Hello people out there,

thanks to a new follower I was reminded that this still exists. And what can I say? Rourouni Kenshin has put me under his spell again. So here is a new chapter for you.

Remember: I do not own Rourouni Kenshin ;)

She was shocked. Now she knew why her whole skin ached like that. She was burned from head to toe. Her skin was red and blistered and the remains of her gi and hakama were black from the fire and had more than enough holes in it. A dark bruise on the left side of her face, cuts on her arms and a lot of dirt completed the picture. She raised her hand to touch the mostly faded bruise on her neck. The one Kenshin had given her weeks ago...

She took deep and calming breaths. She was sure Kenshin was furious. He had promised her nothing would happen to her. He had promised her. He would find her...she was sure. And he would do everything to safe her.

Kenshin awoke with the heaviest headache of his life. Not even after a night of drinking he had been so ill. Slowly he listened to the signals of his body and tried to fight down the dull ache in his head to feel what else hurt. The simple answer was – everything. Especially his back drove him crazy. He pressed his eyes shut, trying to remember what exactly had happened.
"Is he awake?", he heard the whisper above him.
"Maybe.", was the silent comment of another man.
He knew the two voices. They rang in his mind, but he couldn't lay his finger on them. He knew those two voices were important, very important. Who where those two, sitting or standing at his side, maybe nursing him?
"Fox? Come take a look.", sounded the voice of the first man again. Fabric rustled near his head and cold hands touched him. His skin twitched in response.
"His breathing is faster than before. And his eyelids are pressed close. He will open his eyes soon, the drugs I gave him are working now.", a woman spoke next to him. She sounded professional, a doctor maybe? She had to be, if she was able to wake him up out of unconsciousness.
Then there was a new voice, and this one he definitely knew. "I have never seen him in this state before. Himura was never hurt like this in battle before."

Yamagata-san. Slowly he stirred. Yamagata-san was the cause he was here. He tried to murmur his name, but he found he couldn't. He had no strength left to move his lips and the little sound that came from his lips was raspy and died immediately away.
Yamagata continued: "Shishio did a pretty god job on him."
Shishio. Kenshin repeated the name to himself and suddenly images flashed through his mind.
People around him in oldfashioned clothes, his sword at his side. The festival. The goddamn festival with it's fireworks. His sword broken, three bodys falling down from the sky above him. The desperate voice of a woman crying out his name, throwing a sword in his direction. The little film in his head paused before his eyes at the image of the girl with the raven black hair and the sapphire blue eyes. Those eyes. Every single emotion was written in them, clear for everyone to see. Fear. Strength. Desperation. The will to live. Hurt. Fighting spirit. Concern. And love. So much love. Again he saw three figures falling down to the ground.

And he threw his eyes open.

„Himura.", Aoshis cool voice greeted him. He turned his head slowly, registering everything around him. Aoshi and Sanosuke were standing on the left side next to the bed, Yahiko and his friend Yutaro were lingering in the corner of the room and in the doorway stood none other than Yamagata-san next to a smoking Saitou.
"How are you?", the woman at his right side asked in a low but sharp voice. Megumi Takani. He wondered briefly what she was doing in Kyoto.
„Where am I?", even after clearing his throat his voice was only a whisper.
"You are with the Oniwaban again.", Aoshi answered his question. He looked around again. The room was white, everything was white, his sheets, the bed, even the chairs next to him. Behind the doctor there was a second bed. "This isn't the Aoiya.", he stated.
"No. The Aoiya is destroyed. We are at a safehouse.", came Aoshis cold reply.
Again Kenshin looked around. "Where are the others?", his heartbeat increased.
"Okina and the others made it out right in time.", Sano answered. Kenshin felt his discomfort.
"Where is Kaoru?"
Nobody answered.
"Where…is…Kaoru?", he asked louder this time pausing after every word. His eyes searched for Yahiko, registering the bruises and wounds on the body of the teenager. His right leg was casted from his hip to his foot. But he looked away. Kenshin sat up in his bed, his gaze searching now for the bed next to his. A few strands of long black hair peeped out under the blanket.
"Kaoru", he breathed out, pulling frantically on the tubes in his veins.
"Stop this, Kenshin.", Sano got a grip on his hands. He tried to pull away and struggled to get out of the grip of the policeman. "Let me go.", he hissed.
"Himura-san.", the cold hand of the lady doctor touched his bare shoulder. He looked up to her face, her eyes glimmering with tears, "Kaoru is not in this bed." Her voice trembled.
"But…", he began. "It's Misao.", Megumi answered. Kenshins head shot around to Aoshi, whose face looked like stone.
"Kamiya Kaoru isn't here Himura.", it was Yamagata who spoke finally, "Shishio took her."

