I've gotten some questions about the dragons and how their magic is based, so I'm going to give a quick explanation here since I don't explicitly come out and describe each dragon type and their magic in the story. Kaoru is a European/Japanese dragon cross. This is because her father was Japanese and her mother was European. (Kenshin is in fact, the same cross but possibly the parents are switched.) Japanese dragons tend to be smaller and venomous, while European dragons tend to breathe fire. These are two of the main breeds of dragon (and fire may be the dominate trait), but not the only types (for instance, I haven't talked about dragons from China or dragons who developed in more Northern regions or dragons who developed on islands other than Japan).

Sorry if I confused you, but all of the speculation to this point has been based on Kaoru and/or Kenshin (later Misao/Aoshi) and Kenshin's speculation was based on looking at Kaoru and trying to guess which bred she favored the most when she is clearly a mix of heritages (small boned, tilted blue eyes does not only Japanese make) when he knew her father was Japanese. So there is a range of possible colors/sizes/abilities that have started to cross breed because of the hunts that have been occurring in the European counties, as well as territory limitations in the smaller island nations.

So to wrap this up: Kenshin and Kaoru breathe fire, Misao is partly Japanese and partly a cross from another island country which is why she is so darkly colored and leans towards water/ice manipulation, Aoshi is undeclared (but imagine he is from someplace North), Yahiko is undeclared. Also, dragon coloring tends to be like birds in their dragon form. The male dragons are brightly colored to attract attention while the female dragons tend to lean towards colors that blend in with their surroundings.

Dragon Protocol: Is a living set of rules that help guide the conduct of dragons. Probably originally started out as a set of manners or etiquette, but after centuries of magic and holding each other as accountable, it became more.

I hope that helped with some of the confusion!

Ravyn

Flying was invigorating. As a child she had stood deep in a forest and watched her father's dark brown form flicker in-between trees and shadows wanting nothing more than to join him. Even so many years past her fledging, the exhilaration of those first wing beats, of feeling the strain of muscle and bone turn to weightlessness as her magic met the strength of the air thermals to lift her high hadn't faded. The air above Venice was cool, filled with the humidity of the slowly building storms. They had slipped high enough into the cloud cover that they could no longer see the land below; even at night with the new moon it was possible to spot a silhouette. The great open landscapes where she had learned to fly were slowly disappearing with the accelerated growth of humans. Someday there would so many humans that only their magic and ability to learn would protect them.

But that was the future and this was now. With the open air under her wings, she could rest for a moment, letting her dragon take the brunt of the work while she followed the dark gray dragon ahead of them. It wasn't often that she was able to stretch her wings like this, she didn't know about Shinomori's lady. Her small, agile body cut in and out of clouds like a quicksilver fish and she exuded an energy that was catching.

It was hardly more than a brush, the faintest touch of power but her dragon's reaction was immediate – wings fanning out to slow her speed as her magic surged. She heard Misao's cry of pain – it was like hitting a wall that was trying to swallow her. Whatever the trap was, it tugged violently at her magic, threatening her dragon-shape. The scales along her chest and right forearm burned and she shoved her magic at the 'net' in an attempt to override the trap just enough to break free. Her head swam and she plummeted for endless seconds before the woman lunged to the front. Clawing to the surface, Kaoru worked to gain control of her flight – her left wing burned with each down stroke. The other dragon hadn't stopped falling. Cursing, she put her nose down, forcing herself into a straight dive to fall below the smaller dragon. Water-based or not, the impact of the fall would irreparably damage a wing or kill her.

She only had a second for relief once she felt the weight of the smaller dragon slid down her neck and back. The impact strained her damaged wing badly and it made gliding near impossible. Struggling, she worked to decrease their speed before they crashed into the water below them. Sides heaving, she pulled on her magic reserves to take the brunt of the skill needed to keep her from landing before they had decreased their speed enough to survive.

The impact was hard enough to sting through the thick layers of scales. The salt water burned along the damage done to her wing and back and Kaoru desperately worked to make it back above the water. Her scales were heavier, making swimming difficult. Her tail was helpful, but her clawed hands and feet lacked the thick webbing for swimming. Luckily, the water seemed to wake her companion and the extra weight disappeared. There was a moment more of struggle and then the water suddenly buoyed her up enough that she could gulp a needed breath of air.

There were shouts coming from down river. Glancing over her shoulder, she took in the exhausted body language of her companion. There was no way both of them could keep their dragon-shapes and hide. Kaoru didn't have the capability to swim and the smaller dragon was obviously injured enough that tugging her larger form would be impossible.

