Here it is! Long overdue! ^_^' AHAHAHA Kaoruca your comment made me laugh but guilted me at the same time. I'm sorry...I've had most of this written for months but just didn't like it but for your sakes, I just kept trying to finish it. I still want to redo the story tho….I hope this is still likable! Thank you everyone!


"Maybe now you'll let yourself mend all the way." Koharu's words echoed in his head, "and your health too. "

"I will. I promise." He sounded resolved. She had given him every reason to hold onto his life now. He had been made to feel it was worth protecting since the beginning despite the grief and sorrow radiating from his past. Even if she was the only reason he had to live, it was enough.

"Soujiro." Kenshin got his attention to distract him from the pain.

Soujiro lifted his eyes to meet his gaze. "I want you to know you and Koharu will always have a home here. You can trust she'll be well taken care of while you're away...and you'll always have a home to return to...with a family to welcome you."

Soujiro's eyes remained emotionless as he gazed up towards Kenshin. He slowly blinked and barely managed to open his eyes again as he fought for another breath of air.

Kenshin only felt him becoming weaker against him. It was when Soujiro opened his eyes again Kenshin saw his gratitude...and his defeat. Kenshin clenched his hand tighter in an effort to hold Soujiro's attention and prevented him for letting his head fall to the side. "I mean it, Soujiro. This isn't just for Koharu, but for you. You just have to hang on."

He tried to speak consolingly to him but it seemed his words were barely reaching Soujiro anymore. Within moments, his hand became limp in his hold and his head turned away for his eyes to close one last time.

"Soujiro, no," Kenshin gave his arm a shake to try and stir him, even if just a few more precious seconds. "Soujiro!"

….

I need to fight for her

It's enough for me...


Koharu was forced to wait in the room down the hall and no closer. She couldn't decide whether to stand or sit still. Kaoru continued to try and console her while Yahiko had to direct Koharu away when she started to enter down the hall to hear what was going on. There was never any sound from the room to give her a clue.

"Megumi is a good doctor. If anyone can save your brother, it's her." Kaoru remarked.

"She was already giving up on him though," Koharu cried softly. "She wants him to give up."

"That's not what she meant to imply. Trust me. She's doing her best."

"Yeah, Soujiro couldn't have a better doctor," Yahiko added. "And Ugly - I mean Kaoru and I hardly ever agree on anything." He corrected himself at the risk of Koharu charging him again.

Koharu was too downtrodden to even notice the insult made against her new friend. She started to sniffle again as she struggled to hold back another wave of tears. She paced a few times before she slowed to a stop again. "I have never wanted to kill someone before.…"she then crossed her arms and clutched at her sleeves.

"Koharu…." Kaoru uttered in concern.

"I wish Shishio was alive...so I could kill him, " her voice growled and shook as she twisted the fabric of her sleeves. "I want to kill him!" she cried out.

Yahiko cringed at that. "I don't think you know what you're wishing for. It was hard enough the first time."

"I don't care!" Koharu snapped. "He did this to Sou... He made Sou feel like he was nothing unless he was stronger than everyone. I could never break Soujiro away from such thinking." She cried through her tears. "Shishio brainwashed him. I thought Soujiro was better now, but he can't accept that he's weak right now. Strong or weak, it doesn't make him any less valuable." She shuddered. "I'm glad Shishio is not apart of his life anymore. Shishio would have only hurt him more, wouldn't he?"

"I don't know," Kaoru admitted. She then smiled hopefully. "But he could be in no better care right now. That much I can tell you."

The grueling minutes dragged on and hardly another word was said. Kaoru had eventually pulled Koharu into her arms consolingly as her eyes stayed fix towards Soujiro's room. Soujiro's fate could be known now and that was the worst part for Koharu. She had even considered taking it upon herself to thrust the door aside to see for herself. Kaoru must have been scared she would follow through and had eventually taken hold of her not just to console her, but restrain the impatient girl. There had only been minutes, perhaps seconds to save his life. The surgery Megumi undertook could only be successful if she performed it within those few precious minutes. Were they still in there because they didn't know how to deliver the news or had the surgery been successful and they were just helping Soujiro to get comfortable? Koharu found herself praying for it to be the latter.