There was silence.

Kenshins heart raced. Kaoru. His sweet, innocent Kaoru. In the hands of Shishio Makoto and Seta Soujirou. His Kaoru.
"Shishio Makoto is still alive Himura-san.", Yamagatas voice was cold, "I thought I made myself clear enough, that Shishios death is required."
His look wandered to the doorway. Yamagata looked pissed in his own way, Saitou only smirked, clearly amused by the situation.
Kenshin cleared his throat: "You are right. I wasn't able to defeat him." He felt empty. So Empty.
"Don't mock me Himura.", Yamagata shot him a glare, "You chose not to kill him, to rescue a silly woman!" Again it was silent.
"Right.", answered Kenshin. It was right. Shishio had been down. He could have killed him.
"I saw exactly what happened through the cameras in the helicopter of the tv above you. He was down. He was down. You had him down on the ground Himura.", suddenly Yamagata was yelling, "and then you chose the fate of a mere woman over the fate of the whole country!" '
"Kaoru is not a mere woman.", before his words it had been silent, now nobody in the room dared to breathe.
"She isn't? She is more important than japan?", sarcasm dripped of Saitous voice.
"She is.", Kenshin answered simply. He felt the burning gazes of Kaorus friends on his form at his confession. "Himura…", Megumi whispered lowly at his side and the light squeeze at his shoulder became a strong pressure.
"Why?", Yamagata-san asked.
"Because she is sanity.", Kenshin knew it was right, the moment he pronounced the words. Kaoru healed his shattered and torned soul. Now that he knew this feeling, he needed it like the air to breathe.
"Sanity?", Yamagatas voice skipped, "You are an assassin Himura! I don't need you to be sane. I need you to kill! This is your job dammit! Kill people to safe the rest! You can't put one live above all the others. You have to end those lifes. If you have a lover, then don't take her to battle, dammit! Or if you take her, then live with the consequences and don't act like a teenager."
"Hey Mr. Important…", Yahiko began to rumble angrily in his corner, but Kenshin interrupted him: "Shishio will die by my hand."
"How do you want to find him? How do you want to kill him?"
"He gave me a mobile phone. He will send a message. He said four days from now on."
"Two days.", Aoshi said.
"It's only two days. The battle was two days ago.", Sano explained at Kenshins puzzled gaze. "I see.", he answered calmly.
"You were right before. You are not strong enough to defeat Shishio.", Saitou switched the topic again.
"Your wounds aren't healed completely yet.", the doctor said next to him.
"That's not what I meant silly woman.", Saitou huffed, "Shishio is a lot stronger than Battousai is. He is superior in almost everything."
"There is a way.", Kenshin murmured more to himself.
"Yes, we will help you!", Sano called, "We will get Jou-chan back!"
Yamagata rose from his seat: "How often do I have to repeat it. The goal is not Kamiya Kaoru. I cannot help you one more time if you screw up Himura. The whole country is counting on you and your skills. Our friendship will find it's end if you fail again."
Kenshin looked up and knew his looks didn't betray him now despite of his state. He paused for a moment before he snarled: "I will rescue Kaoru. But I will also defeat and kill Shishio Makoto."

"Maybe I can be of help, too.", he felt how Megumis feelings for him had changed in the past minutes, "I know of an old way to gain new strength after being wounded by freeing hidden power inside of a body. In old stories of the bakumatsu the samourai used that technique to survive the war. I have never done it before, but the descriptions I have are detailed. But if you overwork yourself again like that, with your last reserves of your vital force, I won't be able to heal you again. You will die."
Kenshin inspected her face. Could it be that Megumi Takani had forgiven him?
He knew it would be dangerous to use his vitality as source of power, but what possibility was left with him injured like that?
Useless thoughts, he needed to become stronger in every possible way to reach his two goals. The second thing he needed to do could become even more dangerous than Takanis healing technique. He turned to Aoshi: "I need you to find Hiko Seijuro. He should be in the outskirts of Kyoto."

