Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Time Changes All ❯ Running ( Chapter 24 )

Author's Notes: Some people don't seem to know who Enishi is. . . um. . . I'm not sure in the anime, but in the manga he is Kenshin's brother-in-law (go to this site: http:// ryuuen. com/ enishi/ (get rid of the spaces)) this is a shrine for Enishi, although, I must warn you that there are many spoilers in there. . . also in this story Enishi is NOT Kenshin's brother-in-law! I hope you like this chapter, it's pretty long. . . R&R!

Disclaimer: Kenshin doesn't belong to me. . . but I have Kaoru on loan. . . hehe. . . ok, maybe not.

". . ." dialogue

`. . .' thoughts

(. . .) author's useless commentary

Running

By Hoshi-ni-Onegai

#warning some cuss words will appear, oh and some violence too#

The holidays had passed and school had resumed. Life was back to normal, but the norm is relative. Kaoru gazed out of the window during English class (as a foreign language), she had been spacing out for the past couple of days. The events at the shrine kept on repeating in her head, and only more questions arose with each replay of the events.

***************************** Flashback Mode ******************************

Kaoru heard him, he had said "Enishi." But who was Enishi? It was a male name, and by the way Kenshin had said it she knew something had happened between the two. She was about to ask Kenshin who this `Enishi' was when Misao called them, "Come on Kaoru! Kenshin! We're leaving!"

As they were walking home Kenshin didn't mention it, and neither did Kaoru.

**************************Flashback Mode Ends**************************

It had been going on like that since that day, neither of them bringing up what had occurred at the shrine. So, Kaoru was completely lost in what to do. Hence the reason why she was zoning out so often during school. She was brought back to the world when Kariwa Henya slamed his palm on Kaoru's desk. She jumped and brought her eyes to the furious looking teacher. (Kariwa Henya was one of the Juppongatana)

"I'm sorry that my class doesn't entertain you enough Kamiya-san. Now, tell me, who owns the cat. John or Michelle?" The thin, lanky, creepy-looking English teacher asked her. She knew that if she answered incorrectly she would be sent out into the hall. But she knew that if she didn't answer she would be punished even more.

With that she sheepishly answered, "John?"

Kariwa narrowed his eyes at her, "No, the answer is George. You are usually one to pay attention Kamiya-san. I have no choice but to ask you to step out into the hall."

"I'm sorry Kariwa-san." Kaoru got up from her desk, blushing from embarrassment as the rest of the class watched her. She blushed even more when she met eyes with Kenshin who looked at her a bit worried.

She quickly made her way to the door but stopped when Kariwa called her. "Kamiya-san?" She turned around just in time to catch a metal bucket. "You wouldn't want to forget this. Go to the bathroom and fill it up then stand outside."

Kaoru looked down at the bucket, gave a slight bow to her teacher and left.

She was standing at the sink in the girls bathroom, waiting for the bucket to fill to the appropriate amount. She looked up the mirror and locked gazes with her reflection. `What's wrong with me? Why can't I concentrate.' An image of Kenshin flashed in her head, `I know exactly why I can't concentrate. Why can't I just go up to him and ask `So, are you and this Enishi friends?' She stared at the mirror a bit longer and gave a sigh, "I'm so lame."

She turned the water off and hauled the bucket back to a spot next to her classroom door. As she stood there with the bucket in her hands, her mind wandered off again. Her thoughts were on how to approach Kenshin with the supposedly delicate topic of this `Enishi.' She was pulled out of her reverie, which was happening to her a lot recently, when she felt a presence. She looked to her left first, and saw no one. It was the same cold feeling she had been getting the past few weeks. It was as if something was following her, and wanted her. Wanted her for what? She turned her head back to stare in front of her when she saw a man standing there.

The man was tall, maybe slightly older than her by a few years. He was very handsome, and well built but that was not what drew Kaoru's attention. His hair was a shocked white and his eyes were a freezing turquoise. Those eyes seemed to dig into her, trying to search her soul or kill it. She noticed that he wasn't wearing a school uniform, instead, he wore blue slacks and a orange and blue china shirt.

"Wh-who are you?" Kaoru questioned, her voice barely coming out in a whisper.

The man walked up to her and Kaoru took a step back but met a wall that was in her way. He kept walking towards her and stroked her face. She shrunk away from his touch, plastering herself against the wall. She repeated her question, "Who are you?"

He leaned down to her eye level, then turned his head slightly so he would be whispering in her ear. "It matters not who I am. I have been watching you Kamiya Kaoru." She stared wide-eyed in shock over his shoulder to the window across the hall. The hallway was completely empty, all classes were in session and there was no one there to save her. "You're much more beautiful than you give your self credit for."

Kaoru was still in shock, she let out a shaky whisper. "Y-you were w-watching me?"

The man smirked next to her ear, "Yes, I was watching you. Every minute of the day."

Then realization came to Kaoru like a slap in the face. She let go of the bucket, which crashed on the floor and pushed the man away. Fury in here eyes. `If he had been watching me every minute, that means he saw me while I was changing, in the shower, everything.' The crash from the bucket had echoed down the hall and attracted the attention of her teacher and the worried redhead in the classroom. The classroom door slid open and Kaoru averted her attention and gaze towards it. At the door stood Kariwa, Kenshin, and most of the class crowding around the door trying to look out. Kariwa saw the spilt water and scolded Kaoru, "What is the meaning of this Kamiya-san? You are disrupting classes!"

