Three hours…for three hours, he had been forced to endure the company of Garrick and Hiten, officers bent on ruining his life with their accusations. Though every accusation made against him just happened to be true, he could not help but frown upon the men as they pointed out every single crime he had committed, in detail no less. They were obviously trying their hardest to force a confession from him, a confession he planned never to give them.

“So,” Hiten pressed, absolutely refusing to give up when their prisoner showed no sign of giving into the temptation to confess. “Why would you want the mayor dead? The man wasn’t even from this area. Whose idea was it to have him killed?” His lips tightening in displeasure as soon as Himura folded his arms stubbornly across his broad chest, leveling him with a hard stare, Hiten lowered himself onto a large, wooden chair opposite Kenshin. “Are you deliberately avoiding my questions because you know you are guilty, or do you just don’t give a shit about any of this?”

Silence.

Hiten furiously narrowed his eyes on Kenshin as he pounded a fist against the hard, wooden surface of the desk he sat behind, his dark eyes locking with the intense gold of Himura’s unnerving gaze. “Damn it, Himura, answer my questions!”

Still, all was silent, including the prisoner being interrogated as he tilted his burgundy head slightly to the left, as though he was deep in thought. Then—“Perhaps, I just don’t care. But if you must know, I had my own reasons for ending those many lives, good reasons.”

“Oh?” Garrick arched a thick, shaggy black brow questioningly at Himura as he took a seat next to Hiten, carefully training the tedious light pouring from the lamp sitting atop the desk on the convict. “What might those good reasons be?”

Kenshin simply stared, his rigorous gaze steadfast as the lamp’s faint light illuminated the taut set of his strong jaw. Indomitably, the white vastness of his oddly colored eyes pinned, with their intensity, both Garrick and Hiten to their seats. Betrayal was a nasty trait, one Himura would never acquire. And to tell these men Katsura’s reasons for resorting to violence despite the man’s strong belief of good triumphing over evil; that would be categorized under betrayal. He could not do such a thing to Katsura or the men who worked for him.

“Taking a vow of silence, I see,” Garrick murmured regretfully as he stood, ignoring the quizzical look Hiten cast his way when he moved towards the farthest wall, where a large closet with a twin set of metal doors was located. “Some men might not approve of this type of punishment for silence, but no one will know…” Garrick firmly wrapped his strong fingers around the leather end of a rope dangling from a metal shelf nailed to the wall near the closet.

Oddly enough, Himura had not even noticed the closet or the shelf. All he had taken note of was the desk and chairs.

Returning to Hiten’s side, rope held portentously in one hand while he tucked his other hand within a back, jean pocket, Garrick said, “So, will you talk? I would hate to have to use this rope on you.”

The threat was very clear.

And if there was one thing Himura could not stand, it would be a person threatening him. Slowly, he stood, Hiten standing as well, while his broad shoulders tensed with anticipation. The long, coiled rope looked deadly, and Kenshin thrived on the concept of feeling such a rough piece of leather take a bite of his flesh. Garrick might think that he feared the rope, but he was wrong. Kenshin lived for the risk, and this rope was certainly dangerous.

Garrick uncoiled the rope, his dark eyes observing Kenshin guardedly and with surprise. No one could possibly mistake the excitement that briefly flickered across the calm exterior of his face. Questioning the murderer with his eyes, Garrick was not at all pleased to know that Kenshin welcomed the sting of the rope.

It was apparent that he still refused to talk.

“I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this.” Sighing with regret, Garrick’s fingers tightened around the rope before he drew it back, preparing to attack the red-head for his unwanted defiance. With a sharp flick of his wrist, the rope sliced through the distraught atmosphere and careened towards Kenshin, who calmly watched from where he stood near the desk. The small specks of gold nearly disappeared into the white vastness that threatened to observe the entire color as Kenshin dangerously narrowed his eyes at Garrick, able to glimpse the fast approaching rope for the briefest of moments.

“You will die, Garrick. I will see to it.”

