Note:  In those times, women who let men aside from their fiancees or husbands kiss them were considered sluts or whores... man, were they strict or WHAT?!  ^_^
Disclaimer:  All regular characters belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki.  I am making NO money out of this.
 

Kaoru's Future...

Part 3
by Ms._Anime_

“Are you sure this would work, Kenshin?”
Kaoru asked Kenshin, worry in her voice.  She and Kenshin were sitting down
in the living room, half and hour after the officer left.
“The officer said that it was only by accident that the other precinct
learned of the breakout so soon, so probably the killer doesn’t even know
that we know yet.  So the best way is to lure him out into the open.”  He
looked tentatively at Kaoru, “are you still planning on going through with
this?”
“I’ll do everything I can to bring this maniac down,” Kaoru said with
conviction.
“Okay,”  Kenshin said and looked at Kaoru, “We were the first civilians to
be notified of the killer’s prescence... so if we want our plan to work, we
cannot tell even Sano and Yahiko about the killer and risk rumors to start now.”
“Yes, the only thing we can count on is the fact that he will most likely
stick to his old method...”
Kenshin remained silent and Kaoru took this opportunity to ask a question
that has been gnawing at her for the past half-hour, “but, Kenshin... about
the plan... how will we make sure that the killer will pick us to ambush?”
Kenshin looked up and smiled apologetically, “well...”
*****************************
Sano and Yahiko were a couple of grinning idiots sitting down in Kenshin’s
room, watching him rummage through his drawer of clothes for a shirt that
didn’t smell of food or laundry soap.  Yahiko snickered.
“So, Kenshin... you and Kaoru are going out tonight, eh?  Hehe, good luck.”
“Remember, Kenshin, she’s not like Megumi...”  Sano said in a matter-of-fact
tone of voice, “don’t go too fast on her...  she’s not very acquainted with
guys that are courting her...”
“Oroo~~”  Kenshin groaned quietly to himself, all the while trying to
convince his mind that what he is doing is for the sake of lives... and
worth his personal agony.
*Not that Kaoru-dono isn’t pretty... she’s beautiful, in fact, and different
from the other girls, she has wit, charm, and spirit... I actually--...*
Kenshin’s train of thought abruptly ended as he listened to more of Sano’s
advice on how to date women.  Yahiko eventually told him that he probably
never went out his whole life and the two began fighting again.
“Oroo~~,”  Kenshin sighed quietly, “heaven help me...”
************************
Kenshin fidgeted in his sitting position as he waited for Kaoru in the
living room together with Sano and Yahiko.  Kaoru then came into the room.
Kenshin’s heart skipped a beat and time seemed to stop for him as well as
for all the men.  Kaoru was wearing a white silk formal kimono with lavender
floral prints in the shape of cherry clossoms, the kimono was tinted with a
light shade of blue in the hems, it was also tied low so she looked very
mature and tall.  Her hair was tied by a white ribbon with lavender prints
just below the shoulder blades and not curls, but she had washed her hair so
it seemed to shine and glow violet.  She didn’t choose to wear paint on her
face but only some pink lipstick, however the fact that she wore no paint
made her even more attractive for it showed her natural beauty.  Kenshin
gaped and was barely aware of what was happening around him.  The next thing
he knew he was walking down the street beside Kaoru.  He cursed himself when
he came to.
*If I keep losing myself like this... the killer will have no problem
ambushing us!*
Kenshin looked at Kaoru when she spoke.
“When do you think he’ll arrive?”
“I don’t know, but he’ll probably come out after dark.”
“Oh.”
Silence.
Kenshin took a deep breath and decided to just get on with it.
“Shall we go over to Shabu-Shabu for dinner?”
“Okay... at least they know us there.”  Kaoru smiled up at him.
*****************************************

Tsubame-chan giggled excitedly and motioned to Tae-san to inform her that
Kenshin and Kaoru were coming.  Tae-san nodded and turned back her attention
to Sano.
“I see... thank you Sano-san, I will serve them personally.”  Tae-san
beamed, *I KNEW something was bound to happen between those two... they just
needed a push...*
Sano nodded and began to leave.
“Great.  Well, I’d better get going... before they find me here.  Remember,”
Sano looked over his shoulder at Tae-san, “give them the _special treatment_”
he grinned and exited the restaurant through the back door.
Tae-san smiled and turned around to cordially greet the two new arrivals.
“Kenshin, Kaoru!  How nice of you two to come here tonight!  --Tsubame-chan
and I will have place ready for you two in a minute.”
Kenshin and Kaoru blinked, confused.
*********************************
“Oroo~~” Kenshin’s eyes widened disbelievingly as he stared at the platter
of chopped salmon sautéd in sauce that Tsubame-chan just put down on their
_very_ secluded table, partly because he knew the dish was extremely
expensive, but mostly because the salmon was shaped like a heart.
Kaoru looked at Tsubame-chan confusion written on her face, “Tsubame-chan,
we didn’t order this!  And we cannot possibly afford it!”
Tsubame-chan smiled sweetly, “don’t worry about it, it’s on the house!”
