Author's note: Hello everyone! Man, this story is getting longer than I thought it would be. But it's writing itself that way. The characters are developing in a way I had not planned. After so many chapters, there is still so many issues that I wish to go over. What had started as a short story supposed to be developed in a certain way, became an grander story with more twists that meant to be. Oh well, a bit of ranting so I can free my mind a bit. I started college two weeks ago! It's so much fun! I love school, I love to learn and I love philosophy! My teacher's great. A strange white haired man who has a fascination for the width and emptiness of the universe. He can rant about starts, planets and constellation forever. I love his classes. He is a very wise man. He has that light in his eyes that tells me that he still held some sort of fascination for our world and oddities. He also talks a lot about the 'Chock of Civilizations'. His classes are very interesting and I learn a lot out of him. Just as I had much respect for my strange Science teacher when I was in high school, I believe this man will be one of the many mentors I had in my life. Of course, I think this will have some repercussion in my writings. The more I learn, the more I want to share it. So, be prepared to witness some deep thinking and philosophical points of view. But, of course, this story was already going that way anyway. I just realized it now. ^-^

Special thanks: To merlock12 who had the patience to read this for at least four or five times so he could get as much mistakes out of it as he could. Thank you so much. By the way, I'm sorry for my computer's stupid behavior. That thing has something against me I'm sure. Or it really does want me to get to bed early 'and such'… sigh.

Disclaimers: Don't own, don't sue.

Warnings: Some choking revelation. This story was never meant for kids anyway.

Within Soul: Mid Tale

The Crossing

Chapter one

            "Yes, we love peace, but we are not ready to take wounds for it, as we are for war."

                                                                                                          -John Andrew Holmes

  Cold was not quite the word to describe the temperature; freezing to the point that your breath would turn into ice the moment it escaped your lips would be more like it. It was a cloudless night where the half moon shown brightly, lending the still vegetation, deprived of green of any kind, an eerie shadow that spread endlessly into the white coat that covered the ground. Without a word of explanation, Kenshin told Kaoru to dress quickly and pack what was only necessary. The crimson haired manslayer had kept silent throughout the entire ordeal, lost in deep reflection, his violet gaze a haze of purple mist each time she would try and peer into his mind. Soon after, they were stumbling across the freshly fallen snow, shivering for her part but not complaining.

  As Kaoru's blue gaze observed Kenshin's hard back, she reflected upon the late events. Something had gone horribly wrong. Somehow, the rat had figured out what was going on, and even with her ability to extract truth from anyone, she had not been able to see this coming. Frost covered her shoulders, rendering her slim coat hard and cold, the material unable to keep in the warmth. She could sense the first symptoms of hypothermia, slowly losing the sensation at her extremities and drowsiness slipping in. Kenshin led the way, stoic, a characteristic the young woman had never once used to describe him as until now, and not once looking back. The couple headed north, the wind icy and merciless, burning their faces and shoving quantities of frosted flakes of snow. Walking becoming more difficult of a task with each step taken.

"We must find shelter," she suggested through shaking teeth.

  A nod was her only answer. Sighing deeply, her pace was decreasing drastically, her legs finding it harder and harder to keep moving her body forward. It had been hours now that they left the warmth of the inn, cruelly missing its heat and comfort, their only companions the shining stars in the clear night sky. Kenshin, however, did not seem to even waver under the hard elements of winter, his pace even as his form seemed to grow farther in distance. From the woman's point of view, he seemed hallowed in darkness as the world around her grew slower, taking a dreamlike complexity.

  Snow crisped under each taken step, the sound becoming the song of their march. Her world became narrow; all she could see was the warrior who seemed to get further away from her, the rest lost in shadow. She knew she would soon succumb to exhaustion, but pride only kept her going. The flakes, powdery on the ground, glittering under the soft silvery light of the night's guardian that shown above, seemed as inviting as a bed of smooth feathers. It would not be long before her fall, she knew this, if only winter were not so cold. Then, everything turned black, she was not even aware of falling, did not notice the cold snow as it touched her cheek, scraping the soft flesh raw.

  Kenshin heard a soft thump, paused for a moment before turning his head around, flaming mane caught in the icy wind. The distance between him and Kaoru had grown incredibly far, he noticed, and when his gaze grazed the heap that had become his female traveler, he rushed by her side. A delicate hand, once as white as the snow it had taken a fistful of, turned a scary frozen blue, long ebony hair sprawled like deep ink on the pure winter coat, her belongings by her side. He knelt beside her, eyes hidden under his scarlet locks, hands shaking he picked her up gently. Ripping his scarf from his neck, he wrapped it around her delicate one, trying to give her back some warmth in the detriment of his own. Scooping her up in his arm with surprising strength for such a modest build, he moved forward still.