Heaving a sigh, she let go of the magic holding her larger form. Just as her human body slipped under the water, the small dragon slid alongside her in a deliberate move. Taking a deep lungful of air, Kaoru grabbed onto one of the spine ridges and desperately kicked alongside as the dragon slid silently back into the water, using the deep shadows of the buildings to hide them as she came up to let Kaoru breathe. She had no idea where they were when they finally located a dark stretch of the canal where they could pull themselves out of the water.

Teeth chattering, Kaoru crawled onto the bank and onto an empty board walk, breathing heavily. Two naked women would be extremely noticeable, forcing them to move deeper into the shadows. For a moment, she stood there in the shadows, frozen down to the bone while what magic she had left worked to keep her from collapsing.

"If we've seen each other naked we might as well exchange names," the smaller woman whispered between chattering teeth as she twisted her hair up into a knot. "I'm Misao."

"Kaoru."

"Our ball gowns are going to be better than skin, even wet." She touched her side and grimaced. "I'll need help."

As it turned out, they both needed help. The burns were painful and Misao had limited movement with either of her arms. By the time they finished if they'd had the magic, they might have been struggling against instinctively changing. As it was, they avoided direct eye contact until they were certain they wouldn't lose their tempers. Once they had both managed to pull on clothing and huddled close to each other for warmth, Kaoru shifted her arm and grimaced.

"How badly do those burns hurt?"

Misao was tense for a moment and then she relaxed. "My back hurts like hell, honestly. I'm not sure, but I think I pulled something and my magic feels raw."

Kaoru grimaced. "It felt like hunt magic."

Misao's head snapped around. "Are you certain?"

"Yes."

Misao bit her lip, eyes narrowed as she considered that. "The Council of Ten is unaware of our species so they couldn't be involved in this; still, this is too much of a coincidence to be a lucky hit."

Kaoru shivered. The Council of Ten was the internal security agency who protected Venice from enemies whether foreign or local. From what little she understood, the Council had been recently made aware of magic but not of all the species who controlled it – they had not started a hunt but this…

"If not the Council, then who?"

"One of the aristocrats perhaps or the Scarpa Family – they would do anything to clamor ahead of the rest of the families in control of the Underworld. It is possibly they have discovered dragons. But it doesn't matter. We need a place to hide until dawn and then we shall have to return to Venice to warn the rest that someone is hunting us here."

Kaoru bit her lip. "Himura is not going to like that."

Misao cut her look. "No, Kenshin will not."

Kaoru frowned at her. "Why are you assuming that I know his proper name?"

The darkness of her eyes cleared and a smile started tugging at the corner of Misao's mouth. "Because he never brings anyone with him."

Biting her lip, Kaoru debated how much to tell her and finally sighed. "He owed my father a favor."

Misao waved a hand gingerly, but the expression was clear. "Doesn't matter – he didn't have to bring you the Carnevale – he could just brought you to the party. Protocol is very specific about debt paying. It's been all over the rumor mill that Kenshin was with someone all day."

Kaoru stared at her.

Misao tilted her head, her smile widening. "You really have no idea, do you?"

"Idea about what?" Kaoru asked carefully.

Misao shook her head. "No. I'd never steal his thunder." Her eyes squinted into the darkness. "Dawn is in another hour, maybe two at the most. We really need to move. Lucky for us, it looks like we landed on Spinalunga which means I know somewhere we can go. Unfortunately, we're going to have to be careful – it's a bit of a walk."

Dawn was creeping over the horizon in fingers when they finally reached a small home a distance from the water's edge. There was a large garden in the back and as they slipped around to a small gate, there were lights on in the back of the house. Misao barely hesitated as she lumbered up to the back door and rapped against the wood. While they waited for someone to open the door, Kaoru studied the dark, shadowed layout of the garden and realized it must be quite luxurious in the light of day. The sound of heavy locks turning pulled her out of her thoughts, but instead of a doorman, a small woman with short, cropped hair stood in the entrance way with startled, human eyes.

"Tae… I was hoping we could refresh ourselves…" Misao made a gesture with her good hand and the dark brown eyes finally blinked. For a moment, Kaoru thought she was going to ignore Misao. If she had refused to acknowledge them, Protocol would have protected her. Then the human visibly shook herself and motioned them in, a hesitant expression behind her eyes as she took a good look at Kaoru. Misao seemed to pick up on the hesitation and verbally jumped in.

"This is Kaoru. She's claimed Kenshin."

