The soothing liquid calmed her nerves. Kaoru drank deeply of the green tea Mr. Kogoro had handed her while he waited patiently for an explanation of history concerning the small, silver key tucked within her dress, hidden from everyone’s prying eyes. She really didn’t know what to say. The only history she might know of the key focused primarily on her father, and only because he had given it to her before his dying day. Glancing from Mr. Kogoro to the other man standing near the desk, Takeda Kanryuu, Kaoru shifted from one foot to the other anxiously under their attentive stares.
“My dear,” Kanryuu murmured softly as he inspected the uneasy stares darting between Kogoro and him, watching intently as her cheeks reddened from nervous embarrassment upon feeling the curiosity of his gaze upon her face. “Do you know, perhaps, what the key might have been made for? Please, take your time in answering.” Kanryuu knew that if he wanted the answer he sought, he would have to be patient for the woman’s sake. She didn’t appear as though she was bursting with the knowledge he wished to hear. Rather, she looked timid and fearful. Of course, he couldn’t blame her for feeling such a way, especially seeing how she had been made a captive under Hitokiri Battousai’s roof.
Kaoru frowned thoughtfully as she averted her indigo eyes to the floor. The men’s interest in her key did little to ease the tension heavily thrumming through her body. All she wanted to do was return home, even to Himura’s cabin. She wouldn’t mind which home she returned to as long as she was far away from Mr. Kogoro and his associate, Kanryuu.
“Miss Kamiya,” Mr. Kogoro said as he folded his arms atop the desk, one dark brow raised in question. It seemed he too was anxious to learn all he could about her key.
“I really don’t know what to say. This key was given to me by my father years ago. I don’t know what it guards or even where the safe might be.” Her voice soft with agitation, Kaoru’s gaze rose to meet the friendly intensity in which Mr. Kogoro watched her. “I’ve never bothered to look for what could be hiding in this safe. I don’t even know where to begin looking.”
“Are you so sure you know nothing of the origin of this key? Your father never mentioned what it might be used for?” Kanryuu’s patience was running on thin, brittle thread. His desire for whatever treasure the key guarded ran deep. “Please, darling, do tell us the truth.”
“I am telling you the truth,” Kaoru grumbled irritably. “The key is only special to me because my father gave it to me.”
Katsura tilted his head solicitously to the side as he pursed his lips, clearly believing in Kaoru’s honesty. His dark eyes wandered towards that of Kanryuu whose lips were tightly pressed together, anger apparent in his every movement. “Kanryuu, I believe the girl is telling the truth. Probably, if she knew what the key had been made for, she would have already told us by now.”
“Or,” Kanryuu snapped while his eyes narrowed petulantly on Katsura. “She doesn’t want to tell us what the hell that key guards. If that is the case, I have ways of making the little chickadee talk.” Threateningly advancing towards Kaoru, Kanryuu’s lips curled impertinently into a bitter smile. “So, my dear, will you talk?”
Kaoru’s indigo eyes widened in surprise as Kanryuu continued to advance towards her, his every intention evident in the way his dark eyes studied her menacingly. She truly knew nothing about the small, silver key; at least nothing that would pique both these men’s interest, yet, Takeda Kanryuu was prepared to hurt her in order to obtain the knowledge she didn’t have. “What do you want me to say?”
“You can start by telling me everything you know about that key.”
“I already told you it was given to me by my father! I don’t know anything else.”
“You are not that good at lying, my dear.”
“I’m not lying—“
“Kanryuu,” Katsura murmured, interrupting Kanryuu’s pursuit of Kaoru. Motioning for Kanryuu to move away from the woman, Katsura sighed softly in dissatisfaction. “I am ashamed of you, Kanryuu. Clearly, the woman doesn’t have the knowledge we desire. It is not our place to frighten her into an explanation she is not willing to give. Perhaps, if she would but give the key to me, I can analyze it—“
“No!” Kaoru uttered furiously as she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin stubbornly, absolutely refusing to give into the temptation to look away from the aggravated surprise directed her way.
“No?”
“No, I won’t give you my key.”
“You won’t?”