Kaoru joined Kenshin in staring at the fish after Tsubame-chan left, “is it
just me or does it seem like they were expecting us?”  she said monotonously
without looking at Kenshin.
Kenshin simply replied by breaking his chopsticks and taking a small bite,
“it’s not bad...”
Kaoru sweat-beaded fell from her sitting position.
******************************************
Kenshin and Kaoru waved goodbye to Tae-san and Tsubame-chan and turned
around and began a leisurely stroll.  Kaoru immediately turned on Kenshin
when they were out of hearing range.
“Was that really necessary?!  --To take advantage of them like that?”
Kaoru’s voice showed obvious annoyance as she hit him on the head.
“Oro...” Kenshin quickly recovered and answered Kaoru in a serious tone, “I
know you feel guilty about the free meal and all... but remember, both of us
have to stay in character, or else they’ll start wondering.”
Kaoru looked at the ground and stopped walking, “I know, I know... it’s just
that I’m worried that the killer won’t pick the two of us and all of this
will be for nothing...”
Kenshin smiled at Kaoru, “don’t worry, I think I have an idea on how he
chooses his victims...”  He continued walking and Kaoru ran a little to
catch up to him.
“Really?  Tell me.”
Kenshin stopped and faced Kaoru, a small smile on his face.  He opened his
mouth as if to speak but suddenly caught himself, his eyes narrowed and his
pupils darted to the right as if he saw something move.  Kaoru looked at him
with questioning eyes.
“What is it? --Did you see something?”  Kaoru began to turn her head to the
direction Kenshin was looking at but was unable to.  Kenshin, without
warning, took Kaoru’s arm and pulled her into an alley away from the people
and put his hands on her shoulders and pressed his lips on the right corner
of her mouth, purposely using his hair to cover their faces and to give the
impression that he was kissing her.  Eternity seemed to pass for Kaoru
before Kenshin broke the “kiss” and held her close.
“We’re being watched.”  Kenshin voice was unnaturally hard as he whispered
in Kaoru’s ear.  It took a while for Kenshin’s words to reach Kaoru and when
they did, Kaoru’s face returned to it’s normal color and she was able to
think straight.  She wrapped her arms around him, blushing slightly.
“What do we do now?”  She whispered to him, trying to see the person
watching them.
“Just follow my lead.”  Kenshin said before letting go, he smiled at her and
Kaoru smiled back.  They stepped out of the alley and continued walking.
****************************
“_SUGOI_ ... di-did you see THAT?!”
Yahiko silently exclaimed to Sano, eyes wide and utterly amazed.
“I never thought Kenshin had it in him... heh.” Sano snickered and stepped
out of his hinding place.  Yahiko joined him in the street and watched the
two retreating figures.  He smirked maliciously and rubbed his nose with his
hand.
“Well, I guess this settles it... I won’t be sleeping in the dojo tonight...”
The two smiled knowingly at each other and began walking back to the dojo,
grinning all the way.
****************************
Kaoru walked silently beside Kenshin, walking seemed to be the only thing
she was capable of for the past few minutes anyway.  Just as they were
nearing the more uninhabited part of town, near the forest, Kenshin stopped
and looked back behind them.  Kaoru found her voice.
“What is it, Kenshin?”  she asked, preparing herself for danger.
“Oh, nothing,”  Kenshin smiled cordially at her confused face, “just checkig
to see if Yahiko and Sano were still following us.”
The next thing Kenshin was aware of was his whole body flying to the general
direction of a post.  After Kenshin peeled off the post and fell limp on the
ground Kaoru retracted her arm and clenched fist and just stood there, her
head bowed so that her hair shadowed her face, her knuckles twitching at her
sides.  Kenshin took awhile to get himself off the ground and when he did,
tentatively stepped towards Kaoru who was at this point, emitting a dark aura.
“Ka-Kaoru-dono?”  He said, keeping a safe distance between the two of them.
Kaoru’s head went up sharply and she faced Kenshin, fire in her eyes;  he
gulped and took a small step back.
“I... let... you... KISS... me, KENSHIN,” Kaoru’s voice was straining to
remain earthly.
“Oro~~  Ka-Kaoru-dono,” Kenshin said, his voice sounding that of a man who
knew he was going to go through an _extremely_ painful experience, “don’t be
angry... remember?  We have to keep in character... besides, it wasn’t
actually a _real_ kiss...”
Kenshin sweat-beaded as his words seem to have angered Kaoru even more.  Her
words shook with suppressed anger.
“Kenshin... no... BAKA!!!!!!!”
*************************************
“Orooo~~~~”
Kaoru turned sharply on her heels and proceeded to stomp away from a
half-dead Kenshin (imagine Kenshin looking like Ranma after Akane’s done
beating him up ^_^).
Kaoru turned a corner and after walking a few more steps she stopped and
tears outlined her dark eyes.  She sniffed the tears back.
*Baka,* she thought, *I can’t believe he did that to me!  I only let him
kiss me because I thought the killer was there... what does he think I am?
