The Break Down

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin doesn't belong to me.

"blah" talking.

'blah' mind talking.

'blah' thoughts.

Blah visions.

Chapter Four.

She half expected him to blindfold her, so she wouldn't be able to see where they were going, but he didn't. Instead she sat in the passenger seat watching life go on as they drove by. She could distantly feel the Hitokiri's presence in the back of her mind. Suddenly she remembered something she had been taught when she was little. Apparently reading a person's aura could tell you more about them then even the person themselves could tell you. Getting curious Kaoru decided that just a little feel wouldn't hurt and sent her mind out to search his aura.

As soon as she touched his aura, however, she had to bite her lip so hard it bled to keep herself from gasping so he wouldn't find out. His aura was completely filled with hatred, death and despair. All of a sudden she was really glad she hadn't tried to get into his mind. She could barely handle his aura, which was showing just a reflection of what was really going on inside of him. Probing some more she realized that he no longer had the will to hope for anything good.

'What could make him feel so hopeless?' Kaoru wondered, probing a little deeper. She found something else that confused her immensely. Loneliness. 'He's lonely?'

The car came to an abrupt stop and Kaoru pulled back, away from Battousai's aura. He got out of the car and Kaoru realized they had reached their destination. It amazed her that she had gotten so caught up in his aura that she hadn't been paying attention to where they were going. She cursed herself. Her door opened and she looked up at the man who had opened it.

"We're here." Battousai said, stating the obvious.

"No shit, Sherlock." Kaoru replied, stepping out of the car. "I'm not stupid."

"The glazed over look you had on your face the whole way here tells me otherwise." He said as he began walking to the entrance. Kaoru sighed and followed, wanting to think on everything she had just learned rather then fight with him. When they got inside she realized they were in a bar. Men were everywhere and almost every single one of them had a beer in one hand and a hooker in the other. She guessed these were all men who worked with Battousai. Kaoru followed him to the back of the bar and just walked into a door, ignoring the guards on both sides.

'Probably the only two men who aren't drunk in this room.' Kaoru thought, disgusted as she walked past them both. The room was empty of life, but looked as though it were an office. A desk was in the middle of the room, with two chairs in front of it. Bookshelves filled with books were against the wall behind the desk. 'You mean Battousai's boss can actually read?' She thought sarcastically to herself. Battousai sat in one of the chairs and after standing there awkwardly for a few minutes Kaoru sat down in the other chair. They only had to wait a few moments before a door, different from the one they had come through, opened.

Two men walked in, one sitting at the desk and the other standing behind him on his right. Kaoru figured the one sitting down was Battousai's boss. While she had been expecting some fat, ugly and disgusting old man, the man sitting in from of her was nothing of the sort. He was lean, clean and shaven, wearing a business suit that made him look more like a politician then an assassin's boss.

"Welcome, Kaoru." The man said, standing up and extending his hand over the desk in a offer to shake her hand. He simply laughed when she said him a death glare. "I'm not sure if Battousai's informed you already, but my name is Katsura."

"I haven't told her anything." Battousai said, making Kaoru glance at him. His eyes were completely focused on Katsura.

"Ah, I see. Well I'm sure she's wondering why I've had you bring her here, hmm?" Katsura said, his eyes trained on her. Kaoru said nothing in response. "I know you are an Estle and from what your boss has been telling me you are the strongest of your kind."

Kaoru's eyes widened a fraction at the mention of her boss. "What does my boss have to do with this?" She asked.

"Well you see, we were having a little conversation and we realized his organization and mine have the exact same goals. However, just bringing our organizations would be two noticeable, so we decided to bring our two strongest together." Katsura explained.

"If my boss is in on this then why did Battousai kidnap me?" Kaoru asked, slightly confused.

"We wanted to see how you two worked when up against one another." He explained.

"But Battousai defeated me easily, wouldn't that mean I'm all wrong for the job?"

"Not at all. We both know, Kaoru, that if you had opened you mind to him you could have defeated him just as easily. However, I was counting on the fact that you wouldn't want to get into his head. That way, you're perfect to work with him because you won't kill him, but you can kill others. Understand?" Katsura said in the way the was really beginning to annoy Kaoru. She was mainly annoyed, however, because he was right. She would do everything she could to keep her mind separate from Battousai's. Especially after feeling his aura.

