A/N: Hey guys. I know it's been a while. Sorry. I've been super busy with finals and school. But now I'm finished. I took a little break after school was done, and than decided to start finishing this chapter. I know I've made you guys wait for a very long time. But since it's summer, I will update more frequently.

Anywho. Enjoy this new chapter!

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own.

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Chapter 4: Friends and Enemies

So, it turns out that Sano and I really did hit it off quite nicely. I think it was pretty inevitable. He and I could do anything together and have fun. Turns out, we have a lot in common. Ha. Go figure. But, it really is nice to have someone beside me. I don't feel so alone anymore.

Kaoru and Sano remind me of siblings; two rambunctious siblings that always fight over everything. It's absolutely comical. He teases her, she calls him rooster-head, he gets mad and makes fun of her, and she kicks his ass. I must say, the sight of her flooring a man two heads taller than her really is an amusing sight. They clicked almost as immediately as Sano and I did. I'm really not sure but…

It kind of feels like a little family.

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My gaze traveled from head to head, looking for her. I was walking down the hallway, on my way to homeroom, which didn't start for another 10 minutes. Yes, I was actually early. So sue me. I have my reasons…

A flash of raven came into view. There, she was at her locker. She looked absolutely ravishing, as usual. Form fitting jeans, a nice, but no where near slutty, shirt that accentuated her curves. Her casual clothing was so uniquely part of her personality. It was so refreshing. I started to walk over to her, watching as she talked amiably with that small girl with the extremely long braid. Actually, now that I think about it, I never see Kaoru talk to anyone besides me, that girl, and now Sano. It makes me wonder who else she is friends with.

The thought left my mind as I stepped closer. Her frantic ki bombarded my senses immediately. I loved her ki; it was like a breath of fresh air. Her spirit was invigorating, fiery, and strong. It showed off her finely tuned fighter's spirit, as well as her bouncy personality. However, today it wasn't so light. I could feel the dark emotions radiating off of her, though not shown on her face. It was unusually guarded. She seemed tense, though she obviously hid it well. Unscathed by her seemingly frenzied ki, I proceeded forward. I slinked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. I felt her tense even more at my actions, until she looked towards me. Immediately she relaxed, and almost seemed to rest against me. The warmth emanating from her body and being absorbed into mine was soothing, almost reassuring. Though I made a mental note to ask why she was so tense later.

I finally looked over to Kaoru's companion for the morning. Short was the first thing that came to mind. She was attractive, though not as attractive as my Kaoru. Her bright green eyes sparkled with amusement at the sight of me and Kaoru together.

"You and Himura, Kaoru? Why, I never would have guessed," she teased. Kaoru flushed at her insinuation. I just held her closer, relishing in the warmness, and the fact that Kaoru had yet to pull away.

I extended my hand, "Himura Kenshin. Yes, I do realize you obviously know who I am. But I figured I'd be polite."

She smiled brightly and took my hand, "Makimachi Misao. Nice to finally meet the guy Kaoru is always daydreaming about." I instantly took a liking to the small girl. She exuded a fighter's spirit, as well. Much like Kaoru's, but her ki was much much more… I don't know how to describe it. Crazy, maybe? However, I could see her fitting into our small family quite easily. And I knew she would be sticking around.

I smirked, "Really now… Is that true, Kaoru?"

She shivered at the sound of me purring her name, as she always does. Her face flushed bright red, and I reveled in how cute she looked.

"Well, it's nice to know I'm so loved, Kaoru."

She huffed, "I think we need a bigger school to fit your ego, Kenshin."

And with that, she disentangled herself from my arms, and proceeded to walk away with Misao in tow.

Not one to be so easily discouraged, I followed. We did have the same homeroom, after all.

I placed my arm on her shoulder, "Now Kaoru—" My sentence died on my lips when she hissed in pain. I immediately retracted my arm.

Misao's suddenly worried voice chimed in, "Kaoru, are you ok?"

She quickly contained herself and put a slight smile on, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just.. umm.. twisted my arm the wrong way when Kenshin leaned on it. But it's fine, don't worry." She continued to walk. I knew she was lying, I barely touched her shoulder.

I quickly caught up to her and pulled her aside. "Kenshin! What the hell are you do—" she stopped.

I pulled up her short sleeve to reveal her shoulder; her slightly swollen purple, black, and blue bruised shoulder. It was horrendous, and the ugly marking traveled from the end of her clavicle, to the top of her upper back. Rage immediately filled my entire body at the sight of it. This was not an accident. This was an intentional hit. Someone hurt my Kaoru.

I distinctly heard Misao gasp from behind me, though I took no mind to it. I could feel my rage melt my eyes into molten gold. I glared at her wound, as if I could scare it away. But no, it was there. And it wasn't leaving. I looked up to find Kaoru's blue eyes downcast.

"Kaoru, what—"

"Misao, go to class," my deep voice reverberated through the empty halls of the school.