Kaoru was confused, `What about this freaky looking guy behind me?' She turned around to point to the man responsible for all this when she saw that there was no one there. She was standing out in the hallway alone, a bucket turned over at her feet and the water that had been contained in the said bucket spread across a good portion of the hall. "Where did he go?"

"Where did who go Kamiya-san?" Kariwa asked sternly.

She turned back to her now angry English teacher. Then she saw an extremely worried Kenshin with eyes questioning what had occurred. "Uh. . . nothing. . ." She tried to cover up what had occurred and reverted back to her persona, the persona of hiding her real self. "I thought there was purple elephant that walked by the hallway, when I went to go pet it disappeared. . . then, I suddenly woke up to the crash of my bucket! The bucket was very rude to make so much noise." She smiled and bowed to her teacher and some other teachers that were now poking their heads out from their door to see what was the commotion. "I apologize on behalf of the bucket."

Kariwa could be seen with a vein pulsing on his forehead, "Ka~ mi~ ya~ sa~ n~! I would GREATLY appreciate it if you would not sleep while serving your punishment!" He pointed a finger towards the janitorial closet at the end of the hall, "Now, get a mop and clean this all up before the end of class." With that, he snapped the door shut.

The moment the door shut her smile disappeared, whipping her head around to look out the window she saw the man smirking at her. She growled out in frustration and headed for the janitorial closet. When reaching there she got a mop and headed back to the water disaster she had created. The man was still at the window smirking at her. Luckily for him, the school was all on one story, so all he had to do was stand outside leaning against the window. As Kaoru was mopping up the water and wringing it out with her hand into the previously dropped bucket she heard the window open. She glared at the man and he just continued grinning, making no move to enter.

"You have to be more careful next time."

She went back to mopping and avoided looking at him. "You talk as if we will meet again." She hissed at him. This man unnerved her, she wanted him away, far away.

"Of course we will meet again. You are rightfully mine you know, Kao-chan."

Whipping her head up to the window she saw that the man was no longer there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Himura! You're sparring today!" Saitou called from the middle of the mat after he finished sparring with Aoshi. Kenshin had been talking to Sano, and made his way across the gymnasium to stand across from Saitou in a fighting position. "No, no Himura. You won't be sparring with me today." Kenshin looked at him quizzically until he heard Saitou call for his opponent. "Kamiya!"

Kaoru turned around from where she zoning out again, doing more strokes than what was required. She had just kept on doing her strokes without thinking, she just wasn't in the state of mind to count.

Kenshin stared wide-eyed at Saitou, "I'm going to spar against Kaoru?!"

Saitou stared down at the short boy and smirked his condescending smirk, "Why not? I said you two would spar one day, why not today? No time like the present right?"

Kenshin looked at Saitou flatly, "Have you been reading a book on Carpe Diem? A self-help book maybe?"

Saitou slapped Kenshin upside the head, "Don't be stupid."

Kaoru came up to them, "Yes Shihan?"

"You're sparring with Kenshin today."

Kaoru gave a casual shrug, "Okay. You told me I would. Carpe diem, why not today?"

Saitou smirked down at the shocked Kenshin, "See, your girlfriend gets it." He walked off to stand at the sidelines of the mat to watch the two spar from a safe distance.

Kaoru went to her part of the mat and bowed to Kenshin, but when she noticed that he hadn't moved from his previous position she questioned him. "What's wrong Kenshin? We can't spar if you don't get into position."

"You want to spar with me?"

Kaoru let out a sigh, "It's not the question if I want to or not, Shihan asked me to. Anyways, I kind of want to see how this sparring will turn out. I mean, I know you'll win but I'm curious."

"Stop talking you two! I want to hear the sound of steel clashing not your voices."

"But we're not fighting with katanas, how will you hear the clashing of steel?" Kaoru hollered back at him.

"Wood clashing, whatever! Just show me some sweat! Blood would be nice but not required."

Kaoru shook her head and turned to Kenshin, "Let's start before the wolf comes and bites our head off."

Kenshin reluctantly went to his spot and faced Kaoru. She bowed to him again and he returned it. He was waiting for her to attack first, but she just wouldn't budge. He gave a slight smile at that. `She knows I can over come her in strength and skill, she's playing the defensive card.'

Seeing his smile she knew he had figured out what she had be planning. `What can I expect from an ex-hitokiri?' She saw that she wasn't making a move either. `Is he just going to stand there until I attack him? Well, then he'll be in for a long wait. I can wait forever until he attacks.'

The two teenagers stood there, neither of them moving a muscle, observing the other's movement or lack there of. The other students had begun crowding around the sidelines watching the motionless two.

Misao whispered to Aoshi, "What are they doing?"

"Sparring." Aoshi answered simply.

Sano had heard his two friends talking and joined in, "Really? Being as still as they are I thought they were posing for a painting."

An ever smiling Soujiro spoke up, "They are calculating each other's moves. Both are waiting for the other to attack first."