"You should be getting a little message from your boss soon. He explained to me this link you have with him, that lets him into your mind to speak to you, but nothing else. I want you to form that link with me, and with Battousai." Katsura requested. Kaoru groaned silently. Having one mind in hers that she couldn't stop was enough, but three was going to drive her crazy.

"I have to be able to touch your forehead." Kaoru explained, hoping he would reconsider.

"Do it with Battousai, first." Katsura requested, waving his hand toward Battousai. Kaoru stood up and walked over to Battousai, who watched her silently. He glared a little when she touched her index finger to the middle of his forehead, but made no other reaction. Kaoru closed her eyes and reached for a golden piece of thread that was swirling around in her mind. Mentally she grabbed it and threw it into Battousai's mind, connecting them. When she was done she opened her eyes and dropped her hand.

"Test it, Battousai." Katsura commanded from behind her.

'Can you hear me?' Battousai's voice entered her mind.

"Yes, I can hear you." Kaoru voiced out loud. She stepped aside and Battousai nodded at Katsura, indicating that it had indeed worked. Katsura stood up.

"Now, me." He ordered. Kaoru repeated the same process with him, letting him test it out before she sat down again. "Now I want another demonstration. Soujiro, step forward."

Kaoru watched as the man who had been standing in the background stepped forward. He had been completely silent and unmoving before now, but Kaoru had never forgotten that he was there.

"I want you to open your mind to Soujiro and tell me all the key points in his life, in order starting from when he was a child." Katsura ordered her. He was really starting to bug her. She hated letting people into her mind, almost as much as reading their memories. It was impossible for her to forget them once she did. She closed her eyes and mentally searched the room until she found Soujiro's mind. Preparing herself for a few seconds, she let down a couple barriers, but not all of them, before delving into his mind. His memories came to her in flashes, first as a young boy playing in the yard and beginning his martial arts training, to a teenager in class.

"He was born in Kyoto to a middle class couple. They died in an earthquake when he was a teenager. He's had all kinds of martial arts training. When he was a young adult he fell in love. They became engaged. His fiancé was-" Kaoru broke off for a second before continuing. This next memory was horrible. "His fiancé was killed a week before their wedding."

She broke off then, not wanting to continue. She felt the pain of the memory, like someone was tearing the heart out of her chest. She smiled ironically. If only she had a heart to tear out.

"Very good, Kaoru. You both may leave now, I will contact you, Kaoru, when I have a mission ready for the both of you. You are dismissed." Katsura said, before getting up and walking out of the room with Soujiro following behind him. Battousai stood up and waited for Kaoru to collect herself before leaving the room with her following.

'At least none of these disgusting pigs bother me.' Kaoru thought, realizing it was probably because they were afraid of the man walking next to her. Rolling her eyes she got in the car and buckled her seatbelt before staring absently out the window. She could still feel the pain from Soujiro's memories.

The boy driving stopped the car and made the girl close her eyes, wrapping a blindfold around her head so she wouldn't peek. She giggled as he led her somewhere. After a few minutes they were there and the boy was undoing the blindfold. She gasped as soon as she opened her eyes. They were at the park, right next to the lake. A picnic had been set up beautifully; with a dozen roses on top of a plate that she guessed was meant to be hers. Candles were lit all around them. Looking at the boy she gave him a huge smile and a small kiss before running to the edge of the water, looking at the reflection of the full moon and the water's surface.

Hands wrapped around her waist as the boy hugged her from behind. They both stood there for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company and the gorgeous scenery around them. Then the boy turned the girl around and gave her a long lingering kiss before speaking.

"I love you." He said, reaching into his pocket and bringing out a magnificent diamond ring. "Will you marry me?"

The girl's eyes widened and filled with tears. She shook her head yes, since she was speechless and threw her arms around the boy's neck.

The sound of a car honking brought Kaoru out of her reverie.

End Chapter.

Sorry it took so long guys.

Review please.