A/N: Two for the price of one. Because I'm terrible at updating recently.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
It happens without warning.
Crashing sounds; screams and shouts from below, and the unmistakable sound of bodies thumping against the floor.
Kenshin, who has only just returned in from some excursion or another, throws a hand towards her.
"Stay here!" he orders, even though she is already grabbing for her bokken. Kenshin races out, leaving Kaoru standing in the middle of the room with a white face and wide eyes. What is happening? She has no idea, but there are more screams and gurgles, and the faint, low throb of Kenshin's voice from the level below.
What should she do?
She thinks her heart may beat out of her throat. Even as the assistant master of the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu, she fears that her skills are not enough to stand in battle against the ferocious warriors of Kyoto.
How long does it take? Five minutes? Ten? Kaoru doesn't know, has no sense of time; she wants to race to Kenshin, but she thinks she may only make things worse. It stings her pride, but she may end up being only a liability to Kenshin during a fight. How focused will he be if he is forced to worry about her immediate safety
The shoji crashes inwards so suddenly that Kaoru screams, high and loud. She raises her bokken, braces herself for an attack, but just like when the strange man attacked her at Tomoe's grave; there is no chance for her to move. He is like lightning, fast and blinding. This man, tall and narrow as a reed, lunges forward with an insane cackle, scooping Kaorru up before crashing outside with her in his arms. Wood and rice paper flutter around them.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru shrieks, flailing violently, her bokken torn from her grasp as the man jumps, high and strong, into the air.
Kenshin appears in the broken doorway. His hair is wild, and he bleeds from deep chest wound.
"Jin-E!" he howls fiercely, surging forward.
The last thing Kaoru sees as she and her captor drop to to the street below is Kenshin's wild, angry eyes.