Kaoru stared in shock at the man who stood near the counter, his brilliant hazel eyes gazing down upon the crown of her slightly bowed head with a comfortable warmth only a close friend such as he could produce without flustering a woman, namely she. Incredulously, she stood; her doubt was evident in the way she tilted her head gently to the side. She had been gone for a few days now, possibly four at the most, and quite frankly, Kaoru had not once thought of this man, the one man she would have normally dreamed about while her life was in danger. Though, now, she didn’t seem so afraid.
“Kaoru, did you forget that you owed me an ice cream?” Jurou murmured lightheartedly while a teasing smile grazed his lips. “I’ve been waiting patiently for your call, but you never did dial my number, and if you did, you didn’t leave a message. Actually, Kaoru, I’ve been worried about you.” The smile faded.
“Worried about me?” Was it possible he knew of her predicament? If so, then, who did he hear it from? Kaoru shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other under the concern Jurou cast her way.
“Yes, when Kimi called from the hospital—“ Jurou quieted when he caught sight of Kaoru’s ashen face. “Kaoru, are you alright?” His concern for her increased when her indigo-blue eyes widened in alarm, her lips tightly pinched together in an attempt not to question Kimi’s whereabouts and condition. If she, perhaps, didn’t let on that she knew exactly what had happened to her roommate, Jurou might not grow suspicious of her. She already knew Himura wouldn’t allow her to give himself away or where she had been staying for the past few days. “Kaoru?” Worriedly, Jurou cupped Kaoru’s shoulder, offering her a faint gesture of compassion. “Has something happened that I should know about?”
“N—no,” Kaoru stuttered, her spine stiffening with unease. Jurou continued to watch her, his hazel eyes probing for the truth. Her throat tightening as her heart thumped wildly against her chest, Kaoru fervently shook her head. “What I mean, well, what I was trying to say, Jurou, was that I’ve been alright. You don’t need to worry about me. About Kimi,” her tone low, the intense indigo of her gaze caught and held the concerned, green of Jurou’s eyes. “Is she alright?”
Jurou looked slightly confused as he furrowed his brows, knowing that something was indeed wrong with Kaoru. It was apparent that she had no intentions of letting him in on her troubled thoughts. That alone puzzled him. Since the beginning of their friendship, he and Kaoru had always been able to tell the other secrets and fears. However, Kaoru wasn’t going to tell him what was on her mind, or even what had happened to her, if anything had happened at all.
“Kaoru, what’s wrong with you? I thought that you of all people would have already visited Kimi in the hospital. Were you not aware of what happened to her?” Blinking incredulously at the nervously fidgeting woman as her eyes averted to the counter, where she was fingering the hard texture of wood, Jurou stepped forward.
Kaoru backed away.
She almost looked frightened of him, but he knew her better than that. She was not a woman who could scare easily.
Kaoru couldn’t believe that she had been so foolish as to voice her fears concerning Kimi. In doing so, she had given something for Jurou to be suspicious of. “Well, I wasn’t home when it happened. I did get a call from the hospital, but I—I—“ Rolling her lower lip between her teeth in an attempt at reminiscing over reasons believable to pass Jurou’s test, Kaoru inwardly groaned when no specific reason came to mind.
How was she to explain her lack of visits, especially when that person was her best friend, without rousing Jurou’s curiosity? She couldn’t very well tell the truth.
Her solicitous, blue eyes darted passed Jurou to where Kenshin stood, his arms folded lazily across his broad chest. She would have glared at him if it weren’t for the man who stood before her, a look of confusion momentarily crossing his otherwise slightly disquieted façade.
“She was with me.”
Jurou whirled on his heels when the unpleasant, ominous tone of another’s voice filled the tense silence that had enveloped the shop while Kaoru had searched frantically for an explanation as to the reason why she had yet to visit Kimi. His hazel eyes narrowed on the older man who was now regarding him with an intensity that startled him. There was definitely something about this red-headed stranger that irked Jurou the wrong way.
For one, he was arrogant.
Also, he looked to be quite confident in his ability to frighten people. Well, the stranger would soon find himself with an opponent who didn’t scare easily. “Oh? You know this man?” Jurou turned to look at Kaoru, one brow raised a fraction of an inch in curiosity.
Before Kaoru could offer Jurou an answer, one he most likely would not understood unless he heard the whole story, Kenshin uttered, “She knows this man quite well. In fact, they have become close.”
