Disclaimer: I wish I owned RK and WK. Izzat clear enough for you?

A/N: XD Thanx to everyone who reviewed! _ I was beginning to think that I wouldn't get any reviews *sniff* ;_; I just love reading reviews, so please, please read and review! _ On another note, this story has started jumping off on it's own again *sigh* Yup, definitely have to have more chapters to deal with it _ The mission, was once again supposed to be in this chapter, but the Kenshin's meeting with Katsura took up all the space, :p so you can go blame our Oro-chan (Kenshin: Oro?). One of Kenshin's abilities will be found in this chapter J yes, just *one*! *cackles evilly* Yes, our darling is special and has more than one ability. The others? Hmm…we'll see :P No matter. Yesh, in this chapter, Kenshin meets Kaoru in a rather unorthodox way! Slight WAFFY-ness! Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Reviewers space!

Harpygirl 91 - @_@ Kill me? Ouch…that would hurt! ^^;; Don't worry, I'll continue updating as much as I can!

Dragona – XD That I will!

Random-Reader-san : Thank you! I like where this story is headed too! ^^ Your review is encouragement enough, thanks for reviewing!

Tsugoi Kakarlena – I'm glad you like it so much! I was afraid that the lack of action so far would make the story too boring!

Poppy – Thanks for the encouragement! Yeah, Linay's Broken Pieces is one of my fave stories too; she's such a good writer! Yes, it is really hard to write a futuristic fic which doesn't follow Linay's. J I'm glad that you find the plot original so far; I've been trying my best not to make it like Linay's _ but the supernatural elements enjoy creeping in… please keep reading!

Neko Oni – You like the Japanese dialogue! Cool~ ^^ I didn't know whether it would annoy people or not, because some people absolutely hate it when there's Japanese and English dialogue incorporated into a fic. Really glad you like it though! Yesh, please do read the sidestory to this! I would be very grateful indeed~ It's probably even slower than this story, but I'm still racking my brains as to what to dump into the plot line. Mmm…getting the manga huh? There's only 2 books of manga for the original WK, but there's another one that's being worked on by another mangaka, called Weiss Side B (I think) that takes place after Weiss Kreuz Gluhen. The character designs and everything look good too~. And besides, I'll be basing some stuff from this fic from Weiss Side B too.

NightRain – Glad you like it! It took quite a bit of planning to piece everything together and make the story work. There's always new ideas flowing in, so don't be surprised if the fic turns weird! XD

chris - hey! Thanks for reviewing again! Oh, how their meeting goes hmm? ;) you'll find out soon enough! I'm already working on it!

Thoughts are in ' '

Speech is in " "

Dream scene/telepathy is in italics.

Chapter 3: Dreamwalking

Kenshin looked up from his tea as the shoji door to the private room in the Kikuzakura Teahouse slid open. Katsura deftly removed his shoes, and promptly took up a cross-legged seat opposite Kenshin. Takasugi entered as well, sliding the shoji door shut with a decisive click behind him and took a seat in the corner of the room. The redhead wasted no time in asking his questions.

"Katsura-san, what is the reason for me meeting up with Black Dawn now?"

"I'd like to see how you would work with other fellow assassins, because there are, indeed, some missions that will sooner or later require you to work with a group. Black Dawn is as good as any other not only because they are efficient, but also because their teamwork is impeccable." He paused momentarily before continuing. "I think that you would also benefit from learning with them, because all members of the group have 'abilities' (1) such as yours, although they are different."

Kenshin raised an eyebrow.

"So basically, I could develop these 'abilities' of mine." Statement worded like a question.

"Yes. Your skills will also be valuable to them."

"A mission then?" The straightforward question nearly made Katsura wince. 'One of these days his bluntness will get him killed…by a woman, most probably!'

"Not in those terms. They have a mission tomorrow night at 2300 hours at the Kanrii building in Tokyo. You will observe them to see how they co-operate as a team, and introduce yourself after they have completed their mission."

"Is that all?" Kenshin carefully kept any emotions he had under his deadpan expression and sipped his tea.

Katsura rubbed his temple again; the migraine seemed to be returning.

"Hmm…hide yourself until after the mission. Don't let them detect your ki."

The widening of Kenshin's eyes was the only display of emotion that showed his surprise, and he said nothing at all.

Katsura drained the now lukewarm tea in one long sip, and got up from his seat. He tilted his head slightly to look at Kenshin while opening the shoji door. "Oh, Takasugi will tell you a bit about the group. I've got some work to attend to now. Good luck on working with Black Dawn, Himura." The shoji door slid close behind him and his fading footfalls were heard echoing through the corridor of the teahouse. Moving from his spot in the corner of the room, Takasugi took up the seat that Katsura had just vacated.

"So…" He drawled, pulling out a cigarette from a shiny silver box. "What do you wanna know about your new partners?"

"Names. Codenames. Ages. Gender. Weapons. Techniques." Kenshin felt like he was a robot as the businessy Battousai side took over; his violet eyes rimmed in tarnished gold. He thought for a second, then added. "Abilities."

