A/N: (('~ indicates character's thoughts.))

Hello minna! ::does a happy dance :: I cannot believe I already have ELEVEN reviews!! I am so overjoyed, thanks to you all! Your positive remarks are what is making this story keep going, and I couldn't have done it without you. ^^
*Celtic Oak- Thanks so much for reviewing me twice! It's really nice to know that I have a consistent reader. ^^ I love faeries and other lore myself, but I haven't gotten a chance to read any of Brian Froud's works yet.. (I would like to though, if you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them ^^) I'm very happy that you liked me introducing Tsubame first, (I debated that for a while) and be looking for even more surprises to come!
*JIMC- thank you, and I believe that this will answer your question (
*Hisa- arigatou, my friend! ((and your fic rocks, too!)) I'm glad that you liked the Tsubame thing, as well.
*Kawaii sakura-chan- Yea I know, but don't worry, things will begin to look up for her soon enough ^^
*Rekka's Angel & Jaid Skywalker- Thank You!!!

Disclaimer: All RK characters owned by their respective artists and are copyrighted, therefore not mine!

~Thank you and on with the show!!!~

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Chapter Three: Of Passion and Demons

Kaoru's sandaled feet pounded through the field of grass, dodging between the shadows cast ominously over her by the darkening, evening sky. The throbbing pulse of her heart within her chest could only accompany her rapid pace as she bolted into a dense thicket of looming trees. Although she knew exactly where she was, she still slowed, allowing her impulsive thoughts to catch up to her, bent over from exhaustion and hopelessness. Her face was stricken with tears. She pushed her indigo locks away from her face, angrily brushing at her eyes, then straightening and walking towards the small lake that was near her. ~Stop crying.~ The shallow crescent of the approaching moon could be seen reflecting in the still, clear water, and Kaoru knelt down to the pool, idly watching the liquid ripple as her crystal emotion departed from her face to the water. ~I will always be alone, so I must stop crying.~

She took a shaky, swallow breath and a cautious glance around before she slowly removed her rags, placing them on the shore as she stepped into the cool, refreshing liquid. She stood silently in the waist-high pool, facing a rocky edge as she slowly tugged on the lavender piece holding her hair in it's normal high tail, the silken strands tumbling down to rest on her back just above the water's surface. She told her mind to grant her some serenity from her existence, but her budding wings only trembled at the plea, reminding her of her current state. ~Don't think of them. onegai, not now.~

A tiny light hovered above the small cliff, drifting to her hand, then circling her body before returning to meet her sapphire gaze. ~Hotaru..?~

"But why are there fireflies at this time of year?"

~*~*~

He stepped slowly towards the woods, his sword slipped habitually into his obi, as his thoughts slowly drifted back to the young water sprite of last night. Eventually, his musings brought him to the very the woods itself, and all the mystery he could suddenly feel surrounding it, a presence that hung thick and stagnant in the air. He neared the lake that he had saw Tsubame disappear into-

-And froze.

His heart and body one as he looked upon her.

Kenshin scarcely dared take a breath for fear of somehow marring the ethereal beauty that had meet his eye. Frozen in time seemed she, the exquisite goddess of the moon who's ivory radiance surpassed the heaven's tears. He was enthralled by her, he who watched her slight movements as though she were an erotic Polaris. And she was. Her long midnight tresses danced above the water in the wake of a breeze, and what was perhaps the most intriguing feature of all adorned her narrow back.

Wings.

The delicate netting was folded against itself, covered by a translucent material that he thought looked like a covering for protection. He watched as a little light circled around her, and heard the most beautiful music fill his ears when she spoke her soft query.

~*~*~

She stared at the firefly for a few moments, watching as it flew around to her side and then away from her sight. She sighed audibly, turning from the rocky ledge towards the surrounding trees. A shadowed form met her eye, causing her to emit a startled cry as she hastily threw her arms around herself. ~Such a strong presence, why does he hold so much energy?~ She took a tentative step back, asking harshly, anxiety lacing her voice,

"What do you want?"