“I won’t,” she stated insistently as her indigo eyes locked on the darkly amused gaze belonging to Kanryuu. Katsura merely watched her, admiration for her bravery in standing against Kanryuu clearly defined in the way he smiled. When Kanryuu threatened to wrap his fingers tightly around her throat as he slowly walked towards her, Katsura cleared his throat obnoxiously loud, catching both Kanryuu’s and Kaoru’s full, undivided attention.
“Miss Kamiya, we do not plan to keep the key from you for very long. All I ask of you is a few days, four at the most. The men in my business work fast at retrieving information for the syndicate. So, will you give me the key? Before you object, let me tell you now why I desire this key. We need to keep the treasure, or whatever the key might be guarding, safe from the enemy. You do recall the men who broke into your apartment, do you not?”
The men who had nearly murdered her roommate, Kimi; yes, she remembered them. Nodding, Kaoru voiced her remembrance of that late evening, when she and Himura had crossed paths after seven years of dreaming about the intense, golden eyes she remembered staring down at her as he assassinated yet another victim on his long list of corpses.
“Do you understand now that by giving me your key for a few days, you will actually be working against those same men who nearly killed you and your friend?”
Kaoru stared silently at Katsura, then at Kanryuu, before she slowly shook her head, giving in to the temptation of believing in Katsura’s good qualities. The friendly man might be Himura’s cruel, strict boss, but he had the face of a rugged angel. She believed that Katsura, by taking the supposed important key off her hands, had good reason to. Perhaps, he had not decided to check into the well-guarded treasure the key had stored away somewhere secretive just for personal gain. It seemed he was truly working against the men who had tried so hard to steal away her key, even risked a bloody murder on their hands. Katsura didn’t seem to be such a bad guy. However, looks could be very deceiving, so she knew she had to tread lightly around the two men.
“I suppose,” Kaoru eyed Katsura’s outstretched hand cautiously as she reached for the key she wore around her neck, her slender fingers tightly wrapping around the small, silver metal. “Are you so sure you have to find this treasure?”
“Very sure.” Encouraging Kaoru’s decision with a friendly smile, Katsura rose, hand still outstretched. With only a moment of hesitation, the key was finally placed on the palm of his hand, her fingers reluctant to fully release it. Katsura’s hand firmly engulfed the small key, depositing it into the first, wooden drawer on the right side of his desk. “A very wise decision, Miss Kamiya. You must be hungry. Why don’t you go on and order dinner? Tell the waiter to charge the meal to my account, Kogoro Katsura.” Nodding towards the door, Katsura returned to the paperwork scattered about his desk while Kanryuu briskly escorted Kaoru from the office.
“Thank you for visiting the office. You are free to go.” Without another word, Kanryuu entered the office, slamming the right sided, large, wooden door in Kaoru’s face. Shaking her head, Kaoru nervously raked a hand through the long, thick strands of her ebony hair. Now, she felt far more alone than she had entering the club. If she had a choice between visiting the club again and never setting foot in such a disgraceful place again, she would choose the latter.
Rolling her lower lip between her teeth, Kaoru treaded softly through the dimly lit hallway before coming to the first sign of a club’s popularity, the guests. Stepping to the side, careful to avoid the man who swayed past her, his cheeks flushed a bright crimson, Kaoru gazed through the horde of customers towards the bar where she had left Kenshin in the hands of Isurugi.
Kaoru gaped at the image the red-haired assassin created. She ignored the rustle of the customers as they fought to reach the people circling around Himura and his fellow employee, Isurugi Raijuuta. Instead, her indigo-blue eyes widened with alarm as she absently approached the growing circle, disbelief flickering briefly within the anxious blue of her gaze.
Kenshin calmly stood in the center of the circle, his narrowed, golden hues focused primarily on the opposing man leaning against the counter, his breathing harsh and uneven. Isurugi’s dark eyes were gawking at the jagged, worn blade pressed against his jugular, the bulging muscles coursing through his neck tensing from the rough contact of the sword. Following the length of the sharp blade to where the hilt was located, Isurugi gulped. Attached to the hilt of the deadly weapon was none other than Himura Kenshin, the syndicate’s legendary assassin. Himura looked about ready to kill him, and if he wasn’t careful, Isurugi knew he would soon meet his maker.