  The next village was at eyesight, only a breath away from the ill-fated travelers, the first signs of exhaustion starting to manifest themselves. Feet dragging in the hard frost that covered the road, his breath turning into small puffs of clouds with each outtake, hugging his precious cargo to him, he kept marching forward. He reached the town's entrance as dawn came, the sky donning a cold purple robe. Empty streets and frosty breezes blowing snow to his frozen face met Kenshin. He needed rest and shelter, the latter coming in first priority but, judging by his condition, would be hard to find. Stumbling his way through the alley, his breath coming short and forces abandoning him, he carried on. However, even the strongest have their limits, and the manslayer had reached his own when he collapsed. Strong will alone can not overcome such cold. Not feeling his body, nor even aware of his fall, only the darkness that embraced him, he fell to the hard snowy road, still holding Kaoru protectively close.

  He came around shortly after, his body completely numb. The girl's breathing seemed to have grown shallow, even rasp, and intermittent. He feared for her life more than he worried for his own. But his strength had escaped him, and all his efforts to return to his feet were in vain. He may lack the soul, but the body did work the same, and he had just reached his limit. Gripping the unconscious woman, if only what remained of his heat could provide her enough warmth to survive, Kenshin would die in peace, whatever death would give him. The assassin was not sure if death was something that would ever come to him. Frozen, bluish fingertips traced the outline of the young woman's face, not able to feel, he could only imagine how soft her skin was. Was she as cold as he was? With a stiff hand, he tried to feel her heart, but his senses were too frozen, and his only reassurance was her uneven breathing.

  As he thought the end was drawing near, footsteps crushed the snow in strong even fall, making the crisp frost crack under their foot. A snicker, mocking laughter, sneering and frustrating, echoed in the back of Kenshin's mind as well as in reality as the stranger walked closer to the couple. The hitokiri forced his eyes open, their purple iris glowing with sparks of amber, and through the mist of his vision, the tall frame of his life long enemy appeared, like a ghost from the past.

"How the mighty have fallen," said the man, looking down at the frozen form on the street.

"Sai…Saitou…" was Kenshin's feeble but venom dripping reply.

"Missed me, Battousai?"

"Go.. to… hell."

"Nice to see you too," he mocked. "Why are you here? Fled from your responsibilities again?"

  Kenshin could not answer, not that he did not wish to, but his frozen limbs would net let him. His whole body stiff, what was left of his energy centered on warming Kaoru up the best he could.

"I see you found yourself a whore."

"Sh…shut up!"

  There was a muffled laughter from the tall man towering the fallen travelers before he turned his back, his shoulders still trembling from his humorless hilarity. Looking over his shoulder, bright yellow eyes, just like that of a hungry wolf ready to strike his weaken prey, Saitou smirked at him evilly. He seemed to find some kind of sick pleasure out of his nemesis' deadly misfortune.

"Be careful around here, he's out on the hunt again. Seems his sleep only lasted half a century this time. If I were you, I'd watch the girl's back as well. Remember, I was the one who promised your father to kill you."

"Not if… I found the way… out," Kenshin whispered, his forces fading.

"Humph… you're the only one still thinking about it," sneered Saitou walking away, his voice somehow defying the harsh wind and coming clear to the manslayer's ears. "Sometimes I wonder if you're not just plain stupid…"

   Time slipped as Kenshin drifted in and out of consciousness. It would not be long until the pain he was starting to feel would become unbearable and lead him to murderous action. As hope was slipping from his grasp, providence showed mercy on him once again when softer footsteps entered his mind along with a gasp of horror. It was all he could remember.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  It was warm, warmer than anything, so comfortable, so soothing; a soft hand on her forehead, calming her feverish body. Kaoru was wrapped tightly in a comfy blanket, that was as far as she could tell, along with the careful hand caressing her brows. Displeasure made her frown as a cold cloth was put on her head and a raspy hiss escaped her dry throat. She forced her eyes open, the light brighter than she remembered it, hitting her pupils as they dilated and contracted in self-defense, momentarily blinded.

"Good afternoon, Kaoru-dono," whispered Kenshin.