During this time Kaoru's mind was starting wander off again. `Arg! Kenshin! Attack me already! What is he waiting for?! It's not like he'll be at a disadvantage if he attacks me first. Heck, he might just win with the first attack! What is he waiting for?' She glared at him, when she noticed the expression in his eyes she finally came to the realization of why he wasn't attack her. `He's afraid of hurting me. . .' She would have never figured that out if she had not seen his eyes, for his face betrayed none of his emotion. `Must be something he picked up as the hitokiri, like sensing other in the room. . . senses, that reminds me. . . why don't I get the cold sense I've been getting when I'm around Kenshin? Was that sense coming from that guy that I saw today? Who was he? The frightening shiver down my spine doesn't happen when Kenshin is around. . . is it because I'm too weak? Am I weak to even take care of myself now? Like how I'm too weak to face. . .'

During her musings Kenshin had decided to initiate the attack. He also decided that it will be one that would be easy to block, although he had the patience of a saint he wasn't willing to go on a full fledged staring contest with Kaoru. He made sure she was paying attention, which he confirmed with her frustrated glare and attacked from above. What Kenshin didn't know was that Kaoru's frustrated glare was toward her thoughts and not a glare at Kenshin. In other words, she really wasn't paying any attention.

Kenshin had aimed for her left shoulder as he came down with his shinai. Why the left shoulder? Because it was easier to block. But when Kaoru finally realized that Kenshin had attacked it was too late, for the both of them. Kaoru didn't have enough time to get out of the way. Kenshin didn't have enough time to pull back his attack noticing that Kaoru would indeed be hit. Therefore, she was hit, and hit hard. Harder than he had expected and hoped for. A resounding hit could be heard throughout the gym as all students stared on in shock.

Kenshin, the protective freak when it came to Kaoru, had just hit her?

No one could believe it, not even Kenshin. There was a moment of silence until Kaoru let out a pain-filled groan clutching her left shoulder. Being pulled back in to reality for the umpteenth time that day she became determined to win the sparring watch. She let go of her should and held on tightly to the shinai and attacked.

Kenshin easily got out of the way and had an opening to hit her on the back, but he didn't. Seeing his hesitation Kaoru yelled at him, "We're sparring Kenshin! Don't go easy on me just because I'm a girl!" She tried to sweep his feet from under him but he jumped out of the way.

Kenshin didn't want to fight Kaoru. The first hit was completely by accident and now he was tormented inside for hurting the person that mattered the most to him. He kept on blaming himself for not being positive in that Kaoru was paying attention to the match. But he also couldn't get off the fact that it was very unlike Kaoru to not pay close attention when it came to kendo. She loved the fight and was brought up with it since she was a child. Her father would always scold her if she was not completely attentive in the fight. Nevertheless, here was Kaoru attacking in blind fury with no strategy. The collected skilled swordswoman that she usually was seemed to have vanished that day. She was attacking for the sake of attacking, as if an animal. She had receded into primal instincts of survival. `But why during a sparring match? She should know that her life isn't in danger, especially against me.'

Ten minutes of this went by and Kenshin, Saitou, along with the rest of the club could see that Kaoru was straining herself. She just kept right on attacking. Kenshin not wanting to inflict damage on Kaoru in this state, or any state for that matter, continued to get out of the way or blocked her attacks. Saitou watched on with an expressionless face, making no move to stop this now pointless fight. Sano was speechless, the Jou-chan he saw from day to day seemed to be trying to kill Kenshin, he looked on at Kaoru and did not recognize the girl that he saw before him. This one seemed to be attacking something, maybe not even Kenshin, something in her mind. Even Aoshi was starting to get a bit worried of Kaoru's technique or lack there of. Soujiro just watched sadly at the match, a heartbreaking knowing expression adorning his face. Misao was trembling at the sight before her and she ran toward where Saitou stood and forcefully tugged on his sleeve.

Eye on the floor, her bangs hiding the expression in them she rasped out a whisper. "Stop this."

Saitou glanced down at the girl then soon returned his eyes back to the match, "Why?"

"That's not Kaoru."

"If that's not Kamiya who would it be?" He continued to look straight ahead.

"I don't know. . . but that's not Kaoru. . . something is wrong."

"What?"

"I'm not sure."

Silence fell upon the teacher and pupil until he spoke, "If anything is wrong I'm sure Himura can deal with it. If worse comes worst I'll stop them."

Misao let out a sigh of relief, "Thank you."

The match went on. Kenshin blocking and getting out of the way and Kaoru mindlessly attacking. Kenshin was getting worried. "Calm down Kaoru, it's only a match."

"It's never `just a match!' Fight me! Stop running!" Kaoru kept on going on the offensive and Kenshin on the defensive.

Then, suddenly Kaoru turned on her left heel to get a better striking angle to hit Kenshin in the upper right arm. But her foot slipped and she went crashing to the floor, her left ankle twisting. She grabbed her hurt ankle as she was in fetal position on the middle of the mat and let out an excruciated cry of pain.

The club drew in a breath, Kaoru's friends all wanting to jump in and Saitou just watching the scene impassively. Kenshin was at her side immediately. "Kaoru!" When he was next to her, she suddenly grabbed her fallen shinai and swung at him. He leaped out of the way barely in time and stare in shock at the girl that was clutching her left ankle with her left hand and holding the shinai in a death grip in her right. "Kaoru?"

"This is a match. Don't show pity to your enemy."

"But you're not my enemy. This is a friendly sparring match Kaoru, not a fight to the death." He carefully tried to approach her.

Seeing him coming near her, she stood up shakily putting most of her weight on her right foot. She smirked, "Ready to fight me now? I've been avoiding you all these years, but when I finally attack you head on, you run." Her eyes reflected sadness for a split second before they flashed back to the angry fire. She said in a voice dripped with venom, "Coward."

