Chapter 3

Kenshin decided it was finally time for Kaoru to stop sulking. The girl had been gone for two hours already, and his stomach was growling ferociously. Even if it was in anticipation of her food, at least there would be something to take the place of the deep, angry craving in his belly. Yahiko had begun searching half an hour ago, having felt a sudden urge to train with the girl, but to no avail. He returned to Kenshin with a confused look on his normally confident face.

“Kenshin, I couldn’t find her anywhere! She’s probably wandered all the way to Kyoto by now, ‘cause she isn’t around here.”

Kenshin frowned at this bit of information. Where could Kaoru have gone? She never went off on her own for more than 20 minutes, and then she usually came back or yelled at either he, Yahiko, or Sanosuke to join her. Perhaps she’d been kidnapped? No, that was impossible. Even Kaoru wasn’t stupid enough to stay completely silent if she was attacked. First, she’d scream an angry and disapproving lecture at the attacker. Then, seeing that he was stronger than she was, she would holler for help, startling the enemy, and finally, she’d beat him to a pulp...that is, unless the attacker was very skillful and very quick....much more skillful than Kaoru...Kenshin frowned deeper at the thought.

“So what do you think happened, Kenshin?”

Kenshin looked down at the worried Yahiko and forced a smile.

“I’m not sure, Yahiko, but I think she’s all right...no,..I know she’s all right. Let’s go find Sanosuke. He’ll help us out in hunting her down. We’ll find her.”

Kenshin knew the words he spoke so calmly and confidently were lies. He didn’t know that Kaoru was all right, and having been the feared Hitokiri Battousai once before, his veteran killer mind feared the worst. Still, he grabbed his sword- a nonkilling reverse blade, took Yahiko’s hand, and started off to town in search of Sanosuke. Together, they woul find Kaoru and bring her back home..

********

Kaoru looked up and saw Kenshin, Yahiko, and Sanosuke running after her...reaching out to touch her. At first, her mind was flooded with joy at the sight of her friends coming to rescue her, but the joy soon became hate.... hate because they had taken so long to come, and hate because they didn’t care...they only pretended to love her..it was all an illusion..their love was all an illusion. She’d kill them. She’d destroy that false love of theirs. Reaching down, she grabbed her sword- a sword containing an onyx hilt decorated with a carving of a dragon and a phoenix twisted around one another with red rubies for their eyes and a thin, deadly blade. She lifted the sword slowly above her head and brought it down swiftly, striking at the trio and covering everything in sight with a dark, sticky red...red as the rubies on her sword’s hilt, red as blood...

Kaoru sat up quickly and shuddered. What kind of dream had that been? Why would she even think of hurting her friends? Why would she even dream of hurting Kenshin? Shaking her head slowly, Kaoru finally realized that she wasn’t back at the dojo. Quickly, she looked up and stared straight into the icy green eyes of a man she’d never seen before. A gasp escaped her throat and she crawled away from the strange man as quickly as she could, only to find that he had tied her to a tree like some wild dog.

“Wh...what do you want with me? Wh..who are you?”

The man looked at her for a moment and said nothing. He was covered in a black cape which hid everything from view except his eyes, and this invisibility unnerved Kaoru even more. Why did he refuse to speak to her? What did he want? Kaoru was afraid.... an emotion she had chosen to ignore and escape ever since Shishio’s death, but still, the fear returned to haunt her. Finally, the man spoke....in a whisper, but at least it was something.

“My name is Yuugure. I want nothing from you. It is Night that wants you... Night...is my master.”

Kaoru thought about this for a few minutes. Yuugure....nightfall.....he wants nothing to do with me?...what is Night? A person? What does this Night want with me?

“So...you’re not going to kill me?”

“It’s up to Night to determine what happens to you. I don’t think he will kill you, Kaoru-san... After all, he did choose you as his Day.”

Kaoru blanched. So Night was the one who had written the note to her the other evening. Of course it would be...had Yuugure dropped the note off for Night? Kaoru frowned and shook her head again. Confusion filled her mind and she squeezed her eyes shut in the hope that perhaps doing so would help her comprehend things better.

“Don’t try to understand, Kaoru-san.. You won’t be able to. You will know everything when I take you to Night.. He wants you...I believe, to join his 5 Stars....”

“5 Stars?”

Yuugure sighed, somewhat exasperated, but answered her question as thoroughly as he was able.

“The Five Stars are a group of five fighters selected by Night. They perform small...tasks for him all throughout the night and protect him from potential enemies. His goal now..is to kill...a certain murderer who caused him much pain several years ago. I believe this murderer slaughtered Night’s lover.... Anyway, Night wants the guy dead. Only the Five Stars together have the ability to kill this murderer, and you are the fifth star. I..am the first.”

“So I am the last one?”

“Hai...and you will come with me back to Night...there is no choice.”

Kaoru didn’t like the fact that she was being forced to go with Yuugure, but she reluctantly nodded.

“Hai...I guess I have to go with you...right?”

Yuugure nodded and untied her.

“Come. We have a day’s worth of walking ahead of us and your feet are injured. I will find a horse somewhere that you can ride on.”

Yuugure tugged on the ropes around Kaoru’s throat and waist, and she stumbled helplessly after him, all the way forming schemes in her mind on how to escape her terrible and strange captor and hoping that her friends would come to her rescue. Kenshin.....

***********

Sanosuke frowned at the news of Kaoru’s disappearance.

“So she hasn’t come back at all? No trace of her or anything? She’s not sneaking away from chores or running off with a mysterious boyfriend or something?”

Yahiko and Kenshin gave Sanosuke a disapproving glare. Sanosuke immediatedly became serious and slightly ashamed.

“Sorry..it’s just not like her to disappear, that’s all. I’m kinda thinking that she’ll pop up any second and scream at me for having a misleading hair style or tell me I’m a lazy pig ...something of that sort.”

Yahiko nodded sadly.

“Yeah...me too. I’m expecting her to give me the sword that gives life lecture.....or that thing about raising my shinai higher and striking with a concentrated force...or something like that.”

Kenshin remained silent, a disturbed expression on his face. The other two peer at him expectantly.

“I think her disappearance might have something to do with that note she received last night.”

Sanosuke’s face immediately became grave.

“So you think it was that Night...that kidnapped her?”

“Something like that.”

Yahiko growled deep in his throat.

“So why don’t we go rescue her from him?”

“First of all, kid, we dunno who this Night person is. Second, we have no idea where to start.”

“Don’t worry,” Sanosuke and Yahiko looked at Kenshin curiously, “If this Night is the same person I think he is,....he’ll come looking for us. All we have to do is wait.”

The other two stare at Kenshin for a moment before nodding silently in agreement.

“All right then,.....we’ll wait.”

Kenshin frowned, slightly disturbed. Yoru......I killed your lover once...and now you want my friend...I will not forgive you for this..YORU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

End of Chapter 3