“Himura,” Isurugi gasped, careful not to move unless he wished to feel the bite of the sword. “Can’t we talk this over like gentlemen?”
“Gentlemen,” Kenshin murmured softly as he attentively tilted his head to the side. “You call yourself a gentleman? Pity...” A smile of vicious satisfaction curling his lips, Kenshin’s fingers tightened around the hilt of the sword, wanting nothing more than to sink his blade into the flesh of this bastard. “There are no gentlemen here, and you lost the privilege of calling yourself a gentleman when you dared suggest that Kamiya and I were sleeping together. You refused to revoke your crude words, so you shall be punished for your vulgarity.”
Isurugi’s pallor paled noticeably when the blade pressed more firmly against his jugular vein, afraid to move for fear of slitting his own throat. “You—you don’t have to punish me. I take it back. I take it all back!”
“A little late for that, don’t you think?” Chuckling mordantly, Kenshin’s golden hues flashed their infuriation as he sidled towards Isurugi, never taking his eyes off the man, or removing his sword from the man’s throat. When Isurugi motioned with his nervously fidgeting hands that he wanted to call a truce, Kenshin smiled coldly into the man’s widened, anxious eyes. “You would like that, wouldn’t you? Not much of a man, Isurugi; that’s for damn sure.”
Something in the way Kenshin’s concerted, narrowed orbs wandered through the crowd of onlookers, halting in their attentive search when they reached her, told Kaoru that he was just about ready to mutilate the huge man who now slumped against the counter, clearly terrified of the smaller redhead he faced.
Odd though it seemed, Kaoru couldn’t help but smile, even if the smile did take on the appearance of a grimace. Kenshin was defending her honor; although he most likely would deny ever doing such a thing.
Never would she have expected him to jump to her defense the moment someone insulted her. Truthfully, Kenshin’s small act of nobility warmed her clear to her toes.
Until—“What the hell are you gawking at, Kamiya?”
What the…
The nerve of him!
How could she have ever thought that he had at least one decent bone in his body? He would never be a decent person. He was used to acting the complete fool. Thus, he would remain as one.
Scowling, Kaoru snapped, “I’m not gawking…and even if I were, why would I waste my valuable time looking at a fool when I could be imagining the many different ways I could possibly hurt you for your nasty disposition?” She knew she had surprised, and perhaps angered, him, but she could care less. Someone had to put him in his place.
However, Kaoru was struck dumb when the sensual fullness of Kenshin’s lips lifted into a rare smile of pleasure, having not expected such a reaction from him.
The deadly blade still pressed threateningly against the jugular within Isurugi’s bulging neck, Kenshin stared amusedly at Kaoru, oddly satisfied with her reaction to his snippy remark. “I don’t know, Kaoru. Care to enlighten me?” Goading a furious response from Kaoru was Kenshin’s every intention when he arched a dark burgundy brow at her, inviting her to a confrontation.
“Oh, you think you’re funny, don’t you?” The moment Kenshin parted his lips, a knowing, sardonic retort demanding entrance into the world, Kaoru planted a fisted hand against her hip while the other arm remained limp at her side. “Well, look what you’ve done in the five minutes I’ve been away. They tell me you’re my babysitter. Quite frankly, it should be the other way around.”
“Are you trying to say that I’m behaving like a child?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying! Look at you, ready to kill a man…and for what, hm? Is he responsible for hurting your vanity? Ah, well, I’m sorry to hear that your pride was wounded by a simple insult not even meant for you. Oh, but it could be the fact that Isurugi had the nerve to imply that you would even consider lying down in the same bed as me. Is that it, Himura?”
The entire club quieted, even the couples who were standing on the large dance floor stopped long enough to glance her, Kenshin’s, and the group of excited guests’ way before returning to their past conversations. Isurugi himself appeared to be rather uncomfortable as he looked from Kenshin’s mask of emptiness to the furious glare Kaoru’s indigo eyes contained. Odd, Isurugi mused, no one had ever dared talk down to the legendary assassin before, at least not intentionally, yet this mere slip of an eighteen year old did that, and more. The sword forgotten for the moment, a vicious smile of glee curved Isurugi’s lips. It would be quite amusing to witness someone get the better of Himura Kenshin.