"Himura-san", a soft voice ripped him from his thoughts later that day.

"Miss Takani", he answered, his voice low. He did not even bother to look at her. He knew her opinion of him probably had changed in the past hours, but he still felt a little uncomfortable around the woman, when he remembered that he had stabbed her with his sword to defeat Takeda Kanryuu without hesitation.
"Are you sure you want me to use this technique on your body?", she asked him. For a moment she sounded unsure, her voice shaky. He remembered what she had said earlier, that it was risky for him to force out the vital force of his body to use it in battle. This hidden strength is the last reserve of your body. If you use it up in a fight there is nothing left in you to hold up the work of your vital organs. When you would be normally unconscious, you will most probably die. If you are injured in battle you can't go on like you do usually. Every cut into your body will be twice as bad. I want you to know this and think about it. This is a big risk for you. Also because I never did this before.
He had pondered about those words for the last hours now. But every time he came to the same result. He needed to rescue Kaoru. His words had been true. She was his sanity.
He drew in a deep breath: "Do it." He looked up into Megumis face finally.
Her expression changed into determination. "Then turn around. I need access to your neck and your back."
He nodded and turned around to lay down on his belly and felt instantly the cool hands of the doctor on his body.
"The technique is mostly about massaging some vital spots of your body, afterwards I will give you some tea out of special herbs you have to drink. They will presumably bring you into a state of trance. There is no possibility to skip this part."
"Okay.", he pronounced silently, drifting off already under her firm but gentle touch.
"Why are you here Takani-dono?", he asked in the same silent tone. For one moment he wasn't sure if she would ignore him, but then her grip on his muscles became tighter. "I felt like I would be needed here. In case someone of you would get hurt.", she paused, "my husband is here, going into a big fight. That's the only way I can help. To be here and to tend to wounds.", she paused again, "and Kaoru…", the next words she pressed out, "She is like a little sister to me. I did not ever feel that way for her, but now…"
"I understand."

For a moment the room was silent. Then he could hear her voice again: "Sano told me Kaoru looked happy at your side. And he told me how you protected her in every possible way. How you sacrificed your health for her. First I believed you thought you owe her for Tokio. But now I know you love her."
Kenshin refused to answer. It seemed that Megumi waited for one, but after a while she continued: "Even if you don't know it yet… you really love her.", she paused again, "You said she is your sanity… what do you mean?"
Kenshin thought a moment before he answered: "You are probably the only person living in this world who saw the dirty work of Battousai. Of Battousai the manslayer. An assassin. Hired by the government, yes, hired to kill criminals, yes, but in the end Battousai is nothing than a killer. And Battousai and Himura Kenshin are one man. I cannot leave my place late at night to do my job and become another person. I feel like a criminal myself sometimes, nothing more than a sinner. I have to atone for those sins. You know what I did when I destroyed Kanryuu. It would have been my duty to kill even you… an innocent woman. But I found I couldn't. It was the time I really understood what the hell I am doing. There was only one incident like that before… After that fight at Kanryuus there where a lot of drunken nights and days waiting for me. I lost myself for a while. Until Kaoru found me in that alley. I had been drunk that night, not able to defend my self properly and got beaten up by Shishios men. At her home I refused to talk to her in the beginning. But she had something special… after some time I could not help myself…."
"She brings the best out in everyone", Megumi chuckled behind him.
"She does.", he stayed serious, "Without even knowing she showed me a way of living I had forgotten. I know I have to atone…for everything I have done. For nearly everything. And rescuing Kaoru will be the first time I protect something with my skills. And defeating Shishio will be the last time I destroy something with my skills."
Now it was Megumi who took her time to answer and even then she asked him to turn around first before she spoke. And when she spoke he could see the tears glittering in her eyes.
"In a way you protected me. When you killed Kanryuu and his men, you freed me from those drugdealers. And you refused to kill me back then. And by killing criminals you are rescuing a lot of civilians. You protected a lot of civilians two days ago. I hated you for everything you did. And I feared for Kaoru with my whole heart Himura-san. But now I know how far you are going to make her happy. Yamagata-san won't be to happy with you, quitting your … job."
"He won't be… yes. Maybe I will share Shishios fate.", his voice was dark.
"Don't say that Himura!"
"I know a lot of things that could easily cause an uproar in society. Maybe triggering a civil war. I know of all the crimes the government is committing. I know some people who are working for the government like me. Yamagata-san already said it. Our friendship will find it's end. Now I am still useful against Shishio so I don't have to be afraid of something happening to me. But the time will come I will have to be afraid."
"He won't kill you!", Megumi nearly yelled.
"Not sure.", Kenshin murmured, "I don't know how he will decide. I wasn't like Shishio. Not enjoying my job, not trumpeting out what I am doing for the government. But it will be easy for him to use the media and what media already told about Battousai. Thanks to Shishio society knows about me. It's only one step more to tell society I was committing all those crimes for the Japanese government. It's a risky situation for Yamagata-san."
"You already knew this when you began chasing Shishio, did you?", Megumi whispered.
"Yes, I did."
"Why are you doing this?"
"In the beginning I thought it my duty to kill those who are a threat to the freedom we have in Japan. It's the same with Shishio. I am not only here because Yamagata wishes me to. I am here to fulfil my duty."

