12

How do you do it?

Make me feel like I do.

How do you do it?

It's better than I ever knew.

STELLAR– INCUBUS

"So that's the story?"

"Most of it, yes," I replied, nodding.

Kenshin folded his arms across his chest, closing his eyes in thought. Jasmine was unusually silent next to me. She had only spoken when she shared her story of how she met Enishi with us. Other than that, she said nothing.

Kenshin didn't seem as mad as I had initially thought, but he too was strangely quiet. Why was it that everyone around me seemed to be thinking about something important, yet they wouldn't share it with me? Surely they trusted me enough.

Katsura broke my train of thought when he entered the room, walking over to us and sitting down.

"So, how about you fill me in on what's going on?"

"Katsura-sama, forgive us for not telling you sooner."

"Are you telling me that you two girls are the shadow assassins known as Chi no Bara?"

"Hai."

"Unbelievable. To think a couple of women have been ordering us around."

I hung my head, but Katsura's laugh made me glance up at him.

"Not that I'm complaining! I think any man would be just too happy to obey such cute looking girls."

I laughed along with him before turning the topic to more serious matters.

"Well now that you know about us, I can just as well tell you what we will be doing tomorrow night. My sister Jasmine used to be a Geiko two years ago, back when we lived on the opposite side of Kyoto. She used her skills to get into a nearby Geisha school, the same place you went to when you hired the geishas for tomorrow night. Jasmine will be amongst the group of girls who will be going to the temple, and I will join them just before they get there."

"I see now. So you two will be going in as geishas. No one will suspect the women."

"Exactly."

"But what about weapons? The Shinsengumi will be there to check, so how will you fight?"

"Don't you worry about that, Katsura-sama. It's all been taken care of."

"Another one of your secrets. Well as a woman, I guess you are entitled to them."

We discussed the plan for a few more minutes, going over some last-minute details before the subject of our prisoner came up.

"What are we going to do with him?" I asked.

Katsura rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Perhaps we should keep him here until after the battle is over. We can't risk him going off telling the Shogun anything."

"I agree. What do you think, Jasmine? Jasmine?"

I looked around, but realized my sister was no longer seated beside me. In fact, she wasn't seated anywhere.

"Where did she go?"

No one had an answer, which I didn't like. A bad feeling rose up in my throat like bile.

Jasmine, where are you?

Jasmine stood over Enishi, staring at him with a calm face. Even though she had figured out he was an enemy quite early on when she had discovered his dagger lying underneath the table, it still hurt.

She had so hoped that maybe he'd change his mind.

She couldn't deny the fact that she'd felt something when he kissed her. Even his gentle words stirred up butterflies in her stomach, though she knew they were all lies.

"You used me."

"And you used me, so we're even now."

"But why?"

"Because that man – that manslayer that you're protecting – killed my sister!"

"Your sister? You mean Tomoe?"

"You know about her?"

"I heard the story."

"And you still insist on protecting the Battousai? What did he tell you? That he loved her?" he asked, his words dripping with sarcasm.

Jasmine knelt down in front of him.

"No, I protect him for my sister's sake."

"What?"

"My sister has fallen in love with him."

"How stupid."

She smiled and leaned forward, tugging on the knot in his bonds.

"I'll admit I'm a bit jealous, but he makes her happy, so who am I to complain?"

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"What does it look like? I'm freeing you."

"You are? But – "

She stopped working and pulled back to look in his eyes.

"I ask only that you don't go back to the Shogun to tell them about us."

"And why shouldn't I?"

"Because if you do that and something happens to my sister, then you'll be just like Kenshin."

She hated comparing him to Kenshin, especially since she knew Kenshin hadn't purposely killed Tomoe, but she had to say it, to make him understand. Her words worked; she saw the realization hit deep.

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his for a brief moment.

"You know what it's like to have someone take an important person away from you, Enishi. Don't do the same to me."

