Author's note: ACK!! They gave me work!! Can you believe that? But I got some free time and here I am back to torture all of you again ^_^

Vesca - action is easy!! Fluff… now that is hard…

Nemo - Aoshi's fit is included ^_^

Gemin16 - I know I'm cruel but I try to keep you guys reading! Thanks for the compliment BTW.

kristy - See above

Yuki - haven't heard you in a bit, drop me a line and I hope you enjoy this chapter

dementedchris - Action is fun and easy! Writing stuff like you do is very difficult. But thanks for the compliment!

Loyce - not a week this time so I hope the pins weren't too bad. Thanks for the review!

JML - Gasket would be the word… only it's a bit different then expected

Lian - You always make me laugh

le bleuphenix - Aoshi will be a very weary man after all the stuff Misao put him through

JadeGoddess - The Hiten (Hiko's group) and the Shinsengumi (Saitou's group) merged a while back under the guidance of Tokio. Hiko is top dog, Saitou is his second in command. Hope that clears it up!

Koneko-chan - glad you liked the scene!

Nye-Yen - Kaoru got picked on last time, this time Misao is my poor pawn MWAHAHA…

Omochi - A missile it is… this chapter explains it

Colleen - *sighs with relief*… oh wait… you said if the damage WASN'T permanent… errr… *hires bodyguards*

Animegirl74 - *hires more bodyguards*

Anyway thanks for the reviews. Just bear with me with the biology on this one… I haven't studied genetics for a while so I'm a bit rusty. Enjoy!! (And don't kill me… please…^_~)

Chapter 9

The clouds burst and rain began to fall on the desert, soaking into the sand and creating a momentary bloom of flowers. A cactus opened its own petals, relishing in the relief from the oppressive dry heat. The drops caught on them, like tiny diamonds but worth much more to the plant.

A rough shoe suddenly disrupted the peaceful scene, crushing the poor flower under its sole. The black shoes quickly made their way across the landscaping in front of the office building.

"Everyone stay back! This area has been declared a biohazard. No one without proper credentials is allowed near here!" The officer let the bullhorn drop by his side as he saw the man approaching him.

"Sir, you need to step away from…"

"It's all right, he's with us," the soldier said suddenly appearing from the side.

The officer glanced away from the military brass to the man again, somewhat glad that someone had interceded. The cold look in his blue eyes made the cop realize this man wouldn't have taken no as an answer anyway.

Aoshi pushed through the crowd, ignoring as several news crews attempted to shove a microphone at him. The flashes of cameras never stopped, creating fake lightning to match the real one that thundered in the sky.

They gave him a suit and a lot of instructions but he only half listened to them. His eyes were locked in the building in front of him. The broken windows had been taped over, though they were barely visible underneath the long tarp that had been draped over the building to prevent any of the virus from escaping.

The first door open and Aoshi felt the soft breeze as the fans kicked in. The door locked behind him and a second door opened, letting him into the carnage. Men in suits like his walked around, taking readings or writing notes.

He followed behind the general, waiting patiently as the man gave orders. A few minutes later, they walked into the large conference room that had been converted into a triage center.

It took him only a minute to find her and not even the general's words could stop him from moving there.

Misao looked up, her hands clutching her sides. She forced a smile, the same one she used every time she got in trouble and knew she was about to be yelled at.

"I know, I know," she said weakly.

"Misao…"

"I shouldn't have…"

But she trailed off, finding herself engulfed in a yellow suited hug. She blinked and tried not to get upset. It must be really bad if Aoshi was acting like this. She looked down at her tiny hands, almost lost in the fabric of his suit and tried to ignore the lumps that were forming on them.

* * *

"I can't believe it rained!" Megumi said, walking into the Bellagio's suite and tossing her drenched coat onto the sofa. "It's the desert and it rained!"

Kaoru sneezed again, pulling Kenshin's jacket off her shoulders and dropping it next to Megumi's. "I don't know why you're complaining, I'm the one who had to fly through it."

"Let's not mention that again," Sano said stumbling in, still looking a bit green. "I'm going to have nightmares about that trip."

