Syrens Chapter 4: Possessive Natures, a rurouni kenshin fanfic

Sigh... I'm slightly depressed at the lack of response I seem to be getting from this story... and though I know I should not let it get to me... because you that do read and review for me are the ones that count and the ones that I continue to write for... but I cannot help but feel sad that there are not that many who tell me their opinions on my story... It helps me to keep it going, to feel motivated... to know that someone is liking the plot-line... anyway, thank you to those that do... it means more to me than you'll ever know... and so... this is for you...

Disclaimer: I am not possessive... I just don't like it when others touch what is mine... which does not include RK...

"'Cause without you I'm not okay.

And without you I've lost my way.

My heart's stuck in second place.

Without you."

Without You Dixie Chicks

Chapter 3: Possessive Natures

The length of time it took for them to leave the village was longer than Kenshin had liked. What with closing down the infirmary and making sure one of the neighbors could handle any small thing that could possibly happen while Tomoe was gone. Impatience had worn thin on his nerves, hardening his face and posture, making the friends he knew look at him in a sort of curious fear... the impressions of emotions only making his anger tighten. Now, following behind the steady stride of the woman before him, he tried hard to divert his attention away from that darkness.

"Who exactly are we meeting with out here?" The path they tread on led them in only one direction, towards the place where he had lost her, the cottage already a passing form behind them.

"A young friend of mine. Another syren." Treading carefully over the rocks hidden in the grass, Tomoe talked over her shoulder, one hand lifting the hem of her dress.

"What makes you think she will help?" Wary and remembering the stories he had heard about this solitary race, he doubted that he would get much assistance from one. Truthfully doubting he would get much help from anyone.

"She owes me... and she will do as I ask."

"What luck that you have acquired the favor of such a useful syren? I wonder what exactly you have done for her, considering what... social creatures you are." Saito, speaking up with a mocking draw from the back of their group, quirked a smile when she tossed a glare over her shoulder.

"If you must know, I am hiding her from the magic of another syren, in much the same way I have hidden Kaoru from my sister."

Snorting in irritation, Saito growled under his breath. "If having this woman's abilities also means we will have to deal with whatever she has after her, then it might not be worth the trouble."

"Oh believe me, it's nothing that horrible. The only trouble you might have would be a possession dispute... but I'm sure you can both handle that." Words biting back at the wolf from the lips of the woman, Kenshin felt only a little bewildered at the lack of knowledge he seemed to have, especially when the taller man behind him let out a breath like he'd been hit in the stomach.

"What would a "possession dispute" be exactly?"

"It means this little tracker who is about to join us has a follower... of the male kind. This could get ugly." Silently taking out a cigarette, Saito took his time puffing it to life. "Just how long has she been hiding here?"

"A few years."

"That just makes it better doesn't it?" Muttering under his breath, the both of them ignoring the confused red-head, Saito sniffed once before spitting in disgust. "Orc blood."

Rounding the corner, Kenshin felt his gut clench at the sight of that battlefield again, the dead bodies and churned mud; weapons sticking out of the ground in half-hazard patterns of chaos. This was where he had lost her... he never wanted to see this place again. Lip curling unconsciously, he jerked at the hand on his arm, turning away from the sad, dark eyes of the woman who was now a part of his family; connected by the marriage he had been a part of only the day before.

"I didn't know this was where it had happened, Kenshin, and I'm sorry... but she is in the lake."

Nodding his head in understanding, he walked by the others, leading the way through the maze of monsters and to the blanket that still lay on the grass. Wind-blown, it curled up around the basket he had used for their food, its dark-green, plaid material giving him the image of her white skin laid against it, her blue irises reflecting the sky. Closing his eyes with a calming breath, he focused instead on the white dress of the syren next to him, her newly bared feet taking her to the bank and then further... the barest ripple of disturbance casting out from the soles walking effortlessly over the liquid.