Kaoru gaze snapped around in surprise at that very bold statement and Misao grinned at her. Tae knew Kenshin's dragon name? However the human knew Kenshin, it seemed to relax her and she shut the heavy wood door. It wasn't until the soft sounds of skirts rustling and a second set of footsteps became apparent that Kaoru managed to pull her attention away from an amused Misao.

"I need hot tea." Tae quietly requested to the young girl who was standing just inside an entrance way, a tea tray grasped between pale fingers. Her brown eyes were very wide but she nodded, disappearing down the hallway on quick feet.

"Now, let's make you a little more comfortable until Tsubame returns with the tea and some food. Then we will look to see how seriously you are injured and if someone else more qualified will need to look at you."

'More comfortable' was quickly apparent to be a long room with marbled floors and great rugs around a fireplace. The lack of furniture was distinct. In fact, if Kaoru had been alone, the room would have just been wide enough to house her in dragon form. It was… curious, especially considering her original estimation of the size of the house.

Kaoru settled herself gingerly, her arm starting to throb now that they were out of the cooler morning air. The pain would make her cranky if she wasn't careful and for the first time she considered what it meant that Misao had brought her into a human home instead of a dragon's. Protocol was much stricter here and would offer this Tae protection from their tempers.

"Lady Misao," Tae said carefully as they settled themselves on the heavy rugs. "Is there a reason you went swimming in the Giudecca Canal at this time of the year?"

"We didn't swim!" Misao said morosely. "We were attacked."

Tae blinked and then frowned. Something almost like magic flickered in the air. Kaoru was surprised at the sudden stirring of her dragon – as exhausted as she and her magic were there shouldn't have been room for anything but weariness. The lovely face shifted, as if she too sensed the change in the air and Kaoru visibly shook herself. Clearly she hadn't been wrong about reacting badly.

"I apologize." Tae said quietly. "But such attacks on dragons…"

Kaoru considered what she had just felt. While there were humans in Italy who practiced magic, there used to be more – especially in Rome – but the human church had made such people difficult to find. Dragons were the largest of the predators, but there had been others; over the years, they had fled to newer continents. Most of the human practitioners left lived Ireland or Britain. Tae's skin was the dusky tan of an Italian… but there was no mistaking that touch. The worry she saw in Tae's eyes was justified. If someone was brave enough to go after dragons, humans with a mere touch of magic would be easy prey.

"You're a witch?"

Misao made an apologetic face but Tae brushed it off with a careful smile. "Yes. Although my gifts are limited."

"I've known Tae for years." Misao said quietly. There was no threat or warning to the tone, just a clear statement of fact that told Kaoru a great deal about Misao's relationship with Tae.

Kaoru resisted the urge to rub her temples. "I apologize… it's been a long few weeks and I am… sensitive to magic right now."

Tae smiled slightly. "There is nothing to forgive."

Misao hesitated and glanced at Tae who nodded. "She's actually one of Kenshin's Kaoru."

Kaoru brows tucked together. "I beg your pardon?"

Tae's smile was more genuine when she looked at Kaoru. "Himura has been kind enough to take some of us who show a little more paranormal ability under his protection. My great-grandparents came to Italy with him when he relocated from Ireland to avoid the hunts. He gave my husband and me this house on our wedding day. You are safe here."

Kaoru was a little unnerved with how easily that settled her dragon and ignored Misao's knowing expression. Forcefully trying to wrangle past her exhaustion and the pain from tonight, she was relived with Tsubame entered with hastily prepared sandwiches and hot, steaming tea. Food would settle her energy levels enough that her temper would settle.

"Now," Tae said once she and Misao had eaten. "Please start from the beginning."

Misao talked rapidly. She managed to convey the details of the agreement to head to the Northern Villa while the protocol breach was investigated in a truly impressive speed but she kept what Kenshin was doing that he couldn't escort them himself quiet. Tae folded her hands, brows tucking together as she considered the story.

"I can offer you some clothing and some herbs for your wounds… but I have no real healing magic. Best if we smuggle you back into Venice and to Himura. As soon as possible."

Kaoru grimaced. She had been hoping for a chance to sleep before they left. Glancing towards the window where the early morning light was filtering into the room, her stomach twisted into a knot of anticipation. Biting down on her lip, she struggled not to feel too much hope. It was too soon to expect them to have found Yahiko.

Misao sighed. "I'm going to be scolded, I can feel it."

Humor lightened the dark brown of Tae's eyes. "Unfortunately, we have just the time needed to attempt to dull the pain of your injuries before my husband returns. I wish I had time to let you sleep. But he'll take you to Himura's palazzo by way of the Canals. No one will look for dragons in the open so early in the morning and gondolas are the most common way of travel into Venice."