Lying on her stomach, peering intently at the ceiling above, Kaoru exhaustedly raked her slender fingers through the long, thick strands of her ebony hair, clearly deep in thought. There was so much to think on…how was she going to free Himura from prison? How was she going to escape the repulsive arms of Isurugi? She would find a way. It would just take a small portion of her time to procure an idea worth trying. Kaoru blew heavily on the few loose strands of hair in her eyes, annoyed by their determination to linger in a place they had no right to be.

A pounding on the massive door confining her to this bedroom echoed throughout the entire, dreary room, pulling Kaoru from her thoughts. Narrowing her indigo eyes on the door, she muttered, “Come in.” She had hoped that the man on the other side of the door hadn’t heard her, but no such luck…the door swung slowly forward on its own accord, emitting the impressive figure of Kogoro Katsura.

Exactly what did he want?

“Miss Kamiya,” Katsura greeted Kaoru with a friendly smile and a bow, his warm, dark eyes never leaving the woman’s pale face.

Kaoru merely frowned, pondering the reason why Katsura of all people had decided to pay her a visit. And the man was alone—where was Isurugi? The question must have been glued to her forehead, for Katsura’s smile faltered. “Raijuuta is visiting with Kanryuu.” Then, his smile widened. “But I have come here to volunteer a suggestion.”

“You have?” Dumbfounded, Kaoru sat up on the bed, her legs dangling over the edge carelessly.

“Yes.” Katsura shook his head, his sienna gaze trained on the curiosity flickering within the indigo of Kaoru’s eyes.

“How would you like to, per say, aid Himura in leaving the prison?”

Blood spurted from the nasty wound circling the breadth of Garrick’s neck. A groan of pain slipped from the parted creases of his lips as Hiten wrapped a supportive arm around his shoulders, helping him to the desk. The frightening man never gave the officers a chance to sit. The coiled, thick rope dangled from Himura’s clenched fist, his cool, calculated hues watching the men closely.

Hiten could not believe how quick Himura had turned the tables on them. One minute, Garrick was prepared to beat the confession out of the famous assassin. Then, the next, Himura had the rope tightened around Garrick’s thickly bulging neck, threatening to rip his head off his broad shoulders. His lips pressed harshly together, Hiten attempted to push Garrick down into a chair, but Himura quickly stopped him by expertly pitching the rope towards him, its thick coils wrapping tightly around his left wrist. Hiten fought to remove the rope, but to no avail. When he yanked ruthlessly at the rope, its thick braid cut painfully into his tender flesh, forcing him to surrender his fate over to Himura.

“You thought you could punish me?” Himura whispered softly as he jerked Hiten towards him, the rope still wound tightly around his wrist. If he had wanted to, Himura would have been able to snap Hiten’s wrist with a simple flick of his wrist. But he didn’t want to hurt the man just yet. No; he wanted to play with him first. “Do you truly wish to die? I promised your friend he would soon meet his maker. Do you wish to join him?”

Hiten grimaced uncomfortably when the rope bite further into his flesh, drawing forth a thin line of the familiar, thick, crimson liquid still seeping from Garrick’s infected wound. Damn the red-head. He was playing with him! When he got free, he would kill the bastard with his bare hands, even though such an act of violence would be considered illegal. Himura was asking for death, and the man obviously thought he was invincible. That would work out perfectly for him if he could, perhaps, take the murderer by surprise. First, however, he had to remove the rope from around his wrist, forcibly if need be.

“You won’t get away, Himura. You will die before you ever leave this room!” His threat an empty promise, Hiten briefly glanced in Garrick’s direction, hoping to alert his friend to the small, red button under the desk.

Hiten locked gazes with Garrick, and the demand was clear. Nodding curtly, Garrick slowly lowered himself to the floor while Hiten kept Himura busy. Searching frantically for the alarm he and Hiten had installed under the desk, his eyes lighting up when he finally saw it, Garrick swiftly pressed the button, a shrill ringing quickly piercing the restless atmosphere enveloping the interrogation quarters.