The man took one cautious step nearer the lake, his scarlet hair and slanted features becoming visible under the waxing moonlight.

"Kirei..."

She was taken aback, a flush surfacing on her pale cheeks as he slowly stepped fully away from the shadows, revealing himself to her completely. Slanted amethyst hues, flecked with amber, met startled sapphire as he took another small step near her.

"What do you want?" She repeated, softer this time as she watched him in awe. ~A human.~ As he neared she crouched lower in the water, to cover herself as she looked at him, the rose tint still adorning her features as she watched the way the shadows played across his sharp features. In all aspects she should have pummeled him for invading upon her bathing, but she couldn't take her eyes off his as she stared up at him, her heart increasing its rhythm to match her apprehension.

~*~*~

Seeing her there, the most surreal creature that he was sure he would ever have the honor of laying eyes on, something changed. He felt the presence of passion filter through his mind, setting his soul afire. He changed, and he knew that seeing her there, he welcomed it.

In his normal state, he would have never advanced upon a woman bathing by any means, but something about her. Intoxicating, the way she had managed to set every sensation off in his body, all within the course of a few moments. And now he had stared at her, something he knew in the back of his mind was to be punished, but the beauty before him merely locked gazes within him. Surfacing emotions surged through as he held her gaze, and he heard her breath shallowly, her breath tickling his face as he leaned nearer her.

"What do you want?"

His eyes widened slightly as he realized all at once fully the compromising position he had gotten himself into, and he took hasty steps back, his passion-instigated trance broken abruptly as the topaz faded from his eyes. ~What am I doing? Baka no Kenshin, advancing a woman in her bathing state!?~ He mentally slapped himself, hesitating in his backtracking to glance fleetingly at the pale creature before him, her endless sapphires widened in confusion on his actions.
He bowed low, hovering above the ground for a few moments and gathering his courage.

"G-gomen nasai, Miss. Please excuse my intrusion, Sessha does not know what came over him in sight of your presence." He mumbled, his voice shaky with shame as he hesitantly rose his gaze from the earth to her face.

~*~*~

She started, dumbfounded by his odd demeanor, and his mood that seemed to change in the blink of an eye. A part of her mind screamed ~ecchi! hentai!~ but yet the other, more dominating side spoke softly,

"It.. It's alright."

She cursed herself. ~It's alright!?~ Since when had ogling her when she was naked been alright? She didn't know what had come over her post seeing the red-haired human, and she blinked in confusion over not being able to clearly control her responses. ~Or was that how she wanted to answer?~ No! It was not at all what she had wanted to say! ~Wasn't it..?~ No! She.. she was destined to be alone. ~Iie.. now is when things can change.. ~ Her mind screamed in defiance to her actions, but her heart fueled her along, and slowly, she strode across to the shore, still submerged in the water.

She saw him slowly rise his gaze to meet hers and she smiled softly, her eyes reflecting her nervousness as she softly stated,

"You.. you are a human, right?"

He straightened from his humbled position, nodding to her words.

"Hai, that I am."

"And.. you are a warrior, ne?" she asked, noticing the sword strapped to his belt and his training uniform.

"Well, I guess you could say that." He replied, laughing a little. "Actually, I'm still training under my master." He admitted, looking down a bit in embarrassment.

She smiled at him. ~So, he's a human samurai in training, eh?~ she was about to respond when he asked politely:

"So Miss, may I have the honor of knowing your name? I am Kenshin Himura." He flashed her a disarming smile, and she felt compelled to respond.

"Kaoru.. Kaoru Kamiya."

~*~*~

"A beautiful name." He remarked, unaware of his compliment until it slid out from his tongue. ~Oro! I need to watch myself around her.. or I might end up saying too much, de gozaru yo.~

He saw her flush a bit and smiled inwardly to himself. ~I am the one that can make her blush.~ He thought with much satisfaction, but then he reprimanded himself. ~You should not be proud of that!~

He watched the play of emotions across her features, smiling inwardly. ~Kami has certainly given me good fortune tonight.~

Suddenly, bubbles began to surface from the far corner of the lake, reminding Kenshin at once the true reason he had come here. He heard Kaoru gasp and ran back over to her to assuage her, forgetting momentarily his earlier boldness.

