Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is copyrighted by its respective owners, of which I am not one.

Warnings: See Rating.

Beta: The fantabulous Laegdin

The chair Kaoru sat in was made of molded plastic without even a cushion to soften its unyielding form. If the chair had been designed to make whoever sat in it as uncomfortable as possible, they did their job well. A little too well.

She tried not to squirm but being forced to wait a good half hour made her restless and did nothing to ease her jumpy nerves. Kaoru had to concentrate on something other than her anxiety before she went insane and, unfortunately, the chair caught her attention. She shifted her weight slightly, wondering if her rear was going to flatten into the shape of a rectangle if she had to sit in the chair for much longer.

Just as she was about to stand to relieve the pressure from the unyielding seat, a tall, dark haired man rounded the corner, boots clicking authoritatively on the linoleum. Kaoru looked up, hoping it was the man she was waiting for. He stopped by the torture chair and looked down at her; the speculative expression on his face suddenly made her feel self-conscious. All thoughts of moving ceased as Kaoru met his gaze as if drawn to the magnetic amber orbs. He had a cigarette in his mouth, the thin curl of smoke wafting in front of his cold expression and long bangs obscured the searching gaze of his eyes. He was dressed in the standard police uniform, both pants and shirt pressed and creased as if they had just come from the cleaners.

Kaoru's first impression was that he was a predator. He moved with the simple grace of a man who knew his strengths and could easily overpower anyone foolish enough to cross him: a wolf in the truest sense of the word. His long, lean body and angular face only lent credence to that picture. She wouldn't have been surprised if he bared his teeth and displayed extremely long canines.

Realizing she was just sitting there like a forgotten lump of gravy, Kaoru had to take a moment to remember why she was here. She tried to swallow, her mouth having gone dry at the foreboding presence that crowded her in the narrow hallway. Aware that he was still staring at her with his unnerving gaze, she managed to squeak out, "Inspector Saitou Hajime?"

The man drew back slightly as if surprised she was able to speak but nodded curtly. "Kamiya-san, is it? Come into my office where we can talk." Turning sharply on his heels, he strode a few feet away and entered a room through the open door.

Kaoru wasn't sure how but she managed to force her suddenly wobbly legs to stand. The unsteadiness was as much from the lack of blood circulation as to her purpose here. Taking a few, deep breaths, she tried to calm her jumping nerves. Kaoru reminded herself for the twenty-fifth time that she was doing the right thing. Telling the police everything she knew was best.

With that resolve, Kaoru followed him into the room where Saitou already sat behind the desk, waiting for her. The office was small, crammed full with two file cabinets, a large oak desk that was surprisingly devoid of papers, and two visitor chairs. His cigarette, stubbed into an ashtray on the desk, sputtered for the last time before dissipating into the air with a weary puff of smoke. The odor of stale cigarettes lingered in the air, inhaled with every breath she took. An overhead lamp flickered directly over the chairs, spot-lighting them for her.

Kaoru chose the left seat and slumped into it gratefully before wincing. She sat up and rubbed her tail bone ruefully. The chair was exactly the same as the one in the hallway but felt twice as hard.

"Now, Kamiya-san, I understand you have information regarding Battousai, also known as the Manslayer," Saitou said without preamble as soon as she sat down. "Why don't you tell me exactly what you know?" It seemed more like an order than a request.

Still disconcerted by his unwavering stare, Kaoru cleared her throat a few times before attempting to speak. Unsure of what to do with her hands since there were no arm rests, she laid them carefully on her knees, spasmodically gripping the joints to reassure herself. She was proud that her voice didn't squeak or break despite the renewed surge of nervousness. "I know where Battousai is," she blurted out.

Saitou didn't even blink. "I see. And how did you come about this information?"

Kaoru swallowed hard past the lump in her throat. This was the part that was giving her nightmares, the reason why she had come down to the police station in the first place. "I um … I saw him. Kill someone. The girl in the alley from yesterday."

She wasn't certain but she thought his gray eyes narrowed slightly. "And you waited until now to report it? Why?"