Scared by my sudden change in behavior, and my deathly low voice, she turned the other way. She stopped mid-step, "Kaoru, call me." Kaoru nodded in return, and she then slowly walked away.

Nothing could compare to the pure rage that flowed through my veins. I was absolutely livid. Kaoru tensed even more at the powerful aura that I could not keep reigned in. I took her hand gently, and lead her out of the school. She was silent, eyes downcast. She almost looked ashamed. But she followed me willingly.

We made our way to a nearby park. It was deserted, as I had anticipated. Kaoru tugged her hand away and walked over to a bench. She sat down, eyes still downcast. The sight she created reminded me of a chastised child. I mirrored her actions and took a seat next to her.

I looked towards her expectantly, waiting for her to start talking. A minute went by and she was still silent. I knew that she could feel my calculating gaze upon her. So, I prompted her to speak.

"Well…?"

"Well, what?" she replied softly.

"Don't you dare give me that, Kaoru. What happened?" I knew my expression must've been deadly. The thought of her hurt shoulder made my blood boil.

"It's nothing. It was an accident." She still couldn't look me in the eye. I knew she was lying.

I was quickly getting even more upset. Who the hell was she trying to protect? "You know me better than that Kaoru. And you and I both know that the horrendous bruise marking your shoulder was not an accident. It was intentional. So tell me what happened." My voice raised in volume ever so slightly.

Her face contorted in anger. A lone tear escaped from her eye. She finally turned to face me. Her dark sapphire eyes were filled with anger and shame. "Why the hell do you care, Kenshin!? Why the hell do you care about what happened to my shoulder!" By this time she was nearly yelling. More tears streamed down her cheeks, and the sight hurt me. The thought of Kaoru hurting, and me not being able to help was unfathomable. She continued her rant, "I don't get you! I've been here for what? Two weeks? And you seem to care so much about me. I don't get it! What makes you so different from everyone else?" she collapsed on the ground sobbing.

I sat there shocked. Why couldn't she understand that I really liked her? I stood up, and walked over to where she was, on the ground. I kneeled down and embraced her. My anger temporarily calmed, but still resounding in the depths of my mind. She grabbed fist-fulls of my shirt and held on for dear life. I pulled her to me and she cried on my shoulder. Her body shook with each sob, and the sound was painful. I hated seeing her this way. I hated seeing my usual strong, confident Kaoru so broken.

My rage surged at the thought, but I kept in contained. The raven-haired beauty in my arms started to quiet down. Finally, her sobs diminished completely and she looked up at me. Despite her tear stained face, her blushing cheeks, and her puffy eyes, she was still beautiful. Her eyes glowed with regret and sorrow.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry for breaking down in front of you like this."

She had nothing to be sorry about. "Kaoru, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong." She suddenly tensed in my arms again. Her sorrow turned into fear and she suddenly disentangled herself from my arms.

"I'm sorry, Kenshin. It really is nothing. Don't worry about me." And with that, she ran off, leaving me and my tear-stained shirt alone, kneeling in the park. Shock. Shock poured through me. Than it clicked.

Hell no. Oh hell no. She isn't getting off this easily. The rage still bouncing through my mind once again boiled my blood. I knew my still amber eyes must've looked demonic. With renewed vigor, and determination, I ran off after her.

No way in hell was she getting off this easily. No fucking way in hell.

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Surprisingly, Kaoru was no where in sight when I exited the park. However, someone else I knew was.

"Sano!" The rooster look-a-like turned around. At the sight of me, a fond smile grew on his face. Than he took note of my appearance. I knew he could practically feel the burn of my molten, amber eyes, and the barely suppressed scowl on my face. Immediately, his expression changed to something akin to worry. He jogged to where I was standing.

"Hey buddy. What's wrong?" he questioned.

I couldn't even wrap my mind around what I wanted to say. Though I did find something. "Some son-of-a-bitch hurt my Kaoru. And she won't tell me who the fucking bastard is. Or even how it happened." My outrage was finally venting a little. "You should see it, Sano! There's a huge purple, black, and blue welt on her shoulder! I barely touched it and she hissed in pain."

The look on Sano's face now mirrored my own. "Where is she?" he growled out.

"She ran off. Told me not to worry about her."

"She's probably heading home. Come on, we'll find her."

And with that, we both ran in the direction we knew her home was.

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We arrived at Kaoru's home, and I scanned the area for her ki. I found her frenzied one in the dojo, however… it was accompanied by an unfamiliar ki. Both her father and her brother were not present in the entire area. I scanned the strange ki more thoroughly and instantly decided that I didn't like it. It was dark and foreboding. My efforts to get to Kaoru doubled instantly.

"Sano, she's not alone," my deep voice was heard in a soft whisper. He muttered a soft curse in return and we both sprinted for the dojo.