"Afternoon?" said the girl after a fit of deep coughing.

"You've slept for three day, that you did," amiably explained her companion.

  Her blue eyes stared at him, their depth lost in some kind of haze, side effects of the high temperature that rushed through her veins. However, she was thankful that Kenshin was finally talking to her again, although she would have rather heard his voice clear of the worry that lingered there. Closing her eyes, her breathing labored but even once again, she tried to recall the events that brought her to this unknown room. But her mind left her in the dark, everything in between the sudden black out on the road to her awakening was foggy, if not completely blank.

"How…"

"You fainted on our way here," stated the man understanding her question before she finished asking it. "A woman found us on the street of the village and brought us here with the help of her son. She is very kind, that she is."

  He did not tell her everything, did not wish to worry her further. Kaoru did not need to know that he went wild when he woke up two days ago, lurked outside the cold streets and slaughtered an innocent young man to regain the strength he had lost through their journey. Looking away from the young woman, feeling shameful and dirty, Kenshin kept his vigil on her until the shoji door softly slid open and a kind looking old woman entered the silent room, a jar of steaming ointment and her son in tow, a platter of food in his hands. The boy, barely reaching adulthood, was mildly built and timid looking. His short black hair veiling his dark eyes, always cast at the floor. It seemed that his coal orbs had seen more pain than joy, his shoulders and back arched as if wielding the weight of the world upon his fragile frame.

"Is your wife alright?" asked the woman.

"She is not my wife, Suzumi-dono, that she is not."

"Oh… I'm sorry, but I found you curled around each other, I assumed you were."

"It must have been confusing, that it must."

"Yes. Shizo, would you please give the food to Himura-san?"

  Said boy bowed his head and padded uncertainly toward the man kneeling next to the convalescent beautiful young woman. Stealing a glance at her face and blushing softly, he put the meal next to the manslayer and quickly returned to his old mother's side. Suzumi shook her head, not liking her son's behavior but knowing she could do nothing to change it. Kneeling next to Kaoru on the opposite of Kenshin, she pulled back the blankets and was about to open the young woman's yakuta before she gave the two men a glance that said more than words. Nodding, Kenshin got up and walked to the door, looking one last time at the sick girl, he stepped out, but Shizo did not seem to have caught his mother's look for he stayed in place, looking at the matriarch's hands in pure wonder, curious to know what she was about to do.

"Shizo, unless you want to see this young woman naked, I suggest you leave," said Suzumi after clearing her throat suggestively.

  The boy blushed furiously, the color of his face trying to rival Kenshin flaming mane, rushed out the door and closed it. Himura regarded the young man with a sense of bemusement laced with cold observation. Throughout the three days he had spent in this home, Shizo had not spoken a word to his mother or him. He was starting to wonder if the boy was mute, but he seemed to understand words just as well as normal people. Something terrible must have happened in the past to cause such a strange reaction. What had those dark eyes witnessed?

  Shizo played with the hem of his sleeves for a while before turning his back to Kenshin and walking away toward the kitchen which was at the total opposite part of the house. Having nothing better to do, and feeling very curious, the Ishin Shishi followed, replacing his katana back at his waist. They sat in silence at the low table, the boy finding his hand ever so interesting and Kenshin simply observing him in awkward silence. Finally growing tired of this nonsense, he tried to make some conversation, but not being someone who would usually talk, he found himself as clumsy with words as someone who had never tried talking before.

"So… what was in that jar your mother brought?"

  Shizo looked up to Kenshin face, looking at his chin, avoiding any eye contact and just shook his head. Sighing, Kenshin understood that this would lead them nowhere. Maybe the boy would talk when the time would come. Whenever that time may be.

  Back in the room, Suzumi had undressed Kaoru's chest and was applying the strongly smelling ointment over her throat and down to the base of her lungs. The young woman opened her eyes and was met with the old woman's rich browns. Confusion clouded her face. The woman gave her a warm smile, still engrossed in her healing task, and spoke softly.

"You were lucky child. I don't know how long you have been out under that snowstorm, but it's almost a miracle how you survived this long. You'll be up and around in a few days. You just need some rest."

"Where… Kenshin?"

"He left a moment ago with my son. You don't want them to see you bare chest now, do you?" explained the older woman.

"I.. don't think… it would make much difference… one more or less…" Her voice was strained, tired, weary, as if on the brink of death.