Kenshin was deathly silent.
Kaoru was ever a mystery to him.
It was rather strange how he had never realized how much of an enigma she presented. She challenged him with every defiant toss of her head; and everyone knew how much Kenshin enjoyed a good challenge.
Thoughtfully, he calmly observed her.
“Have I harmed your vanity?”
“What?” Startled, Kaoru blinked several times, the meaning behind the quietly spoken words unknown to her. “Come again?”
“Must I continuously repeat myself? You never seem to understand a word I say. Now, listen carefully…” Kaoru narrowed her eyes. “Have I harmed your pride by defending my honor?” She all but snorted, which caused Kenshin’s lips to tighten in irritation as his grip loosened on the sword, completely unaware of the larger man’s success in evading the honed, worn blade with little difficulty.
“You think you’re an honorable man? I beg to differ, Hitokiri Battousai. How can you find honor in murdering men as a profession? No heart, no conscience…”
“You step too far, Kamiya.”
“I don’t think so.” Though her mind repeatedly told her to keep her mouth shut before she said something she would regret later, her heart told her differently. She was compelled by some unknown force to meet every challenge Kenshin threw her way, and she was determined to defeat him. “Admit it, Battousai, you’re nothing but an empty body; no soul or heart…”
“Or so some believe,” Kenshin murmured in a soft, dispassionate tone as he heavily frowned into the wide indigo of Kaoru’s gaze. “Do you believe that I have no heart, Kaoru?” He questioned inquiringly, earning from Kaoru a thoughtful frown in return. She was seriously considering the aspect of no heart steadily beating within his chest. All the woman had to do was place the palm of her hand flat against his chest if she wanted to be certain that he was human.
“Well, as a matter of fact…” Kaoru’s voice trailed off helplessly when she glimpsed the larger man standing behind Kenshin, a voracious gleam settling within the burnt sienna of his narrowed eyes. Then, swiftly, he rushed at Kenshin, leaving her no time at all to call out a warning. When Isurugi reared his massive fist at Kenshin, Kaoru gasped. Just as Isurugi reached Kenshin, the rough, wooden hilt of Kenshin’s deadly weapon lashed out, catching the larger, stunned man in the mouth. Blood poured freely from his lower lip as Isurugi clamped a hand over his mouth, hoping to ease the flow of the thick, crimson liquid.
Kaoru stood immobile, her indigo eyes trained on the staggering man as he returned to the counter, slumping against it. Kenshin had acted upon instinct, even though he had not seen Isurugi’s surprised attack. He had known the exact moment to act before Isurugi had had a chance to hurt him. Her gently inquisitive stare sought out the red-head, whom she noticed stood near Isurugi, his back rigid. “Kenshin…”
“Mr. Himura, we have been looking everywhere for you.”
“You found me,” Kenshin coolly responded, his pupils furiously dilating until only the white vastness of his eyes remained, leaving room for only a small speck of gold. Fury coursed hungrily through his veins, but Kenshin showed no signs of anger. Instead, he quietly studied the two men who donned the navy blue uniforms of an elite officer as they approached him.
“Who knew we would find him here, Garrick, in such a heavily populated area?” The stockier of the two men asked his partner. “It nearly took us two years to find the man, and yet we step in for a bit of off-duty fun only to find the murderer we’ve been searching for! What a coincidence, ne?”
“I would say. I find it just a bit strange, though, Hiten. Perhaps, he wanted to be found?”
“That would make sense if it were true.”
“Who the hell are you, and what do you want with me?” Unnervingly, twin sets of livid, intense hues watched the two intruders through the few loose strands of burgundy hair that had fallen into his eyes the moment Kaoru began taunting him with her retorts. “Why have you been looking for me?” He already knew the answer, but he wanted to be certain that his answer was the right one.
“You’re the man who takes to the shadows when a man falls down dead. I’ve read the articles. They call you the Night Predator, right?” The one called Hiten inquired of Kenshin with a slight rising of his dark, thick brow.