It was fair question, albeit an unwelcome one. Kaoru averted her gaze, partly in shame and partly because she just couldn't maintain eye contact with him for long; looking at Saitou made her feel like an insect being dissected. "Because I was scared," she said quietly. She had prided herself on being a strong woman but in the end, shock and fear had kept her from doing the right thing until now. It was a disgrace she would have to live with from now on.

"Scared of what? Did Battousai see you?"

Kaoru shook her head slowly. "No, I don't think so. I mean, as soon as I saw what was going on, I ducked out of the way and ran home. I locked the door and didn't leave my apartment until today." She tried to suppress a shudder as the mental picture of blood spraying in the air rose in her mind. "He's my neighbor."

The chair squeaked as Saitou leaned back in his chair, regarding his visitor with an impassive expression. "Your neighbor, you say? What makes you think he's Battousai?"

"Well, he's new. He just moved in a few months ago," Kaoru explained. Her hands, now clasped together, turned bone white because of her grip. "I saw him in the alley. His .. his scar. And sword." She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around herself. Sudden chills ran down her spine as the words sank into the smoke-heavy air. Kaoru's voice dropped to a whisper. "And his eyes."

"The alley was dark, Kamiya-san. How did you happen to see all of this?"

Despite the nerve-wracking admission she had just made, Saitou's words seemed to remain flat and unconvinced. Kaoru snapped her eyes open and glared at the Inspector. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"I haven't heard anything to confirm or deny the truth of your information," Saitou said crisply. He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a box of cigarettes. Kaoru resisted the urge to tell him that smoking was a huge health hazard; the fumes in the room alone would probably give her lung cancer. "I'm merely asking you questions that will help me decide whether or not you actually did see Battousai murder the victim. Now, how could you see your neighbor kill this girl in the alley? From all reports, it was a dark night and there aren't any street lamps close enough to illuminate the area."

The slight derisive note in Saitou's voice caused a surge of anger to well up in Kaoru. After she had finally made the decision to go to the police then found the nerve to actually go there and share her information, all this man did was mock her! "I saw it," she said through gritted teeth, "because it wasn't completely dark. It was a little past five o'clock and the sun hadn't set yet."

Saitou suddenly stilled and his gaze sharpened on Kaoru. He carefully set the box of cigarettes down and leaned forward slightly. "Around five o'clock, you say?"

Confused at his sudden change in demeanor, she nodded. "Um, yeah. I usually get home from work around five and I pass by the alley to get to my apartment. Why?"

Saitou exhaled slowly as his gaze drifted past her thoughtfully to look at a stain on the wall. "The medical examiner estimated the woman's time of death to be between five and six o'clock. We did not leak that bit of information to the media and allowed them to speculate as to when the murder occurred. No one else knows about it."

"Oh." Kaoru thought about that for a moment. "So now do you believe me? Only someone who saw Battousai killing her would know that, right?"

A slow smirk dawned on Saitou's lips. "Not quite, Kamiya-san. I still have a few more questions left."

They broke into his apartment without knocking first.

Kaoru waited outside with several other officers, arms wrapped around her as she anxiously listened to the garble of the radio communicator. She heard dull noises in the background as police officers shouted to one another. Succinct voices called out, "Clear!" several times before some inventive cursing aired.

Saitou stomped out of the apartment building a few minutes later, his body vibrating with unleashed anger. Kaoru tried not to cringe as the searing aura enveloped her when he drew closer.

Still, she had to ask. Licking her dry lips, Kaoru garnered up the courage to ask him, "What happened?"

Saitou paused next to her, his gray eyes flickering into a shade of blazing amber. "He's gone. There was nothing there."

Kaoru's heart sank. She had been too late in reporting this to the police. Why hadn't she done it right away?

As if reading her mind, Saitou said gruffly, "He's on the run again so we'll be watching the underground. We'll corner him eventually. But the next time you have vital news like this, I'll expect you to report it sooner rather than later. Information is only as good as its timeliness."

