, but instead of falling to the ground a pair of strong arms caught hold of her shoulder and waist to steady her.
Her eyes rose to meet shocking amber eying her with concern. "Are you okay?" His grip on her slacked, but he didn't let go.
Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. It was like she forgot how to form words. So instead she nodded her head weakly.
His eyes softened considerably at the weak response. Her whole body shook visibly. "Come on." He started guiding the woman toward his car. Her eyes widened and she started resisting at being forced into another car. "I won't hurt you. You just need to sit down for a moment while I call the police." His gentle voice soothed her fried nerves and she let him guide her across the sidewalk.
She glanced back at the unconscious man behind them. Blood was seeping from his mouth and nose. And a little white thing was lying beside him…a tooth? She shivered and returned her eyes to the approaching car.
The red haired man opened the passenger door and gently pushed her down on the soft leather seat. "Stay here and just close the door if you feel cold." He turned and walked back to the fallen man, fishing out his cell phone on the way.
He crouched down beside his head as he spoke into the cell. Kaoru could hear his voice but couldn't grasp the words.
As he rose to his feet again Kaoru took the chance to observe him. He seemed to be slightly taller than her. His stance screamed authority and discipline. He wore slightly baggy gray sweatpants and a black coat, showing off his lean and slightly muscular body quiet well.
He turned to look at her, his amber eyes locking on hers the instant they met. She saw him nod once and voice a few more words before flipping the phone shut and heading toward her.
With a jolt she found she missed the soothing sound of his silky voice. It was a welcomed distraction.
"The police and an ambulance are on their way now." He crouched down in front of her to look at her again. "Himura Kenshin." He offered his hand.
She eyed him before hesitantly placing her hand in his slightly bigger…and much warmer, she noted with a hint of jealousy. "Kamiya Kaoru."
He let go of her hand gently, as if not to scare her. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" He asked, tilting his head slightly to the right and looked at her curiously.
She looked down to her fidgeting hands in her lap. "I…I was walking home. And suddenly he jumped up from nowhere and asked me if I wanted to come with him." She paused to draw a ragged breath. "I said no, but he just kept getting more insistent. I refused and tried to walk away but he grabbed me and dragged me toward his car." She pointed at the white car still parked a little away from them.
"I tried to kick him and screamed at him to let me go, he slapped me and shouted at me to shut up. Then he kept pulling me to the van and you showed up." She summed it up.
He lifted his hand from his lap and stroked her forearm lightly. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you. You can charge him for attempted kidnapping, abuse, and maybe sexual harassment if he tried something in that direction."
She swallowed heavily and settled for a nod.
A few minutes later the wailing sirens from the police car rang through the quiet street. One police officer made his way toward the man lying on the cold concrete while his partner immediately headed to Kaoru and Kenshin.
"We got a call?" The male officer asked. Kenshin confirmed and rose back to his feet.
Two seconds later an ambulance steered into the street. They brought out a stretcher and carefully maneuvered the drunken man onto it and carried him back to the ambulance. A second later it pulled back onto the street and drove off.
The second officer came back. "They said his jaw was dislocated and he lost two teeth." She said.
The first officer nodded and turned back to them. "If you will please come down to the station with us, we'll get this straightened up and you can go home."
He exchanged a few words with Kenshin before the two teams parted and drove separately to the police station. Kaoru rode with Kenshin.
An hour later the two of them exited through the front door of the station.
"Where do you live?" Kenshin broke the silence.
Kaoru eyed him suspiciously. "What's it to you?" It never hurt to be cautious.
Kenshin offered her a hearty smile. "Just that I can give you a ride home if that's alright. I doubt you want to walk home now." He gestured toward the black sports car parked a few yards away.
Kaoru weighted the offer before accepting and walked beside him to his car. She doubted the man who had just saved her was going to hurt her in the first round. And it would take ca. 30 minutes to walk home, while it would merely take a few minutes to drive.
He striked up a light conversation as soon as they shut the car doors and he turned on the engine.
"We are here." Kenshin stated as he pulled up in front of a two storey house.
Kaoru turned to thank him for driving her home and turned back around to exit the car. "Wait!" He called before she left the car completely. "Are you going to be alright?" He asked again.
"Yes, I'll be fine. And thanks again." She stood and started to close the door when he spoke again.
"Can I have your phone number?" At her pointed look he quickly added. "I just want to keep in touch, and keep tabs that you really are alright and that it's not just something your saying to chase me away."
She nodded slowly and voiced the numbers as he punched them in on his cell. "See ya." She nodded her goodbyes and shut the car door and headed toward the house in front of her.
"Kaoru! There's a delivery for you." Kaoru groaned mentally. From the amount of amusement contained in that statement she could tell her mother was about to burst into an uncontrolled laughter.
It was three days since that night. And she was having a difficult time suppressing the memories and locking them away in the back of her head.
"Coming." She shouted and headed toward the entrance door. "What?"
Her mother turned around, a huge teasing smile covered her delicate features. "Is there something you want to tell me?" She turned fully. And Kaoru felt her eyes widen at the beautiful bouquet of flowers. Her mother sniffed them. "And they smell wonderful!"
"Those are for me?" Kaoru was sure her eyebrows had long since disappeared in her hairline.
Her mother nodded and handed them to her. "I'm sure he is a wonderful man. At least the wedding will have excellent flowers!" She laughed evilly and walked away, leaving Kaoru flustered with the bouquet.
She shrugged and looked for a card. She found it quickly and read the messy scrawls in black ink.
Her mouth quirked against her will.
Kaoru –
I completely forgot to give you my number, so I attached my business card to the other side. Don't hesitate to call me if you ever need a knight in sweatpants and a car to come to thy rescue!
-Kenshin
She smiled gleefully. She flipped the little card and noted the number before heading to the kitchen to get a vase and water.
There was no doubt in her mind whether she should call him or not. Who knew, maybe he could save her from all the unoriginal assholes?
So far he had given her a good impression and apparently her mother approved. She grinned and picked up her phone from the nightstand, pushing the digits and bringing it up to her ear.
A few rings later he picked up. "Hey, Kaoru." She was taken aback a second before she remembered he already had her number and could see her caller ID.
"Hey. I was wondering if you could squeeze in some time in for me in the near future?"
"That won't be a problem. You free this Saturday?"
"Yeah, I believe I am."