Chapter Seventy-Eight

Ivory winked in the afternoon sunlight from high atop the peaks of the Sky Palace rooftops. It was a distracting detail of tranquility and beauty, and a direct contrast to the chaos happening below Yahiko's floating prison cell. All of the workers had been herded from the walkways, and what looked like an army of royal guards had started patrolling the palace. It unnerved him, as he knew nothing of the broadcast naming Kenshin a terrorist. Yahiko knew only that Yuna had taken his letter that morning, and had promised to have it delivered to Tsubame. Armed with so little detail, his heart beat quick and fearful inside his chest as he imagined something had gone wrong on the errand. Was Tsubame alright? Was Yuna?

What would happen if the Emperor learned of Misao and her crazy revolution? Would they abandon him there? Yahiko conceded that it was more than likely. Either they had been captured, or they would leave him as a liability. He certainly couldn't count on them. Not that he had truly counted on them to begin with.

This might be a good time to test out my new ability. Cocking his head to one side, Yahiko's dark eyes studied the guards far below. Off to his right, on the outside of the barrier, the guard currently assigned to watch him stood ready and alert. They haven't sent anyone up here, so I can assume this mess isn't for me. Yet. I can't assume I won't be pulled into it eventually, though. With all the guards on high alert, I just need one good distraction and I could get out of here clean. Everyone's strung so tight that even this idiot would focus on the first thing that causes a scene.

Breaking out of the barrier surrounding his prison cell would undoubtedly cost him some strength, and utilizing spatial manipulation was already draining. By his calculation, he would only be able to use it two, maybe three times at the most, before he would need to rest. He also wouldn't be able to use any of his other powers, either, as it would tax his body too much. Therefore, he would have to avoid any confrontations.

Fortunately, Yahiko had a lot of practice when it came to evading people. That was something else he could thank his father for.

A sneer pulled at his nose and upper lip, but it flattened under the heavy frown of his brow when he caught sight of the Sky Emperor walking into the gardens. He was flanked by two guards, which was unusual, but what made the scene odd was his slow, cautious steps. The sky dragon was arrogant about his own strength. It was out of character for him to be careful about his approach upon anything or anyone.

Yahiko's study of the Sky Emperor was interrupted by deep and abrupt rumbling that shook the air and the palace foundations. Shouting and the sound of cracking wood and shattered ceramic pierced through the heightened tension, and his gaze was thrown to one of the upper floors above his own floating prison. As predicted, his guard did the same.

Perfect.

The transition through the prison barrier went smoother than he expected, and he appeared directly behind the guard barely a second later. Acting quickly, he knocked the guard out, but then had to catch himself as a wave of nausea hit him like a tsunami. The aftershock of forcing his way out of the barrier was violent and unkind. Pain pierced through his left eye like an awl stabbing into his retina, and what felt like a dull blade slammed into the top of his skull. Falling on all fours, he retched off the side of the floating cell until his stomach ached and his nostrils burned. It took too long for him to stand back up, and he knew he could not waste any time escaping. Swallowing and steadying his breath, he spit out the acid taste of bile before allowing his body to settle.

Alright, the hard part's over.

About to turn, about to flee and be free of the shackles he had been placed in, his still wavering vision drifted across the vision of Yuna being pulled from the gardens. Two of the royal guard escorted her, and her head bounced limply against her chest and shoulder as they all but carried her away. A second glance revealed their father walking farther up the path, his pace quicker and angrier now than before. The scene was taken in within seconds, and he had already finished the twirl of his body when he dead-stopped with his back now to the palace.

Fuck.

Clenching his fists, he ground his teeth together.

Fuck!

Twisting on a run, he jumped off the side of the floating cell at the same time that he interwove the appropriate seal to activate his new spatial manipulation power. It wasn't quite as jarring as the very first time he had accidentally used it; appearing instantaneously somewhere new. Teaching his body to anticipate the transition would still take some time, but the adrenaline running through his veins helped initiate the necessary attack he would have to immediately complete to avoid a drawn-out confrontation. Almost before his feet touched the walkway directly behind Yuna's half-conscious form, his wind power jumped into action. The two guards were slammed to either side by a burst of hurricane-like air, and he scooped Yuna into his arms just as the Emperor turned to see what was going on.