"You are a very special man, Himura-san.", Megumi said before she took a step back, just in the moment Aoshi entered the room. "I am finished.", her demeanour towards him changed and the trustful atmosphere and conversation between them was over. But he knew he had just found an ally, if not even a friend.
His eyes followed Aoshi Shinomori to the chair next to Misaos bed.
"How is Misao-dono?", he tried to ask as politely as possible.
"She will live.", was his quiet and detailed answer.
"She has some serious internal bleedings plus the wound in her stomach and some on her head from that crazy flying guy. All in all she has lost a lot of blood, but we transferred some to her. She will make it and not have any consequential damages.", Megumi explained to him.
"I see.", he murmured lowly.

"Himura.", Aoshi began, voice a bit stronger, but his eyes did not leave the girl in the bed, "we found the man you were asking for."
"Thank you.", Kenshin shivered, he had no desire to do this.
"Hiko Seijuro lives on a mountain in the forest next to Kyoto. It's about fifty miles from here. I don't know what you want from him, but it's told he is a violent and dangerous man."
After a little moment he decided to answer the lingering question in those words, "I will complete my training in Hiten-Mitsurugi. There are some secrets left I never discovered. I have to become stronger to defeat Seta and Shishio." And get Kaoru back, he completed his sentence in his mind, but it seemed both of them guessed what he thought.
"Then you all the more have to drink this, Himura.", Megumi pushed a cup into his hand. It smelled disgusting.

For Kaoru, he thought and put the cup to his lips and drank the liquid in one shot.

Kenshin awoke out of the deepest meditation he had had in his whole life. He felt entirely focused and completely refreshed. Everything that mattered was his goal. He looked onto the clock above the door. 4 o clock in the morning. Made eight hours. It was eight hours later. For a moment he wondered what to do next, before he shrugged. Nobody was here to stop him anyway. He sat up and removed the infusion in his arm. Slowly he tested his body – moving his arms and legs, bending a little bit forward, then he decided to stand up. His legs were carrying him. And that without the lisest hint of effort. He did not even feel pain. How was that possible?
He looked around, searching for some clothes, but there were none. Maybe it would anyway be the best to shower first. He opened the door to find himself in a hallway with a lot of doors. He sighed. He would have to check every one of them.
He tapped carefully through the darkness, listening closely, when suddenly there was bright light behind him.
"Himura?", he jumped. He turned around and blinked into the light, his eyes becoming watery directly. He tried to make out who was standing there behind him, his right hand already wandering to his left hip, but there was nothing more than the waistband of his boxershorts.
"Himura, you are up!", he heard and blinked again and tried to shield his face with his hands.
"I am.", he snarled, "would you please bother to turn off this light? And who the hell are you?"
The light did not turn off: "They did not tell me you lost your memory!", the other man sounded startled, "I am Okina."
Kenshin sighed. The old man really was a little bit senile.
"I did not loose my memory, old man! You are blinding me with your flashlight". Kenshin waited impatently for the man to understand.
"Ah oh yes, yes! Sorry! Sorry, so sorry Himura.", for a moment there was a confusing play of the light in the hallway, when Okina turned and turned the flashlight in his hand in an unsuccessful try to turn it off, before he decided to direct the light away from Kenshin to the space before his feet.