Kaoru’s mouth nearly fell open in shock when she locked gazes with the assassin.
Only, she didn’t see him as the murderer he was. Instead, she saw him as a man, a very intimidating man, but a man nonetheless. Within the glittering depth of Kenshin’s narrowed, assessing gaze, Kaoru swore that she had spotted something else rather than murky emptiness in his eyes; a sense of protection, perhaps? Kaoru mentally shook her head at that. Himura the Battousai was not known to be protective of another; he was only a deadly assassin who wasted no time at all to end a life should a person tempt him to do so, and he would never change.
Still, something different, strange, unfitting for a murderer, had fleetingly passed through his alarming gaze. But what could it have been?
“Miss Kamiya has been unusually busy lately with her job. I was employed here about a week ago. She has been guiding me in my duties, as her boss instructed her to,” Kenshin drawled, his tone coolly sardonic and dripping with vinegar.
Jurou seemed unfazed by Kenshin’s impertinence as he doubtfully observed the other man through lowered, dark lashes. Oddly, Jurou didn’t believe a single thing that came from the red head’s mouth. Something about his daunting presence screamed danger and Jurou didn’t trust him at all, even though Kaoru might.
“Is this true?”
“Yes...”
Then silence.
Awkwardly, Jurou folded his arms across his chest, knowing not what else to do.
“Are you sure everything is alright?” As he asked such a simple question, he fixed the stranger with a glare. He knew not everything was as fine as she claimed it to be, and he was determined to learn of Kaoru’s dilemma and who exactly this red-headed man was.
The tiny bell jingled softly as a customer whizzed through the door, his steps faltering when Kenshin captured the man’s nervous, dark eyes with the furiousness of a lion stalking its prey.
Kaoru, finally able to find her voice and her courage, scowled indignantly at Kenshin. If he continued to watch the customers intently and with golden eyes that expressed his fury far too well, she knew he would scare them away. She couldn’t have that. Forcing a welcoming smile upon her lips while ignoring Jurou, Kaoru said, “Is there something I can help you with?”
The man escaped the cloud of confusion that had threatened to sweep him away once his smiling eyes fastened on the young woman who stood behind the polished counter; she looked prepared to wait on him should he decide to ask her for help.
Perhaps, he should.
She was a pretty woman, in her late teens, early twenties, and she sparked an interest in him that had been left alone after his wife of five years had divorced him nearly two months ago. Since that fateful day, he had never once thought of enjoying the pleasures of another woman.
It wasn’t too late now to start.
However, the red head stopped him from asking the little girl for help with a simple tilt of his burgundy head, his lips pressed in a hard line, as if daring him to defy his silent order.
“Oh, yes, miss, there is.” All warnings were ignored.
Kenshin’s features hardened.
Kaoru’s smile brightened.
Sidestepping the bewildered Jurou, Kaoru walked towards the older man, a slight spring to her step. She enjoyed helping the customers when it dealt with the swords. She loved explaining the origin of each weapon, elaborating on every detail of a history long since passed. “Do you have a particular sword you’re looking for?”
“Hm,” The man tapped his chin in a thoughtful manner as Kaoru drew closer to him, his lips lifting at their corners. “I only own one sword, so I don’t know much about the weapons. Though, I do enjoy looking at mine on occasion.”
“Oh, yes,” Kaoru shook her head in agreement when she stopped beside the newest customer. “Swords are beautiful, but also frightening.” Quickly, she slanted a glance in Kenshin’s direction, noticing the disgruntle look within the alarming intensity of his gaze, before her attention returned to the man who stood by her, his brown eyes boring into hers rigorously.
“Ah, but so are you.”
Kaoru blushed.
The man was laying it on pretty thick. She had never even met the guy, and already he was complimenting her on her beauty.
She didn’t trust him.
And, apparently, neither did Kenshin.
“Your age,” he commanded in a tight, calculated tone.
When silence greeted his command, Kenshin’s jaw clenched with the restraint of controlling his fury. It was taking a toll on him, this restraint, and he knew that if something was not said soon, he would not be responsible for his actions.