The look of utter shock on his features was the most gratifying thing Yahiko had seen since witnessing Tsubame dressed in a yukata at the summer festival. Unable to help himself, he grinned, the ornery grin of an unruly child, and flipped him the bird. Fuck you, Dad. Spinning to immediately flee, for fear of retaliation by the strongest demon in Neo-Japan, he focused on the edge of the palace grounds and used his spatial power for a third, and what should have been his final, time. Just before he vanished, something warm and wet splashed across his spine and shoulders.

His toes barely gripped the ledge when he reappeared, and suddenly he had no strength left. The arms holding Yuna went slack, but she had finally regained consciousness and her elbows hooked instinctively around his neck for support. Everything went dark for what felt like only a moment, but when his vision returned, he found that they were freefalling through the sky. Yuna was calling to him, her face bruised and red, but her honey eyes full of concern and anguish. There was blood all over the sleeves of her kimono, and it streaked the wind that buffeted around them with angry color. The warmth against his back was cold now, and his nerves were deadened.

Forcing his hands to grasp her by the collar of her kimono, he blinked the fatigue and crowding darkness from his eyes. Straining his neck back as far as it would go, he fought to focus his gaze upon the city far below. All he needed was a direct line of sight, a vision of where to warp to. One tall building would do. Squinting to retain as much detail as possible, he imagined the seal again within his mind and readied his body to use his spatial power a fourth time.

"No! Yahiko, don't!"

The scream sounded distant within the howling wind, and was too late. Having already drained his body of power, the spatial maneuver was interrupted halfway through completion, and he ricocheted them off the heavier barrier that surrounded the Sky Palace. Crying out in pain with the backlash, he writhed in the air and fought the arms trying desperately to keep him still.

"Yahiko… let me… Ya.. kun…"

Fading into unconsciousness, terrified but stubborn, his mind pictured where he would rather be. Where he wanted to be. He visualized it with such perfect detail, he could smell the delicate scent of flowers. The deafening whistle of air past his ears, the numbness of his limbs, and even Yuna's frantic screams receded into nothing. In their place, a form of nirvana awakened inside his mind. Unlocked power he wasn't aware he had suffused his body like a strong breeze. Hanging between fatal blood loss and enlightenment, Yahiko, with Yuna holding him tight, disappeared from within the strongest barrier known to exist and slammed into the hard wooden floor of Tsubame's small apartment.

X

The strangest sensation of pride filled Kenshin's chest as he watched Kaoru bow in greeting to a smiling Seiku and his son Iori. Arai Knives was warm inside the small building of operation, and her rosy cheeks darkened now that they were out of the cold. Sapphire irises of beautiful blue flame shimmered when her head lifted, and the hand she still had wrapped around his tightened with excitement.

"Thanks for letting me come by, too." Her smile showed teeth and innocence, and Iori laughed.

"The pleasure is all ours."

After Enishi had left him with the frightening knowledge of the Emperor's intention to have Kaoru killed, and while he had quickly packed a bag to leave, Seiku had called. The pages from Arai Shakku's journal had been copied and were ready for him to pick up whenever he had time. Since it wasn't that far out of the way, Kenshin had immediately decided to stop by before departing for Neo-Kyoto. The train he had booked wouldn't leave for a few hours anyway, and the pages would give him something to study on the ride.

Waving a hand at his son, Seiku encouraged the ore demon to show Kaoru around.

"Why don't you give Kamiya-san the tour while I talk with Himura-san?"

An agreeable nod accepted the task, and Iori held out an arm in offering.

"Would you like to see what we do here?"

"Sure!" Letting go of Kenshin's hand, comfortable and without hesitation, Kaoru took Iori's arm and waved at Kenshin over her shoulder. He smiled, and then disappeared up a small flight of steel stairs to an inside-windowed office.

