A/N: So, this odd idea kind of came to me in a dream. Probably fueled by the fact that I had read my all time favorite Kenshin fan fiction ('Broken Pieces' by Linay) the day before. I hope it is original (or as original as it can get, considering the 15,000+ fan fictions that are on this sight for Kenshin) and entertaining. For those of you reading Angels and Demons, have no fear I'll still be updating that as well!

EDIT 11/22/2013: This story is currently in the process of being edited and updated!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin and Co. I only screw them up to entertain fans.

Dreams

'…thoughts…'

"…speech…"

Which Way Is Up?

…

.

…

Chapter One

…

"Let me out of here!" She screamed until her lungs burned as she beat on the lid of the silk lined box she was suffocating in. Her legs were too long, there wasn't enough room to use her feet and her knees stung every time she used them to try and break free. There wasn't any air, there wasn't any time. A week ago she was sitting in a class room, but now…

"Please! Please let me out!" Hysteria caused her voice to crack, caused her screams to be nothing more than a high pitched whisper as her throat constricted in panic.

It was dark, it was hot, and it was in that coffin that she was sure she would die in.

As the first clumps of dirt hit the top of the wooden box, she sobbed and wished that she had never met him.

…

One week earlier…

…

"Ms. Kamiya Kaoru. Twenty-two years of age. 5'8, blue eyes, raven black hair, a blood donor and oh look here, 143 pounds of weight on that poor frame of yours. No wonder you spend most of your mornings doing exercises." The grin on the face of the man whose spiky brown haired head was the constant cause of trouble in class was enough to raise a violent action out of Ms. Kamiya Kaoru.

"Give that back." She seethed at him as he handed up her school ID quickly, his ears ringing with the force the smack to the back of his head had caused.

"I was just kidding, you're not really fat." He couldn't help but to egg her on, after all, it was a new school term and he needed his daily entertainment and no one provided it quite like Kaoru did.

"Sagara Sanosuke!" Sano leapt to his feet, holding out his hands in defense as a book landed where his head would have been if he had remained seated.

Ah, it was good to be back.

"Well girly. Look at the time. I've really got to go!" He looked at his bare wrist, gave her a winning grin then leapt over a lab table, scrambling out of the door as she glared after him.

"Rooster-headed idiot." Kaoru muttered as she picked up her science book, brushing it off lovingly. "This is why forensics and wannabe cops don't mix well. Isn't it precious?" She hugged her book to her chest then quickly set it down on the smooth black surface of the lab table as other students walked in, clearing her throat as a red hue rose on her cheeks.

She sat down, and looked at her ID, staring at the picture as it stared back.

"I don't look fat, do I?" She whispered to it then sighed heavily. Even though her weight wasn't the reason she spent the early mornings working out, she considered cutting back on the daily chocolate bars as she leaned back in her chair and patted her stomach. "After all, just because I'm a science nerd, it doesn't mean I need to look like a donut eating, mountain dew chugging cow."

"Excuse me?" Kaoru looked up through her bangs at a tall and thin woman with dark eyes whose pretty, pale face was framed by black hair. A splash of bright red lipstick painted her mouth. "I do believe that talking to yourself out loud is considered a psychological disorder. I don't allow crack pots in my class, and I believe that the shrink's office is up the stairs and to the left."

As laughs and giggles erupted around her Kaoru stared open mouthed at the older lady as she turned and moved to the front of the class room. Her ears and neck burned from the blush that had crawled up from her lower spine as anger swamped her.

"My name is Dr. Takani. You may call me "Dr. Takani" , "Mistress", or "Majesty". You may not call me, "Babe"," She trailed her eyes over the boys in the class. " "Whore," " She shifted and leaned back against her desk at the front of the class room and crossed her bare legs at the ankle as she looked at the girls in the class. " or "Boyfriend Stealing Bitch". If you can't keep a hold of your men, ladies, then it's not my problem when they come to a real woman for their pleasure." She smoothed down her black skirt that rested just above her knees then flipped her hair over her shoulder as the class started murmuring. "Any questions?"

Kaoru plastered a polite smile on her face as she lifted a hand in the air. Dr. Takani's eyes landed on her and clucked her tongue in a sound of annoyance.

"This isn't grade school crazy girl, this is intro to Forensic Chemistry. Speak already." She moved around the desk, pulled out her rolling chair and sat gracefully. Kaoru watched her as she lowered her hand then stood, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Can we call you "The Old Hag from Hell?".

…

" You got kicked out of your first class? Kaoru, I can't believe you! I told you to just sit there and learn, you like to learn you like to be in school, you like what you want to do for a living. So why are you screwing up already?" Kaoru scowled at the commercial playing on the TV and adjusted her phone between her ear and shoulder more comfortably then pulled the ice-cream covered spoon from her mouth.

