A/N: Thanks for the reviews!

Things are getting pretty fantastic around here. No, really. I'm adding magic to the story. I forgot to mention that before. Sorry! I hope you enjoy, though!


The next day, Kenshin and Kaoru found their way to her house on the other side of Tokyo.

"It's huge," Kaoru said as the two stared up in awe at the mansion from the gate. It was, of course, very western-looking. From the bricks to the square, paned windows. So much for trying to assimilate.

"She did mention she was born into wealth," Kenshin said with a nod.

"Yeah, but...WOW!"

He chuckled. "Come, we must not keep her waiting."

Just as Kenshin lifted his hand to knock on the wrought-iron bars, someone came out of the house. Slowly, Poison made his way toward the gate and unlocked it with his key before pulling it open and letting them in.

"How did you...?" Kaoru tried to ask.

"I saw you standing there," Poison said.

"Oh," Kaoru said with a nod, watching him close and lock the gate back up. She raised her eyebrows curiously, but thought it'd be rude to say something.

"We hear that people here are more respectful of other people's things," Poison explained anyway, leading them to the front door. "But Ms. Dixon is still firm on keeping her things and grounds locked up tight. I don't blame her."

'Well, they are from the west,' Kaoru thought, shrugging at Kenshin. He grinned at her and turned back to Poison.

Once inside, Poison had to turn around again to be sure that the front door was locked.

Kaoru looked around the foyer. "Shall we leave our shoes here?" she asked.

Poison shook his head. "Ms. Dixon has kept the house very western. You can keep them on." Kaoru and Kenshin frowned, but awkwardly accepted it.

Poison then went ahead of them again and led them through the foyer into a sitting room.

BANG!

Kaoru and Kenshin flinched at the sudden sound, but Poison remained calm. Though his face twisted into a mix of embarrassment and thoughtfulness.

"Excuse me," he said. "Ms. Dixon will be here in just a moment." With that, he bowed to them and walked out of the room through a different door.

"What do you think that was?" Kaoru asked her fiance.

Kenshin shrugged. "This one is not sure. But it seems to be a common occurrence in this house, considering how Poison-dono reacted."

Kaoru nodded and looked around the room. It was just as western as the outside had been. There were plush, blue armchairs and couches everywhere. The wood on them had been polished so it almost looked golden. On the wall to their right was a huge window with white panes. Blue curtains adorned it. Ahead of them was a fireplace with a painting of some woman over the mantle. The woman had red hair and blue eyes, and wore a beautiful green gown adorned with white lace. She held a white fan at her side. In the middle of the couches by the fireplace sat a low-to-the-ground table, and Kaoru wondered why they had a Japanese-style table surrounded by couches. To the left of the fireplace was the door that Poison had left through.

The wall to their left held more paintings of women and more doors. A few of the paintings were children, of both genders, playing or sitting on Delilah's lap.

The floor was adorned with an intricately-decorated, persian rug.

She paused in her investigation when they heard the clicking of heels coming towards the door on the far wall. The footsteps sounded hurried, and Kaoru couldn't help but grab Kenshin's hand nervously.

Finally, the footsteps stopped. Kenshin heard someone take a deep breath behind the door before it opened, Delilah gleefully standing on the other side.

This was a slightly different Delilah from before. She wore a blue dress with white lace. She had rogue on her face, jewelry, and her hair was up, but slightly askew. Nonetheless, she appeared as friendly and welcoming as before.

She threw her hands out and walked into the room. "Kenshin-san! Kaoru-san! I'm so glad you made it!" she said, heading towards them. If there was any doubt, the clicking of her shoes on the wood floor before she reached the rug told them that she had been the one hurriedly coming towards the room.

"It's great to see you," Kaoru said with a grin. "Thank you for having us over."

"Oh, of course," Delilah said. "We have to sort out all the details for the party next week. Now, come. Sit! We have much to discuss."

After taking a moment to lead them to the couches and showing them how to sit on them properly, Delilah pulled out paper and pen from the bottom of the coffee table in front of them. "Now, who are we inviting?" she asked.

The three set to work on party preparations. Once they reached a break, Kaoru sat back and looked up at the painting above the mantle.

"Who is that in that painting?" Kaoru asked.

Delilah grinned and, without looking up, replied, "That's my daughter, Rose."

Kenshin and Kaoru's eyes widened. Delilah looked no older than 21! How could she have a daughter in her teens, like the one in the painting? "She is beautiful," Kenshin said once he recovered.

Delilah nodded, not seeming to have noticed the pause. "Yes, she is."

"Where is she now?" Kaoru asked.

"Back in England. She lives with her husband and family."

Again, Kenshin and Kaoru couldn't help but look at each other with wide eyes. Rose wasn't a teenager, she was a full-blown woman! With children!

"Forgive this one, Delilah-dono," Kenshin said, "but you do not look old enough to have a woman such as Rose-dono as a daughter."

Delilah chuckled. "There's a reason for that," she said. Kaoru and Kenshin waited patiently.

When she didn't offer an explanation, Kaoru spoke. "What's the reason?" she asked.

Delilah laughed. "Here's a hint. I was born in the year 1621." She paused to let them think about that and figure out how long ago that was. "Today, it is the year 1879," she offered.

"Wait, you're over 200 years old!?" Kaoru asked.

"Ms. Dixon," Poison said, entering the room from one of the side doors. He held a document in his hand as he hurriedly walked over to them.

"Poison," Delilah said, "you can see I am busy-"

"It's urgent." He reached them and thrust the document into her lap. Her eyes ran over the western wording quickly. When she finished, she placed her hands on her lap, over the document, and smiled at Kenshin and Kaoru.

"It seems something has come up that I really must attend to right now," she said. "I think I have everything I need for the party. If not, I will send Poison to retrieve what I need. Thank you both for coming, and, again, congratulations!"

With that, she stood and left the stunned couple, walking through the door Poison had come from.

"What was that about?" Kaoru asked.

"None of your business," Poison said. Kaoru sniffed at his rudeness and stood.

"I guess we've been dismissed," Kaoru said.

"It seems we have," Kenshin agreed, standing beside her.

"And right after we found out...Poison-san?" Kaoru turned to Delilah's right-hand-man. "Did you know that Delilah-dono was 200 years old?"

"258," Poison corrected her. "Come, I'll show you to the door."

Shocked once again, and offered no further explanation, Kaoru and Kenshin silently followed Poison to the front door.