"Now, why say such things?" asked Suzumi as she redressed her patient.

  Kaoru uttered a mirthless small laugh that turned into a fit of coughing, wreaking her chest and lit a fire within her lungs. Turning her head to the left, she stared at the paper wall glowing red with the gentle glow of the oil lamp that brought light to the small room. Her mind was in total confusion, her memories mixing to create nightmarish scenes. Trying to chase the images away, she shut her eyes, but it seemed that this action brought in more horrific memories of pain and mental torture. Fighting her tears, she uttered, her voice barely audible to the old woman.

"I need to speak with Kenshin, please tell him to come," she pleaded.

"Of course child," And after a moment she added, "Who is he to you? Your fiancé? Your friend?"

"It's… complicated…"

  Suzumi only nodded, wrapping the blanket back around the girl, she got up and left. When she found the two men, she was met with tensed silence and heavy atmosphere. How she wished her son would speak again. It pained her deeply to see him that way. He had been like this for over a year, ever since he came back from the battle that had rubbed her of her beloved husband. Sighing, she entered.

"Himura-san, Kaoru-san wishes to speak with you."

  Thankful of finally leaving Shizo and his dark silence, Kenshin got up and bowed respectfully to his hostess before returning to the small room. When he entered, he found the young woman asleep once again. Her pale face, redden by her fever, had a painful expression, her breathing rasp and uneven as she was swamped in a nightmare. His soft lavender eyes traced her beautiful features wrapped in warm material. His feelings toward that enigmatic young woman were more than confusing. Never before had he felt such a powerful need to protect, such possession and passion that burned so deeply inside. It was pleasurable and painful all at once.

  He wished he could free her mind of worries and horror, erase her past and make a bright future. However, conscious of what he was, he knew he could never bring her happiness. It would be impossible, unless he found a soul of his own; he could never be by her side. Tracing the arch of her brows with a trembling finger, he tried to, at least, appease her mind. She moaned, writhed for a second and then settled into deep, dreamless slumber. He bent down and brushed his lips over her hot forehead, massaging his thumb over the imaginary mark of brief affection. Kenshin moved to sit back to the wall, his sword resting on his shoulder, habit of many warriors, and closed his eyes, willing to give his body some rest. His thoughts with Kaoru, he fell to the darkness of his sleep, wishing that, for once, he could dream too.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

  She awoke later that night, her mind feeling less confused and fogged than it had been earlier that day. The sun had set and the wind was chanting eerily outside, blowing ice and cold over the small village. She wondered how much time had slipped by since she had requested her talk with Kenshin, and found herself pondering if he came at all. Since the event that had brought them to this place, the man had not uttered a word about it. She had figured that the rat had found out about her. It would explain Kenshin's presence in her room that night. However, she had no clue as to why he had not killed her. As a part of the Ishin Shishi, she knew what Kenshin's role in the organization was and knew he killed no matter what or who. What had made him back out, why had he shown mercy on her? What would become of them now? They had fled like thieves in the middle of the night. Would they try to kill him? Would they think him a spy? Would they think he was the rat?

"Kenshin…"

"Yes?"

  His answer had been so soft; she thought the wind had spoken it. Then, his purple orbs shown gently above her head and she smiled weakly to his handsome face, lifting a heavy hand to touch his cheek. Surprisingly, he leaned in, his lids shutting lazily, sighing and covering her warm head with his own.

"Kenshin… there are things you must know…" she whispered.

"I know," his said, his eyes closing tighter in worry it seemed, although she was not sure.

"I'm not the rat…" she offered as if it explained it all. "You may not believe me, but, I was faithful to Ishin Shishi."

"What exactly were you doing in the inn?" he asked after a long moment of silence.

"I… Remember when I told you my father was killed because he knew things?" He nodded and she kept explaining, turning her face away from his. "He was a spy for them, looking for moles and rats that may compromise the organization. He was not careful enough and got killed. I found his journal a few months after his death and discovered everything. I was young and in grief, I wanted to avenge or at least help. I looked almost all over Japan for the name my father had written about, Katsura Kogoro. It… was harder than I thought… and I had to do things…" Then her voice broke.

  Kenshin opened his eyes to see Kaoru's painful expression, barely able to keep the tears in, her left hand taking a fistful of the material that covered the part of her chest where her heart was. Her right hand slipped down his face to cover her mouth, trying to mute the sobs that tore through her. He felt helpless, watching her in mental agony.