Kaoru had started to think about the people Koharu had already lost. She had lost her family members one by one. Most of them had ended up betraying her. Koharu had not been shy about revealing her past. It had led her to Soujiro who had taken her under his wing unlike anyone else is Koharu's life. She would lose a family all over again if he died.

She tightened her hold on the girl. She was only twelve and was already too familiar with death. The only thing Kaoru found comfort in was that no matter what, Koharu would still have a family. She did more than assure her of that. "You know I was suspicious of your brother at first, but I've seen now how you two care and watch over each other. I can see he's a kind person after all. We've all agreed that you two should continue to make this place your home."

"You're not afraid of him?" "Koharu looked over her shoulder at Kaoru. "You trust him?"

"I still hardly know him, but I trust Kenshin and Megumi. From what I understand, Kenshin made similar mistakes at Soujiro's age. When I see Soujiro, my heart breaks for both him and Kenshin and what they've had to endure. Kenshin was able to pull through and now has the kindest heart of anyone I've ever met. It gives me hope for your brother as well... that he might come to know such happiness despite his past mistakes."

Koharu nodded in agreement. "I believe it too."

A few more minutes slowly passed by. Koharu's heart could barely take the quiet and the anticipation any longer. Her hands wrenched around Kaoru's arms as she uttered through her broken voice: "What's taking them so long?

Finally, the door to Soujiro's room opened and Megumi exit out of the room first. Kenshin wasn't with her and remained inside as she approached the three and delivered the news. Koharu eventually broke Kaoru's hold and ran passed Megumi as tears steamed down her face. Kaoru started to follow before Megumi lowered her arm to prevent her and allow Koharu only.

Koharu turned into the room but with eyes on the floor. She turned away slowly and closed the door she entered through. She had been waiting so long it seems for this moment and was now prolonging it even more. She eventually turned and slowly raised her eyes to find Kenshin placing a fresh moist rag on Soujiro's forehead. As she approached, she saw that Soujiro's wrap had been wrapped snug around his shoulders before he had been laid down. The cold had been allowed to fill the room now that the door leading outside had been shattered.

"He's just fallen asleep," Kenshin reminded her. "Megumi gave him something for the pain. He just needs to rest now."

As she approached them more closely she struggled to hold back another wave of tears. She couldn't believe it. He was still hanging on. Koharu had and was still afraid to hope. She wasn't convinced. Megumi had mentioned he was already dying. Even now Soujiro took too long to breathe. The only sign of life he gave was the slow rise and fall of his chest.

She knelt down beside him and at first refrained from taking hold of his hand like she had been doing. She was afraid to disturb him at all with how he seemed to barely be clinging to his life. She held her breath as her's and Kenshin's attention was directed back to Soujiro when he started to inhale more deeply. She didn't let out her breath until he did so. It was a relief for both of them.

Koharu directed her eyes to Kenshin when she made better sense of his last words. "He just fell asleep? Was he just awake?"

Kenshin nodded with an assuring smile. It had seem Soujiro had given his last breath but Megumi had not given up. In the end, Soujiro hadn't either. His eyes had slowly opened up as he took a sharper and clearer intake of air towards the end of Megumi's operation on him. Kenshin had had to resteady his head and focus Soujiro's attention back on him to keep his mind off the procedure. Kenshin held his attention by reminding Soujiro of the home he and Koharu had now. He even mentioned Avaron. As much as Soujiro had tried to brush off his feelings for her, all it took was for someone to say her name to grab his attention. Kenshin hadn't just said her name for that reason alone, but reminded Soujiro how she would feel if the worst happened to him. Soujiro couldn't speak, but his forlorned and skeptical expression had revealed enough to Kenshin. "Don't mind what Yamagata said. Do you really think a general would concern himself with such a thing? He's got the rest of the country to worry about. I think he's more concern about you getting distracted. He needs you're focus and cooperation."