"I think Kaoru-dono did a good job," Kenshin said, smiling a bit.

"Thank you Kenshin," she said with a smile, heading after Megumi into their shared bedroom.

Sano looked over at Kenshin with a raised eyebrow. Kenshin waited until the door closed behind the girls and let out a deep sigh.

"That was the most horrifying experience of my life, de gozaru," he said shaking his head. "I'm going to go make some tea to warm up."

"I'll just take some bourbon from the mini bar," Sano added but the look on Kenshin reminded him of what would happen if Megumi saw him attempting to break the seal on it. "Or tea… tea would be good."

Kenshin shook his head. "Sano, turn on the TV. Maybe they'll tell us what is happening with the storm."

The TV clicked on and the buzzing as the screen degaussed was slowly replaced by the droll voice of the news correspondent.

"…rain hampering the efforts. Officials believe that no one else is danger but have evacuated nearby buildings as a precaution. The building in question is owned by one of the largest real estate companies in Las Vegas. Almost two thousand people work in this building and we can only speculate what may have happened if the device was not triggered early."

"What's going on?" Kaoru asked, emerging from the room in dry clothes. But the two men were transfixed on the screen and Kaoru soon realized why. "Aoshi?"

"What's he doing on TV?" Megumi asked.

"Shhhh…" Kaoru hushed turning up the volume.

"…president has raised terror alert levels today in the face of this attack. Specialists from the CDC are being flown in from Atlanta to determine the exact nature of this biological… hang on a moment, something's going on… we're being told to leave…"

* * *

Saitou took in a deep drag of his cigarette as he turned off the television. He looked over from his seat on the couch at Tokio. She ran her finger around her glass of wine unhappily, frowning at the news.

"We should have burned the place to the ground," she said, referring to their recent escapades in the desert.

"It wouldn't have changed anything," he replied.

"It would have made me feel better," she sighed, letting the glass land on the table. "They just made a big mistake. This is my turf and no one does something like this and gets away with it."

"That's funny… I was under the impression that as you work for me, this was my turf."

Tokio blinked and looked up as the tall figure strode into the room. "Hiko-san! What are you doing here?"

Hiko looked over at her critically. "After an incident like this, there was no choice."

Tokio's eyes darkened. Any feelings of anger she had had towards the Juppongatana intensified under her boss's words. It was her fault that she had let them get so strong in her city. And her fault that they now had such a powerful weapon.

"Are you sure you should be here, Hiko-san?" she said. "Aren't you still recovering from…"

"I am stronger then that," Hiko said with a wave of his hand. "And this is a matter which requires immediate attention. Have they sent you a request yet?"

Tokio nodded her head. "Yes. A meeting tomorrow night."

Hiko took in a deep breath. "What do you think they want?"

"I don't know," Tokio said. "Right now, they've got a weapon that'll bring this city to its knees. There should be no reason to want to meet with us."

"Unless its to kill us," Saitou added.

Tokio arched an eyebrow upwards. "That would probably be it. It would be inconvenient for us to be here when they take over the city."

Hiko nodded. "Tomorrow night then," he said. "That should be enough time."

"I'll make some calls," Tokio said.

* * *

"How long?" Aoshi demanded.

The general looked over at the doctor with a nod, giving him permission to speak. "We can't know until we are certain what it is."

"You don't know what it is?"

The doctor shook his head. "This is not a virus that was created in nature. It was manufactured. And without knowing how it was made, we can't create an antidote to fight against it."

"We have men combing the area," the general said. "Something will turn up."

Aoshi's pocket suddenly began to move and he reached in and removed his cell phone. "Hai, moshi-moshi."

Aoshi! What's going on?

"Kaoru," he said recognizing her voice.

Are you okay? They just evacuated everyone on TV.

"Hai… the wind shifted and they were afraid that people might be in danger."

That's a relief. There was a pause. Aoshi… where's Misao?

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the remaining members of the group sat in the Bellagio suite, glum and heartbroken over the news. The little perky spy that they had come to know over the months was in grave danger and there was nothing they could do.

"I don't buy it," Sano said suddenly. "There's got to be something they're missing."