"Do not worry Kaoru-dono, it is just a water sprite who's a friend of mine." He said calmly, watching the bubbles increase and then glancing at her anxious face. She smiled softy, in relief, he thought, and he nodded towards the bubbles passively.

He watched as a hand began to arise from the depths, then, in a shower of water, the whole body emerged in an instant, the rain from the lake, falling on Kenshin and Kaoru, causing them both to blink in surprise instantaneously.

~That was way too big of a splash for Tsubame to make.~ Kenshin eyes narrowed instinctively at the form, waiting for the water to recede to reveal the presence.

Water cascaded down around the form of a man, standing tall with a smirk as he leveled a gaze of Kenshin, then on Kaoru. His tall, lanky form was shrouded in white pants and a white jacket, his chest left bare, save the wraps around his stomach Spiky brown hair was parted only by a bright red bandana, tied around his forehead above feral, slanted sienna-toned hues. Two small, black ears protruded from the crown of his head, pointing upwards in a cat-like manner.

Kenshin's hand moved reflexively to the hilt of his blade, feeling the threatening presence that the man seemed to pose. It wasn't until he heard the muffled cries of Tsubame that his gaze turned fierce, amber coating quickly over violet. His glare traveled to the man's hand, where, placed in the center of his harsh grip, was the sprite, struggling futilely under his tightening grasp.

"Tsubame!"

Kenshin turned, surprised to hear Kaoru's cry. ~So she must know Tsubame as well.~

"Let her go!"

Kenshin leveled his eyes back at the man, speaking with a degree of calmness.

"Place her down gently, now."

The man smirked again, holding up his free hand in mock innocence.

"Now, now samurai, no need to be fierce. I don't want anyone to get hurt here, just give me what I want and I'll be on my merry way, alright?" He glanced down at his hand that held Tsubame, looking at her curiously, a glint in his eye.

Kenshin growled low, his hand tightening on his sheath.

"What is it that you want?"

"Simple!" He smiled wickedly, taking a step towards Kenshin and meeting his glare.

"This child here says you have the key, so hand it to me now, or I might have to do something not-to-pleasant to this little girl here." He emphasized his statement by tightening his grasp slightly in Tsubame, causing her to cry out and Kenshin to unsheathe his sword.

"Stop it!" Kaoru screamed. He heard her, his features becoming even more intense.

"It's not him, he's not the one! He's just a human!" She cried in desperation.

The man turned to her, laughing sadistically.

"Shut up, faerie, you think I don't know that. I got all the information I need from this little girl right here, so I suggest you quiet down before you get hurt!" He shouted, sweeping his empty hand out towards the lake, causing a tide to develop and hurtle towards her.

Kenshin was there in an instant, swiftly picking her up out of the water and placing her by a tree to the side, mumbling a quick apology as he then turned back towards the cat-like demon, his glare intensifying to an astonishing degree.

"Ha! I can see why you are the one, samurai!" He remarked, unsheathing his weapon, and pointing it at him. "However, if you aren't going to surrender the key peacefully, things are going to get messy!"

Kenshin placed his sword back into his sheath, his hand on top of it in an unpredictable stance.

"So be it."

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There you have it!! What a cliffhanger, I know! ^^ But don't worry, chapter four will be coming soon, just as soon as I sort out my inspirations.. @_@ Thank you all so much for reading my story! XD, and please please REVIEW!! I would love to know what you thought of Kenshin and Kaoru meeting, and, of coarse, of the demon! ^^

Japanese words: Hotaru- firefly Kirei- beautiful Sessha- 'I' translates to 'This unworthy one' De gozaru yo- a polite phase at the end of sentences, ancient form of 'de gozaimasu' used mostly by 16-17th century samurai. -dono- Miss, an honorific somewhere between -san and -sama Ecchi- pervert Hentai- stronger from of pervert, literally 'twisted'

Thanks to everyone for reading! Ja matta ne!