"You don't have to say everything…" he murmured, feeling maybe just as throbbing as she was.

"No… I must… just… listen." She regain enough of her composure to speak again, the words cracking now and than, her story as painful as a thousand deaths. "I… traveled long and ran out of money after being…. rubbed and… rapped. I was only thirteen, still a little girl, had no home, no family, only a the name of man I was not even sure existed. I… needed the money, I was hungry, often cold. So… I did what I could. What else were there for me to do? I… sold my belongings first. The only thing I could keep was my mother's ribbon and my father's journal, everything else were sold. But it was not enough. I had just turned fourteen when, knowing I had nothing to lose anymore because it had been stolen from me a year ago… I started to sell myself." She closed her eyes, reliving the painful moment, a tear escaping the helm of her eyes sliding sadly down her soft cheek to be lost in the beddings. "I think I was in Aizu at that time, but I'm not so sure anymore. Katsura-san had a geisha friend, I was just a street girl, trying to survive the best I could. My last client had beaten me and did not pay me and left me in the street to die alone. She found me, tend to my wounds and I confessed everything to her. I needed someone to talk to, someone who could understand, at the time, she was the closest thing I could have to a friend. She introduced me to Katsura-san, and he took me in, brought me to Kyoto. I spent two years working for Matsura-san with no words of him and then, he sent me a letter telling me that my real work would start." She took a pose, taking a deep breath and resumed. "It was easy at first, nothing too complicated, listening to the men when they thought I was not. But soon, I had to do those things again. It's unbelievable the things a man can tell a woman in the passion of the moment."

the     (no "a")

money;

raped

Does "rubbed" mean "assaulted", or some such? Or did you mean "robbed", as in thieves?

  was

            journal. Everything else was

myself." She


  And she could not talk anymore, the words would just not form, it was too painful. It hurt inside, it hurt outside, the pain was all over her body, shocking with the force of her sobs, the tearing sound of her cries echoing on the walls. A sad song of lost innocence, the price of survival. Women may be seen as the weak kind, fragile and breakable to many men, to humanity, to the world. Some said that they had no souls, did not deserve any statue, but Kaoru… She was strong, stronger than any man would ever be. Courageous, brave, a true warrior. From that moment, Kenshin would never see her the same way he had. She looked even more beautiful, glowing almost. Life can not be compared to another. Each person has their own path, their on share of suffering, of pain; she had more than any he knew. Pain can't be compared either. People feel differently, react in different way when faced with such events. To kill so one survive, or hurt yourself to keep living, no comparison, two sides completely different of life, and yet, here they were, both sharing a fate that, somehow, had joined together. Following a hazardous road that held more suffering then pleasure.

   Overwhelmed in strong feelings that did not have name, even to this day, he embraced her as tightly as he could. Caressing her long black hair, giving her the shoulder to cry on, the confidant she had craved for, the soothe she had been unconsciously longing for. So many lost, her world had collapsed so many times, and life never gave her the time to rebuild. And still, she had smiled to him, she had opened her arms, her mind and her heart to him. Accepting sin, accepting his darkness, his loath, tried to make him feel better. She loved him, made him see such beauty he would have burst. Such selflessness, Kaoru had given up on the joy of life, of being normal, given up her purity, what made her what she was, became someone else, and yet, she smiled, held on to life. He only sought destruction, an end to his pain, his misery, while she had been looking for the solution, the way out, survived. He knew now, he knew without a doubt, that those feelings he could not name a few days ago, this passion that made him whole so suddenly, that he loved her. Loved what she was, what she is and what she will be, totally and completely. Her, and no one else.

"Kaoru…" he whispered.

  How could he ever tell her how much he admired her, respected her. Between the two of them, he knew now who was the stronger. No man, however sharp and long their sword can be, or skillful in wielding it, could be as strong as she was. No man, as righteous minded or pure hearted, could be as beautiful and true as she was. No one, even with the bravest spirit and most noble of ambition, could have her courage. And all he could do was hold her tight, breath her name, kiss her head and soothe her. She fell asleep, not knowing how great his esteem was if her.