X

A gondola ride through the Canals was so far Kaoru's favorite way of journeying through Venice. The Carnevale had been exciting but there had been too many people. Her first rain filled flight had been exhausting and her second… but this – she was dry, drowsy from the herbal tea that had helped numb the pain of her burns and Katsu's low voice as he 'guided' them through the buildings was pleasant.

If it wasn't for the knot of anxiety building the closer they moved to Venice she might have been tempted to drowse in the clear sunshine of the early morning. It was peaceful. Under the small umbrella shading their eyes and the soft lapping of water against the sides of the gondola it was almost possible to forget why she was here – that they might not even be in danger. Misao was struggling to keep her eyes open, dark lashes fanning her cheeks for several moments before she popped them open to stare blankly around her.

Tae's husband lacked any magical blood but there was something compelling about him, even in the amusing striped outfit he wore as proudly as his long, dark hair. At the very least, he had a lovely singing voice and a mind for detail, which he proved with his collection of facts as they skimmed through the water. She had noticed the friendly way he called to other gondoliers. She was certain a code was being passed along, but she didn't know what it was.

"Is this your first trip through La Serenissima?"

Kaoru lifted her lashes to consider the human watching her with those dark, curious eyes. La Serenissima… the most serenely beautiful one… Katsu was a decidedly non-Italian name, so Kaoru had to accept the assumption that he, like so many, had chosen to hold two identities. And that she had been given his real name, not the name he had chosen to build his human identity on. Occasionally she would catch a flicker of what looked like star bursts and she decided that either Tae or someone else had managed to work a very subtle, very believable glamour. It would explain why no one was looking askance at the amount of hair he had or why those dark eyes of his were just slightly titled – like her own.

She wondered what he was hiding from.

"It is."

Katsu grinned, his features brightening for a moment as he continued the steady movements that moved the little gondola through the water. His eyes though, they flickered with something dangerous as he looked at the arm he knew was bandaged.

"Perhaps you would be interested in some facts about our city?"

Misao shook herself, waking up enough to look amused. "Is it not enough that you hear yourself sing all night, now you must force us to listen to your voice during the day?"

Katsu placed a hand over his heart and looked hurt. Misao laughed and waved her hand, eyes sliding closed again. "I suppose you may as well regal us with all your worldly knowledge."

Kaoru smiled, amused despite herself. "Enlighten me."

Katsu bowed at the waist, a very formal, courtly move that was more dragon than human. Kaoru tilted her head, curiosity managing to dull the edge of her pain even further. These humans of Kenshin's… they were interesting.

"Venice has near 150 canals which are connected by over 400 bridges." He said with a smile, motioning to one as they passed underneath.

"Why so many?"

"Venice is actually built on 117 islands," Misao said in her drowsy, amused voice. "It makes the alley system here quite… confusing. It is nearly impossible not to find yourself lost if you don't have some sort of magic guide."

Katsu clucked his tongue, smiling. "Dear lady, was it not I who should be telling these stories?"

Misao cracked one lid, "Peacock."

Katsu shrugged. "However, you are correct. But with so many canals, the flooding can be quite severe. Usually between November and March," his eyes turned grave. "The storm the other night was particularly bad. I am glad that your party made it in before the worst of it hit."

Kaoru kept her expression neutral. There was no reason for them to suspect that she had made it to Venice during the heart of the storm or that she had pushed herself for that exact purpose. It was harder to track someone in the middle of nature's fury, after all.

"And here," murmured Katsu, "is our destination Palazzo Malipiero."

Kaoru felt a tight knot of anticipation coil in her stomach and her dragon tensed as well. Biting her lip, she was once again thankful for her exhaustion. It was keeping her magic from leaking out all over the place.

"There is a porta d'acqua for each floor," Misao said quietly. "The servants and tradesman who work from here require a separate entrance. If anyone is watching us, they will assume we are servants returning for this day's work after the Carnevale. We will go in through the garden and to the servant's hall from there."

Katsu was surprisingly quick and in a matter of moments, Kaoru found her feet planted firmly on the ground with Misao gingerly standing next to her, her face twisted into a tight grimace of pain. Before she could offer her assistance to the smaller dragon, Katsu leaned forward.

"There was a sighting of a certain healer in these parts late last night."

Misao went completely still and then blew out a breath. "You're sure?"

Katsu smoothed back his hair. "I have it on the best authority."

Kaoru stared at them. "What are you talking about?"

