Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

Recap :

His eyes flashed at me as he asked, "You feel pain in you visions?"

I wordlessly showed him my burned hands. His eyes narrowed before he turned and left the room without another word, leaving me with more questions than answers.

Meiji Corporation

Chapter Three:

After receiving my warning visit from the Battousai, I paced the floor, examined the room for anything and everything; anything to pass the time that seemed to drag and scurry past all at the same moment. I even went so far as to practice my kata without my beloved weapon.

I was halfway through the second, more advanced kata when another vision hit me. It knocked the breath from my lungs and the strength from my knees. I hit the floor hard as my hands cradled each side of my head in an attempt at keeping my skull from splitting from the strain of the vision.

This vision wasn't like the earlier one that was all pain and fire and maniacal laughter. This vision was of the Council of Elders. They were holding a meeting and I found that I could hear them as though I was in the same room.

"How could she have betrayed us like this?"

"We've been pushing her too hard recently and all that she wants is her freedom from this life."

"Her actions are inexcusable! She should now be treated like one of them! Killed on sight!"

The vision faded and was replaced with a dark scene that was all blood and death. I looked around me and found that it was a battlefield. The aftermath of the battles fought here were enough to darken the sky and all that was left standing was a single stalk of a green plant amongst the dark, blood and mud splattered ground.

I came back to myself with a snap that threatened to rip apart my already bruised mind and I easily slid back into sleep's welcoming embrace to escape the pain.

I slowly became aware of voices that were too loud for my comfort. They growled loudly and hotly back and forth so fast that I could barely catch what they were saying, not that I cared.

A groan of pain slipped unbidden to my lips and I managed to stifle most of the sound but not enough as the room was immediately quiet. Cool hands that were as soft as silk brushed against my skin and I jerked away at the pain that they brought.

"Don't touch me. Please. It burns." I managed to choke out the words despite the rawness of my throat. They came out weak, much to my chagrin.

"What did you see?" The baritone of the Battousai asked, the first words that I had heard him utter since I had returned to the world of the living.

I opened my eyes and met his gaze blearily, "I am now to suffer the same fate as any and all vampires. The Council believes that I am corrupted by your kind's influence and shall be killed on sight."

He never even blinked at my hoarse words. "What else?"

I closed my eyes as I croaked, "The rest is meant for me alone and I will not share it with you."

His hand was gripping my shirt as he hoisted me to my feet and only inches from his nose as he growled, "You will tell me what you saw, little Hunter. I will not ask a second time."

My temper sparked, "Do not think that for a moment that I will bow down to your every whim! I will fight you with my last breath if I have to, but I will not follow your orders blindly!"

Burning amber pinned my eyes and I cringed as his free hand reached up and was just a hair's breadth shy of touching my skin as he murmured, "Yes, I think you would. Will you tell me what I want to know or do I have to persuade you?"

I clenched my teeth and glared into his smoldering eyes as steadily as possible. He chuckled darkly before caressing my cheek with the back of his knuckles and the pain that shot through me had me reacting without thought.

I twisted against his hold, one foot slamming into his ankle as I spun against his shoulder and leaped over the plush couch. I landed with my back to the wall opposite the door and raised my fists for the fight that I knew was coming.

The other vampires were standing deathly still as they watched their leader to see what he would do. I too gazed at the Battousai as I stretched my senses and ki to perhaps anticipate his next move. I was unprepared for the sound of his rich laughter that filled the room easily, albeit coldly. The vampires tensed minutely but it was enough for me to know that something was up.

I dropped to the floor just as he moved and rolled out of the way, sweeping a leg out at the same time in an attempt at knocking him to the floor. I had just regained my feet when a third vision hit me with enough force to send me careening backwards into the couch.

Strong hands caught me by my upper arms as I lost myself in the vision of moonlight and heat.

I opened my eyes as the vision left me trembling in fear and expectancy. Battousai's warm breath brushed against my ear as his ginger scent washed against my flushed skin, "What did you see, little oracle?"

I bit my lip as I fought to support myself on traitorous knees. I struggled to get out of his hands but the fight was long since gone from my limbs. I closed my eyes as I felt him shift closer to me and I shivered as he purred, "Tell me."

"A battlefield. Humans and vampires and others scattered in the mud and the blood. A storm gathering over head and a single stalk of new growth in the middle of it all."

Battousai pulled away slightly to meet my eyes and I looked up into his amber orbs silently telling him that I spoke the truth. He arched an eyebrow as he silently ordered me to tell what else I had seen. I took a deep breath and let it out as a sigh before rushing through the last vision, an embarrassed flush covering my face as I dropped my head to hide my gaze behind my bangs. I omitted the part about who it was that would share my bed, telling them only that he was a powerful vampire with a score to settle.

"Do you often have so many detailed visions?" he asked with a hint of amusement and a raised brow.

I mutely shook my head as I tugged at his hold on my arms. I could feel his eyes roam over my face and knew that his eyes would burn with a possessive light before the full moon was completely gone. My visions were never wrong, though they did not always show me the course that would be taken; the end result would be the same as my vision.

"What does the weed in the battlefield mean?" asked the rooster-haired fighter lazily as the tension in the room began to dissipate.

"It means that we will rebuild and become stronger than ever don't it?" asked an energetic girl that I haven't seen before as she bounced on the balls of her feet.

"That vision was meant for me. It means that there is always hope, no matter how bad the destruction, I can find a way to keep on living." My voice was low and laced with my need for sleep. These visions were giving me headaches and the steady pull on my almost exhausted magic wasn't helping matters.

Battousai pushed me into the arms of the ice-eyed man from my meeting in the park and ordered him to take me to a more comfortable room to wait for the ritual. I didn't even have the strength to fight him and so followed along quietly much to the surprise that I could feel rolling off of the vampires in the room.

I trailed along behind the tall vampire and gazed at the tapestries that filled the hallway as we passed them without slowing up. He led me up a flight of stairs and into a small antechamber where he left me, soundly locking the door. I looked around me as a grimace passed over my face.

I took in the dark walls and plush carpet as I crossed the room on silent feet and walked into the next room which held a bed that promised soft pillows and warm blankets. I didn't bother to change out of my soiled clothes and just crawled onto the bed and let exhaustion once again take me under and into sleep's friendly embrace.

My last coherent thought was of the strange effect these vampires had on my magic.

A/N: Sorry! This chapter has been written but technical difficulties have caused me to not be able to post it! I will try to get them up faster but no promises. Thanks for the reviews!