Kenshin had been right. What truly puzzled him was the fact that these simpletons learned of his identity so quickly. It was a known fact among the syndicate that he had been working in the dead of night against so many of their well-chosen enemies. No one had been able to guess exactly of whom the Night Predator’s true identity, in which Kenshin was grateful. He would rather not have the police breathing heavily down his neck with the notion of taking custody over his fate. His fate was of his own making, and so shall it remain as such.
These police officers, Garrick and Hiten, however, complicated matters. Somehow, they had learned of the man so many officers were searching for, and yet they had done nothing to find him. Could it have truly been on sheer luck that they stumbled through the door without knowing Kenshin stood in the center of the room, sword poised threateningly in Isurugi’s direction?
It had to have been.
There was no other explanation for their unexpected arrivals.
Unperturbed, Kenshin folded his arms calmly across his broad chest, scrutinizing the men who planned to take him to their boss. Their every intention was clearly written all over their faces, and he couldn’t help but smile easily as both men looked him over, apparently sizing him up. Kenshin already knew he could intimidate any man who dared stumble across his path. These men most likely knew it as well; and they probably pondered the fact of Kenshin’s height. Every man made the mistake of underestimating Kenshin because of his height and build, but they soon learned of their mistake and paid for it with their lives.
“You’ve found me,” Kenshin murmured softly as he held his arms out towards Hiten, the officer who stood closest to him. “Are you going to take me in?” There was definite animosity in Kenshin’s expressionless, narrowed eyes, in which Hiten never missed. Smiling almost apologetically, Hiten reached into his large, black shoulder pocket and removed from it a pair of silver handcuffs. They were obviously meant for Kenshin.
Kaoru’s lips parted in shock when Kenshin accepted the handcuffs, never taking his eyes off Hiten’s rugged features when the man snapped the handcuffs into place, placing them around both of Kenshin’s wrists. The club grew so deathly silent that Kaoru swore she could hear the loud, frantic pounding of her heart against her chest, knowing that everyone could also hear the raggedness in which she breathed, her wide, indigo gaze trained on only Kenshin.
“Himura Kenshin, you are under arrest for the murders of Mayor Tyusiki Kuiro, Shinnui Jeremie, and Menou Maru. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law.”
Kaoru was completely shaken by the turn of events. Kenshin was under arrest. Most likely he will receive the death penalty for the awful murders he committed. Never had she expected Kenshin to get caught. He was just too good. Now, though, his life was at stake, and Kaoru was appalled by her need to rescue him from the clutches of Garrick and Hiten.
She stepped forward…
…Only to be stopped by the warning glare Kenshin leveled her with. His dark expression said it all. He was warning her to stay where she was, to obviously not get involved with his affairs. How could she not? He was the man she had been living with for a week or so. What would happen to her now? She knew that they would never allow her to return to her normal life, for she knew too much of the syndicate’s secrets. They would most likely kill her to keep her silent…
Or, in order to be fully watched, they would hand her over to another man. Though Kenshin didn’t strike her as a company-type of man, she would still choose living with him rather than anyone else. Believe it or not, she trusted him.
As both the officers began leading Kenshin away from the shocked crowd of onlookers, Kaoru’s features paled with considerable rate. “Kenshin!” She called after him, ignoring the few pairs of eyes that gazed upon her silently. When he didn’t heed her call, she rushed after him, weaving carefully in and out of the large, imperious crowd of leering men and giggling women.
“Kenshin!”
She abruptly halted, her indigo eyes wide with surprise. Kenshin had halted despite the men tugging on the sleeves of his black trench coat. His broad shoulders tensed as he peered calmly over his shoulder where Kaoru stood, completely taken aback by the look of anguish glimmering within the deep indigo of her gaze.
“Kaoru,” he whispered softly, his golden hues pinning Kaoru to the spot with their intensity. “Stay.” The warning was short and simple, yet Kaoru had a hard time deciphering the meaning behind the one-worded command.
“I will be back.” A promise; Kaoru watched in distress as Kenshin exited Slicker’s Web with the two officers, his stride calm and unhurried.