Kenshin’s eyes narrowed dangerously to slits when the alarm sounded, fury thrumming through his body in heavy waves. Cursing under his breath, he hastily released the rope as he rushed towards the wooden shelf where Garrick had found the rope and stored his weapon. Searching for his sword, Kenshin’s lips lifted into a smile of malice when his strong, calloused fingers wrapped tightly around the wooden hilt.

He was prepared to kill.

The alarm deafening the shouts of Hiten as he charged at Kenshin, dropping the rope from around his wrist, Kenshin’s eyes flashed a warning before he whirled on his heels just as Hiten reached his side. Snatching his deadly weapon from off the wooden shelf, he hissed, “Now, time to die.”

Shocked, Hiten stared down at the sword’s wooden hilt from where it had pierced his flesh, nearly clipping his heart. His breathing irregular and painful, Hiten’s astounded eyes lifted in order to meet the fathomless gold of Himura’s gaze. He could not believe that the assassin’s weapon was buried within his chest, blood gushing from the blade’s sharpened tip, gathering at his feet in a dark crimson puddle.

“H—Himura,” was the last word Hiten whispered before he sagged against the sword, his merciless eyes glazing over from his unexpected death. Jerking his sword free of Hiten’s heavy body, allowing the man to sprawl at his feet, Kenshin’s narrowed, wild gaze strayed towards that of Garrick who was slumped against the desk, his eyes wide with fearful surprise.

The alarm still rang, yet, the men paid it scarce attention. Instead, they observed one another through guarded, wary eyes, making certain that they never looked away from their opposing enemy. Then, catching Kenshin off guard, the door to the interrogation quarters swung open, revealing the many men ready to take him down. Wildly, he spun in their direction, his fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword, ignoring the thick liquid rolling down the worn blade from its most recent kill.

It seemed that this night he would be slaying many different opponents.

The more the merrier…

“Come, enjoy the fun,” Kenshin murmured calmly as he faced the intruders, his lips curving dissipatedly into a smile of malevolence. His heart hammered almost painfully against his ribs, as though at any given point it would be ready to jump right out of his chest. Excitement coursed through his veins, heating his blood. If truth be told, he was going to enjoy this.

The first man cautiously entered the room, the barrel of a pistol pointing threateningly at Kenshin’s chest.

He never stood a chance.

The man died with his eyes wide open and his lips parted in shock.

Kenshin slipped swiftly around the men one-by-one as they entered the interrogation quarters, searching madly for the familiar burgundy of their enemy’s hair. First one man went down, then his partner standing closest to him. Blood coated the white walls heavily with its thick, sticky texture. When finally only one man remained standing, his comrades’ bodies littering the clean, tiled floor, Kenshin reached into the large, inside pocket of his black trench coat, pulling from the pouch a filthy rag. Carefully, he wiped the heavily coated blood from his sword, making certain that his intensely narrowed, golden hues were pinned on the last of his enemies. Who would be making the first move, Kenshin didn’t know as of yet. It all depended on what the officer planned to do. If the older man chose to attack, then Kenshin would not hold back. He would murder the bastard without a second thought.

“Do you fight, or do you run?” Kenshin murmured quietly when the older officer hesitated in the doorway, his wide, nervously twitching eyes upon the many different bodies littering the floor, including Hiten. This man would run; that much was sure when Kenshin glimpsed the fear slowly overtaking the officer’s body. A cold smile grazed his lips as he slowly advanced towards the officer, intending to scare the man. When the officer began to retreat into the large, brightly lit room known as the main headquarters, Kenshin followed him. He already knew that he would be leaving the building soon, but as for this last officer…he would not be so lucky.

“Kenshin! Kenshin, where are you?”

Kenshin halted, his narrowed, amber orbs swiveling onto that of an eighteen year old woman searching through every office cubicle for him. Ignoring the older officer as the man raced towards the exit, quickly disappearing through the massive, metal door and leaving the building before the red-haired murderer could harm him, Kenshin waited patiently for Kaoru to notice that he stood at the end of the room, folding his arms calmly across his broad chest. His façade impassive, no one knew of his feelings for Kaoru having come looking for him. In truth, he was furious. So furious that he might have to hurt her…the woman never listened to him. And she was supposed to be his captive!