It was at that point Megumi had finished the procedure. Kenshin had to carefully pull Soujiro upright as Megumi used a fresh cloth and poured anesthesia on a cloth four him to intake and quickly fall asleep. It was something done usually before an operation but there had not been time to give it to him. While waiting for Soujiro to fall asleep, they had quickly made sure he would stay warm by covering his shoulders and torso with Avaron's wrap and then the rest of his body with his blanket until they could move him into a different room. They had also waited for Soujiro to fall asleep before letting Koharu see him. They all had reason to be angry towards him, but Koharu most of all. She knew why Soujiro was pushing himself and had long been trying to break him off such thinking that had been inculcated into him. They didn't want to risk Koharu rightfully being angry and putting added stress on Soujiro. That would have to come later….


"There's no way he should have survived that," Megumi uttered in astonishment before the others. "I've never known anyone to pull through like that."

Kaoru was confused by such a statement. "You saved his life. He's alive because of you now. If you really thought he had no chance, you wouldn't have even tempted such a procedure."

Megumi lowered her head. "I had to. That was how I could prove I wasn't giving up on him. His will to live is so strong too."

"Soujiro knows he can't die," Yahiko spoke up. "Think about it. The general from the Imperial army needs him. That means the whole country might depend on what Soujiro knows and his abilities. If he died, it could be the Meiji's last chance at stopping whoever is trying to finish what Shishio started. Even if they involved Kenshin, he wouldn't know what Soujiro knows and be able to get on the enemy's good side like Soujiro can. There's too much counting on his survival."

Kaoru crossed her arms with a sneer on her face. "They better not involve Kenshin. He shouldn't have been involved in the first place. With how it nearly killed him-"

"Hush." Megumi held her palm up to silence Kaoru and looked back down towards the hall.

Kaoru then covered her mouth with a soft yelp. Thankfully, Koharu had closed the door behind her when she entered the room. Still, Kaoru had about made the same mistake Megumi had earlier. The last thing Koharu needed to hear are the dangers that still faced Soujiro if he survived the worst of his disease. It would be better not to mention what Kenshin had suffered for that reason alone.

"It turns out Soujiro has been keeping a secret from us." Megumi continued. "He's been training through the night. According to Kenshin, he was recovering his strength. It just seemed like he was getting worse because he was up all night training, which left him sleeping and barely eating all day. This also means he must have been eating more at night."

"What?" Kaoru barked and sat her hands on her hips. "That little sneak!"

"Kenshin said he has left Soujiro's side for only a moment to go prepare him his meal. Soujiro must have used that time to attempt something he wasn't capable of doing.

"It makes sense now after what Koharu said." Yahiko said. "She said Shishio trained him to overcome any weakness. As sad as it is, he endures now because of such training. Anything less would mean Soujiro was weak and incapable. It can't be easy for him to accept his condition right now."

Kaoru felt the sympathy rise for Soujiro again. It was difficult to know if she should be mad or feel sorry for him. It was understandable since everyone was feeling the same way. "No, I suppose not," Kaoru agreed.

"We need to get him moved into a different room. He's able to breathe for now. He needs to make it through the night to know if the operation was a success. He cant stay there because the door has been broken through."

"Make it through the night?" Yahikio questioned with concern. "What's that supposed to mean? He might still die?"

"He still has tuberculosis," she reminded him. "He's struggling to breathe more than ever and he drained himself of energy and resources in his system by performing whatever such a feat he did. If and when he wakes back up, we need to be swift in getting food and nutrients back in his system."

Kaoru was already standing ready with a plan to move Soujiro safely out of his room to a warmer one. "Leave it to me. Come on Yahiko. I'll need you help."

Yahiko nodded and for once was swift in obeying his instructor's words.


Koharu had taken her place by Soujiro's side and eventually did take his hand back in her grasp. She found herself holding her breath only to be able to check and listen to make sure he was still breathing. He seemed to take too long to take in his breath and let it out and once he finally did so, there would be too long of a pause between each breath. Watching him breathe didn't bring as much of a relief as she might have hoped. She thought each time he exhaled it might be his last.