Misao grasped her hand tightly. "It means that whatever your favor, last night a healer was called to the premise."

X

It was by the thinnest threads that Kenshin was holding onto his temper and his magic. Dawn had crept past several hours ago, bright daylight illuminating just how badly the situation could have gone. Kaoru's brother was still a hatchling – he was no more than a few years into his second decade, but for a dragon child that was so little time to grow. It wasn't until he was twenty that he would be considered a juvenile; resembling a human male in his late teens. Most children fledged somewhere near their one hundredth birthdays, but few were considered true adults until their final years of growth, which took several centuries. That someone would use someone so small and barely into their development of magic the way that this Gohei Hiruma had used this one…

His conversation the previous night had been short and to the point. Shinomori had kept an eye on the situation but had not interfered with the methods he had chosen to encourage the Barone to talk. The vivid red against Kaoru's pale face had driven him almost as hard as that hurt, lost expression when she spoke of how he had declared her brother dead. She was stubborn, his Kaoru, but he hadn't been certain that losing her brother wouldn't have irreparable hurt something inside her. That a dragon had thought to use that wonderfully protective, determined spirit against her in a chance to break her…

Yahiko was still pale. Kenshin hadn't expected that to change – it was a mixture of cold, starvation and a few broken ribs. The ribs were easily healed but the rest of it would take time. Especially since it felt like someone had drained the boy of his magic repeatedly, without allowing him the time necessary to regenerate. Another week with similar treatment and not even Megumi would have been able to stabilize him.

Megumi sat down with a long sigh and lifted her lashes to show tired eyes. "Where did you find him?"

Kenshin forced the edges of his temper to settle back under his skin, "San Michele."

Megumi frowned and then looked horrified. Even the usually acerbic healer understood just how difficult such a place was for a dragon this young. Deliberately, he tucked his hands behind his back before tightly fisting them in a bid for control. Shinomori still had custody of this Gohei, punishment would be fitting – it was a pity that he could not take the time to handle it personally. Not yet.

"He isn't even two decades old!"

Kenshin forced himself to remain perfectly still. San Michele, otherwise named The Island of the Dead was the cemetery for the humans who lived in Venice. Once it had been a place for fisherman and local travelers to land – there was even the remains of the First Renaissance Church in Venice and monastery on the island. But after it was reallocated into a cemetery very few people went there. The smell of decaying human bodies was enough to keep his kind far away… but even worse, were the parts of the monastery that had, for a short period of time, been used as a prison. There was a magic there, twisted by the deaths of the occupants who had once been kept. That was where they had found Yahiko. Unfortunately, with his accelerated instincts, his body had been working hard to draw magic from any surroundings it could to survive – the magic on San Michele was tainted.

If Kenshin had his way, Kaoru would have the details of what had happened but there was no need for her to be told just how close she had come to losing Yahiko. The hatchling was resting peacefully and would sleep until his magic stabilized. Then it would be a matter of keeping a steady influx of meat into his system until he was back to full health. He didn't doubt there would be nightmares and lingering side effects from the traces of taint he could feel now, but Megumi would burn that off within the week.

Un-fisting one hand, he rubbed his face. The only possible bright spot for this mess was that until Yahiko was back to one hundred percent, his magic would be far too interested in healing the damage to start attempting to hoard. It was even possible that this would greatly reduce its drive for the next few years; allowing him to develop naturally, instead of the forced shift of personality that had occurred as a coping mechanism for his father's death.

"You will be willing to testify to the Council at the state of his condition if it becomes necessary?"

Megumi frowned. "Yes. But why the Council? Surely this can be handled by Shinomori's men?"

"The… dragon behind this claims that he has rights to the boy," Kenshin said finally. His tone was carefully bland, hiding the wealth of temper that flared even hotter at the thought of Gohei anywhere near Kaoru. "He is hoping to discredit the sister."

"Is this related to the protocol breach last night?" Megumi asked curiously. At Kenshin's nod shook her head. "It wouldn't matter if he had a claim or not – he clearly broke protocol when he approached her and used magic with the intent to harm last night. That she had come to you for protection surely would negate any hold he had on the situation much less this."

Her hand cut sharply toward the sleeping boy and Kenshin sighed. "That would usually be the case and it still may, but…

He paused, frowning as something brushed up against the edge of his awareness. Eyes narrowing, he let the tightly controlled restraints on his magic lose and the world blurred and sharpened as he came into contact with the familiar feel of Kaoru. Surprise rushed through him for a moment before he realized she was injured and drained to near collapse.