Kaoru reached the last office cubicle, her indigo eyes vigilant as she searched carefully for any sign of the famous burgundy of Kenshin’s hair. Sighing with dread, she sank onto the chair facing the computer, unsure of what to do now. She had looked through every cubicle, and still there had been no sign of the assassin. Had they taken him somewhere else, perhaps to prison? Was she too late?

“Damn,” Kaoru grumbled irritably under her breath as she stood, her shoulders sagging in defeat. She had come so close to finding him, to having rescued him…and now he was nowhere to be found.

Unless…

Kaoru’s searching gaze focused on the very back of the room, where a metal door was located. And standing near the door was none other than—

“Kenshin,” Kaoru uttered softly to herself before a slight smile of appreciation curved her lips. She leisurely walked towards the red-head, her wide, indigo eyes never leaving the man’s detached, slanted gaze. Before she even reached Kenshin, however, she was able to feel the power of his fury thrumming through his lean, muscular body…and it unnerved her. Her smile wavered, though, when she neared Kenshin, taking note of the tense set of his jaw and the tightening of his lips. “Kenshin, I—I had thought that you would be locked behind bars by now—“

“Why the hell are you here?” Kenshin fairly bristled with uncontrolled rage, his knuckles whitening under the strain of his fingernails digging into the palms of his hands from where he had clenched them tightly into fists. “Woman, how many fucking times are you going to ignore my orders? I told you to stay at the club. I promised you I would return, but of course you had to do things your way. Damn it, girl, listen for fucking once!”

Kaoru flinched.

“Did you not think that I could handle the situation? For God’s sake, woman, I’m the Night Predator!”

Kaoru looked away, unable to meet the livid intensity of Kenshin’s heated stare. She gulped around the growing lump within her throat, knowing not what else to say. Kenshin would not listen to a thing she said anyway, so why bother trying to explain to him her reasons for disobeying his order? As her deep blue eyes averted to the hardwood floor nervously, she noticed a man’s boot sticking out from the doorway near where Kenshin stood. Furrowing her brows in confusion, Kaoru squinted into the small, dreary room, not sure of what she would find connected to the boot.

Kaoru gasped, drawing Kenshin’s gaze into the interrogation quarters.

“Kenshin, you—you killed them!”

Staring in horror at the many men scattered about the small, dimly lit room, Kaoru’s eyes widened with disbelief. He had assassinated these law officers. Their blood was just another stain added to the various stains tarnishing his deadly weapon. Immobile, Kaoru’s frightened orbs returned to Kenshin, her cheeks paling with considerable rate. She could do nothing but stare, afraid of the crime Kenshin had committed. She knew of what the man was capable of, but to successfully kill every man on duty…it was unbelievable…

Kenshin regretted having Kaoru witness firsthand of the destruction he was able to cause with a skillful wielding of an ancient sword. Loathed to admit, he was not so fond of this particular skill, especially with Kaoru standing but a foot or so away. Almost on instinct, Kenshin reached for her, but when he realized what he was doing, he quickly withdrew, his gaze unreadable.

“Kenshin,” Kaoru whispered in uncertainty as she pursed her slightly trembling lips in a gesture of anxious contemplation. “Did you…you didn’t…were all these people victims of your sword?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation.

“You meant to kill…all these men? It was in self-defense, right? You wouldn’t just kill a man out of cold-blood, would you?” What was she even thinking? Of course he would kill out of cold-blood! That was his job…Still; no one could crush the hope that filled the wild thumping of Kaoru’s heart. Absolutely no one…

…Except Kenshin…

“They wanted to die, so I killed them.”

“You wanted to kill them?” Her breathing slower than was normal for a healthy woman, Kaoru fidgeted with a loose strand of her ebony hair, tapping her left foot against the hardwood floor in a show of agitation.

“Yes.”