"Sou?" She cried out softly. She wanted some sort of sign from him but he never gave it.

She had to quickly dry her tears she didn't realize were forking until the door slid open to reveal Kenshin on the other side. She still kept firm hold of Soujiro's hand and barely glanced at Kenshin as he approached her. She knew she couldn't hide the tears from him though. He had left momentarily to help the others prepare Soujiro's new room. Kaoru had a gurney she kept within reach in case her students proved to be reckless and suffer an accident from their recklessness. From there, they could be quickly taken to the clinic.

"How is he?" He looked towards Soujiro to make sure he was staying warm enough underneath the blankets.

"Cold," Koharu replied as she rubbed his knuckles.

"They're almost ready to move him," he assured her. He eventually got down his knees next to Koharu so she would feel less alone and reminded of his care for both of them. "I had only left his side for a few moments.…little by little he's been trying to get some exercise in every night." He admitted. "It benefited him for awhile…. I had left him alone because he got hungry for something more than just soup."

Koharu's eyes widened and she turned her gaze up at Kenshin. It was hard to imagine Kenshin was talking about the person before them. It seemed so long since Soujiro had desired any real food. He was rarely seen eating at all.

"So... he was getting better?" Koharu questioned out loud. She squeezed his hand a little tighter as she spoke. "But he sleeps all the ti-" she stopped again. She darted her eyes back at Kenshin. "Because of all the training he does at night!" She was angry now. "Why did you let him train? Protecting him includes protecting him from himself."

Kenshion only smiled kindly. "Koharu, our bodies were made to move. Soujiro was getting plenty of rest but little exercise. Once he started to move around a little, he got more energy and his mood improved. Just like the brisk cold air did Soujiro some good, so did a little exercise. His mistake was thinking his improving health meant he could start training like it had never stop."

Koharu used her other hand to clasp over Soujiro's knuckles as she gazed back towards him. "He was trained to push himself beyond his limit and if he broke down, he thought it was because he was weak." Her hands balled more tightly around soujiro's hand. "I hate Shishio...I hate him! I want Soujiro to hate him too!" She cried out. "He robbed Soujiro of so much and caused him such turmoil."

Kenshin didn't know how to respond. It was something he agreed with and had even told Shishio of. Though it didn't take Kenshin telling Shishio for him to know the misery he caused Soujiro. Shishio knew exactly what he had done. No matter how Soujiro admired and praised Shishio, he was just a tool in the end for him. Kenshin figured Soujiro must have realized that at some point when he finally got Soujiro to talk that night.

It wasn't much longer before they were able to carefully move Soujiro into another room where he would be warm.

Kenshin knew it would do little good to try and urge Koharu to rest. She was determined to stick by Soujiro's side and no one would be able to convince her otherwise. She had avoided him the whole day because she thought her friend might be dying and she didn't want to see him as so. Even before Soujiro's accident, she was regretting it. Especially after knowing Soujiro had been showing signs of his health improving. He only seemed to sleep so much because he was up all night.

She dozed off several times throughout the night against the wall. She woke up once to see Kenshin had laid a fresh rag on Soujiro's forehead at some point before he doze back off to sleep off across the room. An hour or two later, Koharu repeated the process and soaked it back in fresh water and wrenched the towel. This time she dabbed the rag carefully all over his face before placing it back on his forehead. She then scooted back against the wall she was sleeping against and dozed back off into sleep.

The next morning, she woke up to find Soujiro just as he was. She sat up from the wall while rubbing her neck after having slept in an awkward position for awhile. She also noticed that a blanket had been placed on her and figured Kenshin had done it at some point in the night. He was not present in the room. As her vision cleared, she saw Megumi now present watching over Soujiro and examining him to check the state of his health.

"After sleeping like that, my neck would be hurting too," Megumi smiled. She had just finished checking the incision she had made on his throat to make sure no signs of infection were showing and had listened to how he breathed.

Koharu sat up more alert. She could tell Soujiro hadn't woke up at all since Megumi's operation. "How is he?"