Hands raising to parallel the surface, her hair stirred and her wings lifted, spreading wide and curving in the feel of the wind, the feathers ruffling as her voice joined in the dance. High and sweet she started, the note falling down into a playful banter of sopranos, dipping only into the upper alto before reeling off again. The tune was like the brook after spring rains; ever moving, ever joyful... to hear such happiness hurt the heart of the ex-assassin, wondering at what kind of race it took to sound so cheerful after the loss of someone dear.

Water boiled from the center of the mass, spewing outward in a continuous fountain before the figure of another woman stood over it, the appearance taking place between one breath and the next, the surface once again smooth. Walking slowly, she gave the three more than enough time to take her in; the slightness of her body, the length of dark hair reflecting green in the light of mid-afternoon, the twin wings jutting sharply from her skull. Rigid and unyielding, they stood the exact opposite of the other syren in their midst; the streamlined feathers short and trimmed, laying flat against the threads of her hair and ending after only a bare foot of length.

Yet however unapproachable her wings were, there was a playful swagger about her walk, a strut that set off the outfit she wore, fluttering the ruffled skirt out from her legs, the slit going all the way to her hip. Echoing the skin of her lower body, the top did not connect, showing the mile of torso until the scarf-like cover wrapped over her chest and tied into an intricate knot behind her, trailing stylishly down her back and touching the water at her feet. Like the wings of a dragonfly, the color shimmered metallically with each stretch and release, teasing... seductive like the syren she was.

"My Lady Tomoe..." Bowing with a coy grin, the girl never let her aquamarine eyes leave that of the other's, straightening after only a second and tilting her head back slightly to look up to the taller woman. "Why the sudden visit? You've never come before." Pouting insincerely, she lifted a hand to play with the sleeve of Tomoe's dress. "And I've been so hungry for attention." Eyes catching the men behind her, they lit with mischief, her teeth pulling on her lip in anticipation. "I see you've brought me presents."

"They are not for you."

Sighing, the girl stuck out her bottom lip, her eyes meeting the amber of the red-head. "So my nose tells me. Such a shame, really... but it can't be helped." Stalking up to him, she smiled, her arms clutching behind her as she leaned in to whisper conversationally. "I can smell her all over you. The sweetness of her magic; the lily of her breath... the jasmine of her hair. She's already wrapped around you..." Circling behind him, she spoke over his shoulder. "claimed you... and small wonder..." Coming back to his front, she looked up at him through her lashes. "you know how to pleasure a woman. Seeing such passion in a mere human..." Tilting her head to the side, her eyes drooped in remembered appreciation. "I could almost taste it myself."

Giggling at the way his face only hardened further, she turned to the other, her hand actually reaching out to touch the collar of his shirt. "You, however, are free for the taking." Laughing at the hand that snapped around her wrist, she instead flattened her body against him, her chin lifting to rest on his chest. "I don't mind such treatment... if you don't."

"I mind the consequences that would come with it. The jealousy of your possessor would not be the best opponent over something so... undesirable anyway." Stumbling away, her face lost every inch of openness, closing into something angry and resentful.

"I am owned by no one. I choose what I do, when I do... and with whom." Teeth baring over the spit of her tongue, she stepped back into Tomoe's side, resting her head on the woman's shoulder, her arm circling her waist as she stewed in her rage. "He does not own me."

"Misao, as much as I sympathize with your plight, there are much more pressing matters to attend to. I need to call in my favor."

"What would you have of me?" Grudgingly speaking the words, Misao pulled away to twirl the threads of her hair around her fingers.

"I need your nose. More specifically... they need your nose... to find my niece."

"She is with your sister." Turning to the water, she hurried back, the statement screaming her discomfort and malice of being made to do something she did not wish to.

Stopping her progress, Kenshin leveled her with an unamused glare. "You have not repaid your favor, telling us something we are very much aware of. We need to know where Yumi is exactly."