Her hope was finally crushed under Kenshin’s honesty…

“Why?” Breathlessly, Kaoru stared fixedly into Kenshin’s vacant eyes, telling herself not to feel alarmed by his news. He was an honest man. He would not lie about such a thing. If only he did lie…she would rather hear that he had no part in killing those officers, but she knew that that was not the case. One man against a dozen men…what were the odds of Kenshin winning…

“Kaoru,” Kenshin watched Kaoru through half-lidded eyes.

Her lower lip quivering, Kaoru lowered her gaze towards the floor, unable to look Kenshin in the eyes. She could not, for some indefinite reason, bear the idea of Kenshin murdering anyone just for the pleasure of completing such a task. He was an honorable man. He was the owner of a decent soul. He—oh who was she kidding? How could any man living the life of an assassin be decent? Wishful thinking…she wanted him to lead a decent life. She wanted him to be an honorable man.

“Woman, we are leaving.”

“Leaving?” Kaoru repeated absently as she studied the lifeless bodies surrounding the small, wooden desk in the center of the interrogation quarters. The thick, dark crimson stain of blood heavily coated all four walls from where Kenshin had slain every officer who dared to confront him.

Wordlessly, Kenshin wrapped strong, calloused fingers firmly around Kaoru’s wrist and swiftly guided her from the building, not allowing her to protest his actions as he knew she wanted to. As soon as he stepped into the vacant street, walking towards the sleek, black car he had parked across the way, Kenshin with little difficulty placed Kaoru in the passengers’ seat, closing the car door with a swiftness that should not have surprised Kaoru, or even snapped her out of her trance.

But it did…

Kaoru’s indigo eyes narrowed angrily on Kenshin when she tried to open the car door only to find it locked. “Kenshin, let me out,” she hissed through tightly clenched teeth. “I would rather not ride in the same car as you.”

“Oh?” Kenshin arched a slick, burgundy brow curiously in Kaoru’s direction as he slid onto the drivers’ seat. “How did you plan to get home? How the hell did you get there in the first place?” That question had been plaguing his mind since Kaoru had stepped through that metal door. Exactly how did Kaoru arrive at the police headquarters? Who would have helped her to aid him in escaping prison? He knew that that had been her intention when she entered the headquarters.

“Like it matters,” she muttered. Then—“Are you going to leave those bodies lying around like that? Aren’t you even afraid that someone might trace the murders back to you?”

“No,” Kenshin answered honestly as he carelessly shrugged his broad shoulders. “Those men traced all those murders back to me, and look what happened to them. The poor fools lost their lives. I believe the next batch of officers will meet the fate that this last one did. Do you not agree?”

She knew what Kenshin was capable of, but she could not bring herself to agree with him. He killed, a cold-blooded murderer, but he was honest. Could a fraudulent man tell her that he would kill when the need arose? Kenshin unsheathed his weapon when the time called for him to do so. He was destined to kill. No one could take such a profession away from a man. Sighing, Kaoru gazed out of the window, refusing to acknowledge Kenshin’s presence for now; although, that would be quite the challenge, for she could feel the heat of his narrowed, golden stare upon the back of her head.

Silently, Kenshin shifted the car into gear, and with one last, brief sideways glance in Kaoru’s direction, he sped off down the road, leaving the police headquarters and the slaughtered men within behind. He and Kaoru had much to discuss when they returned home.

“Did they not take care of him?”

“No, Sir. He killed them all.”

“Damn.” The man paused long enough to narrow his dark, angry gaze upon the bowed head of his dark-haired employee. He should have known that Himura would escape. Trust a bunch of fools to take care of a man known as the Night Predator…he should have known better than to trust the police. “What about the girl? Why isn’t she at your place?”

The larger man winced upon hearing the contempt that laced every word his boss uttered. Taking a deep breath, his arms folded nervously across the wide expanse of his chest, he muttered, “Kogoro took her to the police headquarters. He wanted her to help aid Himura in escaping prison. Though, the bastard didn’t need much help. He did quite fine on his own…” His voice trailed off in uncertainty when he glimpsed the rage burning within the dark brown of his boss’s eyes. “Boss, I apologize for letting her go, but Kogoro…I couldn’t tell him to get out! I’m supposed to work for him.”