Jonah wanted to ignore the shorter, red-haired man, but something in the tone of his voice caused his deeply annoyed gaze to shift to him. Annoyed, dark brown easily clashed with determined, incensed gold. Kenshin’s lips suddenly tilted upward, taking Jonah by surprise. Though, his smile was less than friendly, Jonah somehow already knew that this strange, arrogantly threatening presence one would call a man wasn’t accustomed to smiling.
After only a moment of wary contemplation, Jonah replied with a shrug, “Thirty-Eight. Why do you ask?”
“You are too old for her,” Kenshin affirmed wryly, earning a frown of provocation from the opposing man in return. Silently, his cynical gaze traveled over the Jonah’s shoulders to where Kaoru stood, her lips parted as though she wished to say something, yet, no sound came forth. Her cheeks were flushed a bright scarlet and her indigo-blue eyes were wide with wonder. It looked as though he had surprised her.
He had even surprised himself.
Kenshin didn’t know what had gotten into him.
When he had seen the lust Jonah hid behind a courteous stare, Kenshin couldn’t stop from asking the man his age. Could it have been jealousy that had prompted him to behave so strangely? No; to him, jealousy was a foreign emotion. Protective, perchance? That must have something to do with it.
Jonah pursed his lips haughtily as he looked to Kaoru, deciding to ignore the red head’s last remark. “So, darling, how would you like me to treat you to dinner tonight?”
“I—“
“She will be busy tonight,” Kenshin interrupted Kaoru’s soft beginnings of a protest, his dark pupils dilating until his eyes appeared to be an ominous black. His spine straightened edgily as a muscle ticked in his jaw, warning Jonah to keep his distance.
“Kenshin, you don’t—“
“Was I fucking talking to you?” Jonah rumbled in a low, enraged tone. “So, how ‘bout it, sweetheart?” His narrowed, dark eyes sought Kaoru out, forcing a smile upon his lips; though, in her opinion, it looked more like a grimace than anything else.
“Well, I—“
“I have already made that decision for her. She is in my care; therefore, she will be with me tonight!” Kenshin snarled ferociously as he clenched his hands tightly into fists until the force of the pressure whitened his knuckles.
“Look, you guys—“
“Who the fuck do you think you are? The woman can make her own damn decisions!” Jonah snapped in return, his shoulders shaking with the overwhelming force of his anger, most of it directed at Kenshin. This woman surely could not be intimate with this short, redheaded, poor excuse of a man. And if, by chance, she was, then, good ol’ Jonah would have to show her the error of her ways.
“Not while she is in my care.”
“How the hell is she in your care? She’s a grown woman!”
“I have been told to watch over her. That places her in my care.”
“To hell with that, you stupid son-of-a-bitch!”
Kaoru looked from one man to the other, her blue eyes wide with alarm. Heavy tension bordered the men, giving the impression of an approaching brawl. She couldn’t let that happen, especially since they were standing in her shop, her sanctuary. Something had to be done before either man resorted to his fist. So, with a sharp inhalation of air, Kaoru shouted, “Enough!”
That caught both the men’s attention.
Struggling to calm her wary nerves, Kaoru closed her eyes for the briefest of moments before she allowed one eyelid to drift open, the startling blue of her gaze showing her mounting frustration. She couldn’t help but study Kenshin, having been taken aback by his odd behavior. His golden eyes were slanted in a look of pure, raw hatred, and they were focused on a disgruntle Jonah. Never had she seen Kenshin look so taut, and with rage no less. The only times his actions truly frightened her was when he had decapitated that man the first night and when he had found her with his sword.
When Kaoru turned to face Jonah, she was shocked by the soft pad of his thumb beneath her chin, lifting it until his unfamiliarly heated gaze locked with hers. A dark crimson painted her cheeks as Kaoru was finally able to avert her eyes to the floor. Something in the way Jonah scrutinized her, touched her, made her just a mite uneasy, and unfortunately, Kenshin noticed.
Swiftly, Kenshin caught Jonah’s wrist in a firm, steel-like grasp, refusing to release him when the man demanded it of him, even threatened him. Adding just the slightest bit of pressure to Jonah’s wrist quickly removed his thumb from beneath Kaoru’s chin.
Kaoru could do nothing but stare.
Kenshin never ceased to surprise her.
“Kenshin…”
“It is time to go,” Kenshin murmured. His tone unusually pleasant, Kensin’s darkened, narrowed eyes spoke another tune, a tune akin to vehemence. Glaring into the nervously wavering eyes of Jonah, Kenshin wound his fingers firmly around Kaoru’s slender wrist, roughly tugging her to his side, before he stepped back from Jonah, freeing the man of his brutal, unrelenting grip.