"She is not to be messed with." Meeting his glare with one of her own, Misao stood straight and crossed her arms. "Just ask her sister what consequences there are for becoming her enemy."

"You don't need to follow us through the door, we just need you to show it to us."

"It does not matter whether I fight her directly or simply point the way, she will find out and she will make an example of me... like she has done to others."

"Then think of it this way, little weasel, the woman that you say has claimed the Battosai is her daughter, and if we do not find and stop Yumi from corrupting her, it will not matter who is friend and who is foe... they will all fall under her power... if she wishes it."

"You have seen her, Misao." Tomoe walked up beside her, eyes sad yet unyielding. "You have seen my niece... Tell us yourself what kind of power she possesses."

Aquamarine irises dropped to the water behind the red-head, then traveled slowly to the blanket on the bank. "She is strongly connected to her emotions... her magic reflects this. As she is now, she is pure and innocent, beautifully naive... content with the lie of being human... but..." Sighing heavily, her playfulness gone with the seriousness of the situation, she lifted her head to stare into the woods. "It is as you say... under Yumi's corruptness... she could destroy this land... if she allows her anger and rage to rule her."

"Kaoru holds no anger." Sharply denying her words, amber eyes pinned the girl. "She will not do any of these things. Not if it meant hurting others."

"Human notions." Tongue rolling over the description like it was something diseased, Misao fired back, her slight body stepping toward him. "She is a syren. She may fight this, she may deny the call, but in the end it will consume her. And when it does... there will be only one thing she will truly care for, one thing that could bury her in rage and sorrow. Yumi knows this and will use it to her advantage. Why do you think she separated you from her so thoroughly?"

"I don't understand."

"We, human, have obtained a reputation as solitary and cold, have we not? But it is not because we do not care for things... but because we are only capable of caring for one thing. We are not like you, who care for others readily and allow them power over you. There is only room in our hearts for one... and that one will consume a syren, to the point where nothing else matters but them. It is true that half humans, like Tomoe, have more freedom over there emotions, like your Kaoru does, but they still feel the pull of that possession. It is a desire, an envy to have, to take, to allow no one else to touch because they do not have the right... She has claimed you... I have already told you this."

"Then what does it matter? She is my wife, there is nothing in this world that could ever make me betray her, and no reason for her to ever believe that I could."

"You do not know the Lady Yumi. Her magic is strong, and twisted... there's no telling what she could do or make your "wife" believe."

"Which is exactly why you have to help us Misao." Stepping between the solid glares of the two, Tomoe gently pushed the red-head a step back. "Arguing like this will get us nowhere. Just acknowledge that we have agreed this is a problem that no one can ignore. Misao?"

"...I will have to think more on it... You realize what kind of a stir my presence will create anyway... I am risking more than just punishment from your sister."

"You're right... this is a heavy decision. We will give you until tomorrow morning to decide. At the cottage then?"

"Yes."

Turning again to the water, Misao started her way back to the cocoon of magic that kept her cloaked, the home she had made and lived in for a little over four years. Halting and leveling her chin at the hand on her shoulder she let out a breath of irritation.

"What?"

"Lady Misao," Bowing stiffly in respect, Kenshin stared at the grass tickling her toes. "your help would be greatly appreciated, and though I do not fully understand the threat you are hiding from, I would be prepared to protect you. No harm will come to anyone who is willing to help my wife. I give you my word."

Raising one eyebrow in amusement, Misao laughed openly when his posture did not change. "Humans are strange. Your emotions change with the tides. So temperamental and fiery, then honorable and calm... but fascinating. I can see why others would find you appealing." Shaking her head, she tilted her eyes back to the sky. "Your words are very noble, sir, but I am afraid you will not speed my decision with such proclamations. My situation has been delayed too long for the protection of a mere human to be of any help. You would hinder it anyway... as you are male. No, human, I am alone... and alone I will think on this."