"Megumi," his words were carefully deliberate, the snapping of the leash that held his temper making coherent speech nearly impossible. "It appears that you will be needed downstairs."

X

For the second time in less than a full week Kaoru found herself refusing the offer of a change of clothes and a bath – instead she and Misao sat in front of the fireplace in the parlor off the great hall that she had been directed to on her first night here. But unlike then, it was the daunting task of finding the strength for the effort of changing clothes that had her declining. Misao was near swaying on her feet and both welcomed the chance to sit down.

Just as Kaoru was starting to wonder if she should request someone to let Kenshin know that they were here, she felt the brush of his magic. It hesitated for several seconds before she felt the flare of rage fueled power. Startled, she glanced over at Misao who was looking towards the hall with a faint frown.

"Well, I'd say he knows we're here." Underneath the exhaustion there was a hint of mischief. Kaoru frowned at her and Misao shrugged before wincing. "I hope he has something stronger than herbal tea."

It wasn't Kenshin who walked through the open doors a few moments later. Instead, a female dragon who Misao clearly knew strode in. Kaoru forced herself to take her cue from Misao's obvious relief and held still as sharp brown eyes raked over them.

"I don't think I've ever been this happy to see you." Misao said. Relief was written all over her small face.

"What exactly have you done?" the unknown dragon asked, her brows tucked together. She moved her hand in a complicated motion and for a moment Kaoru felt healers magic run over her injuries. The touch was deft, a light skimming of power that managed not to be abrasive on the burns.

"It wasn't us." Misao said defensively.

"Then who was it?"

Kaoru's head snapped around at the tone in Kenshin's voice. She hadn't felt him walk into the room and that alarmed her almost as much as the white-hot rage she could see in his eyes. His gazed locked onto her immediately and she wasn't surprised when the unease she had felt since the healer had entered the room immediately settled. What was surprising was that as soon as she relaxed, so did he. He was still so angry the room had to be uncomfortably warm for Misao and the healer, but he no longer looked as if he was going to incinerate everyone in a five foot radius if someone said the wrong word.

Holding that gaze, Kaoru shook her head. "We didn't see anyone – it was a spell trap." She hesitated for a moment, considering her next words but his eyes had narrowed at the edges in warning. Any other time, she would have returned that gaze but she was starting to feel the exhaustion again now that he was here. "It felt like hunt magic."

"I'm not interested in the details," the healer said snappishly. "You're both suffering from impact wounds along with magical burns and strained muscles. I will heal the burns but the best medicine for those muscles strains will be a hot bath and rest."

Kaoru curled her fingers into a fist. "Kenshin?"

She ignored the way the healers gaze snapped to her in surprise. Her stomach was starting to knot up again. Those pale eyes closed for a moment as he visibly worked to get himself back under some semblance of control. When he finally looked at her, his gaze had darkened to bronze.

"Yahiko is safe. He is sleeping and will continue to sleep until tomorrow as he heals. I will take you to see him as soon as your wounds are healed."

Kaoru couldn't speak, her throat closed with emotion. He didn't seem to need a reply because his attention shifted to Misao and the healer, giving her time to collect herself. Yahiko. He had found Yahiko and they were both safe.

"If I'm going to play healer for both of you, you might as well call me Megumi." The healer said finally, something almost stunned behind her eyes for a moment before she shook herself. "Misao will not be traveling again just yet, even by gondola. I haven't examined your lady close enough yet to tell you more than her burns should be healed easily enough. It is the exhaustion and muscle strain that will take time. If it was a spell-trap, it was meant to give surface wounds only."

Except for the part where they had been mid-air. If Kaoru hadn't managed to break the spell before it had gained momentum or twisted their own magic against them, they would have been killed or crippled on impact. But that was not the conversation to have now.

"Kaoru," Kaoru corrected the healer quietly. "My name is Kaoru."

To her surprise, Misao grimaced and shook her head in disagreement with the healer as her wounds were examined. "We were too high for just surface wounds, Megumi. If Kaoru hadn't acted as quickly as she had we would have both crashed into the canal – the impact would have broken our wings."

"We were lucky," Kaoru corrected, wondering if she sounded as tired as she felt. "If I had been in the lead, it wouldn't have mattered what we did." The only reason she had been able to break Misao's fall was because she was just big enough. She felt another brush of Kenshin's magic and allowed it.

"This conversation is not getting either of you into bed." Megumi interrupted. "I understand that this needs to be discussed but I will not have you both collapsing here instead of somewhere comfortable."

Kaoru raised her chin. "I am not resting until I have seen my brother."