Kaoru unlocked the door to her apartment, sighing in relief as she stepped inside. After another hour of searching Kenshin's apartment for any clues and canvassing the other tenants in the building, the police finally let her go home with a stern reminder that if she saw her former neighbor again, she was to call Saitou immediately, day or night. Kaoru didn't want to speculate where Battousai disappeared to. She didn't know and couldn't venture a guess even when Saitou pressed her about it.

Of course, now that all the adrenaline and her nervousness wore off, Kaoru wondered if she did the right thing after all. Perhaps it wasn't Kenshin she saw. Perhaps it was his amazing, look-alike twin who had killed the poor woman.

Or perhaps she was on her way to losing her mind, trying to second-guess herself.

Closing the door behind her, Kaoru made sure to bolt herself in and turn the lock back in position. Even though Battousai was gone, it never hurt to be too careful - especially not after what she had witnessed last night. Flipping on the light switch, she dropped her keys in her purse before tossing the bag onto the couch. Turning, she took a step forward before realizing she wasn't alone.

Kenshin stood there, leaning against the wall next to her balcony door. His head was bent but as she froze, heart racing in sudden fear, he slowly looked up, molten yellow gaze pinning her down in her position. His flame red hair was tied back at the nape of his neck but long bangs hid his eyes from her frightened gaze. Kaoru's eyes immediately settled on the cross-shaped scar on his left cheek – a scar that hadn't been there when she saw him in the past few months. The faint, white puckered lines stood out on his fair skin now, mocking her for being so blind. His sword was nowhere in sight. Kaoru wondered if that was good news for her or not. After all, there was no rule stating that Battousai had to use a sword to kill someone.

Unfolding his arms, her unwelcome visitor spoke, the voice low and accusing. "You told the police about me."

There was something different about him that caused the same flicker of nervousness she felt around Saitou to return full force. Kenshin – no, Battousai had the same killing aura that could warn off a pride of hungry lions. There was a stillness about him that couldn't be taken as anything else but complete confidence in his own abilities, an untamed aura of barely leashed danger washing around him. The mild-mannered red-head Kaoru had known disappeared and in his place stood the manslayer of near legendary proportions.

All doubt as to Kenshin's true identity washed away in that one instant. Kaoru uncomfortably realized he looked quite capable of killing a woman in cold blood.

She thought she might have whimpered. But when Kenshin took a step forward, Kaoru's instinct for self-preservation jolted into action. No way was she going to stand by and allow herself to become another one of his numbered victims!

Looking around wildly, she spotted the closest thing to a weapon she could find on hand and lunged for it. As soon as her fingers closed around the plastic, Kaoru swung it in Battousai's direction, trying to hold it steadily in front, as if to ward off his presence. "S-stay back!" she warned him, waving the hanger around. She tried to look menacing but her shaking voice dispelled any idea of bravado.

Battousai merely smirked at her, taking another step in her direction. Kaoru backed up to maintain the same distance between them. "And what do you think you can do with that thing? Hang my jacket up to prove I was here?"

"Come any closer and I'll show you!" she snapped. His amusement helped bolster her anger enough to steady her grip on the hanger. Her body automatically shifted into a defensive position, thanks to her kendo training in the past. Her father had made her learn the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, her family's sword style. If she got out of this alive, Kaoru promised herself silently, she would go back to training again for self-defense.

In response to her challenge, Battousai shifted closer, a deadly ripple of grace. Kaoru shrank back further, her back hitting the wall as she ran out of room. Her eyes darted to the door. It would take too long to unbolt and unlock it to escape. By the time she was even halfway done, Battousai probably could have killed her three times.

As if reading her mind, he smirked. "You can try and escape. It would be amusing to see that. But in the end, you'll realize there's no way out, Kaoru-dono." She shuddered at the name that he had always called her before, somehow finding it wrong that he still addressed her with the honorific. Kenshin's eyes fell half-shut as he noticed her reaction. "Hmm, you like that, do you?" he purred.