Kaoru sat on the lip of a pool, the robe she wore damp and hanging limp around her still dripping figure. The silk material was all but ruined, sticking to her skin in dark blotches under the sopping weight of her hair and clearly outlining the shape of her tightened chest and straight thighs. This was ignored by the captivated young syren, however, as she listened with wide eyes the history of her race from the lips of her mother.

They were an old power, at one time all equal; a single city holding their population within its embrace and sheltering the young from the corruption of evil without. In the ocean this city was founded, far beneath her blue skirts and wonderfully isolated. Until the wish for freedom and open air sunk in, turning them against one another in frustration and irritation. Some said it was the mermaid's whisperings that set them to it; promises of beauty and the everlasting sky bringing the first to the surface.

Humans were mistaken as kin then, their looks masking the fact that they held no magic of their own... only the power to kill and conquer. And yet however ugly their nature, they were appealing to the curious... and the malicious. Songs of desire and temptation lead many to their deaths, seductive promises of lust bending the weak hearts of men... and many women. Though they were few and far between in comparison.

"Why is that, Lady Mother?"

Stopping her tale, she looked up at the expectant sapphire irises of her daughter, and smiled coyly. "Male syrens believe we were mistaken to leave the city, that we displeased the gods with our revolt, so many stayed behind... That is why they are so few in comparison to us female. If you ask me, I think they were afraid of change, of seeking out a new home and destiny for our power."

Thinking this over, Kaoru kicked her feet slowly, the wash of liquid flowing between her toes. "So men feared us after that? Is that why we went into hiding and became solitary."

Floating lazily in the warm pool, Yumi closed her eyes and kicked her feet, her naked state ignored and completely natural for her... unaware or uncaring of the embarrassment it was still causing her poor daughter. The girl's horror growing every time a servant would walk in and then back out with food and drink for the two. Especially since said servant was male.

"Mostly dear. They did not like our dominance, and like every other mystical race, we were set upon by their warmongering ways and nearly wiped out... but we prevailed... through combing our race with theirs we survived. Though the price was dear and we lost most of our powers... we are still alive today. Many I know still hold a grudge against man for their actions, and yes, that is why we are hidden from the world again... but that is all in the past."

"Why did it not work?"

"Why did what not work?"

"The city, under water... why did we start to fight? I mean, I know you said it was from some likely outside interference, but... there had to be some other reason as well. Surely it didn't happen all at once, especially if we had been living there for hundreds of years before the first left."

"Very true, you clever girl... the truth is, I think it was a battle between the nature of our souls. As syrens we are extremely selfish, and care of nothing unless it directly affects our lives. So when there is something or, more specifically, someone that we become attached to, we do not give them up lightly... It is like an extreme jealousy, an almost... how do I put this so you will understand? Like... an obsession... much more potent than anything a human could possibly comprehend. It is stronger in the males, we have discovered, and this, I think, is the reason why our two genders do not get along well... A relationship between two of our kind is a hard thing to maintain. The possession has to be both ways or it will never work... If say, a male decides he wants you, but you do not want him, it is a hard thing to break, and it sometimes becomes violent... his heart and mind already locked onto you and his instincts will drive him to claim you. This is the exact opposite of everything that we are... and that is why we do not live together well... we cannot stand to live under such oppression."

"So... what happens to the syren who is denied successfully?" Fearful of the implications, and yet sympathetic to the imagined hurt caused to their example, Kaoru questioned carefully.

"It depends..." Brow suddenly furrowed in discomfort... Yumi turned her back to the girl. "Some, if dealt with fast enough, will recover quickly and find another to focus their attentions on, or learn like the rest of us that it is best if our kind mingle only for the most basic of needs."

"Basic of needs?"

Smiling at the confusion clouding her eyes, Yumi stood up straight in the water, her hands bracing on her bare hips while her pupils caught and followed the well-groomed servant she had ordered to serve them. "Sex, dear."

"Oh." The silent exclamation was accompanied by the darting of her own gaze to the dark eyes of the servant, the blatant lust and appreciation she could see there as he looked her mother up and down making her blush.