She lunged at him, shinai raised above her head, but she lost her balance when she put the slightest bit of weight on her left ankle. Crashing to the floor, Kenshin caught her and held her as she winced from the pain in her ankle. Kenshin lightly shook Kaoru to get her attention. "Kaoru? Are you okay?"

Kaoru let out a ragged exhausted sigh, "I'm such a coward. . . I can never protect myself." With that, she fainted from the pain and was held limply in Kenshin's arms.

Everyone in the club ran up to the two. Their closest friends surrounding Kenshin and Kaoru no one really knew what should be said, so much like in a mob, everyone spoke at once.

"Quiet!" Everyone whipped their head around to see Saitou making his way through the crowd to get to the middle. The students let him pass and in no time he was standing over Kenshin who still held Kaoru. He stared down at Kaoru then faced Kenshin, "Take her to the nurse's office." He turned to the rest of the students, "There is nothing to see here. The rest of you go back to practice."

The students reluctantly moved away and dispersed through the gym to continue on with practice. Right before Sano left he went up to Kenshin. He gazed down at Kaoru with a worried expression, "Take care of her Kenshin. I'm not sure what set her off but its not something simple." He met eyes with Kenshin, "This isn't your fault. Jou-chan's been bottling something up for a long time and it just exploded all at once. . . in a destructive manner."

Kenshin stared at Sano as he walked away. It was a rare occasion in history when Sano spoke in such a solemn and serious tone. Kenshin shook his head and carefully lifted up his precious cargo and left the gymnasium to head for the nurse's office.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Being that it was after school the nurse was wanting to go home. After looking at Kaoru's ankle and wrapping it in bandages to suspend mobility she told Kenshin to ice it for five minutes every thirty minutes. And so the nurse speedily left to return to the comfort of her home leaving Kenshin and a still fainted Kaoru in the nurse's office. She was laying down on the bed in the office and Kenshin sat next to her in a chair.

He had just finished icing her ankle for the required five minutes and let out a sigh, "It seems that we end up in this position frequently, of you laying in bed and me sitting in a chair next to you."

Kaoru made no sign that she was awake or listening. Kenshin glared at her side ways, "You know, I'm upset with you. I won't tolerate anyone hurting you, even if it is you, yourself." His eyes reflected remorse, "Although the hit to your shoulder was my fault. . ."

Kenshin's inner turmoil was cut short when he heard the office door opening. He turned around and there was Sano.

"Hey Kenshin. How's Jou-chan doing?"

"The nurse says that she's fine, and that she should keep off the ankle for two weeks. She hasn't woken up yet though. . ." His voice trailed off as he glance back at Kaoru's laying form. Then he felt his hair being ruffled, the way people used to do when he was a child. He looked up at a smirking Sano surprised.

"Don't worry so much. She's going to be fine, Jou-chan's a tough one." He went over to her and maneuvered her until she was piggybacking on his back. "Let's take her home. When she wakes up I'm sure she would much rather be there than at school. Waking up at school is a nightmare in itself."

"You know, I can carry her." Kenshin stated, getting a bit jealous of Kaoru being close to another guy, even if she was unconscious.

Sano shrugged slightly and headed out the door, "You're stronger than me when it comes to kendo, but I'm stronger than you when it comes to brute strength. I'll carry her."

"She's really not all that heavy, I will." Kenshin tried to put in his point.

Sano stopped in the middle of the hallway and glared down at Kenshin, "Get off it Kenshin. You maybe Kaoru's best friend and boyfriend but we all are Kaoru's friends. You're not the only one that cares for her. So don't act like you have all the responsibility when it comes to her." He started walking again, staring straight ahead. "While you were gone for ten years, we were the ones taking care of her. We were the ones she took care of. I'm returning a favor. Not that I wouldn't help her if she didn't do anything for me, I would be at her side in a heartbeat if she asked me to be."

Kenshin stared down at the floor than at Sano that was a little bit up ahead in the hallway. He swiftly made his way up to them, "Sorry. . . its just. . . there are certain things that feed into my protectiveness."

Sano let out a sigh, "It's okay, just as long as you know how we feel."

Kenshin looked around him, "Where is everyone anyways?"

"Oh them? Soujiro had to go home because he promised his mom to run an errand. Misao and Aoshi went home to do their daily training with Okina. All three of them wanted to skip their duties but I told them not to. I had nothing promised so I told them I'd go with their blessings. You're not the only one that has reasons to be protective of her you know."

"I've heard everyone's reason's but yours."

"Mine's not as tragic as everyone else's, it's not worth hearing."

"I never said your story had to be tragic. It can be about fuzzy bunnies, rainbows, and unicorns; I'd still listen."

"Okay, compared to that my story does sound a bit tragic. . . but. . . I guess Kaoru is the unicorn in my story."

Kenshin looked at his friend quizzically, "How so?"

". . . Do you know the song about unicorns?"

"Can't say that I do."

"Well, there is this one children's song that says that unicorns used to exist."

"How'd they die out?"

"The story is kind of biblical in a sense. . . but not really. . . it says that when Noah was told from the Christian God to gather all the animals, two by two, female and male, he built this big boat or some shit like that."

"So the unicorns died on the boat?"

"No, they died in the flood."

"There was a flood on the boat? That's not a very good boat."

Sano glared at Kenshin, "Will you let me finish?!"