The healer's eyes narrowed at the direct challenge. But the subtle shift of Kenshin's magic as he walked closer kept her from commenting. Kaoru tilted her chin and watched him.

"Megumi?"

Megumi muttered something under her breath and blew her bangs out of her eyes before moving to run her hands just hovering off of Kaoru's back and shoulder where the worst of the injuries were. Kaoru closed her eyes at the instant relief of the throbbing pain that she had just managed to push to the back of her mind. Kaoru paid attention to the way Megumi just tugged at her magic to help stimulate the healing. Once she hit a flat surface, Kaoru was going to pay for that extra magic use and be out for several hours, at least. But the burns were healed even if she felt stiff.

"There. That is all I can do for now. Misao has the more extensive injuries. I will do another session in a few hours while Kaoru is sleeping – but she should be able to bathe now without too much pain."

Kenshin offered his hand and Kaoru gratefully took it, choosing not to comment when his fingers curled around hers instead of letting her go. Misao looked delighted. Deciding that the best part of valor for the moment was to ignore her, she followed Kenshin from the room just as the familiar, grim faced Shinomori walked by. Misao's delighted voice edged into askance as they moved further away from the parlor.

"You are certain you are alright?" Kenshin asked quietly. His magic had settled back into his skin with the contact between them and Kaoru nodded.

"I'll be alright. Please, Yahiko?"

Instead of replying, he opened a door in the wing of rooms she had been staying. Kaoru tugged her hand free and moved as fast as she could without tripping on her elaborate skirts. Yahiko was on his back, hair a too-long tangled mess around his pale face. His magic was so very faint as it brushed against hers as she curled her fingers around his limp hand. But he was breathing and she could feel the way he was healing. Her throat clogged and for a moment her eyes burned with more than just exhaustion. The sudden warmth at her side was comforting but Himura made no move to actually touch her. She would have lost the tenuous hold she had on her emotions if he had and she was grateful he was offering his support without pushing her.

"He's so pale." Her words came out ragged and she watched Himura's hand fist out of the corner of her eye.

"He was at San Michele."

Her word tilted at the edges and then her dragon flared with what little strength she had left, rage burning through her so hot and bright that she was almost blind with it. Hissing between her teeth, she released Yahiko's hand, afraid of her accidentally burning him. But then Kenshin had his arms around her and was washing his magic through her own as she trembled in fury.

"That bastard."

She felt his amusement at her language and just as quickly her rage burned out. She just didn't have the energy to sustain it. Leaning heavily against Kenshin, she squeezed her eyes shut.

"He is okay?"

"Megumi has assured me that he will make a full recovery, it will just take time. He should wake sometime tomorrow once his magic stops working so furiously to help heal him. I promise, Kaoru – he will be fine."

Kaoru nodded. Taking a deep breath – and trying very hard not to think about how much she just wanted to stay where she was – she took a step back and tried to center herself. That last fit of temper had just about done her in. She blinked when Kenshin touched her lightly beneath one eye.

"You should rest."

"I know." She reached up and rubbed her aching forehead. "I will."

"For the second time you are exhausted – this time recovering with injuries, Kaoru." Kenshin said with a quiet intensity that forced her to pay attention. "If you wish for your own room and do not wish to wake in my bed, you will tell me now."

Kaoru tilted her head and considered the dragon in front of her. She wondered what it had cost him to ask – especially after he had kissed her. After she had let him. She'd given him Yahiko and he'd fulfilled his promise. She knew how careful he had been these last few days while he courted her instincts and wooed the woman. But she was too tired to work through the complicated dance of protocol and her instincts – she knew he was aware of how deep her exhaustion went.

"Kenshin?"

He stepped forward, eliminating the space between them. "I want you in my bed, safe. I want to know exactly where you are – to know what you look like against my bedding. I want you, Kaoru, but it's your decision. I want to hold you, to feel you against me while we sleep. But if that's not what you want, you need to tell me now."

Because, she realized, last night and this morning had pushed him to his breaking point. If she concentrated hard enough she could feel the faint rumbling of a beast. She swallowed. He was telling her he was fighting his instincts to take her to his rooms and to hide her. Hoard her. Right then, she was exhausted enough to let him, at least temporarily. Then there was the lingering need to just stay with his arms wrapped around her. She'd liked his kiss. But sharing his bed was both an invitation and a declaration. But she wouldn't do this unless he understood.

"Sharing your bed will not mean that I have made my decision regarding your suite." She reminded him. Protocol did not require at any particular point during the courting that she choose – her dragon would decide when it would, but the woman was willing to admit that she was softening.