"However," Walking to the edge, she stepped out daintily, spine straight and head high as she dripped onto the stone at her feet. "others that have become too attached and cannot break the obsession, go into a rage... a bloodlust. Surrounded by sorrow and anguish, despair and hurt, anger, madness... all emotions that blacken the heart... they will seek a way to exact their right. To make those that hurt them feel their pain, and ultimately... destroy themselves."

Horrified, Kaoru covered a hand over her mouth to stifle the gasp. "How awful."

"Yes... the poor creatures that suffer so much deserve better..."

"But... oh but if the feelings are returned and there are no complications... then they live together peacefully, in love..." Eyes innocently brightened by such a notion, her thoughts returning to the shared feelings of her and her husband, even if he was human, her lips twitched as she smiled at the beauty of such a union. One she was a part of.

"Something like that..." Walking over to the waiting robe held in the strong fingers of her servant, Yumi turned her back to him and allowed him to wrapped it around her, her shoulders moving into his hands suggestively. "But love is a human idea, my dear, something they have already defined and tainted..." Looking boldly over her shoulder she smiled encouragingly at the way his hands brushed over her body to reach the tie at her waist. "our feelings are something much deeper than that..." Grasping his wrist as he finished the loose tie of her belt, Yumi stepped out from the circle of his arms, allowing him the privilege to feel the curve of her figure before returning her attention to the girl. "I think that is enough for today, young one. It is late, and you will need your rest. For tomorrow we will begin your training."

Nodding in agreement, Kaoru walked to the door, casting one last glance over her shoulder and catching the nameless servant following her mother through another door, her hands twisted in the collar of his uniform and her lips curved into a promising smile. Turning away in embarrassment, Kaoru let herself out, crossing her arms over her chest and following the walls that led her back to her own room full of animal skins and silk sheets.

Running her fingers along the stone, her mind briefly reminding her that she had never asked about the absence of windows, she contemplated the entirety of her day. Only that morning had she woken in the arms of her husband; his warmth against her skin, his fingers possessively curling around her ribs. It had been so beautiful and seemingly unreal to her now, like it had happened in a dream... but, she could still feel his lips on her neck, his hands on her hips, the build up of heat that pushed her mind into the planes of passion. Letting out a breath of loneliness, she quickened her step, the tightness in her chest sickening her stomach and making her jaw quake with tears.

Bursting through her door, she pushed it shut behind her, her breath starting to heave in her lungs as she desperately battled away her longing. It was so very potent, this need, a want to have his arms around her, an ache to hold him back, an undeniable hunger she could not fulfill. Latching onto something else, anything else, she cast her eyes around the room, finding the new furnishings filling the empty space with a sense of relief instead of curiosity.

The armoire leaned up against the stone wall to the left of her closet door, its drawers and double doors filled with everyday clothes and necessities she was glad to see. Dropping the sopping robe she wore to the floor, she pulled out a violet one from out of the bottom, its color reminding her of Kenshin's eyes when he looked at her. Sliding its comforting softness around her body, she shivered once at its warmness, the dry material something she needed after the swim she had taken. Walking back over to the fire, she sat in the chair next to it, the vanity in front of her lit with candles and alighting the mirror with the flickering image of herself.

It seemed odd that she would look the same, like nothing had happened to make that day any more special than the one before. Her eyes were still blue, her skin still white, her nose still sharp... nothing to show that she had become a woman on that day; a wife, a lover, a syren... Blinking the haze from her eyes, Kaoru picked up the brush set out for her, running the bristles through the damp length of her hair before deftly plaiting it to hang heavy down her back.