Kenshin shrunk away sheepishly, "Sorry."

Sano huffed and looked straight to watch where he was walking in the street now, "ANYWAYS. God said that he was going to flood the land, so Noah was told to build a big boat to put him and his family and all the animals in the world. Two by two. When he was gathering them up all the animals willingly came except for the unicorn. They were out having fun and prancing about and so they missed their boat. When the great flood thingy came the unicorns died drowning." There was a long pause. "You can speak now Kenshin."

Kenshin let out a breath he didn't he was holding, "Thanks. But how is Kaoru like the unicorns?"

Sano tilted his head slightly to get a glance at the girl sleeping on his back. "I'm not saying that Kaoru would miss her boat playing around. . . its just. . . when I first heard that story I though that the unicorns weren't being foolish in staying behind, but upholding honor."

"Unicorn honor?"

"The way you say it makes it sound like something from `My Little Pony Tales.'" "

"Sano?"

"Yeah?"

"I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"How do you know the title to `My Little Pony Tales?'"

"Kenshin?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll kill you if you tell anybody."

"Tell what anybody?"

"Good. I mean maybe the unicorn was staying behind for everyone else. All the others that couldn't ride the boat. They didn't want to take up a space in a boat that couldn't fit everyone, so they didn't get on. Well, that's how I see it."

"I still don't see why that's like Kaoru."

"Kaoru is one to stay behind and drown with the rest of us. She wouldn't ride the boat that everyone couldn't ride. She would much rather stick around and fight the flood with us."

There was pregnant silence as Kenshin allowed the words to sink in.

"Did she drown with you?"

"No Kenshin, she didn't drown with me. She's the one that kept me from drowning. . . she was my lifesaver in the flood."

"What were you drowning in?"

Sano paused, "In my stupidity."

"Huh?"

"I joined gang when I was in sixth grade."

"Why did you? Trouble at home? School?"

"No, I have a pretty average family. You know that parents and me, nothing special, but nothing bad. School was okay, I mean my grades could have been better but I was never the brightest student."

"Then why?"

"Like I said, I was stupid."

***************************** Flashback/Story Mode ******************************

~Sano's POV~

Okay, so my family was average. . . but the norm is relative right? Compared to the rest of my friends I had a pretty good life, I shouldn't complain. Then why do I feel so alone sometimes?

I've known Jou-chan and Soujiro since the second grade. Soujiro and I were really close, and still are but I always got along with Jou-chan more. I just loved that short temper she had, she's was an easy target.

She and I just clicked, I don't really know how but we did. It was the three of us for awhile, until Jou-chan `adopted' Aoshi into our group. The four of us got along great, even with Jou-chan being the only girl she acted like one of the guys. Elementary was great. . . that was until sixth grade. Nothing really changed, I don't know what really triggered it in sixth grade but that's when it all started. . for me that is.

Both my parents worked by then. My mom used to be a stay at home mom but when she saw that I was old enough to take care of myself she went back to work. Not that I blame her, it was boring at home. My dad always worked pretty late and with my mom's new job, so did she. There were times when I wouldn't see my parents until the weekend. They left early in the morning, before I woke up, and came back late at night, when I was already asleep. The only place where I felt like I had someone was at school. That's only seven hours in a day, I'm asleep for eight hours, that leaves nine hours where I had nothing to do. I was alone. I would get home and the empty rooms and hallways greeted me, not the warm welcome of my mom. I dealt with that for about a month, but soon I couldn't stand the emptiness of my house. So, I went to the library to do my homework. Arriving at the public library, it did feel a little bit better. There was people around me doing their own silent work, but even this slight human contact was better than my lonely house. The whole gang thing started that very first day I went the library.

I glanced up at the clock and it read 8:00. `Shit! I have to get home! It's already dark!' I sped out of that place and ran toward my house that was a couple blocks away. As I was running down the street I ran smack-dab into someone.

The person was older than me, a high schooler I think. I was about to fall backward from the collision when the person caught me by the front my shirt. I looked up and saw a guy with black hair, his bangs covering one side of his face from the length of it. He steadied me until I could stand on my own and glanced at me. "Are you okay kid?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about that. I lost track of time and I was rushing home." He stared down at me with an amused expression. I felt like he was just simply looking down at me because I was a kid, "What are you looking at?!"

"Nothing kid, nothing." He reached down to pick up the bag that I had dropped and gave it to me. "Just watch where you're running next time, don't want to run into the wrong people you know."

I just glared at him, "How do I know you're not the `wrong people?'"

He looked pensive for a moment then replied, "Because I'm your senpai." (sempai is a person that is older than you at your school or something like that, or a person that is a veteran to you. . .)

Then the guy walked away. I didn't give him much thought after that and so I raced back home.

The next day on my way home from the library again I came across an alley with a group of teenagers smoking. I glanced at them as I walked by but I just kept walking. I guess one of them saw me because they called out to me.

"Hey kid!"

I kept on walking, I knew they weren't good news.

"Wait up! Where are you going? We don't mean any harm."

The guy that had been calling out to me finally caught up to me and turned me around by pulling on my left shoulder. I haven't changed much in mind-set from the past. In other words, mess with me and plan to get hurt. "What the hell do you want?"

The guy gave an even wider malicious smirk, "I like your attitude kid. Just wanted to know where you were headed."

I glared at him trying to pull away, "I'm going where most people go at the end of the day."

"The bar?" He answered with a serious face.