Upon sighting the dojo, we kept our senses alert for any danger. I snuck up to the door, that was slightly ajar, with Sano close behind me. Two voices emanated from the building. Kaoru's, and a strange man's deep voice.

"Well, you're back early from school, Kaoru."

"What the hell are you doing here? Get out. You're not welcomed here."

The man chuckled. "On the contrary, you owe me."

"I owe you nothing!"

"Oh, but you're fucking father does! Do you know how many years it took me to master the sword with my left hand!?"

"My father had every right to stop teaching you!"

"Well, all that is in the past now. I've come here for you, Kaoru."

"No."

I heard footsteps. They were heavy, so I assumed that the man was approaching Kaoru. I peaked in the doorway to find a big burly man alone with her. He was tall, large, hairy, and ugly. Kaoru took a step back for every step he took forward.

"Oh I've always loved your defiance, Kaoru. So feisty! But I can be forceful…" The wall stopped her from retreating. And he reached his hand out to grab her injured shoulder. She cried out in pain. After that I saw red.

So it was him.Hewas the bastard that hurt her. After that, I couldn't take another moment of it. I slammed open the dojo door and stepped inside. Sano, looking just as fierce, stepped up next to me. We were met with the bastard's angry gaze, and Kaoru's fearful and relieved one.

All rational thought left my head. "You!" I growled out. "You better take your slimy hands off of her right now!"

He smirked at me, and squeezed her shoulder harder. Kaoru cried out louder.

Rage. Pure, unkempt rage. My eyes must've been glowing red. Before he could blink, I was in front of him, delivering a full on punch right in his face. He fell to the ground, nose bleeding. Though, surprisingly, he got up.

It was then that I noticed the katana resting at his hip. He unsheathed it and held it in his left hand. However, I was too outraged to let any rational thought enter my mind. I grabbed the nearest weapon off the dojo wall, and unsheathed it. I took no notice in the backwards blade, and started forward. I knew I was faster than him, and I used that to my advantage.

He was knocked out in less than a minute.

After that, I sheathed the strange sword and tried my best to calm down before I faced Kaoru. I felt my eyes convert to their normal violet, and turned around to face Kaoru, who was being checked on by a worried Sano.

"Sano, go call the police. I'll take care of Kaoru."

"Gotcha," he replied. And with a final wink to Kaoru, he was out the door, with the unconscious man over his shoulder.

I looked down to where Kaoru was seated, on the floor of the dojo. I took a seat next to her and brought her into my embrace. To my relief, she readily accepted it.

"Who is he?" I asked.

She finally looked up at me. "His name is Gohei Hiruma." The name sounded familiar, but I left that information in the back of my mind for later evaluation.

"What was he doing here?" I asked softly.

"Gohei used to be a student of my father's. I remember telling you not too long ago that the style my father teaches is based on protecting people. Not killing. Gohei didn't quite believe in those values, and he always tried to alter what he was taught to make the style more deadly. And he would constantly fight with other students in the class." She sighed. "I was a young girl at the time, still a beginner. But I remember the day perfectly. He came barging into the dojo, demanding that he be dubbed a master, claiming that he was the best in the class. My father refused. Telling him that he still had more to learn about the art of protecting. Gohei scoffed and than challenged my father. My father obviously won. He disabled Gohei's hand in the process, by permanently breaking his thumb." She finished.

"And he's now taking out his revenge? It looked like he could use the sword fine."

"Apparently, he re-taught himself with his left hand." Ah. So he did. I guess I did notice that.

"How long has he been stalking you?"

"He first approached me at the beginning of this week. He was more… forceful yesterday, which was the second time." Why didn't she tell her father?

As if reading my thoughts, she said, "I didn't tell my father because he's had too much to worry about lately. His sister, my aunt, has been going through a lot of trouble or something lately. It's putting a strain on him. That's why he's not here today. And that's why he wasn't here yesterday. He and Yahiko went to go visit her while I stayed and tended the dojo and the classes."

"Ah."

"That, and he threatened harm to anyone else I told..." she trailed off.

The thought made my blood start to boil again, but I quickly cooled off at the sight of her worried expression.

We sat there in silence, her pondering over her thoughts, and me observing her. She still looked beautiful as ever. The flame in her eyes a little dim from the trauma of the past couple days. I instantly wanted to fix that. Before I could control myself, my lips were connecting with hers.

She melted into my embrace and returned the kiss. It was slow, sweet, and sensual. I poured out all my feelings into it, because I wanted her to know just how much I did care for her. This girl was unknowingly crawling her way right into the depths of my heart. She bashed down my walls, and let herself in.

And I loved it.

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A/N: Well, I guess I'll end that chapter there for now. This ended up really long. It even surprised me! Lol

This definitely is not the end of the story. I have lotsa plans. And lotsa twists and such. So stick around.

And REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!

Seriously, please review. You're reviews inspire me. And the more reviews I get, the faster I work.

Thanks for reading,

Lonely Soul