"He's breathing better but not as easily as I would hope. He has been left him weaker than ever. As long as his condition remains stable though, he should wake up soon."

It made sense to Koharu. His health had taken a turn it seemed when she first saw him perform the shukuchi. She knew she couldn't fully blame the gift. Soujiro had been shot and losing blood while performing it. It had saved them that day, but at a great cost. She knew it shouldn't be like this each time Soujiro used his shukuchi, but she became afraid for him to ever attempt it again. There was a chance his health would never be the same and she didn't want him risking it again. Soujiro wouldn't wait to know the truth. He had to prove to himself he hadn't lost it. Just because he could do it, didn't mean it would be safe to do it. Even now it had taken its toll on him.

Koharu stood and took her place back at Soujiro's side. It surprised Megumi when it involved standing near her. She risked looking up towards Koharu and saw she was keeping her head bowed low. It appeared she wanted to say something, but didn't know where to start.

"I'm sorry for what I said yesterday." Megumi started. "Kaoru was right. Saying what I said wasn't going to ease any pain from you, but only add to it."

Koharu nodded to acknowledged her. "Kaoru told me it didn't mean you were giving up…and you did just save his life. So I'm eternally grateful for that."

Megumi smiled with a nod. "I'll do everything I can Koharu." She then cleared her throat to prepare herself to speak more authoritatively. "Everyone is eating breakfast now. You should go do the same. You haven't eaten since yesterday morning. You better go before Yahiko and Sanosuke eat everything."

Koharu was already getting ready to protest but Megumi cut her off.

"What's it going to say about us when Soujiro wakes up and he finds you starving? He won't want you staying with us anymore. I suggest you go now before you give us a bad name."

Koharu found it more difficult to argue with that. She crossed her arms with her lips pursed.

Megumi added: "When you're done, bring something back for him. He was hungry before so I'm sure he'll be all the more hungry when he wakes up. I'll stay with him until you return."

"….All right, fine." Koharu stood to her feet while still rubbing the knot in her neck. "Let me know immediately if he wakes though."

"Of course," Megumi promised.

Only then could Koharu trudge out of the room to openly reveal her hostility towards Megumi's orders. Megumi chuckled in response before turning her attention back to Soujiro. She became concerned only because he should have woken up by now. She had only given him medicine to ease the pain and quickly fall asleep. It wasn't a goos sign that he wasn't waking up. She touched her back hand against his face to feel his temperature.

Soujiro at once flinched with a startled breath.

Megumi jumped and then froze. "Soujiro?"

He opened his guilty blue eyes towards her. "Sorry…." He uttered weakly. He was already closing his drowsy eyes. "I don't like to be touched."

Megumi's face changed to a shade of red. "Wha-You've been conscious this whole time?" She struggled to keep her voice low.

"Don't tell Koharu…not yet."

"I just promised her-"

"I know. Now I'm telling you not to."

"What are you going to do? Pretend to stay in a coma?"

She saw his fists tighten in agitation at his blanket. She quickly took a deep breath to ease her anger. It wasn't just Koharu he wanted to avoid. He knew that everyone must be angry with him and he didn't want to face it all at once... Least of all Koharu. Megumi wanted already to reveal openly her frustration with him.

"I know I deserve to face the heat of their anger and lectures. I'm just not ready to put up with it…I'll probably fall asleep in the middle of it and that will just make things worse," he added with a weak chuckle. The small hints of his smile faded and his face became more forlorn. "I never thought the day would come where I wouldn't be able to do the shukuchi anymore. I'm afraid I've done it for the last time."

"Oh Soujiro," she said more empathetically.

He let out a cough and placed his hand over his chest as he tried to recover. He shifted uncomfortably before he managed to open his eyes again. "Why did you have to apologize? What did you tell Koharu?"

Megumi at once bit her lower lip in guilt. She remembered he had been conscious long enough to hear her make the apology. Soujiro had started to close his eyes until Megumi took too long to answer. He started to open his mouth again to question her until they heard hurried footsteps approaching the door. Soujiro could tell already something was wrong. A hurried knock came on the door and Megumi got up to answer the door.