"So now, what are you doing up here? You should be in bed. Even with the technique of Miss Takani."
"I need to go to Hiko Seijuro.", Kenshin answered shortly.
"Don't be silly. It's four o'clock in the morning."
"I will take a shower first and find myself something to wear. Then I will leave this house. Shishou is an early riser anyway."
"Himura. You can't go showering with this wound at your back!", Okina nearly yelled, "I will go and wake up the doctor and someone who will help you."
The door to his right opened. "Don't bother old man.", a sleepy Megumi stood in the doorway, "I am sure everyone is now wide awake.", she turned around and took a sharp look at Kenshin, "How are you feeling?"
"Refreshed.", Kenshin answered in an uncommunicative way, "I am ready to leave."
Sano appeared behind Megumi: "Woah Kenshin, I know you are a tough guy, but maybe it's a little bit early to…". Megumi raised her hand: "Stop that, silly man.", she turned around to Kenshin, "I will redress your wound after that shower you want. My car is standing outside of this building. Take it and visit this mountain hermit."

Three hours later he sat in Megumis little sportcar and thought to himself that mountain hermit was quite a suiting description. He had parked infront of nothing more than a hut, that was nearly falling apart and was not big enough to contain more than one room. There wasn't a car, a rabbit dangled down next to the door and vegetables were growing in a little garden next to the cabin. By the smoke and the big staple of wood infront of the door he could tell that his master had a fire burning inside for cooking breakfast. He inhaled deeply, when the big man appeared in the doorway. Hiko Seijuro looked exactly like in his memory. He was tall and massive, every single part of his body muscled, the strength lingering in the aura that surrounded him. And he did not even look one day older, his hair full and black like it had been the day Kenshin left.
Kenshin took a second breath before he opened the door and got out of the car, not without gathering Kaorus Sakabatou from the passenger seat.

"Now what a surprise.", sarcasm was dripping from the deep voice of his master. "Now tell me… why am I important enough to get killed by Himura Battousai?"
"I am not here to harm you."
"You're not?"
"No.", Kenshin growled inwardly. He was not just looking like his old self, Hiko had not changed a little bit.
"Then take your leave.", the big man turned in the doorway, not a little bit clumsy, to make his way back in.
"Stop!", Kenshin called. And Hiko really stopped, but did not turn around again. Kenshin felt like the teenager he had been, when he left. "I… I need your help, Master."
"Don't call me that.", the answer was a snarl, "I don't help you to kill more people."
"It's not the same this time.", Kenshin pleaded.
"It's not? Nobody will die by your sword?", Hiko mocked him.
"It's about the fate of japan.", Kenshin breathed slowly to keep his calm, "There is a very dangerous man, Shishio. You heard of the big uproar he caused in the city, the terroristic attack he lead. I have to stop him or japan will sink into chaos."
"Who is this man?", Hikos voice was low and dangerous. Kenshin swallowed: "He once did the same job like me."
"So he did…", Hiko murmured and Kenshin understood that he had known already.
"For this reason I cannot help you."

Kenshin looked down onto the earth beneath him and spoke again when he heard his master made another step into the building, "It's not the only reason." "There is a woman. Shishio has her in his keeping. I want to rescue her."
"Is this your true reason, stupid pupil? A woman?" '
"Yes…ah… no, I don't know…", Kenshin stuttered not knowing what to say. He really acted like his old teenager self around this man, "could you please turn around now when I am talking to you.", he continued angrily.
"You did not ask me to turn around, Kenshin. You only asked me to stop.", a lecture.
"That's ridiculous!"
"No. You should learn to speak freely what you want."
Kenshin took a moment before he answered. "I want to complete my training in Hiten-Mitsurugi."
"What's your reason?", came the sharp reply.
"I can only tell you which reason is more important for me and that is Kamiya Kaoru. But I will have to kill Shishio Makoto, when I don't complete this order Yamagata-san will most probably kill me."

"So… Kaoru Kamiya it is… Prepare yourself!", and suddenly his master was flying at him, sword in his hand. Kenshin ripped the Sakabatou from it's sheath and parried the blow in the last moment. His master hat aimed directly for his neck.
His heart pounded heavily in his chest, when he parried blow after blow after blow. He knew Hiko was testing him and his abilities and did not dare to counterattack. His goal was to hold his ground. And he was right. After one or two minutes of sparring his master stopped.
"What's with that sword?"
"It's reversed.", Kenshin answered. "I can see that, stupid!", Hiko roared.
"My sword broke in a fight with one of Shishios fellows. Kaoru gave this one to me."
"Your Kaoru seems to be an interesting girl.", he murmured more to himself, "but I can't teach you the secret technique of the Hiten-sword."
"Why not?", Kenshin gasped.
"You're to slow. You would not stand it. And your ki… it is pure, you are focused… but something is not right, there is too much of it. Like it is not your own ki I can feel."
Kenshin looked into the eyes of his master and said slowly: "I probably know the reason of your feeling."