“But you don’t, Isurugi, you work for me,” Kanryuu softly murmured as he exasperatedly raked a hand through his dark hair. “What to do now…I want that key. Do you have any ideas, Isurugi?”

Isurugi stared long and hard at the floor, pondering the many different ideas floating about his head. What could they do to acquire the key? It would be a difficult task now that the woman had returned to Himura. He would not allow any man, excluding Kogoro of course, to have the key. Not even Kanryuu…“The buffoons…” Isurugi whispered aloud as one particular idea began to take shape within his head. Those men; the same men from those seven long years ago, the same men who broke into Kamiya’s apartment not long ago, those men could acquire the key for Kanryuu…they were the perfect solution!

“Kanryuu, I think I have a plan…”

Kaoru winced when Kenshin roughly shoved her into the spare bedroom she had claimed as hers not long ago, pushing her towards the futon. When Kenshin would have demanded that she sit on the futon, Kaoru silently sank down onto the comfortable cushions, her indigo-blue gaze never leaving the inexpressive, vacant stare only a famous assassin could attain from many years of practice. She already knew that he was furious with her, but when she was able to briefly glimpse the depth of his rage within the dark gold of his narrowed eyes, Kaoru gulped.

“Woman, you need to learn how to follow orders.”

“Do I?” She retorted, ignoring the small warning bell that chimed throughout her head. She was afraid of this man, sure, but never could she take such a cold order from him. He did not insist that she learn how to follow orders. He demanded it of her. She knew simply by the authoritative tone of his gruff voice. “Is that a must?” Her words fair dripped with sarcasm, catching Kenshin off guard. Sometimes, her mood swings humored him, but at other times, he wanted nothing more than to throttle her. This was just another one of those times.

“Yes,” Kenshin snapped. “You can start learning to be an obedient woman by staying in this room until I come for you. Think you can handle that?” Disdainfully, he smiled, relishing in the narrow-eyed look she directed his way, clearly annoyed by his indisputable nature. Her bright, indigo eyes flashed their frustration, and her cheeks reddened with the anger wracking her slender shoulders. His cold, mocking smile faltering slightly when he recognized the beauty of her profoundly blazing, sea blue eyes, Kenshin withdrew from the futon, unmistakable resentment shimmering within the bitter depth of his golden hues.

“Stay,” he uttered softly before he whirled on his heels and proceeded from the room. Only when Kaoru rushed to beat him to the door did he slow his prompt stride, halting completely as soon as he reached the determined woman standing in the doorway, repudiating his attempt to leave the small, dull bedroom.

“You can’t keep me in here forever, you know!” Kaoru frantically shouted, her indigo-blue orbs flickering with unease. “Why do you have to confine me to a room? I did nothing wrong! I don’t plan to escape. If I had wanted to escape you, I would have stayed with Isurugi! Sure, he threatened to do…do things to me, but if I had been desperate, I would have—“

Rudely interrupted by the strong, immovable hand that abruptly cupped her trembling mouth with a firm grasp, Kaoru’s eyes flew wide, surprised. The storm that had descended from the heavens surrounded Kenshin’s taut figure, his golden hues darkening with rage. Calmly, he observed Kaoru through the loose strands of his thick, burgundy hair.

“What things did Isurugi threaten to do to you?”

Confused, Kaoru stared into the fire raging within the rigidity of Kenshin’s lean, muscular body. “What?” She whispered, unsure of what else to say.

“You mentioned that Isurugi threatened to do certain things to you. What were they?”

“I did?” Gulping around the stiff, large lump growing within her throat, Kaoru quickly shook her head. “I didn’t mean to say that. Nothing happened. Nothing—“ A gasp escaped through the parted creases of her puckered, rosy-pink lips when Kenshin roughly cupped the back of her head, yanking her closer. Her cheeks painted a dark scarlet, Kaoru wrapped her fingers around Kenshin’s wrist, wanting to forcibly remove his hand from her mouth.

She soon found that she could not match the red-head strength-for-strength.

“What were they, Kaoru?”