It was Yahiko and he was panting softly. "It's the Meiji... as well as Broomhead. They're on their way here."

Megumi at once nodded. "All right. It's ok." She at once turned to face Soujiro who had turned his head to meet her gaze. He was calm but she could tell his breathing became short, which meant his heartrate was increasing. She could still hear the wheezing in his lungs. He started to sit up.

"They must have saw me last night. It must have looked like I was trying to run." They were going to take him away.

Megumi rushed and knelt down at his side. She urged him to lay back against the pillow, which he did begrudgingly so. "It will be all right. No one is going to let anything happen to you." Soujiro met her gaze questionably. She was so sure and it was rare he could have such countability and assurance nothing would happen.

"You're awake," Yahiko at first said happily. He quickly slid the door shut behind him. He then froze at the thought as he entered the room. "Wait, is that a bad thing?" He remembered it had been so hard for Soujiro to remain calm and cordial before when he faced the Meiji and Chou purposefully liked to get under his skin. This problem would be easier to handle if he were still asleep.

Megumi was the calmest out of the three. Once she got Soujiro to lay back down, she pulled her medical bag to her lap. "You trust me?"

Soujiro nervously looked from the bag to meet her gaze again and nodded. What choice did he have? He didn't have much patience with the Meiji and couldn't trust himself to keep still or calm in their present.

Yahiko looked down her shoulder to see her pouring something on a dry cloth. "What is it?"

"Anesthesia. It will induce temporary unconsciousness." She placed a reassuring hand on Soujiro's forehead which he didn't reject so strongly like he had that morning. He nodded to her and she brought the cloth over his nose to inhale. Yahiko looked towards the door when he heard the approaching footsteps. By the time he looked back at the two, Soujiro was already out. He had barely been awake to start with. "Are you sure about this?" It seemed wrong at first to force such a thing on him.

"Even if Soujiro could pretend to be unconscious, it would cause him to suffer more than he needed to. He has a bad cough and is short on breath. This will stabilize his condition." Better yet, he won't have to listen to the Meiji threaten him.

An authoritative knock came on the door.

Megumi quickly stuffed the cloth she used on Soujiro in a pocket and pulled his blanket towards his shoulders to add to the appearance he hadn't been disturbed. "Come in."

The door was thrust aside to reveal Chou, Sanosuke and then Kenshin and just the three alone. Kenshin had convinced Chou not to bring in the officers he originally brought to the dojo. They waited outside as backup if the worst really were to happen.

"As you can see, he's been in no condition to try and run. He hasn't woken up since the accident." Kenshin continued: "You probably know Soujiro better than I do. Don't you think if he were to attempt an escape, he would do it in a way that wouldn't draw attention?"

"I didn't actually see it." Chou confessed. "Only what was reported to me. But I agree, he's known to be more elusive than that." As he took in Soujiro's weak form, Chou's face seemed to softenen at the sight before him. He quickly hid it with a furrowed brow. "He looks terrible. It's not looking good, is it?"

"Forcing him to leave certainly isn't going to better his situation. Escaping is far from his mind."

Sanosuke added: I am not too fond of the kid. But if Kenshin really thought he was a threat in any way, he wouldn't have chose to watch over him around the people he cares about the most."

Kenshin nodded in agreement.

"He was just being a stubborn ass last night." Sanosuke added. He spoke like he had been there to witness everything.

Chou brought his hand to his chin as if he had to think on it. He gave a shrug and then said: "All right. I'll cut the kid some slack. If he wakes up, tell him to be more careful. The only reason he wasn't shot down last night was because he didn't move or try to get up once he landed in the snow."

"You had a gun on him?" Yahiko raised his voice angrily.

"I just said I wasn't there," Chou repeated. "But next to Shishio' he was the most dangerous. The Batoussai is guarding him but the Meiji still feels the need to surround the dojo with surveillance. What does that tell you?"

Sanosuke stepped forward to add to the thought. "It makes sense. As much as I despise the Meiji, I understand their fear. Shishio was a madman and Soujiro's only influence. How could the Meiji not take extreme measure to have him caught or killed? Soujiro might be changing for the better, but the Meiji doesn't know that and he is only just now cooperating with them."