Dazedly watching her fingers move back and forth in a dance of their own, her hair left tightly bound behind them, she tilted her head to the side and blinked, finding the hands now tangled in her hair to be his. Longer fingers bent and traded, carefully tightening the strands, smoothing out the unruliness beneath with a patient observation. The tie was knotted with the same tender concern, the braid dropping heavily into her lap, and then soft lips touched her cheek, the kiss caressing her face like the wings of a butterfly... moving just as slowly to taste her lips, his eyes catching hers, asking, accepting, then taking... gently... innocently... it was their first after all.

Sighing tearfully, Kaoru tilted her head to the ceiling, letting her hands fall to her sides as she leaned into the back of the chair. I want my husband... please... I want you back. Tears slid slowly from the corners of her eyes, her body shaking, her fists clenching, her mind revolting against the weakness. I won't do that... I'm here for him... I'm here to protect him. He would do the same for you... so just stop it... you're not helping anything and it certainly won't make it any easier. Wiping determinedly at the wetness of her cheeks, she stood to go to the bed, its empty expanse tearing down the walls she had just built around her heart.

Trembling, she ran the texture of the sheets through her fingers, the smooth threads like the skin of his stomach brushing lightly against her body, the comparison surging that longing to life in her chest. A sob breaking free of her throat, she struggled with the knot at her waist, jerking the robe away from her until she stood naked and flushed from the firelight. Slipping hurriedly between the sheets, her eyes closing as she imagined that it was him surrounding her and not the silk of bedclothes, she buried herself under the sensual feel.

Laying flat on her stomach, her cheek pressed into the mattress, she brushed her fingers back and forth across the surface beneath her, imagining herself feeling the ripples of his chest, the curve into his stomach, the strength of his arms. I wish we would have stayed in bed, my love... I wish you had talked me into staying there. With your fingers on my body and your whisperings of desire in my ear... I wish I could have told you that I love you more times than I did... I wish I could have showed you that I care so much more than you know... I don't want you to doubt... I don't want you to forget... You won't, will you? You know, don't you? I love you... I need you... my husband... my love... my... only... Mine...

Kenshin's figure drooped as he sat on the corner of the bed... their bed, in their home, inches away from where they had joined as one that first time... and the second, the third... In his lap lay the pure whiteness of her wedding dress, the formless mass bundled around his hands, dropping limply to the floor below and fanning out around his feet. She had looked so beautiful in its simple elegance, so wonderfully untouchable and innocent; a perfect flower he wanted to pamper and watch grow under his loving attention. With the tightness in his chest restricting his voice, the wonder clearly present in his eyes, she had smiled at him, that nervous yet love filled tilt of her lips showing him what he needed to know. That she was his... wanted to be... wanted him... wanted to be married...wanted to share a life.

Lifting sad eyes to the window in front of him, the darkness outside broken only by shots of lightning from the coming storm, he stood, carefully cradling the material to his chest as he walked over to the trunk sitting next to a small vanity. Inside, her clothes all lay, their bright colors cheerfully reflecting the personality of their owner, the lightness of her demeanor. Folding the dress delicately on top of the others, checking the edges so they would not be shut in the hinges, he closed the lid and sighed heavily. I will make sure you have someone to wear you again... I promise...

Feet taking him back to the bed, the sheets rumpled and tossed half-hazardously about from their wrestling that morning, he stared at the wrinkles and crooked pillows, remembering... her... The darkness of her hair haloed out around her head, contrasting with the straight white beneath her, her eyes a wonderful splash of color in this world of black and white. She was recovering her breath, her lids heavy, her lips parted, her skin slick with sweat... hers, his... theirs...

"Did I hurt you?"

Smiling tiredly, her hand ran up his back, delving into his damp hair and pulling lightly. "You could never hurt me, Kenshin."

Heart trembling at such trusting words from the mouth of his beloved, he lowered closer to kiss her, wishing he would never have to move from their joined position; wishing they could be so close forever.

"Never," he agreed softly.