“I—I don’t remember,” she lied while averting her eyes to the floor.

Kenshin would have none of that. A thumb beneath her chin, he forced her to meet the flashing amethyst of his piercing stare. “Do not lie to me.”

“I’m not!”

“You are lying right this minute.”

“I’m not lying. I—I don’t remember…” Kaoru’s voice trailed off pessimistically as she tightly closed her indigo eyes. She was unsure of the reason why Kenshin demanded to know everything Isurugi had threatened to do to her. It was so unlike him to care—did he care? She really didn’t think he did.

“What are you hiding from me, Woman? Why are you deliberately protecting Isurugi?” She was definitely hiding something from him. Whatever it was, he was determined to find out. He did not like the fact that Isurugi had once more issued threats that could easily get him killed. That could be the number one reason she refused to inform him of these threats.

Death.

She wanted no one to die.

Kaoru’s lips parted, yet no words were formed. She could do nothing but shake her head. If only she could take back her ramblings…maybe then would Kenshin forget her ever mentioning Isurugi’s threats…stupid, stupid, stupid…

“Tell me, Kaoru.”

Kaoru’s eyes abruptly locked on Kenshin’s insistent gaze, clearly surprised by the fact that he had used her first name, something he had yet to do. Loathed to admit it, she liked the sound of her name rolling off his tongue. Rolling her lower lip between her teeth nervously, Kaoru was finally able to free her chin from Kenshin’s firm grasp. She could not tell him, for she feared he would want to kill Isurugi. That seemed to be the solution to every problem of his; kill the problem by killing the person responsible for the problem.

“Tell me, Woman,” Kenshin indomitably repeated, his fingers nearly digging into her scalp from having tightening his grip upon the back of her head. He would not allow her to go without telling him everything he wanted to know.

He had a right to know.

He would hear of these threats…

…and he would kill Isurugi…

He had been waiting quite some time to complete the task, and now that he had a reason to murder the conniving bastard, he would not allow it to get away.

Kaoru winced when she felt the nails of his strong, calloused fingers dig into her scalp, sending a painful, prickling sensation throughout her entire body. She might as well tell him. It was nothing new. Isurugi had already told Kenshin exactly what he thought of her, so why should informing Kenshin of his threats cause any problems?

Why did the man even care?

As far as she knew, Kenshin cared for no one but himself and perhaps his boss, Kogoro Katsura.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Kaoru’s lips curved into a smile of uneasiness. “It was nothing new…” She calmly enlightened Kenshin on every single threat Isurugi had issued, and when she finally finished, Kenshin’s eyes were as unreadable as the rest of him. She did not know what to think of the situation. Kenshin had not said a thing through her entire speech, and now his silence was just a mite unsettling.

“Kenshin?”

“I will be gone for most of the day. Feel free to explore,” Kenshin murmured as he proceeded to pass Kaoru, his lips tightening from the fury boiling in his blood. Every threat Isurugi issued—All the more reason to kill the man…He would die, but not as of yet. First, Kenshin had some unfinished business to attend to.

Before he even had a chance to leave the bedroom, Kaoru seized his arm in an attempt to stop him. “Wait!” No one could mistake the nearly hysterical note that had entered her voice. It seemed that she was clearly afraid of something…or someone. Was it he she was frightened of? He certainly hoped not. Kenshin arched a slick, burgundy brow questioningly at her, his golden hues focused on the trembling of her pursed lips, drawn inexplicably to their moist, natural color.

Kaoru folded her arms stiffly across her chest.

She found it quite strange that he would suddenly show an interest in her lips…almost as strange as finding his thick, burgundy tendrils gorgeous when the faint light illuminated their luster and the fullness of his lips sensual when he smiled.

Was she losing her mind?

Kaoru leaned forward, her indigo eyes wide and bright as they centered on the thin band of amethyst circling his dilating pupils. Silently, she stared up at him, hesitantly moving forward until an inch separated her lips from his. Then, timidly, she kissed him.

Yes; she was definitely losing her mind.

Chapter Thirteen: Life's Disadvantages

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