Iori was pleasant and just as excited to explain what they did as Kaoru wanted to know. They got along quickly, and she listened attentively to his descriptions of how his grandfather had designed their entire operation. The love and reverence he had for his grandfather was obvious, and she nodded eagerly each time he spoke praise for the great Arai Shakku. Family was important to her as well, and she empathized completely with his attitude towards his elder.

"This is the part Himura-san is assisting us with."

They stepped into a back room behind where the molten metal was worked into blades. It was slightly cramped in size and almost stifling with heat. At its center was an enclosed blast furnace. It was much smaller in size than an industrial furnace, and cleaner in appearance. A single glass window allowed her to see the flame inside.

It flickered gently, and Kaoru bit her lip as she leaned forward to get a closer look. The way the fire undulated was nearly mesmerizing, but it was the wisps of violet within its dance that made her smile. It reminded her of Kenshin's eyes.

"It's beautiful."

"It's the perfect temperature." The boastful tone of Iori's voice shifted to praise Kenshin this time, and Kaoru's smile widened. "Himura-san has been great for business. We used coal for many years to get the heat we needed, but it's hard to maintain and dirty to work with. This was how our grandfather meant for the steel to be worked."

"Did your grandfather know a fire demon, too?"

"My grandfather was a fire demon." Iori stated the fact proudly, like every other fact he had stated about his father's father.

"Oh! No wonder you get along so easily with Kenshin."

Iori almost blushed, and he waved a hand in embarrassment.

"I wouldn't say that. I'm sure Himura-san gets along well with everyone."

Kaoru nodded matter-of-factly. "He gets along well with everyone who's genuine."

Giggling when the ore demon finally grasped the compliment she had given him, Kaoru's glowing sapphire eyes lowered back to the furnace. Despite how beautiful and calm it appeared from outside, Kaoru could tell the flame within was powerful and fierce. It was in the roar it made as it crackled and pushed heat through the pipes and outward into the room. Happy to simply watch it burn away, Kaoru inhaled deeply and pulled dry, hot air into her lungs. Strangely, when she exhaled, the air was even hotter. The smile on her face twitched as it tickled her throat, and she tried to clear it quietly away. Behind the scar on her sternum, something heavy and uncomfortable seemed to settle in her lungs. The sensation was familiar to her now, but the episode was unexpected and unwanted, especially in her current company. Trying as hard as she could to keep from coughing, she swallowed down the dry taste of ash and decided it might be best to withdraw into a bathroom. Before she could turn, however, she caught sight of something dark moving across the floor out of the corner of her eye.

When she looked at it directly, the tightness in her chest locked, and she struggled desperately for air around the constricting grip of involuntary terror that now mixed with the tickle in her throat. There was nothing logical about her fear for such a small creature. There was only a reflexive disgust and primal surge of instinct that screamed at her warnings of danger. She hated that spider, almost more than she hated Sojiro for the things he had done to her, and her first thought wished for its death. She wanted it dead. It needed to die. Otherwise, it would once more do unspeakable things to her… or make her do unspeakable things to others. Tormented and frightened by the distorted and tangled thoughts tainting her mind, two tears welled and spilled from her lashes. Backing into the wall, her eyes wide, she flattened herself to the concrete in a pitiful attempt to place as much distance between her and the nightmarish vision as she could.

"Kamiya-san?" Iori's earth-toned eyes followed her frightened stare and blinked at the spider crawling its way across the warm floor. "Oh. They tend to flood inside when it turns cold out." Stamping his foot down onto the eight-legged monstrosity, Iori pulled a tissue from his pocket and picked up the remains for disposal. Almost instantly, her muscles relaxed as soon as it was taken from sight.

"There, it's gone now." He came closer to her with an understanding smile. "Spiders are unnerving, aren't they?"

In the subsequent drop of adrenaline and shock, Kaoru doubled over and vomited ash and soot directly onto the floor.

"Kamiya-san!"

Gagging and coughing, Kaoru covered her mouth with both hands, mortified by her loss of control.

"I'm… so sorry."

Several weaker coughs spewed more ash onto her fingers. When Iori stood to run out of the room, presumably for Kenshin, Kaoru grabbed him by the shirt.