"It's not that easy," Megumi said. "A manufactured virus is a difficult to understand as they say. I attended several lectures on the subject at the conference."

"Megumi-dono," Kenshin said turning to her, "was there maybe someone at the conference that may have helped the Juppongatana with this?"

Megumi shook her head. "Most of the people there are the best in the fields, well-respected and by the book. Well… except…"

"Except who?" Kaoru said, prompting her friend.

"Well, there was Von Strasbourg who was obviously on the Juppongatana payroll. But he couldn't do something like this, it wasn't his field." She paused for a minute. "But Shougo Amakusa…"

"Magdaria's brother," Sano said.

Megumi nodded. "When we were trapped together in the cell, Magdaria was sure she was there because of her brother's work. She said that they had told her they needed it to help cure Shishio's burns. But what if… what if they weren't looking for him for a cure."

"I don't understand," Kaoru said, shaking her head.

Megumi nodded and backtracked. "Shougo's research was based on modifying cells that had become cancerous, changing their DNA so that they would no longer reproduce and create the tumors."

"So if there was a way to stop them," Kenshin said, "then the reverse should hold true."

"Misao…" Aoshi started. "Misao and the soldiers all had small lumps on their arms."

"Tumors," Megumi filled in. "Small but growing. That must be it. The virus modifies certain genes and turns the cancer on."

"Cancer that you can catch from a virus?" Kaoru said softly. "How can they do something like that?"

"The Juppongatana aren't exactly the friendliest people," Sano said. "And with this, they can get anything want. The only question is… why haven't they made any demands?"

Megumi sighed. "Well, I think the building was a test. It was small and contained quickly. Now that they know it works, they should be asking for the world. But… but I think they're missing half the equation."

"You mean, they don't have the cure," Aoshi interjected.

"That's it," Megumi said. "In this day and age, an airborne pathogen can make it around the world in a matter of weeks. And the Juppongatana, no matter how evil, wouldn't want the entire world to die. They'd have nothing left to rule."

"So they don't have the cure," Kenshin thought out loud. "If we can find it first…"

"We nullify their weapon," Megumi finished. "Which is another reason they're probably waiting."

"So where do we start looking?" Kaoru asked. "What about Magdaria?"

"I don't think she was in the facility when we escaped," Sano said. "We checked her room and she was gone."

"But they'll probably use her to get to her brother," Megumi added. "We just need to find out where they're going to try to arrange a meeting with Shougo to trade her for the cure."

The room fell silent. They had reached an impasse. Kaoru knew asking the Saitous was out of the question. Beyond the fact that Tokio had threatened to kill her, she didn't want them to have the cure. It would just be another gang war as each side tried to out do the other and in the end, one of them would win and the rest of the world would lose. There wasn't enough time to infiltrate the Juppongatana. And there was no one in the Juppongatana they could ask… or was there?

Kaoru looked up and caught Kenshin's eye. Apparently he had just realized the same thing.

"Hiruma," Kenshin said.

"Who?" Megumi asked.

"He's a small time crook but he was the Juppongatana contact for Von Strasbourg and Shougo. He would know where they told Shougo to meet them. The only problem…"

Everyone fell silent and looked at Megumi. Her eyes narrowed. "What?" she asked.

"Well," Kaoru started. "It's like this. This would be the third time we've tried to catch him. Each of the other times… he kind of got away. And now, he knows all of our faces… well almost all of them."

Megumi blinked and shook her head. "No way."

"Come on! He knows Kenshin from his old days with the Hiten. Then Misao and I almost had him in the casino so he knows what we look like. And he knows Aoshi from the shoot out at the high rollers table."

"What about Sano!" Megumi said, pointing to the other man who was attempting to sink into his chair.

"He'd know Sano through me," Kenshin added. And apparently Sano wasn't about to disagree. It might have been true but they knew the sort of man Hiruma was. A woman would work much better.

Megumi crossed her arms. "I'm not a cop or a gang member. I wouldn't know what to do."

"You'd just have to distract him," Kaoru said, " while the rest of us grab him."