The ropes loosened and fell to the ground. Enishi rubbed his wrists, all the while staring into her eyes. From the start he'd intended to use her, but during their time together – even though it had all been an act – he'd come to like her.

"I understand."

The bright smile that suddenly flashed across her face made him blush a little, and that blush only deepened when she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a small hug.

"Thank you!"

When she pulled back, he rose to his feet and hurried over to the balcony, glancing back at her briefly. She nodded, still smiling and watched as he jumped into the nearby tree, sliding out of sight.

Jasmine sat in silence for a moment before she too rose to her feet and made her way to the door. Just as she was reaching for the handle, the door slid open and she found herself staring into her sister's worried face.

"Jasmine, what – " but her sister's sentence was cut short when she glanced behind her and saw Enishi was gone.

"Jasmine what have you done?"

"It's alright Jade."

"Alright? But – "

Jasmine placed her hands firmly on her sister's shoulders and gazed into her eyes.

"Don't worry. It's fine."

She saw her sister calm down and pulled her into a gentle hug. Kenshin was standing behind Jade, staring dejectedly at the ground. She couldn't help but frown. Jasmine felt her sister shiver slightly and realized she was worried. She probably didn't understand why Kenshin was so quiet and distant, but Jasmine knew.

She had seen that same look in his eyes two years ago.

On that day that he said goodbye for good.

Jasmine lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. It was late already, but she couldn't seem to fall asleep.

So many things had happened in the past week; her mind was still trying to sort through the whirl of thoughts.

She had noticed the change between Kenshin and Jade. At first she'd thought it was simply because they hadn't seen each other in such a long time, and when he hugged her, she had felt sure things would go back to normal.

But now he seemed even more distant than before. It was almost as if he felt too guilty to even look at or touch her.

"Jasmine, are you asleep?" her sister's voice whispered to her.

"No."

Jasmine turned in her bed until she was facing Jade and waited until she had done the same.

"Do you think Kenshin is mad at me?" she asked, her voice sounding troubled.

"No. Why would he be?"

"I don't know. He just seems different."

"Shouldn't you be talking to him about it instead of me?"

"I wanted to hear your opinion."

Jasmine went still for a moment and she could tell Jade was waiting anxiously for her to say something.

"Go to him tonight," she finally whispered.

"What?"

But she didn't reply to her question. Jade continued.

"Are you suggesting I do what I think you're suggesting?"

"Well why not?"

"Jasmine!"

The younger girl sat upright, still looking at her sister.

"You love him right? Think about what's happening tomorrow. We're going into battle. Its likely we could all be dead by midnight tomorrow."

"But – "

"Don't deny you haven't thought about it. I know you well enough by now, Jade. I can understand you're afraid because of what you went through with Hideki, but I promise you it will be different this time. Kenshin is not Hideki. He won't force you to do anything. Kenshin is too good a person, which in my opinion is something of a hindrance."

"What do you mean?"

"Kenshin is always thinking about others, which means he's always neglecting his own happiness. You want my opinion? The reason Kenshin has been so withdrawn is because he's feeling guilty. Enishi's appearance brought back bad memories of Tomoe, and he blames himself for getting us involved. He doesn't realize that sometimes his happiness can mean someone else's happiness. That's why you need to be the one to make the first move. Go to him, show him you're serious."

And stop him from leaving, she thought, though she wouldn't dare speak it out loud. Her sister was too infatuated with the man to notice the signs, and she didn't want to think about what the consequences would be if he were to leave again. It was a miracle that Jade had allowed herself to have feelings for a man, but if he betrayed her it would be far worse than any previous betrayals. That was why she had suggested her sister spend the night with Kenshin.

Perhaps then he would realize Jade loved him unconditionally.

"Ok. I'll go."

Jasmine watched her sister rise to feet, managing to catch a brief glance of her face before she turned away. It was apparent by the look on her face that Jade was nervous.