Did he think she would have feelings for a killer like him? Perhaps she had had a small crush on her quiet neighbor but any thoughts of that had been wiped out yesterday. "Stop it! You're not the man I knew!" Kaoru said harshly. "Don't pretend you're really Himura Kenshin because you aren't!"

Inexplicably, he snorted. "All right, then. Tell me who you think I am."

His confident stance reminded her of that night. Her mind flashed back to the spray of blood dribbling down the alley wall and the woman falling under the crimson-stained sword. She had lain there, limp as a rag doll while the red-head calmly wiped the blade on her shirt to clean it. Kaoru blinked several times to rid herself of the memory. "You're Battousai the manslayer," she whispered.

Without warning, he ripped the hanger out of her hands so fast she stumbled forward a few steps. But before Kaoru found her balance, Battousai slithered behind her and pinned her hands back between their bodies. His other hand held her chin in a firm grip as he leaned forward, hot breath tickling her ear as he whispered, "Then you are right." His grip on her tightened and Kaoru winced at the painful pinching. "Now that we've established my identity, what should we do now, Kaoru-dono? Since you're so good at figuring things out, tell me what to do next." His voice mocked her and she almost felt the sneer on his lips.

Kaoru closed her eyes, suddenly regretting a lot of things in her life. She regretted not being able to fight one last time with Yahiko, the brazen teenage boy whom she considered her brother. She regretted not telling Megumi just how much she appreciated her friendship and the crazy times they had spent together. She regretted not giving Sano the last dumpling when he had practically begged for it two nights ago.

But she did not regret doing the right thing in turning Kenshin in. He was far too dangerous to be allowed loose in society. His erratic behavior tonight proved that beyond doubt. And if it meant her death, she would do everything she could to stop him. For the sake of her friends and family.

So she whispered as best she could, considering the fierce grip on her chin. "You should turn yourself into the police."

Long silence fell over the apartment for the space of fifteen heartbeats before she was suddenly spun around and a hot mouth crashed upon hers. Dizzy from the sudden motion, Kaoru stood there for what seemed like forever as her mind tried to comprehend what just happened. One moment Battousai was going to kill her and the next he was kissing her?

And he was a good kisser, she had to admit. His surprisingly soft lips molded on hers with sudden gentleness. There was no force, just a pleasant pressure that eventually coaxed an approving moan from her throat. Their heated breaths mingled until it dampened their cheeks. He held both her arms in each hand but his grip was no longer painful, merely to keep her still so he could ravish her lips over and over again.

When his rough tongue swept her bottom lip, Kaoru finally realized she was kissing Battousai. Her mother had probably rolled over in her grave, seeing her daughter making out with a bona fide killer. She mustered enough strength to yank her head back and gave him her best glare even as her body wailed at the sudden loss of contact and heat. "What are you doing, you pervert?" she demanded as fiercely as she could. Kaoru knew her cheeks were flushed and to save her pride she pretended it was from anger.

Battousai merely smiled slowly, licking his lips in an unbelievably sexy gesture that would have felled a lesser woman. As it was, Kaoru suddenly had a hard time remembering how to breathe. "I've been wanting to do that for months. You have quite an addicting taste, just as I expected. And your reaction was a surprise but very welcome." He let go of her arms and stepped backwards towards the balcony, holding her gaze with his hypnotic golden eyes. "It's been a pleasure, Sweet. I'll make sure to come back for you soon, all right?"

"What? Wait, no!" But before Kaoru had even moved a step, Battousai turned, slid the balcony door open and jumped over the railing in one continuous motion. Heart nearly stopping at the sudden, near-suicidal move, she ran out, leaning over the railing for any sign of the red-headed man. Was he insane? Sure, she was only on the second floor, but a jump like that could easily sprain an ankle if he wasn't careful.

But there was no Battousai sprawled on the ground below, groaning in pain. He wasn't hobbling off to the nearest hideout or wherever criminals went to. There wasn't even a person on the street.

It was as if he vanished into nothingness.

Re-edited 10.7.07