"Distract him?" Megumi asked. "Distract him how…"

* * *

"First, it was the first class tickets. Then it was sharing the suite with a horde of rampaging animals. Then it was getting kidnapped. I thought that was bad enough… but this! THIS IS MY LIMIT!!"

Kaoru cringed under her friend's anger. "Megumi… it's not that bad."

"Not that bad??"

"Well… Misao and I had to wear bunny costumes if it makes you feel better."

"It doesn't because the two of you are psychotic enough to do things like this for a living. Look at me!! I look like… like…"

Kaoru sighed and pulled the last bit of the zipper up. "Please Megumi… for Misao."

She turned and frowned. Megumi knew she wasn't going to be able to refuse. But Kaoru could have at least let her rant a bit longer. "Just go, I'll be out in a few minutes."

Kaoru nodded and bounded out to the main seating area, maneuvering to the table in the back where the rest of the group was. She threw them an unsure look with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I think she's ready," Kaoru said half-heartedly. "What do we do?"

"Hiruma is at one of the front tables," Aoshi whispered. "Sano and I'll round around the back to trap his escape. You two come around the front."

"How can we do that without him noticing?"

"People will start dancing when the show begins," Aoshi continued, suddenly looking unhappy. He paused. "Actually I think maybe I should go up with you."

Sano frowned, realizing what was about to happen. Well, Kenshin was going to owe him for actually convincing the brooding, cold fish to stay with him. "Right, then Kenshin and I'll pummel the living daylights out of the guy."

"No," Aoshi said shaking his head. "We can't make too much a commotion otherwise the Juppongatana will suspect something." He looked up at the tall man with spiky hair and imagined several scenarios of Sano 'subduing' Hiruma. "I think I will stay with you."

"Ladies and gentlemen! Thank you for your patience," the announcer called. "We're pleased to welcome you to Amateur Night at Caesar's Palace!"

"That's our cue," Aoshi nodded to Sano and they disappeared. Kenshin looked over at Kaoru and nodded, moving quickly to the other end of the room.

"First, a beauty from the Far East has come to sing a classic. Guys, grab your girl for this one, it's the perfect chance to get close. Ladies and gentlemen, Kitsune with At Last."

Somewhere in the back, Sano snorted. Kitsune… fox in Japanese. That fit just perfect for Megumi's perso…

The last thought died quickly as the orchestra began the first measures of the song. The lights came up on the stage and caught the silver sparkles of Megumi's long dress. It spilled on the floor in front of her, a long slit running up her leg to just below her hip. Her sleeveless arms rested on the microphone as she looked out in to the sea of people, long eyelashes blinking as she caught Hiruma's eye.

At last
My love has come along
My lonely days over
And life is like a song

It worked. Hiruma was completely transfixed. If it wasn't her beauty that caught him, her deep voice as it belted out the classic was a siren's song to him.

Ooh yeah, yeah

At last
The skies above are blue
My heart was wrapped up in clover
The night I looked at you

Across the floor, Kenshin and Kaoru slowly pushed their way into the crowd of people growing on the floor. It took a moment of embarrassed looks before they finally locked hands and started to sway with the rest of the group. Kaoru knew she should be making sure that Hiruma wasn't looking over at them. But… she was much more interested in the deep violet eyes that were staring at her from inches away.

I found a dream
That I could speak to
A dream that I could call my own
I found a thrill
To press my cheek to
A thrill that I have never known

Aoshi frowned from across the way. "What are they doing?" he mumbled under his breath. Sano was still staring at the stage. "They're supposed to be moving towards Hiruma not standing in place!"

He looked over at Sano and sighed. The plan was completely falling apart. Megumi was only supposed to enthrall Hiruma but the rest of his team was also under her spell. He hit Sano on the shoulder to get his attention back.

Sano blinked and Aoshi frowned. "Your friend is not following the plan," Aoshi stated. Sano looked over and caught a glimpse of the two dancing out in the middle of the floor.

"Oh, I think he is," Sano smiled.