"No, do I look like I'm old enough to drink? I'm going home." I yanked myself out of his grasp.

As I was walking down the street again he called out, "Then why do you say the word `home' like it's hell? Why not come with us kid? You'll have fun that way."

I glanced back and saw the guy smirking I stared for a long moment then I decided to go with them.

I'm not really sure why I went with them in the end. Maybe I was scared of getting home and just being alone? I don't know, but to me it was better to be surrounded by these people than being alone at home. When I got home my parents weren't in yet, they never found out. They didn't pay enough attention to me to find out. They weren't at home long enough to know what I was up to. So at age twelve I got initiated into a gang.

"You go to the library everyday right Sano?" It was during school and Jou-chan had come up to me in the morning. I had yet to tell anyone about what I was involved in after school. It had been about five months since I joined the gang and kept it a secret, I didn't want to worry them. It was my decision and I planned to not look back.

"Yeah. . . why do you ask?"

"I have to do some research for the history project and was wondering if I could join you."

`Shit I'm meeting with others today. . . I'm sure it'll be alright if I missed one gathering.'

"Sure, I'll wait for you by the school entrance after school."

She smiled her bright smile, "Great! Thanks Sano!"

I gazed at her as she walked away to her seat, `It's only one gathering, no big deal.'

We were getting out of the library doors later that afternoon when I walked into someone again. Like before, I was about to fall backwards but they caught my shirt. I looked up and there was that guy again. "Hey kid. We've go to stop running into each other like this."

I looked at him flatly, "You sound like you're hitting on me."

He chuckled, "No, I'm straight as an arrow. Anyways, you're to young for me."

"Whatever." I grumbled out.

Jou-chan curiously peeked from where she was standing behind me, "Sagara-san?"

The man looked over at Jou-chan, "Oh hello there Kaoru! How have you been?"

She fully stepped out from behind me, "I'm doing fine Sagara-san, how has training and high school been going for you?"

"Great! Are you going to enter the kendo tournament this fall?"

"I plan to, but I'm not sure which division I will be in."

"I'm sure you're a level higher than last year, you did very well at the spring tournament."

She smiled up at him politely, "Thank you for saying that Sagara-san."

I looked between the two friendly people and I spoke up, "Uh. . . do you two know each other?"

Kaoru turned her smiling face toward me, "Yeah! This is Sagara Souzu, I've met him many times at kendo tournaments." She faced the `Sagara' guy, "Sagara-san, this is Sagara Sanosuke. The friend I told you about."

"You talked about me?" I was but surprised.

"Well, when I heard his last name I couldn't help but mention you!"

I looked up at the guy, "Is that why you said you were my senpai? Because we have the same name and you're older?"

The guy just gave a small smile back, "Why else would I say that?"

"I thought you were just random weird guy saying that to kids."

"Hey, I'm not that weird."

I grumbled, "Whatever. Let's go Jou-chan, it's getting late." I pulled her out the glass doors as she waved to the guy.

I decided to walk her home being that the sun was starting to set. We were talking between ourselves about school and the normal stuff people talk about when I was stopped in a fairly empty road by the four members from my gang.

"Hey Sano, we missed you today."

`Crap! I don't want Jou-chan to find out about them.' "Sorry, I had some shit to do."

Jineh, the guy that had called out to me the first day and had invited me to join walked over to her. "This your girlfriend?"

Kaoru was fidgeting under his gaze and I stood in front of her, "No, but don't mess with her."

Jineh frowned, "I would never mess with her, but I do have some stuff I have to talk to you about."

"Like what?"

"Well, you did miss a gathering without telling us you were going to. We have to discuss your punishment."

I shrugged I pushed Kaoru in front of me and steered her down the street, "Yeah sure Jineh, you can tell me about it tomorrow. Right now I got to get her home."

"Don't ignore me you fucking twit." Jineh spun me around and punched me square in the jaw. I was able to push Jou-chan out of the way just in time. I crumpled slightly to the floor, kneeling on one knee as I held by bleeding jaw.

"Sano!" Kaoru was about to run up to me when one of the other gang members swung a kick at her abdomen and she flew, crashing in the cement wall next to us.

"Jou-chan!" I was getting up to get to her when Jineh uppercut me in the stomach.

"Come with us and we won't hurt her anymore."

I glared at Jineh but complied giving a nod. Two of the other guys dragged me off to the alley in which I saw them the first time, leaving a groaning Jou-chan. I felt extremely guilty, I didn't want leave her there but I knew if I stayed they would hurt her more.

Arriving at the alley they started beating at me more and more. "That's what you get for disobeying us!"

One of the guys kicked me in the jaw, making me biting me tongue. My tongue started bleeding and I had to cough if out so as not to choke on it. I could taste the coppery taste in my mouth and could feel my face swelling from the blows it was taking.

Another guy kicked me in the gut and I crumpled to the floor and two of them kept on kicking me. They kick a guy when he's down. . . fuck this. I'm getting out. But my body wouldn't obey me, I tried to get up but I couldn't. Kick after kick was delivered to my stomach and just lay there clenching my teeth helplessly taking it.

During the time when I was dragged off Jou-chan got up and ran to the library from which we came. Clutching her stomach she searched around the many aisles in the large public library until she spotted Sagara Souzu in the history section.

"Sagara-san. . ."

He looked over to the direction in which he was being called and saw Jou-chan which seemed to be in a lot of pain. "Kaoru? What happened? What's wrong? Where's you're friend, Sano?"

