Author's Note: I would like to thank all of those who read and reviewed for giving me the inspiration to work on this fic, most especially my brother, Darth Baka, for helping me out at some of the parts, and my sister, Yuriko Oyama aka RaineSolo, for simply supporting me. Anyway, here's the next chapter; I hope you enjoy as the plot thickens. Well, I would write longer chapters, but I started out with short chapters, so I'm going to finish with short chapters. My next fic, whatever it will be, will have longer chapters, don't worry!

Please review! Thanks!

Don't Play With Fire
-+Chapter Eight+-

"Lady Magdalia, please, tell me what's going on," Shouzo begged as he struggled to keep himself in pace with the young woman. The news that Kenshin Himura and his friends did not know who the said Sanosuke Sagara was hurt Sayo deeply, and as her childhood friend he knew how she felt even if she did not say a word.

She continued to walk, not even sparing a glance at him. "You won't understand, Shouzo."

Her response struck him hard. What, then, was it really all about that she feared he won't understand? "You don't know that for sure," he told her quietly, trying his best not to make her temper rise. "And you won't know for sure unless you try it. Please, Lady Magdalia. I'm begging you. Tell me about it."

Sayo stopped in her tracks, then she spun around to face him with distressed emerald eyes that made the young man's heart ache terribly. "How could you understand how could I make you understand when I don't understand it myself?!" she whimpered, the look in her eyes breaking the tough façade she was trying to keep up.

He said nothing, but the expression on his handsome features was that of pure understanding.

And that expression was enough to make her continue.

"I don't know what's going on, Shouzo," she muttered with a soft voice and downcast eyes. "I don't really know. I woke up one day to find images flashing inside my head. Kaioh's conspiracy and his plans to take over the country by manipulating our friends and killing my brother. Himura-san's plans to stop the mass murder, along with his friends who we met up with earlier. Sanosuke Sagara and his valiant efforts to bring me to the Dutch consul, Dr. Elston, because I was dying of the illness which I now don't have. Oh Shouzo, I don't understand --- I'm supposed to be dead!"

Shouzo's eyes widened considerably at that, disbelief painted on his face. "D-dead?" he croaked out, looking at the young woman who nodded. "Perhaps you saw a vision of the future, m'lady." His gaze hardened. "A future that I will not allow to happen!"

She shook her head this time. "No, Shouzo, it can't be the future. How can a future such as that exist, when Sanosuke Sagara doesn't?" she questioned, her eyes meeting his. "And I'm supposed to be sick. Dying, in fact, of some illness called tuberculosis. But I'm not. I'm in perfectly good health. How do you explain that?"

"He wished for it."

"What?"

It wasn't Shouzo who replied to Sayo's question, however, but rather, a boy about six years of age, sitting on a boulder that was seemingly larger than himself. He had nice red hair and intelligent-looking green eyes that seemed to mirror the young woman's own. "Hello," he greeted as the two spun around to look at him, finally realizing that he was the one who spoke.

"Oh hello."

"What's up?"

Sayo bent down to ruffle the child's hair. "We were just talking about something very important," she answered, smiling warmly at him. Children had always been her weakness; she would melt at the sight of them even though she was in a heated argument with someone. "How about you? What's up?"

"The sky," he replied with a crooked grin. "Well heaven, actually."

She giggled, but Shouzo only looked at the tyke with an eyebrow raised. Some sense of humor, he thought, although he had another reason for thinking that way --- a reason that he would never admit to the world. He was jealous. Jealous that Sayo's attention was now on someone else and not on him. A kid, too.

"As I was saying," the boy began, jumping down the boulder to address them with stunning confidence, "these things are happening because of a wish made by Mr. Sanosuke Sagara." He paused to smile at the bewildered adults, then he held out his hand. "Oh, how rude of me not to introduce myself. I'm Kibo. God sent me."