Soft amber irises caught abruptly on the dark spot in the middle of the bed, the round stain a testament to the virtue he had taken from her, that she had offered to him. A show of her love and trust, of the small pain she had endured to fulfill his desire and need, of the white lie she had told. Breathing unevenly, he moved to lay down, fully clothed and uncomfortable, his hands reaching to pull one pillow into the curve of his stomach, his face burrowing into the feather cushion. It smelled like her, the whole room smelled like her... so potent he could almost taste her again, feel her again...

"Koishigaru." Fisting fingers into the down pillow, he curled tighter into a ball, his eyes clenching shut as he tried to remember what she had felt like next to him. "Koishigaru..."

Kenshin did not sleep well, and when a light knock landed on the door to his bedroom in the early hours of the morning he was awake and alert, the pillow still snuggled into his chest. Sitting up slowly, his mind numb and his body following closely behind, he made a sound close to what he hoped would be a polite enough response to get them the hell away from his personage. There was no mocking laughter at the roughness in his voice, or the unconsciously aching quality he projected into it, only a silence and then the retreating of heavy footfalls. He was thankful for that in the least, although he did not think pity from the man would make him any happier.

Straightening his clothes to the best of his ability, re-pulling the unruly strands of his hair back into their tight top knot, he stared down incoherently for a couple of seconds at the unmade mess of his bed... their bed... She should not come home to such a disaster. Bending over the warm softness of the cotton sheets, he carefully yanked on the edges to bring them all into a smooth harmony with one another, meticulously folding down the flat sheet over the light blanket and beating down the pillows so they fluffed naturally at the head. Running a hand nostalgically over the last wrinkle, he turned resolutely away and walked out the door, shutting it firmly behind him.

Down the hallway he could hear light conversation in his kitchen, the musical sounds of two women and the deeper sound of Saito making him hope. Through the door he found Tomoe dressed in a heavy cotton dress, the wet length of her cloak hanging neatly by the door with another, slightly shorter one next to it. Across the table a woman he didn't recognize for a moment looked unhappily out the window at the pouring rain, making huffy noises of agreement at the leaning form of the man next to the door. She wore light colored trousers and well oiled leather boots, the white cotton shirt overlapping the waist line while a well-fitted vest held her all together. Only when the aquamarine of her eyes met his did he fully realize who she was, and he almost sighed in relief; one, because she was there and two, because she was in much more practical, and concealing, clothing.

Grinning wryly at the look on his face she tipped her seat back and crossed her arms behind her head. "Yes, this means I'm going, Himura. But don't think you can order me around just because I'm helping you... and it doesn't matter why either. I'm going... and I promise I will help you find your wife. As long as you promise not to try and help me out in my own situation."

"That is a weird request, Lady."

"Yes, well... it is my own business... and if you got killed... it would only complicate your own situation even more." Stretching and standing up, she reached for the cloak on the wall and the bag on the floor next to it. "Well, shall we be going?"

Nodding in agreement, he picked up his own bag next to the door, uncaring of the lack of food... they could eat while they walked... just as long as he was one step closer to having his wife back... his life back.

Glossary

koishigaru - to miss or yearn for; I miss you, I yearn for you (I found this word in a story I read by the Lady Yumi on her page of fanfiction for Rurouni Kenshin; I found it to be a very beautiful word and the usage was very emotional. I love all of her stories and have to bow before her as a master.)

A/N: Well... I'm trying to get the plot going, but wanted to show how they are doing separately in their new places and missions... After this though, it will be more focused on what they are doing to bring them back together again, and how Yumi is trying to keep them apart. Please review for me... even if its nothing... every opinion matters to me... and it helps me to become a better writer, which in turn helps you to understand the stories better. Tell me what you hate about... tell me what you like about it... tell me if you find one part particularly horrible, emotional, funny, stupid, just whatever... If there is something you don't understand, if you understood it well... I would just like to know, so I don't have to sit and wonder if the reason I don't get much response is more because my story sucks than because a lot of people don't read it... Thank you for those who do, and I really do try to respond... I just don't get to the internet very often.