Jasmine didn't blame her. It had been just over two years since she'd last been intimate with a man, and even then it must have been unpleasant for her.

Jade walked over to the door but stopped, suddenly turning back.

"I can't do it. What if he sends me away?"

"For heaven's sake Jade! You're a woman. Charm him."

"Well I'm sorry, but I've never had an opportunity to "charm" a man," she countered, her hands coming up to her hips. Jasmine couldn't help but giggle a little at her sister's complete lack of knowledge, which only served to infuriate Jade more.

"I'm not doing this!" she hissed, hurrying back over to the bed.

"Wait, I'm sorry for laughing. I know it's not your fault. Let me help you."

"How? Are you going to go and seduce Kenshin on my behalf? Perhaps you should, he probably wouldn't know the difference."

"Of course he would! We'll practice. I'll pretend to be Kenshin. Now, pretend you just walked into my room, ok?"

An uncertain look crossed her face, but she nodded.

Jasmine lay back down and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.

For a while, Jade was silent, but after a moment she leaned forward and touched her sister's shoulder.

"Jas-, I mean, Kenshin."

Jasmine opened her eyes, rubbing them sleepily and sitting upright to face her sister.

"What is it, Jade-chan?" she asked, making her voice deep.

"He doesn't call me Jade-chan."

"Fine fine, Jade."

"Uh. . .I. . . well the thing is. . . .you. . . "

Even in the faint light, Jasmine could see her sister's face turn bright red.

"I can't do this!"

"Yes you can! Ok, fine. You be Kenshin and I'll be you."

Jasmine cleared her throat before narrowing her eyes slightly in a seductive manner and leaning forward a little so that you had a nice view of her chest.

"Oh Kenshin, forgive me for disturbing you, but I'm feeling uneasy about everything. What if someone else tries to break in and kill us?"

At this point, Jasmine opted for a fearful look. She played the damsel in distress part well.

But Jade didn't seem to agree with her methods.

"That's stupid. Why would I go running to Kenshin when he knows perfectly well I can take care of anyone that would break in?"

"You are impossible, you know that? That's not the point."

"Then what is?"

"Men like being our heroes. You must make him feel special by saying things like, "Oh you're so strong", or "I feel safe in your arms"."

Jade folded her arms stubbornly, causing Jasmine to sigh.

"Ok I can see this isn't going to work. Look, just be sincere with him. Tell him the truth, that you want to spend the night at his side. Remind him of his feelings for you."

"I think I can do that."

"Of course you can. You made him fall in love with you the first time all by yourself."

Jasmine watched as her sister thought about this for a moment before she smiled a little and rose once more. This time she didn't stop at the door, walking on until Jasmine heard her steps become fainter.

Satisfied, Jasmine lay back down and went to sleep.

Kenshin was afraid to go to sleep. He knew that as soon as he did, he would dream, and dream was the last thing he wanted to do.

It was bad enough that he was constantly reminded of Tomoe, but to dream of what he had done as well – it was hell.

And now he had gone and gotten Jade and Jasmine involved in all this as well. Well technically he hadn't known what they were doing, but he should have guessed earlier on that it was Jade with him all along and put a stop to their involvement.

Then again, that girl was very strong-willed, so he probably couldn't have stopped her anyway. Still, he would do everything in his power to make sure they are safe, and once it was all over, he'd send them back.

He had gotten his wish to see Jade once more; he'd even gotten his wish to hold her, but it was over now. He had thought that maybe once the Revolution had ended he could go back to Jade, but Enishi's appearance had convinced him otherwise.

He would never truly escape. There would always be a bitter enemy after his life. He couldn't put Jade through that. Ever.

He heard his door slide open a little and instinctively reached for his sword. He waited in tense silence, hearing the door close again and light footsteps approach. Using his thumb, he pushed on the hilt of his sword, lifting it a little so that he could easily draw it.

"Kenshin?"