She rasped out, "I'm not sure what happened. A bunch of guys said something about him missing a gathering. A guy suddenly punched Sano then kicked me when I tried to get to him. They told him that if he didn't go with them they would hurt me more. When I gathered myself, I didn't know what to do. . . then I remembered you were here. Please help me Sagara-san. . . please help Sano."

Without even a pause, he pulled her onto his back, piggy-backing her. "Which way Kaoru?"

"Two blocks east of the park."

"Alright."

As he raced out of there and to where she had said, she told him as he carried her. "I'm not sure if this will help but Sano called one of the guys `Jineh.'"

"Jineh?! How the heck did he get involved with a group like that?! Did you know about this?!"

"No! I'm just as surprised as you are!"

"If what you're saying is true we have to hurry." He kept on running, picking up his pace, going at an unbelievable speed.

I was receiving more blows and was starting to get dizzy from the pain. But being as stubborn as I am I gritted my teeth and took each blow. They stopped kicking and one of the other guys pulled me up by the front of my shirt and punched me across the left cheek. I opened my swollen eyes to look out dazedly and could see bright spots dancing in front of my eyes due to the punch. I could feel the bruises coming on that would adorned my skin for weeks if I got out of this alive. I couldn't even fight back anymore, all strength was drained out of me from taking all these hits.

Jineh walked up to me and smirked, "Don't take it so personally Sano, I still like you, its just that I have to enforce punishment to set an example. If I let you off the hook, everyone would be doing whatever they wanted, and I just can't have that. No offence Sano." He pulled back his slugged me in the right eye.

That's when an authoritative familiar voice was heard from the opening of the alley. "Put the boy down."

Everyone whipped around to look at him and I tried to open my eyes. When I did I squinted, my vision was getting blurry and my right eye saw everything in red. I tried focusing on the guy but I just couldn't make him out.

"This has nothing to do with you Sagara. He's one of ours, you have no authority over us." That was Jineh's voiced.

"Beating up a kid is something I nor the Sekihoutai will permit." Who is that?

"You and the Sekihoutai are all self-righteous bastards. You think you have power over us. Think again!" I saw the blur that was supposedly Jineh attack the other guy and was easily knocked to the ground. In no time the three other guys that had been beating me was knocked out.

I heard a comforting and familiar voice call to me, "Sano!" It was Kaoru. I saw her blurry figure, red in my right vision, run up to me looking worried. "Oh my God! Sano hold on! We're going to take care of you. You're going to be fine."

"Jou-chan. . ." I tried to speak, but getting that much out was effort enough.

"Shh. Don't speak, you'll make it worse."

I smiled, she's always worried about others. I could feel the darkness getting closer and I whispered, "Thanks."

Then next time I woke up I was in an unfamiliar room. I looked around and there was no one around me. I noticed that my right eye was bandaged, probably from the injury. I tried sitting up but the pain the spiked through my body prevented me from doing that and I collapsed back onto the bed. I looked up at the ceiling exasperated, "Where the hell am I?"

"In my bedroom."

I was startled by the voice and turned my head toward it, which caused pain and made me wince. I saw the owner of the voice, "You're that guy. . . senpai."

"Glad you remember me." He walked over the bedside with some bandages and water a basin of water.

Then suddenly something struck me, "Where's Jou-chan?! Is she alright?!"

He smiled as he removed the bandage that was covering my right eye. "She's fine. She might be in some pain but she's a tough girl. She's been through worse in a kendo match. Luckily for her because of her skills in kendo she knew how to take the blow well."

There was silence until I broke it, "How long have I been out?"

"About two days."

"Two days?!" I tried sitting up but again I collapsed back to the bed.

"It's okay, we called your parents and told them you were staying over at a friends house doing a huge project. Kaoru's covering your absence at school by saying that you got sick from food poisoning and wasn't sure when you'd be going back. You know, that girl is good at lying. She made up both of those lies, and here I was just planning not to tell your parents or the school. Oh well, her way is better."

I stared wide-eyed at him as he continued to unwrap the bandage off my eye. When the bandage came off I winced from the light of the room and noticed that I could barely keep my eye open, it was still mostly swollen shut. I reached up to carefully touch my eye with my fingers and winced at the pain. "I look like shit don't I?"

"Nah, you look like hell." He smiled down at me as he cautiously cleaning my wound with a wet gauze.

I watched on out of my left eye as he tended to the other one. "Why did you help me?"

"Because they were beating the crap out of you and I couldn't just stand by and watch."

"But it was my fault, I disobeyed them."

He paused and stared at me for a moment but soon went back to cleaning my eye. "It is your fault in the fact that you joined a stupid gang, but it isn't your fault you got beat up. No one should ever beat the defenseless, much less a kid."

"How can I get out of this?"

"The gang? There's only one way to get out of the gang and that is to take a brutal beating, which you already did but for different reasons. Even if you did get out they might keep coming after you. In Tokyo it is damn near impossible to get out of the gang circuit once you get sucked in."

"So I'm stuck with Jineh?"

He finished cleaning my eye and got the clean bandages, wrapping it around my head to cover my eye. "There is a way to get out of Jineh's gang without receiving a even more severe beating."

"How?!"

"You'd have to join another gang, not just any gang but one that is stronger than that of Jineh's."