A two-bit street whore?!*
Kaoru’s fists tightened, besides the fact that her heart still hasn’t
stopped beating wildly;  because of joy or anger she still wasn’t sure.  The
half of her that took care of the dojo and her father’s legacy and budo was
fuming mad at the fact that a man had made a fool of her like that;  on the
other hand, the half of her that just couldn’t help but fall for Kenshin was
overwhelmed with joy at the fact that he actually kissed her.  She sighed
and continued walking, in a slower pace.
“I have my pride... I couldn’t just let a man do that to me.  Even it he IS
Kenshin,”  then her mind travelled back to when Kenshin almost became the
Hitokiri Battosai again, just for her sake...  her eyes widened with sudden
realization.
*I really shouldn’t have beat him up like that... I mean... I guess it
really wasn’t actually a _kiss_, kiss... jeez, he must think I’m a total
child now...*  she sighed and began to retrace her steps back to where she
left Kenshin, “I guess I’d better apologize to him...  besides, I can’t just
leave him beat up in the gutter and defenseless...”
Kaoru smiled at that thought, if there was anything Kenshin wasn’t, it’s
defenseless.  Kaoru’s smile abruptly left her face just as she was about to
turn the corner-- she heard a silent footfall behind her and turned around
just in time to see a hand come down on her.
“Kenshi--!!”  she managed to gasp before darkness overcame her.
***********************************
“Oro~~”  Kenshin groaned a last time before using his sword to help him up
from the ground.  He sighed and began to dust himself off, he winced.
“Great.  Another ruined shirt...” he sighed and contemplated on the fact
that he’ll probably not be allowed to enter the dojo tonight.  He looked at
the darkened sky.
*It’s better this way, I guess... I can’t let Kaoru get anymore involved in
this than she already is... besides, I’ll never forgive myself if something
goes wrong witht the plan and she’ll--*  Kenshin closed his eyes and didn’t
allow the train of thought to continue.  *She’ll be safer in the dojo...*
“Kenshi--!!”
Kenshin’s eyes flew open as he heard that familiar voice shout his name.
“Kaoru-dono!!”  Kenshin’s eyes were wide with worry as he raced to the
corner from where the scream came from, his grip on his sword tightened.  He
stopped abruptly and caught three small knives with the four fingers of his
right hand.  His eyes darkened considerably as a man stepped from the shadows.
“I believe this is yours...”  his voice was low, mocking and raspy, as if
his vocal chords were severed.  But right now Kenshin didn’t care about his
voice...  Kaoru was unconcious and pinned to his chest securely with his
left arm, several strands of her hair strewn across her face.
“Let her go.”  Kenshin’s voice was steady and low, anger literally dripping
off his words.
*********************************
The man’s eyes smiled at the young man’s hate-filled words, *aahh... this is
going to be different...* he chuckled quietly and placed two of his fingers
on Kaoru’s chin and tilted her head to look at her face, the corners of his
eyes seeing the young man’s fists as they shook.  He decided to push him
some more.
“Mmm... she’s a beauty, isn’t she?”  he carressed her left cheek lightly, he
knew he was going too far, but he also knew that her lover can’t do anything
while he was using her as a shield.  He smiled maliciously.
“It’s too bad though, I really _did_ prefer the lavender kimono, didn’t you?”
His grip on Kaoru tightened and he turned sharply to face the young man as
he saw him prepare to unsheath his sword.  “Don’t!  Or do you want your
woman’s blood on this street?”  The corners of his mouth tilted upward as
the young man let go of his sword and put his hands to his sides.
“You were watching her all along...”  the red-head spoke, his voice like ice.
“Hehe... how could I resist?  There I was, enjoying the sights, looking for
my next victims and there she was;  strutting down the street in that dress,
looking like the Empress herself... a man had to be blind not to stare at
her.”  He chuckled, “you really are -- _were_ lucky to have her;  but you
see... it’s my turn.”
***************************
Kenshin battle aura flared as two knives flew to his throat.  He dodged to
the right and kept on dodging as more and more were thrown at him.
Silently, he wondered how his enemy could be so accurate and quick in
flinging his knives while at the sane time holding on to Kaoru, Kenshin
immediately switched to predicting the coming of the knives with his sense
of hearing as he saw that the knives were coming at him at a much faster
rate;  he could hardly see them fly now...
*If there was just some way to strike him without hurting Kaoru...*
Kenshin’s thoughts raced as his ears filled with sounds of quick, passing
air.  He saw the man grin and fling two knives at him, he dodged them
cleanly--but the next second his whole body was aware of the fact that he
had just been hit.  He winced and pulled out a dart from his left shoulder.
*When did he--?*  Kenshin’s vision suddenly blurred as he felt nausea sweep
over him.  The killer laughed.
“You’re very good, I underestimated you... but you also underestimated me.
I developed that trick myself, I’m quite surprised that I had to use it on a
mere boy,”  he snickered as Kenshin dropped to one knee, “it makes use of
the sound of the first daggers to cover the sound of the dart... that’s why
you weren’t able to sense it coming... well, since I guess this round’s
over, let’s head to my place, shall we?”
Kenshin’s ears was ringing with the man’s hoarse laughter when his body went
numb and darkness washed over him.
******************************************