He warned her to stay put, with his boss and co-workers. Little did he know that she was planning ways of sneaking into the jailhouse in order to free him. She knew in her heart that what Kenshin had done was wrong, but she still couldn’t help but feel mortified by the fact that he would not be around to protect her from men such as Isurugi.
Protection; that was what Kenshin offered her, even if he claimed otherwise. Had he not attacked Isurugi for implying that she was a whore and he was a man who would take advantage of her situation?
She knew what she had to do.
She knew she could land in a huge, raging storm of trouble for even considering freeing Kenshin…
But she had to try! She had to break him out of the jailhouse, for if he never returned, she was as good as dead. Besides that, she couldn’t stand the fact that Kenshin would be going to his death if he remained behind bars. She was going to free Kenshin; there was no doubt about that.
Her stubborn chin lifting with determination, Kaoru squared her shoulders and walked towards the exit, where Kenshin and the two men had disappeared through. Clasping the handle firmly, she was just about to wrench the door open when a strong, steady hand cupped her shoulder, whirling her around on her feet.
“You aren’t leaving, Kaoru. You need a place to stay for the time being, at least until Himura frees himself from prison. Isurugi will be your new roommate.”
Kaoru gasped softly, disbelief clouding her vision of a smirking Kanryuu. She tightly clenched her hands into fists at her sides, refusing to acknowledge the cold smile Kanryuu flashed her. Her worst nightmare…she was to go live with Isurugi, the very same man who had implied so many times that he would enjoy taking advantage of her weakened state and situation. What was she to do now?
Hands folded in her lap, anxious, sea blue eyes averted to the polished marble floor of Mr. Kogoro’s office, Kaoru nervously fidgeted with her slender fingers as she waited for Isurugi’s arrival. Only moments ago Kanryuu had escorted her back into Kogoro Katsura’s office while ordering her to remain seated until he could find Isurugi.
Kaoru didn’t want to go anywhere with that man. He made her just a mite uneasy. It seemed that Kanryuu didn’t care, though, for when she had asked to stay with another man, any man besides Isurugi, he had quickly rejected her plea.
Was this his way of punishing her for some crime she knew nothing of?
Katsura curiously studied Kaoru in her nervous state, knowing the exact reason for her anxiety. Truthfully, he knew not of the reason why Kanryuu wanted to hand Kaoru over to Raijuuta’s care when every employee working for him knew of the large man’s fierce nature. He knew that Raijuuta was use Kaoru in every way possible, and would not regret doing so. It was such a shame to watch someone so young and so pretty go to waste.
Katsura would prefer Kaoru to stay with Himura, but according to the entire club, two police officers had just carted him off to prison. There had to be some way to free the man. Himura Kenshin was his best assassin; he couldn’t afford to lose him.
“Mr. Kogoro?” The soft, sweet tone brought Katsura’s dark, thoughtful stare upon the bowed, ebony crown of Kaoru’s head. Quietly, she asked, “Do I have to leave with Mr. Isurugi? Will no one else take me?”
“I apologize, Miss Kamiya, but Isurugi is your only choice.” There was a hint of regret within the calm tone of his voice, but when Kaoru would have pressed him further to allow her to stay with another man, the large, wooden door to the office swung open, revealing the hulking figure of Isurugi standing in the doorway. Wordlessly, he entered the office, his darkly narrowed, sneering eyes trained on Kaoru.
“You ready to go, Kamiya?” The question posed as more of a threat than anything else he could have said.
Kaoru had no choice but to allow him to pull her to her feet. When he began to lead her out of the office, his thick fingers wrapped tightly around her right forearm, refusing to loosen their grip even when she winced from the exerted pressure, Kaoru glanced one last time at Katsura, hoping beyond hope that he would somehow help her.
He avoided her stare.
Rolling her lower lip between her teeth cautiously, Isurugi leading her through the club while forcibly moving men and women out of his way, Kaoru weighed her chances of escaping Isurugi. When she had been dealing with Kenshin, there had been no chance of escape. Now that she would be supposedly staying with Isurugi until Kenshin freed himself from the jailhouse, perhaps escape would come easy for her.
She could only hope…