"I'm fine." Gasping out the lie with tears in her eyes, she pleaded with him to stay. "P-please don't bother Kenshin."

"But…"

"It's not new, I promise. Just… inconvenient." She laughed, though it was slightly weak and rough. "I've really made a mess this time. Can you… take me to a bathroom?"

Kaoru's escort promised to wait outside the bathroom door while she cleaned up. Once inside, she proceeded to throw up three more times. Each time was more painful than the last, and her throat felt dry and raw when she was finally through. Staring at herself now in the mirror, her blue eyes appeared glazed and her skin was unnaturally pale. Something hot burned behind her ribcage, and it pulsated rapidly as if it too was frightened.

"Don't be afraid…" The words whispered from her mouth even as her hand covered her chest protectively, but the words and action were unconscious, as if someone else had taken control of her body. Slowly, her mouth twisted into a frown in the mirror, and her eyes focused with a blink. "Why did I say that?"

The loud drone of an emergency alert startled her from following the path of her thoughts, and she pulled out her phone to blink at the confusing message it displayed. Something about an emergency broadcast. Outside the door, the scream of Iori's phone echoed the notification. Washing her hands quickly, she slipped out through a crack in the door and found him looking at the message as well. His dark eyes lifted as soon as she was in sight, however, and he pocketed the phone to focus on her instead.

"Are you alright now, Kamiya-san?"

Smiling sheepishly, she nodded.

"All better. Sorry if I scared you. It's… pretty unpleasant."

"Are you sure you don't want me to get Himura-san for you? I don't think he would find it to be a bother at all."

Kaoru sighed dramatically.

"Please don't. He'd probably use it as some excuse to carry me through town." Holding up her phone to change the subject, she pointed at the dark screen. "What was that emergency notification about? I've never seen one before."

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe a missing child alert? It mentioned there's to be a broadcast. I can take you to the office, if you want to watch it."

"Okay."

When the alert sounded, Kenshin was still in the office with Seiku. Though it had taken little time to gather the copied pages of Arai Shakku's journal, Kenshin had accepted a cup of tea to allow Kaoru enough time to tour the small plant. Laughing with Seiku about a harmless story he had decided to share, the amity was cut short by the obnoxious whine of both their phones. Seiku frowned at the message, and immediately reached for the television remote. Something about the message filled Kenshin with dread, however. A dread that was proven correct a moment later when the broadcast filled the room.

The steel eyes of Arai Seiku jerked to him the moment the word terrorist was spoken in connection with the photos of himself and Kaoru on the screen. Meeting his gaze slowly, Kenshin held the man's searching look for several long seconds to patiently await his reaction. Whatever his reaction was would determine how Kenshin responded. Kenshin knew what the broadcast was about, and that it was a lie concocted by the Emperor to make it easier for the dragon to dispose of them both. It also now made it harder for them to escape the city.

Down at the bottom of the stairs, Kaoru's and Iori's voices were heard chatting about something indistinct, and Kenshin broke eye contact to glance at the door. This was not something he wanted to worry Kaoru with right then. She wouldn't understand it, and not understanding would ultimately create panic. Panic would not assist them in escaping, and that was what needed to be done first. An explanation would come later. The flicker of emotion on his face released the tension in Seiku's shoulders, and he sighed out a long breath. A moment before the other two found the landing at the door, the remote in Seiku's hand silenced the broadcast with the push of the power button.

"Do you have somewhere safe to go, Himura-san?" The soft question was met with silence, and Seiku nodded. "I don't want you to tell me, but it will relieve me to know you are both safe."

The door opened, and Seiku turned a smile on the younger ones.

"Did you enjoy the tour, Kamiya-san?"

"I did!" A suspiciously furtive glance was thrown at Iori, but she smiled happily none-the-less. "Thanks again for letting me come."

"We were happy to have you."

Iori had walked over to the desk where the TV remote had been deposited.

"We got some kind of alert on our phones. Did you both get one?"

Seiku placed a hand over the remote and nodded.

"We did. It was just a severe weather alert for motorists. You will be careful, won't you Himura-san? Traveling may be dangerous today."