His nose brushed hers and the affection behind the gesture stole her breath. "At least you are admitting that you are making decisions where we are concerned. Let me hold you tonight and the next. After that, you will decide what you will."

Kaoru bit her lip. To agree to this in some part was to admit a weakness that he could exploit – but he had found her Yahiko. For that, for the careful, exquisitely patient way he had courted her, she was willing. Slowly, she nodded her acceptance of his offer. The dark bronze of his gaze twisted into the color of melted gold. She considered stepping away – a prompt that she needed to rest soon – when he reached up and brushed his thumb over her bottom lip.

"Protocol demands that I warn you, Kaoru – it is your choice to stay, but that doesn't mean I won't try to convince you." The heat in his voice, the way his eyes dipped to follow the movements of his thumb along her mouth left her heart lurching in her chest even as her throat ran dry. The edge of his mouth kicked up and then he sighed, closing his eyes for a long moment before almost visibly shaking himself.

"You need a hot bath before bed or moving tomorrow will be painful. Let's settle you in before you fall asleep on your feet."

Kaoru swallowed and forced herself to acknowledge his words and not the way her stomach was fluttering at his words and his tone. "Thank you."

The heavy lidded glance from beneath his lashes did nothing to help her. "It is my pleasure."

X

Kenshin closed the heavy wood door behind him and leaned back. For a moment, he breathed in the peace of his room – the beautiful carved wood pieces, the priceless art on the walls and the opulent arrangement of silks and brightly colored rugs that extended the collection from his villas in the Alps and near the Brenta River to the heart of Venice. But right then, none of it matter nearly so much as the softly breathing woman so deeply asleep in his bed.

Kaoru was completely exhausted. Megumi had come in hours ago to check on her and declared that she would sleep past Yahiko's waking. The last few weeks had been draining enough but the last day and a half had been what had run her resources dry. First that magical attack from that brute Gohei and then another attack, this one fueled by hunt magic designed to drain a dragon before the hunters finished the kill. Shinomori's men had confirmed it had been hunt magic but they had been unable to tell the purpose of the trap. His hands fisted. Even thinking about that brand of magic here lit his temper. When she woke, he would have to ask her how she knew what she was facing and how to survive it. Regardless of how determined she was to handle her problems on her own she was still so young. Neither she nor Misao were strong enough or old enough to easily escape those who hunted their kind.

Unless they too were new and still learning how to set their traps, but this was not England or Ireland – he would not sit back and watch as a pocket of humans worked their magic to destroy his kind. Already he had feelers out, looking for the source. Because to know how to kill a dragon you first must know of them; the church was both a threat to their existence and protection. Because the church declared that magic did not exist, so did the people believe; Italy that had once been an open stronghold for the predators and magic was gone. Italy now had very little tolerance for the foolishness of those who would hunt creatures that did not exist. Their disbelief was a thin layer of protection they would kill to keep.

What connection did all of this have with Kaoru?

Shaking such thoughts from his mind, he quietly shed his clothing and changed into something comfortable and more appropriate for sleeping. Under the wealth of his bed sheets, all he could see was the rope of Kaoru's braid. The smile he couldn't help, any more than the need to curl around her, pressing his cheek against the curve of her shoulder and wrapping an arm around her waist. She hardly moved from her position on her stomach as he settled himself around her and he sighed, instincts and dragon finally settling with the feel of her in his bed. Safe. Kaoru didn't know it yet, but if he had his way, she was never going to sleep away from him again. Satisfied that he had done all could until morning, he slept.

[End Chapter Four]

Please Comment

Notes: Just so you can see exactly what I played with/took liberties.

Spinalunga: meaning "Long Thorn", this was the original name of the island Giudecca. Giudecca was historically an area of large palaces with gardens, the island became an industrial area in the early twentieth century with shipyards and factories in addition to a film studio. Much of the industry went into decline after World War II, but it is now once more regarded as an exclusive residential area. It is known for its long dock and its churches, including Il Redentore.

Porta d'acqua: water door.

San Michele: is an island in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy. Originally a prison island, Napoleon's occupying forces decreed that Venetians could not bury their deceased on any of the main Venetians islands, but only on San Michele. It is associated with the sestiere of Cannaregio, from which it lies a short distance north east.

Note: Technically, in the setting I am playing with in Venice, Napoleon wouldn't have occurred yet so San Michele would not have been mandated placed to bury the dead. Just go ahead and ignore this lapse in historical accuracy, yes?

And a thank you goes to the anonymous reviewer who pointed out I'd switched horde and hoard though most of the story. That should be fixed now.