"And where the hell do I find I gang like that? What strong gang would accept a beat up sixth grader anyways?"

"If you want you could probably join my gang."

My eyes went wide in shock, "You're in a gang?"

"Yeah, the Sekihoutai. We're not like Jineh's gang. We don't go around robbing random people or beating them senseless. We're the group that controls all the other gangs and keeps them in check. We even sometimes work with the police and the government"

"So you're the good guys in the league?"

He chuckled, "I guess you could say that. We're the good guys, and we're also the strongest gang in Japan."

"Wow you must think so highly of yourselves." I said sarcastically.

"It's the truth. So what do you say? Wanna join us and ditch Jineh?"

"What's in it for you?" I looked at him skeptically.

"Just trying to help another Sagara out." He smiled as he tied the bandage in place.

I grumbled out, "I hope I don't regret this."

He smiled, "You won't."

I honestly didn't regret the decision and the Sekihoutai was a good group, I believed in their cause. I got a tattoo on my right hand that says `bad' in red, it something to do with a militia in the Tokugawa era, I'm not sure. I usually hide the tattoo with bandages wrapped around my hand. I was a fight seller in the gang. After the beating I took from Jineh, Souzu said I should learn how to defend myself and fight. Supposedly I have a great physique for fighting and so I became really strong. I also shot up in height making me tower over most of my classmates, except for Aoshi that is. A fight seller was a person that did just that, sell fights. Okay, not exactly. If another gang was beating some people up I was the one that went and sold them a fight, to fight me instead of beating the shit out of some poor guy or girl.

None of my friend knew about the Sekihoutai or Jineh, but everyone knew that I got into a lot of fights. Well, Jou-chan did know about everything. She was very supportive and I guess that's around when I started falling for her.

In chuuichi (7th grade) Soujiro asked her out and she said that she only looked at him like a brother. I decided to wait awhile to make my approach, trying to get closer to her. That wasn't really all that hard. She, being the only one that knew about what I did, was the one that I talked to when I had a problem out doubt about something. She even sometimes asked if she could go and meet some people in the Sekihoutai. I introduced her to a couple people and they started calling her `Ne-san' teasing me and her that she was my girlfriend. But she laughed it off saying that she kind of like the nickname, `Ne-san.' Something about her sounding authoritative.

When I got into chuuni (8th grade) I worked up the courage and confessed.

"I love you Jou-chan." I said on one of our walks home from meeting some guys from the Sekihoutai.

She looked up at me and smiled, "I love you too Sano."

"No, I mean I love you the way a boy loves a girl."

She froze, "Oh. . ."

"Kaoru?" She looked a bit surprised that I had used her name instead of Jou-chan.

"I don't know what to say. . ."

"Say what you mean. I want, no, I need a straight forward answer."

She bent her head so her bangs were covering her eyes and said after a long pause, "I'm sorry Sano. I don't love you that way. You're one my closest friends and I undoubtedly love you in a friendly manner. I'm sorry Sano, but I can' return your feelings."

That day my heart broke, but I understood. Even so, it felt like someone just stepped all over my soul and left it on the ground. But Jou-chan was there to pick it up. She didn't get weird on me, even after what I told her and she just helped me get over her. At first it hurt seeing her so close and knowing that she didn't return my feelings but with her ever persistent friendly and kind words I moved on. I was able to get over her thanks to her.

That same year, I was on one of my jobs of selling a fight to a gang that was threatening this girl, forcing her to make cocaine. I helped her out and she got out, and got into the Sekihoutai as well. That girl was Takani Megumi. We always fought and I liked her almost instantaneously. She had this air around her that just screamed authority and I was drawn to that. She had a temper to her and vicious wise cracks to go along with it. When Jou-chan noticed my interest in another girl she was giddy. She kept on telling me to go for it and if I ever need some advice to come right to her. And I always did. Jou-chan was my lifesaver in the flood.

**************************Flashback/Story Mode Ends**************************

"You know our gym teacher? Well that's Sagara Souzu. He's a retired veteran to the Sekihoutai. He's still pretty young twenty-three it think."

Sano finished telling his story. By that time they had already reached Kaoru's apartment and laid her down in her bed. They were in her kitchen as he was finishing up with his telling.

"So you did ask Kaoru out, I wasn't sure if Aoshi was kidding or not."

"He told you?"

"Yeah."

Sano glanced at Kenshin sheepishly from the corner of his eye. "You mad?"

Kenshin let out a sigh then smiled up at his friend, "I have no right to be."

"Thanks."

"But you do like Megumi now right?"

"Right."

"Then I'm okay with that."

"Well, then I'm heading home now. Take care of Jou-chan for us."

"Will do."

Sano walked over to the door and was about to close it behind him when he turned and locked eyes with Kenshin. "Is it true that you're the Hitorkiri Battousai?"

Kenshin eyes became a bit distant but soon returned to normal, "Yes."

Sano turned around, "Take care of Jou-chan for us."

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A/N: Wow that was a long~ chapter.(24 pages) The longest I have ever written for this fic! I hope that compensates for the delayed update. I just couldn't stop adding stuff in! I hopeless. I have ideas for my next RK fic, it won't be out until I finish this one though. . . right now I know it's not a long ways off but I just don't want it to end! Arg! Oh well "all good things must come to end right?" (in this case it maybe all bad things. . .) but it won't be for a little while so hold on tight for the next chapters! Till next time~!

Thank you to all those who reviewed!