Well, you smile
You smile
Oh and then the spell was cast

Kaoru sighed and let her head fall forward onto his shoulder. This is how last night should have been. A magic show, dinner and dancing. But things had conspired against them and… well, was it so wrong to be a little bit selfish now? Just a few minutes, she said to herself with a smile. Just a few more minutes and she'd think about the plan at hand.

Kenshin looked down at Kaoru, as she smiled. It warmed him to the core to see her like that. Though the fact that she was this close was definitely helping that feeling. He wondered what might have happen last night if things hadn't gone so badly. But then… had it really been that bad?

He had been prepared to leave. He thought it was for the better. But the fact that she had stopped him… could it mean that she really wanted him around? She had taken him and Sano in without question but he couldn't help but worry that maybe they had overstayed their welcome.

She looked up and caught his eye, frowning a bit at the worry she saw there. So he smiled, because he knew it would perk her up again. And it did, she smiled back at him for a moment before it faded slightly as she looked into his eyes.

And here we are in heaven
For you are mine at last

This should have been it. That moment that had been building for almost a year. The mood was right, they were five centimeters from each other already in a tight embrace. He moved his head down to close the gap and her eyes closed slightly…

And then someone jostled them from behind and Kenshin had to fight to keep his balance. Kaoru looked over angrily at the people who had just ruined the moment and then almost laughed out loud.

Aoshi frowned and looked over his dance partner. Sano didn't look too happy either. Of course, he had been relegated to the position of woman in this strange little couple. People were giving them room as they moved towards the middle of the floor.

"What are you doing?" Aoshi hissed.

"Dancing," Kaoru said quickly. "Like the plan said."

"The plan was to move towards Hiruma," Aoshi replied. "Not stand in one place."

Kaoru blushed. He had her there. She looked over to see how far they were from Hiruma… only he wasn't there.

"Where's Hiruma?" she asked.

"Where's Megumi?" Sano added looking up at the empty stage.

Aoshi frowned. "So much for the plan," he said, shooting an angry look at Kenshin.

* * *

Megumi waved off the stage and quickly disappeared into the back. Okay… that hadn't been too bad. If anything, the look on Sano's face when she had started singing was well worth the humiliation of prancing around the stage like a lounge singer.

She started to head towards the dressing room to get out of "sardine" dress when she ran into someone who definitely should not have been there. But she couldn't freak out or she'd break her 'cover' as Kaoru said.

"Hello," Hiruma said in Japanese. "I see we let another bit of perfection leave our country."

Megumi forced the smile. The slime might as well have been dripping out of this man's mouth the way he spoke. Actually… it looked like he had gotten most of it in his hair.

"You are… too kind," Megumi smiled.

"I was hoping you would sing for me… privately…"

Not for all the tea in China, Megumi thought as she kept the smile in place. "I appreciate the offer but I'm not good enough to sing for someone of your prominence alone."

Throw up later, Megumi said to herself. Now, just keep smiling until everyone else gets here.

"You must have been taught by the sweetest nightingale to speak and sing like that."

"Oh you are too ki… sweet," she said, running out of adjectives. He wasn't exactly inspiring her to think of them.

"Or maybe an angel taught you?"

"No, nothing like that."

"Then who did, sweet pea?"

Megumi's eyebrow twitched. And with good reason. Her dream trip to Las Vegas had steadily eroded into a nightmarish vacation with loud companions, obnoxious and double crossing colleagues and the last thing she needed was to be called "sweet pea" by a creep like this.

"You want to know who taught me to sing?"

"Sure sugar."

"My good friend. Want to see me sing?" she asked saying the last word in English.

"Of course, honey."

"Sing… SOLAR PLEXUS!" Megumi cried landing a nice punch in his stomach. "INSTEP!" Her heeled foot crashed on his toe. "NOSE!" She grabbed on his nose pulling him towards her rather painfully. "GROIN!" And knee made contact with the one place all men dread it to.

Hiruma collapsed to the ground. Megumi tossed her hair over her shoulder just as the rest group found her. "Sing," she said with a smile to them. "Thanks Kaoru for teaching me that."

Kaoru looked at Hiruma and cringed slightly for good reason. Well… at least they had finally caught him. Now, they just needed to get the information out of him… as soon as he stopped crying that is.