Kenshin bowed his head deeply.

"We will be careful."

Kaoru laughed and wrapped both of her hands around one of his.

"Remember that one time when we ran through a typhoon? You looked miserable and horrified at the same time."

An indulgent smile was aimed at her when he stood, and he tweaked her nose for making fun of him.

"You looked like a drowned cat."

Unconvinced about the nature of the broadcast, Iori had crossed his arms and was frowning.

"A weather alert? They made it sound like some kind of national emergency. They need to be careful using the system that way. People will stop taking it seriously."

"Weather can be deadly, son."

The gentle berating pursed Iori's lips, but he still seemed skeptical.

"We won't take up any more of your time today." If Seiku had no plans to turn them in, then Kenshin decided it was time to go.

"Are we leaving already?"

Turning to Kaoru, Kenshin smiled and began wrapping her in the heavy scarf that was currently hanging limply about her shoulders. "We still have somewhere else to be, remember?" When he used the scarf to engulf her entire head, all but her eyes, she planted her hands on her hips.

"Hey, I can't really breathe like this."

Blinking harmlessly, Kenshin continued to bundle her up without even a pause.

"It's cold outside, Miss Kaoru."

Seiku watched the couple continue to playfully squabble all the way out of the building. He didn't know what was going on politically, but he knew better than to allow an outside source to affect what he knew personally about the character of a friend. Next to him, Iori sighed and shifted his weight. A sure sign that something was bothering him.

"What's wrong, son?"

"I should have said something. Now I'm going to worry about it."

"About what?"

The episode near the blast furnace was briefly explained, and Seiku's brow-line lifted in surprise.

"She made it sound like it was normal, and that she didn't want to bother Himura-san with it. Like it wasn't something to worry about. I took her word for it, since I'm not sure what's normal for other demons, but the more I think about it, the more I think it doesn't seem normal at all." Iori groaned and covered his face. "What if she's dying or something?"

The steel demon scratched his chin as his son went straight for the worst-case scenario. No matter how he thought about it, though, it didn't seem to be what his son thought it was. Then again, Kenshin's own words from a few days prior contradicted what Seiku thought it to be. Switching to scratch his head in confusion, Seiku frowned.

"Is he sure she can't have children?"

X

A/N: Two things, and I'll make it quick. One… OMG, they're remaking the Rurouni Kenshin anime?! What?! How exciting is that?! Thank you so much for letting me know! I've been so out of touch these last few months what with moving, I hadn't heard or seen anything about it. It makes me really happy that they want to be truer to the manga this go around. The original anime was alright, but I really appreciate it when movies, TV shows, or anime follow the source material. I'm the kind that gets irritated when they don't, lol.

Secondly, and this isn't important at all, I added a little insignificant detail to these last two chapters. At first it was inadvertent, but after I realized what I had done, I knew I had to purposefully finish it off. The last chapter started with "Ebony", which was done completely by accident. So, this chapter, I made sure to start it with "Ivory". Ebony was the name of my pretty kitty who passed away a couple years ago. Ivory is the name of her sister, and she lays happily snoozing in my lap as I type this now. It means nothing to anyone else, but it really made me happy. XD (I miss writing about that cute salamander. I can't wait to bring his shenanigans back, lol.)

(I said just two, but here we are, lol.) I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot. I hope you enjoyed reading it just as much. Although I plan to keep writing this story, no matter how little attention it gets, I do really appreciate the reviews. Please don't think that I don't read and love each word of encouragement that you provide. Writing is very fulfilling for me, but so is knowing that someone else loves to read what I write. Despite confirming that I won't stop posting on this story, there have been a few times when I thought I might stop. Telling myself that I won't stop no matter the reaction is also a way to encourage myself, because it can be disheartening to think no one is reading it. So those three reviews I got for the last chapter, I love and appreciate you three so very, very much. Thanks for sticking it out with me!

Next chapter: Kenshin and Kaoru receive some unexpected help from an unexpected source, and Yahiko struggles in the aftermath of his short confrontation with his father.