"He did try to surrender earlier!" A new voice interfered. It was Koharu. She was holding onto the doorframe as she caught her breath. Kaoru was still trying to catch up to her. She had tried to distract Koharu from the Meiji while she finished her breakfast but there was little she could do to stop Koharu once she finished her meal. She had even tried to block Koharu from leaving and fought her off. This only led Koharu to know something was wrong. As soon as Koharu put together what was going on, she fought Kaoru to get back by Soujiro's side. "Soujiro would have surrendered much sooner if it weren't for me. You remember, don't you?" She pointed her finger at Chou. "He even tried to leave me behind but I wouldn't let him and in the end, he didn't have the heart to abandon me either. That alone should have told you the kind of person he is now. You failed to tell that to the Meiji though, didn't you? He didn't surrender because he didn't just want to leave me on the street!" She stumped her foot childishly. At this point, Kaoru had caught up and was standing directly behind Koharu. She was prepared to drag the girl away if she had to in case she might make things worse.

Megumi stood from Soujiro's side and crossed her arms. "That could have changed things in how they treated him. It was only after Yamagata saw Soujiro react to Koharu being threatened and her trust in him that he started to reason with him."

"Instead, you targeted Koharu to get at Soujiro." Yahiko accused. "That left him no choice but to attack the Meiji. He was just protecting her."

"He was still a threat and still is not trustworthy," Chou argued. He pushed the conversation forward. "I'm doing you all a favor by reporting this incident as an accident.…I have every right to arrest him right now. Don't make me change my mind."

Everybody had to bite their tongue.

"It appears I'll still have bad news to report." He said as he looked one last time at Soujiro's frail form. "He looks like he's barely hanging on. Yamagata might want to question him now before it's too late... If it isn't already."

Kaoru at once put an arm up to block Koharu knowing she would lunge. "He's not going-" Kaoru covered her mouth and quietly begged her to stay quiet.

"Whatever Yamagata needs to know, please let the questions come through me," Kenshin requested. "It will be better that way."

"Then you'll report to me if he wakes back up?"

Kenshin nodded.

Chou turned to leave but paused when he met Koharu's burning eyes beaming up at his. He glared for a moment and then let out a gruff in his annoyance. "I'll never understand why the Tenken chose to keep a brat like her around….

Kaoru waited until his footsteps had completely receded before she felt safe to let Koharu go free. She slowly approached Soujiro's bedside and stared down becoming dishearten again. Chou was about to report that Soujiro was dying and it wasn't sitting well with her. "Could he still die?" It came out as a trembling whisper as she looked up at Megumi. "Is there a chance he's not even going to open his eyes again?"

Unbeknown to Koharu, Megumi was caught in the middle. She had promised her to let her know when Soujiro woke up, but Soujiro wanted otherwise until he had the mental capacity to hold a conversation with someone. Such a thing wasn't of a concern now, but telling Koharu she had to drug him wouldn't bode well either. She wouldn't understand why it had to be done. "I…have high hopes for him," she answered honestly. "And I'm not just saying that because it's what you want to hear. Don't listen to Chou. "

Yahiko understood why Megumi must be keeping it a secret. He was sure she would make Kenshin aware as soon as she got the chance. He added: "Soujiro is going to be just fine. He'll get better. It's just going to take some time."

"It looks like we really do have to babysit him," Sanosuke started to complain. "He's too reckless even for his own good."

Koharu didn't see that as a bad thing. The encouragement was helping already to dry the tears ready to fall from her face. She found her strength and managed to nod with a smile. "In that case, I'll go get his breakfast ready. He's to eat as soon as he wakes up," she made sure everyone knew before she left.

Megumi looked towards Soujiro trying not to look too guilty. She didn't regret making him sleep through his pain and Chou's visit, however, a side effect of anesthesia was memory loss. …Would it be wrong to hope he wakes up and not remember that I had to apologize to Koharu? I would rather him never know what I had said to her….