  Her head nestled in the crook of his shoulder, her breathing ticking his neck, her hand resting gently above his beating heart, she slept, peacefully. Lost in deep thoughts, Kenshin stayed awake through the length of the night, watching the shadows dance on the ceiling like some primitive religious ceremony, the wind their music and the moon the fire they swayed around. The even rise and fall of her chest became the rhythm that calmed his mind. He reminisced of his past, the many deaths that covered the path behind him in blood and guilt. The many faces he met, the years that drifted away slowly, the pain engraved in his veins, the agony of a throbbing mind that knew no rest until recently. Suddenly, he could see the light he had been looking for, a path, a way to get rid of his load. After centuries, he realized what he had been looking for was not concrete; nothing material could fill the emptiness that his lack of soul had left inside of him. It was something that no words could describe; it was something that no one could name. Maybe, he will find his soul and become mortal and end his circle of death, end his pain and embrace the future. But for the moment, Kaoru needed help, needed joy, needed rest. He was willing to give it to her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

To be continued………

a/n: Now, some of you may have seen it coming, other must be very surprised. I thought it was obvious, but of course, I'm the author, so I know what my characters are, so what is obvious to me may not be to my readers. I thought I was not good in subtlety, but with all the questions about what Kaoru is, I guess I was wrong. I hope you enjoyed. We're getting closer to the 100th review!!! I can't believe it! I'm so excited. This fanfiction is starting to attract some attention. I'm glad you people seem to like my strange way of writing.

KARYTA'S PERSONAL THANKING TO HER LOVELY REVIEWERS (I think the title changes every chapter… oh well, you get the point and that's what matters)

Jason M. Lee: Um… more like a lime? I thought I had made it pretty graphic, at least it was to my point of view. Hope some of your questions got their answers, and about Kaoru's 'stalker' you won't know about it until the time comes. Sorry bout that, but I've got to keep my punches for the final!

emsdesire: About the rabid chipmunks… I'm not even sure what they are.. hehe. As you said, it turned a way I was not even expecting. You know, I know the big lines of this story, but it seem that it wants to go a way I just had not planed… oh well, I'm just as curious as you are as to how this will become… Can you believe it?

Aerin-chan: My… what perspicacity! You're about the only one who guest it right! I know it's strange, but I remember a fanfic I read some time ago where Kaoru was a prostitute, but I can't remember the title, silly me. But to be honest, I don't like when people describes her as a little angel. I believe it takes her fiery personality away in a way. I'm sorry about the editing thing, someone else purposed and is doing it for me. (he's doing quite a good job at it too).  About Kenshin and Kaoru's 'stalker', as many named him, those questions will get their proper answer in time. Just not yet. Be patient please. Thanks for the cake, you know how much I love those things. ^-^

Vinmy fer: Have I sent you the fan arts? I don't remember… If I did, I hope you liked'em. Thank you for reviewing.

Bunny / Sailor Moon: You know.. I'm kind of wondering too what will happen next.. hehe.

omochi: I guess it's a good way to distract someone… but I know a few other ways too. Anwyway.

Michelle: Kaoru was aware of Kenshin's role, but that's a secret between you and me. ^-^

star-crystals: Thank you very much. I'm glad my choice of word doesn't feel confusing when you read them. I was wondering sometimes if people understood what I meant to say. I easily get carried away when I start some description, and I tend to forget that my characters can talk… hehe. I'm glad the chapters are long too, but I only realize how long they are when I post them. As I told you, I tend to get a bit carried away by my thoughts… oh well, as long as you like it, I guess this isn't that bad. ^-^

Lady E1: I used to care how many review I would get. I was a popular author on the other fandom I wrote about (ccs) and when I started writing about RK, I thought I would get as much. But when I started this fic, I just loved the story too much to actually care. But of course, reviews are always welcome. I like some feedback. You'll know exactly why they had to leave pretty soon. I think in the next chapter. Thank you very much. Give you a piece of my cheese cake.

JJ: Thank you, you'll know why as soon as the issue comes in the story. Be patient!

are-en1: You actually re-read it?! Wow… THANK YOU!!! I hope this chapter answered some of your questions. I'm sorry I can't give all the answers, I wish I could, but then, I couldn't write anymore! But I don't think Tomoe is going to she her emotionless face around here. Not that I don't like her. But I just can't make her fit in here.

kenshin'sgrl: err… ok… thank for the review.

aglaia102: Thanks for the review and of course I'll finish this. I'm not one of those author who gets this far in a story and then just stops… that would be stupid, because I love the story!

Thank you everyone! Next chapter will be out in some times. But if it's not out in less then a month, you have the right to be angry at me. Oh, and the 100th review will get a little surprise… I don't know what it will be yet, but there will be a surprise!

See you around!