Hiko raised an eyebrow questioningly. And Kenshin turned around and lifted his shirt, so his master could see the bandages on his back, they felt wet, probably they were bloody again. But the pain was only subtile and dull. Silently he explained the technique Megumi had used on his body, when he turned back to his master. There was no surprise in his face: "I never thought there are people living who still know how to use the junsuina iyashi." Junsuina iyashi… pure healing. Kenshin repeated in his mind: "You know it?"
"I know it…. And I know how you can perfect it."
Kenshin was stunned. "Don't look at me like that you stupid moron!", his master snarled, "you're getting on my nerves."
"Sorry", Kenshin muttered, "I just… I did not know you can help with that."
"You do not know a lot of things."
Kenshin groaned inwardly.
"Tell me, Kenshin. This fight, the will to become stronger, even the healing. All of it for that girl with that sword? Is she worth this whole fuss?"
"She is.", he stated simply, "she is life. For one time it is about life and not about death."
"I see.", Hiko paused, "you changed since you left me. I hope this girl will help you to change more, when you get her back."
"She will." , Kenshin smiled to himself.
Hiko mustered him before he turned. "Come inside. Breakfast is ready."

Food really had arrived a few seconds after Soujirou had left. Kaoru did not know if there was a post outside her door who had already waited for the order to bring her something to eat. Guard or no guard infront of her door, the door was locked.
She had sat down beside her tray and eyed the fish and rice critically, before she had decided to soothe her growling stomach. There was no reason to poison her food.
Now she knew better.
Her food had not been poisoned, but her stomach had not been able to keep the meal inside. And now she was sick. Nevertheless she tried her best to search through her little cabin. She opened every door of every closet and every dresser, looked under the bed and frisked the bathroom. Nothing. Not even something useless. Everything was empty.
Frustrated she placed herself again on the couch. What to do now?
There was no way she would be waiting here like a maiden in need. She did not even know if anyone was in the shape to come for her rescue. Misao was down, her brother couldn't be any better than herself and Kenshin would not be able to move with the wound on his back. If there is only the wound in his back, a voice whispered inside of her head…. She did not know how Sano, that smoking police officer Saitou or the rest of the Oniwaban had outlasted that bloody fight. She had to rely on herself. She would get out of here alone, she promised herself.
First she needed to get better. Her eyes moved through the room, seeing her reflection in the mirror again. She had to drink as much water as possible. And she had to eat. Slower the next time. But water and food meant strength and regeneration.
Also good for her would be to clean her wounds. Soap. Soap would be good. And a salve for her burned skin to help the healing. And bandages for some of the bigger scratches she had received during her fight with Kamatari and her fall to the ground.
Those five things were the first things she needed.
She got up and moved to the door, hammering her fist against it: "Hey!" Nobody answered.
„Hey!", she yelled again, pounding against the door. Again there was no answer. She leaned against the door, pressing her ear against the wood, trying to hear if somebody was outside. Now her foot was kicking against the door. "Hey you idiots out there! I know you are there! I want nothing more than something to wash myself!"
Silence was on the other side. "Send my message to Soujirou!"

She paused. Nobody would hear her on this ship. She could scream her lungs out, nobody was there to hear her, nobody was there to rescue her. Her body fell down to the ground, she sat with her back against the door and her breathing became frantic. Shishio could leave her in this prison for days, and weeks, and month. Don't be silly, Kamiya!, she calmed herself, in weeks Kenshin would come and get her. If he was still alive… a little voice whispered in her head. She closed her eyes, trying to banish those thoughts. A few minutes before, she had been determined to get out of this alone and now she was already desperate because of the first door? Kenshin had to be alive. Kenshin was alive. She calmed herself, repeating the words to herself.

Let's see, how annoying I can be…, she grinned, got up to her feet, and started pounding against the door. Those watchdogs out there wouldn't get one more quiet minute.