“But, Kenshin—“ Kaoru paused when Kenshin’s dangerously slanted eyes swiveled onto her, her pallor paling in comparison to the flush decorating her cheeks. “I—I can’t leave just yet. I get off in a few hours!”
Calloused, strong fingers squeezed her wrist lightly. Kaoru didn’t know if Kenshin meant it as a warning or if he was merely telling her to shut up. Her blue eyes bright with defiance as she tossed back her head, meeting Kenshin’s narrowed stare with a stubborn tilt of her chin, Kaoru wrenched her arm free of his strong grasp. She assumed Kenshin let her go instead of her forcing him to release her.
“Look, I can’t just waltz out of here, Himura! You promised I could go to work today. Well, I’m not leaving!”
Jonah momentarily forgotten, Kenshin rounded on her, his golden hues hardening with the displeasure her brave show of defiance caused him. Wordlessly, he strode past Kaoru and through the back doorway, which led to her manager’s office. Chewing on her lower lip nervously, Kaoru awaited Kenshin’s return. There was no telling what he had in store for her when they returned to the cabin, or for her manager. The very next moment, the sound of Mr. Yakou’s furious snarl could be heard above the vicious pounding of her heart. Kaoru cringed when the horrible sound of bone grinding against bone ricocheted off the surrounding walls of the shop.
Himura Kenshin, Hitokiri Battousai, was furious.
Why would he be taking it out on her manager, though? She was the one who had decided to stay despite the warning ringing within the low timbre of Kenshin’s voice.
“Not a very nice guy, Kaoru,” Jurou murmured from behind her, nearly taking her by surprise. Kaoru had forgotten all about Jurou and Jonah. Before she could voice her objection, wanting to defend Himura for a reason unknown to her, an arm wrapped around her shoulders loosely and pulled her back into Jurou’s chest. “I’m curious to know what he is to you. I haven’t seen you in a couple of days, but when I finally do, you have some man with you, a man I don’t think I like very much.”
“What—what are you doing?” Kaoru whispered uneasily when Jurou’s moist, parted lips skimmed the hollow of her throat. She couldn’t believe how strangely everyone seemed to be acting recently. First, Kenshin; now, Jurou. For all the years she had known Jurou, never once had he been so forward with her. They were considered close friends, nothing more.
“Answer my curiosity, Kaoru. What is this guy to you?”
“He’s my—“
“—warden.” The threateningly soft tone of a tensed, infuriated assassin should have warned Jurou to instantly release her, but surprisingly, it didn’t. He merely studied Kenshin over Kaoru’s slightly trembling shoulders, his curious, hazel gaze locked on the livid gold of Kenshin’s eyes.
This man was a definite threat to Kaoru, and Jurou couldn’t let her leave with him. Not only did he fear for her safety, but Jurou knew that this red-haired man could take advantage of Kaoru whenever he pleased, especially if they stayed in the same house together. Kaoru would be alone with this man. She was very special to him. He couldn’t allow her to go anywhere with this stranger.
“We are leaving.”
Silently, Kenshin passed Jurou and Kaoru and headed towards the exit of the shop. “And I mean now,” he called menacingly over his shoulder before he exited Barnie and Steel, leaving a dumbfounded and surprised Kaoru behind, and an even more bewildered Jurou. Kaoru had thought that Kenshin would have hurt Jurou just to get to her, but he didn’t do anything. He merely gave her time to follow him without the need to yank her out the door, and for that Kaoru was grateful.
Sparing Jurou an apologetic, hesitant smile, Kaoru ducked out of his arms, which, she noticed, had wrapped around her shoulders. “Jurou, I have to go.”
“No,” Jurou shook his head as he stepped towards Kaoru only to have her back away, almost as though she didn’t want to be around him. “I can’t let you go with him. He’s dangerous, Kaoru. He’ll do whatever he damn well pleases, and that could be taking advantage of you!”
Take advantage of her? What a laugh. Kaoru sighed softly as she started for the exit of the shop. “I’m sorry, Jurou. I really do have to go. I’ll be alright. Don’t worry about me.”
“Kaoru!”
It was too late. She had disappeared from the shop.
