Author's note: I've started school now, so these won't be coming out as fast. I'm sorry! I'll try to crank them out as quickly as my schedule allows. I'm nearly at the end now, so please stick with me, through the twists and turns. Please follow this curse to either its completion or its cure. I've worked so hard on this series, and I can only hope you like it as much as I do, if not better. I appreciate all who have stuck with this as far as it's gone.

Oh, and just so you know, I've got romance in this chapter! Yay romance!

Thank you, and as always, please read, review, and enjoy!

Chapter 14

Kenshin knew something was wrong even before Kaoru ran in the room, covered in sweat and babbling incoherently. "Kaoru-dono? What's wrong?" he asked. She shook her head, screaming for Sano to get ice and for Kenshin to get Megumi.

Without another word, the two men obeyed, running in separate directions as fast as their limbs would allow.

Not five minutes later, Kenshin returned with Megumi and Sano with his ice. The three adults burst through the dojo doors, discovering Kaoru kneeling on the ground next to Yahiko and Sojiro. Megumi hurried forward, placing her hand on Yahiko's forehead. "This is bad," was all she could manage before she whipped open her medicine box and began dishing out pastes, herbs, wraps, compresses, and anything else she thought she might need.

Acting quickly, she pressed ice to foreheads, wrists, and necks, attempting to cool her patients down even just a bit. Kenshin watched, helplessly as she mixed some foul-smelling concoction and tipped it down their throats. The moment the putrid liquid touched Sojiro's lips, Kenshin could see a shiver creep over him. Yahiko took it better, but still seemed to writhe once it was in his system.

Throughout this, Megumi instructed the others on where to put ice, when to change bandages, how to soothe the patients, anything she needed.

-------

Many orders and hours later, the two patients rested in the Oguni clinic, their fevers gone down, no longer sweating, and just recovering from their poison. Kenshin, Kaoru, Megumi, and Sano sat close by, exhausted from their fight against time, but glad that their rush had paid off.

Kaoru dozed in her chair, unaccustomed to staying up through the early hours of the morning. She couldn't shake those images from her head, of Sojiro and Yahiko falling, poisoned. Kenshin sat close to her, eyeing her sleeping form, aware that Sano stared at him, obviously waiting for him to make a move.

It was Megumi that broke the silence. "So, have you guys come up with any ideas for the curse?" she asked them, leaning her head against the wall. Kenshin gasped; he had completely forgotten about the curse during the challenge he had just faced.

"No, not yet, Megumi-dono," he responded, still eyeing Kaoru. "This one fears there may be no way to break it."

Sano punched the wall, causing Kenshin to whip around to see him and Kaoru to wake suddenly. "No way to break it?" he demanded of Kenshin. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! That's not like you, Kenshin! You never give up!"

"I agree," said Megumi, standing up and crossing over to Kenshin. "There's always a way, right, Kaoru?"

Kaoru, who had already guessed what they were talking about, turned to Kenshin, fire in her eyes. "Right."

Kenshin looked away from her gaze, unable to return the sheer determination. For once in his life he was scared. Not frightened, but terrified of the task that now faced him. It seemed impossible, even to the man that had once been Hitokiri Battosai.

What if there is no way? the rurouni wondered.

There has to be, Battosai stated firmly. There's always a way.

This one hopes as such.

Closing his eyes, Kenshin nodded. "A cure will be found," he assured them, smirking despite his own doubts. "We still have a while."

No one pointed out that a while meant a few hours. This was their last day, and if they didn't come up with something soon, Kenshin and Sojiro were gone for good.

Sano stretched in his chair. "Well," he said, placing his hands in his pockets. "I'm gonna go get some food. No use planning if you can't think straight." They others nodded as he left.

Megumi straightened up. "I'll go with that rooster head so he doesn't eat it all before he brings it back. Feel free to look at the diary entry. There has to be something we're missing. The has to be!" She slid open the shoji. "If either one of them wakes up, which I doubt they will, give them some of the medicine sitting on my medicine box," she said, and then she was gone.

This left Kenshin and Kaoru alone.

Kaoru eyed Kenshin from under her bangs, watching him intently. He seemed to be staring off into space for a bit until he felt her gaze upon him. Looking down, he smiled his rurouni grin. "This one will be fine, Kaoru-dono, that one will. Don't you worry."

Kaoru shook her head. "You say that like it's so simple. Kenshin, what if we don't find a cure? I don't think I'll be able to handle it!" Tears began to well up in her eyes, despite her effort to hold them back. "It'll be just like Kyoto all over again, only worse because this time you won't come back!"

Kenshin's smile faded and he placed a finger to her lips to stop her from continuing. "This one is sure it will be fine. This will work out. It is certain. Don't worry about sessha; one's dealt with much worse in the past." He didn't have the heart to tell her this wasn't true. "And if something does happen, Sano will be there for you. He can be trusted, that he can."

Kaoru looked at the floor, away from Kenshin's amethyst gaze. She just couldn't accept that this was what he was thinking, couldn't accept that this was truth.

"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin said softly, turning her face up to look into her eyes. He could smell the salt from her tears, could see the glistening paths they left down her cheeks.

"Yes, Kenshin?" she asked, staring into his mesmerizing eyes. "What is it?"

"If this one only has one more day to live, then one would wish to do what has been on sessha's mind for a while," he replied, choosing his words carefully.

"What's that, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked, watching as he looked away. And then, he closed the gap between them, and she lost all other thought.

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"You just left them alone on purpose, didn't you, vixen?" Sano asked the woman at his side as they walked back from the Akabeko, food in hand. Megumi merely smiled, her fox ears appearing on her head.

"What would make you think that?" she asked innocently.

Sano chuckled, his eyes lighting up. "I never thought you were that generous. The great kitsune giving her prey freedom?"

Megumi's smile faded. "It may be their last chance, Sano," she said quietly. The light in Sano's eyes went out and he turned to stare at the road before him.

Minutes passed before either of them spoke again. "I just can't believe this," Sano said, kicking a pebble far ahead of him. "It's just not right. Kenshin killed this guy long ago, and now he's gotta still be punished? No rurouni or hitokiri deserves this. No farmer deserves it. No one does."

Megumi nodded, turning to look at the man to her left. "It isn't fair," she said finally. "But it's reality. Reality's not fair, no matter what any scroll or scholar may tell you. It never is."

Sano couldn't find anything to add, and so the rest of the journey passed in a worried silence. There was no way this should have been happening.

Author's note: Chapter 14's end. Please understand that there's a HUGE plot twist coming up that may want many of you to throw this computer across the room, but please also understand that it has a reason and that nothing is over until I write, "End!"

Thanks for reading this, and staying with this all the way through. And now, I will warn you that the end is near, and that there will only be a few chapters left.

Please review!