"Misao, you're like…a senior in high school and you're going to lecture me? If anything, you should be admiring my technique at getting back for that woman after she embarrassed me! I mean, a woman like that can't just go around saying whatever they want. She's a teacher, in a community college for the love of god! She's not some man stealing master of the universe, she's really no better than a stripper named Candy down at the corner of 5th and Canary!" The martyred sigh on the other end of the phone had Kaoru stuffing the spoon back into her mouth, loaded anew with a glob of mint ice-cream.

"It doesn't matter what she does, she's your professor, you're the student and that is THE class you need to take to progress in your school career, and she's the only teacher that teaches it! Think about it." With a sigh Kaoru just nodded at the TV, then flipped the channel her mouth twisting into a scowl.

"I'll apologize." The words tasted like vinegar, ruining the wonderful flavor of her ice cream.

"You better." Misao's voice was cheery, friendly, and completely accepting of the cousin who had trouble keeping her temper in check.

Kaoru was grateful.

"Hey, news is on, have to do the current events so I'll get back to you later." Kaoru let the phone drop, it bouncing down onto the couch cushion and closing as she set the bowl down on the coffee table, picking up a notebook and pen.

"Today's top story." She shifted and picked up the remote, turning it up as the lame intro music played and wondered why people even bothered with things like that. The news almost always started with tragedy and yet here was their music, bright and perky. News crews had no souls, she was convinced. "After a week of investigation, law officials have finally come up with a clue to bring the mass murderer of seven people to justice. Anna has the story, live. Good evening Anna."

"Good evening, I am standing outside of the Chiba Police station where local officials brought in a woman early this morning who said that she witnessed one of these horrible slayings."

"Just one woman?" Kaoru huffed as she wrote down notes. "Twenty bucks says she doesn't have anything decent to say, or that it was a sighting about 200meters away and she wasn't wearing her glasses on a dark night, down an alley with trash everywhere."

"Wanting to remain anonymous, this 72 year old local resident stated, and I quote "The screams were horrible, it was as if someone was playing one of those horror movies really loud out in the back alley. I heard this loud screeching sound, like metal on metal then there was this gargling noise. When I looked out of the window I saw a man standing over what looked like a bag of garbage to me. It was dark and I wasn't wearing my glasses but I could make out the shadow of something long in his hands, like a pipe or a crowbar or something."

"Hah!" Kaoru pointed at the TV. "I called it!"

"She continued on to state, "I couldn't see his face really, just that it was a man, but the thing that struck me the most about him was his hair. He had long red hair, pulled back into a ponytail, it looked like a wave of fire." Now we'll take you inside and more, after this commercial break."

Kaoru stared at the TV as a Fanta commercial blared out of the side speakers before looking down at her paper.

"Red hair? I don't imagine how anyone could hide with hair 'like fire'. " She laughed to herself as she scribbled a picture of a stick figure on fire at the top of her notes. "Not like that is a normal style for a man in Japan." Shifting to fold her legs under herself she looked back at the TV as the report came back on.

Anna was now standing right inside of the police station as people walked in and out around her. More details had been released on the case itself. Kaoru made bullet points on the paper then began listing.

The murders always happened after midnight and before sunset.

No money or valuables were ever taken from the crime scene.

Only men had been killed.

The killer was using a blade, approximately 2-feet in length.

Kaoru shifted and closed her notebook then picked up her ice-cream again, taking a bite as she turned off the news.

"I guess either the criminals have gotten smarter, or the police have gotten dumber. How can a red haired man possibly be getting around in Kyoto with a two foot blade?"

…

He ran as fast as he could, fear blinding him enough that he ran into trashcans, into the corner of a fence and down a dead end alley before he noticed.

"Fuck! Jesus fucking Christ, you can't do this!" He spun around, spitting and screaming into the dark as he fumbled for his cell phone.

Sweat dripped into his eyes and he moved the sleeve of his blue suit jacket roughly over his face, dialing a number then cursed when he dropped it.

A whimper of panic escaped his quivering lips as he bent over, his sweaty palm closing over the cell phone.

A small whistling sound had him looking up. A flash of red hair trailed behind the man in a black trench coat that landed next to him. His body jerked and twitched as it was impaled, starting between the eyes and ending up at the base of his spine in one swift motion.

A street lamp at the end of the alley was the last bit of light that he'd ever see, reflected in the cold steel of the sword.

…

A/N: Not much done to this chapter, read and review if you like it!

…Nuclotei