The luminous beams protruding from the large, swirling clouds of white greeted Kaoru the moment she left the shop, quick to shield her eyes against the harsh blare of the sun. It certainly was a beautiful day, such a contrast to the mood she was in. She had to give all the credit to Himura, though, for blackening her mood. He seemed to be very good at that. In fact, it came natural for him. Blowing a sigh of irritation through the annoying, ebony tendrils swaying in the light breeze in front of her eyes, Kaoru squinted off to the side, across the road, to where the familiar, dark silhouette of Kenshin stood leaning against his silver Mercedes.
He held a cell phone in his hand, and a frown grazed his lips as he formed words into the phone she couldn’t quite hear because of the distance separating them. Kaoru did know for a fact that he wasn’t very happy with the person he was exchanging words with. Himura never did seem happy much. She supposed living the life of an assassin wasn’t as glamorous as she had thought it would be.
Kaoru nearly snorted at that thought.
An assassin living a glamorous life?
Impossible.
Rolling her indigo-blue eyes skyward, Kaoru searched the street for faint signs of incoming traffic, making certain that she could cross with little difficulty. Once she was convinced the road was safe, Kaoru marched towards Kenshin, preparing to jump to her own defense should he decide to scold her.
As she neared the hired, red-haired murderer, the low, distraught timbre of her captor’s voice muttered rather irritably, “I don’t see why I have to put up with this. I’m not the girl’s babysitter.”
Her babysitter; Kaoru knew now who Kenshin was talking to. His boss, the man who wanted her precious key for some odd reason. Instantly, her hand flew to her blouse, where she could feel the hard lump near the neckline, breathing an inaudible sigh of relief. For a moment there, she had thought that she had lost the one object that would always remind her of the love a father and his daughter could share together. Thank the lord she hadn’t.
“I understand, but—Pardon? No. I’m not going against your orders…Look, Sir, I really don’t—“
The soft groan of frustration caught Kaoru’s undivided attention, and with a furrowing of her brows, she watched curiously as the raw emotions flickered within the restless gold of his eyes, taking her completely by surprise. Never had she seen Himura express any type of emotion, much less various kinds.
“I apologize, Katsura-san, but I must inform you of what I have been through for her sake. Normally, I would never threaten another human being unless that person was my newest assignment, but I—what the fuck did you just say?” Himura’s biting remark sliced through the heavy tension surrounding the area as his golden eyes narrowed irately to slits. He was completely unaware of the woman who stood by his side, looking tentatively at him with wide, indigo eyes.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Kaoru pursed her lips nervously when Kenshin cursed viciously under his breath, his features hardening with considerable rate.
“That is hardly the case, Sir.”
A pause, long enough to rouse Kaoru’s curiosity, ensued.
Then—“Yes, yes, we will be there. I see. Another assignment? I understand.”
Swiftly, Kenshin clicked off the cell phone, sliding its silver cover into place, before he pocketed it, his golden hues beckoning the tension over to where he stood, leaning casually against the silver door of the Mercedes.
He then noticed Kaoru, who stood a little behind him, unsure of what to do.
“Kamiya,” he acknowledged her with a nod of his burgundy head while he folded his arms across his broad chest. A slight tilt of his lips gave Kaoru the impression that Kenshin was not very pleased with his riotous life at that point. Her eyes locking with his, she rolled her lower lip between her teeth, nervously awaiting Kenshin’s next move. When he remained silent and still, she began to fidget with a loose strand of her ebony hair by wrapping the tendril around her finger.
“Get in the car.”
The command had been low, threatening, and soft, all at once, if that were even possible. Somehow, Kaoru knew that it was very possible, that probably only Kenshin could pull it off.
Bowing her head as she walked around the hood of the Mercedes towards the passengers’ side, Kaoru reached for the car handle. Mutely, she climbed into the seat, remaining quiet even as Kenshin plopped gracefully down beside her as he cranked the car.
“Oh, and Kamiya?”
Uncertain, indigo eyes met the glittering gold of Himura’s gaze.
“You are not allowed to leave the cabin again.”
Just as Kenshin put the car into gear, the engine roaring to life when he pressed the heel of his boot against the gas pedal expertly, Kaoru shouted, “What?!”
Then, the Mercedes was gone, the near-transparent wisps of smoke hovering above the ground the only sign that the car had been there.