He relaxed at the sound of her voice and lowered his weapon.

"What's wrong Jade? Did something happen?"

"No everything's fine, I just. . . "

He waited for her to continue, but when she didn't, he glanced up at her.

She stood near the window, bathed in the beams of pale moonlight that filtered in through a few of the panes.

Kenshin felt his breath catch in his throat. Memories of the night he had watched her bathe herself with water from the well flashed through his mind, and he felt a sudden longing to gaze upon her ivory skin.

He mentally slapped himself, forcing his mind to think about something else. It worked for a few seconds, until she knelt in front of him, her captivating eyes staring at him with an intensity he'd never seen before.

Before he could think better of it, he raised his hand to touch her face. She closed her eyes and whispered his name, the husky tone of her voice hinting at her similar longing to be touched.

He knew he needed to put a stop to this. She had come here to tell him something. That was all.

"Why did you come to me?"

Her eyes snapped open and he saw a light blush creep into her cheeks. She turned her face away, staring at the ground.

"I. . .I wanted to ask you. . . "

"Yes?"

He noticed she was wringing her hands nervously in her lap. He wanted to assure her that he would listen to her request.

"Jade, what is it? You know you can ask me anything."

This seemed to giver her some confidence, and she turned her face back to him.

"Kenshin, I want to be with you tonight."

His eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't back down, keeping her eyes locked with his.

Was she serious?

Despite the look of resolve on her face, he noticed her eyes become watery. She grabbed hold of his hands and squeezed them gently.

"Please, don't leave me alone."

He wanted to point out that Jasmine was with her, but realized that wasn't what she wanted. She was asking for more from him.

He felt his desire for her increase. Why couldn't he be with her this one time? No, he didn't want to make things worse. He was already so attached to her.

While his mind swam with conflicting thoughts, he failed to notice her leaning towards him.

The gentle touch of her lips against his snapped him back to reality. All thoughts vanished from his mind – except for one.

So this is what it feels like?

He gave in to his needs and cupped the back of her neck, tilting her face upwards so that he had better access to her mouth. He gently ran his tongue across her lower lip, begging for more. She responded by shyly parting her lips and granting him access to the delights of her mouth.

He had often wondered what she would taste like, but now he had his answer. Sugar and cinnamon.

He heard a soft moan escape her throat as he continued to probe the sweet, dark corners of her mouth and felt a pleasant warmth spread out across his skin. He had dreamt of this moment for years, and now that it was here, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the intensity of his feelings. They had shared some intimate moments in the past, but the passion of this single kiss far surpassed anything he'd ever experienced with her before.

It left him hungry for more.

He broke away from her mouth, moving his lips down to her neck and leaving a trail of kisses all the way up to her ear.

She whispered incoherent words in his ear, but even though he couldn't hear what she was saying, the feel of her warm breath against his skin was enough to drive him wild.

She pressed her hands against his chest, slipping her fingers inside his shirt and gently tracing them across his skin. Her hands gradually made their way down his body, stopping at his waist and leaving him disappointed.

It was unfair that she got to touch his bare skin while he was still obstructed by her clothing.

He went back to kissing her mouth, bringing his hands up to rest on her shoulders. Slowly he moved his hands down her arms, pushing off the sleeves of her clothes in the same movement.

He could feel her shiver slightly, whether from excitement or nervousness, he didn't know, but she made no protest to his advances.

He broke away from her lips, pressing his forehead to hers and looking into her eyes.

"If you want to stop, just say so."

He saw her eyes widen a little in surprise and realized Hideki must have never asked her what she wanted. He felt a bit guilty for doing this, but her bright smile assured him.

"No, I'm fine," she insisted, and he could tell she meant it. He returned her smile and resumed kissing her, all the while bringing his hands up to touch every exposed area of skin he could find.

He pushed all doubts to the back of his mind and focused solely on her.

At that moment, the entire world fell away and there was nothing else that mattered except for her.