"Codenames: Kuro Bara, Tenken, Zanza. Occasionally Kagami (2) helps out as well, but that's really rare. 20, 20, 22, 25. Female – " He grinned at Kenshin's outrageous shocked look plastered on his face (3). "and the rest are male. Katana, katana, bugnuks (4), ninjitsu. You'll see. Telepath, telepath, telekinetic, 'Shifter. Maybe even more."

Takasugi barely swallowed his laughter at the positively hilarious wide-eyed look on Kenshin's face. "That information to you?"

'Gods, I must look like a fish!' Kenshin realized that his jaw had dropped to the floor at hearing that there was actually a female in Black Dawn. He sputtered, amethyst eyes wide.

"A woman!?" Yup, very incredulous. 'Great, now I sound so sexist.'

Takasugi nodded, lighting the cigarette. "Yeah." He blew the smoke out in one breath, and then grinned at Kenshin. "Problem with that?"

Kenshin frowned slightly. "Why is a woman an assassin?" His voice grew soft and was tinged with sadness. "No woman should have to deal with killing a person."

Takasugi's lop-sided grin faded. "She's carrying on her father's legacy. Top police officer who worked alongside us. Got found out by Bakufu (5), and he refused to betray us. They killed him." He inhaled a lungful of smoke and blew it out again before continuing. "Assassinated and the girl returned from a mission to find the family dojo burning up." He shook his head sympathetically. "He was too far gone and he died in there. Girl turned assassin after that."

"A fire, huh?" A bitter-sweet smile touched Kenshin's lips as he tried to force back the memories that came with remembering. (6)

Takasugi's eyes narrowed at him fractionally before answering.

"It was the fire in 1997 in Tokyo."

Kenshin's eyes widened fractionally. "That one?" He remembered hearing about it and for some reason also remembered that he had been extremely angry about hearing the said incident, but he had never really known why.

"Yup, that one." He took a long drag on his cigarette as he stood up to leave, throwing a few bills onto the table. "Gotta go now. I'll see you tomorrow night." Slightly unfocused violet eyes sharpened as Kenshin pulled himself out of reminiscence. "Hey, wait."

Takasugi stopped at the door, in the middle of pulling his black leather shoes on. 'Darn. I should've known that he'd be too sharp to miss that one.' He turned around. "Nanda?"

"You haven't told me their names."

Takasugi grinned. "Should've known that it wouldn't have slipped past your sharp mind. You'll find out tomorrow when they introduce themselves." With that remark, he got up and walked away, leaving Kenshin to his own devices.

Kenshin grumbled to himself as he too prepared to get up and leave. "Confounded man." He muttered. Tucking the katana back into his belt, he grabbed his coat and shrugged it on, downing the tea in one smooth movement. He nodded his head at the waitress who had been serving them and stepped out into the biting cold air again. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was half-past midnight. Although he was very far from collapsing right on the pavement, he wanted to get back to his apartment as soon as possible to take a hot shower and clean his katana. 'Long way round or shortcut?' He mused to himself. 'Hmm…shortcut.' With an easy leap, he was up in the air and jumping over the residential roofs of Kyoto, making his way back to his apartment.

~*~

Kaoru tossed and turned in her sleep caught within the throes of the fiery nightmare that refused to let its grip on her go. She was reliving the dream again, on the night that her father died. If there was one phobia that she had, it would have to be fire; the fire that had burned down her house that night had not left her unscathed.

She could feel the roaring heat of the fire on her skin. She was running through the dojo again, only this time, she was the one trapped within it, and the place was threatening to burn down around her ears. Kaoru's feet pattered over the floor as she panicked, trying to find a way out; the heavy black smoke would soon be upon her, and she would die of carbon monoxide poisoning if she inhaled too much of it. The fire drew ever closer, and this time Kaoru screamed as the flames licked too close at her white slip-dress, singeing the cloth slightly.

The unnatural fear bubbled through her body as a flaming wooden pillar crashed to the ground behind her, and this time she was truly trapped. She was surrounded in a ring of fire and the pillar that had crashed to the ground moments before sealed her path. Tears slipped down Kaoru's cheeks as the fire closed in on her, and she curled up upon herself in the middle of the ring, sure of her death. She whimpered and shut her eyes tight as the flames licked closer at her skin, and she could almost feel the blisters forming, her skin turning black and charred; body burnt to ashes that no one would ever find…

The sudden embrace of strong arms encased in black leather and cool air upon her face made her eyes snap open, and she found that she was floating above the dojo, which was now in flames. A soft masculine voice broke her out of her staring reverie.

"Are you alright?"

She glanced up at the voice, taking in worried mauve eyes and slightly mussed red locks. Kaoru realised that this strange man had saved her from a fiery death, but some part of her mind reminded her that it was just a dream. She couldn't seem to pull her eyes away from his gaze, and it seemed as if they were somehow spellbound together by some fated attraction. The auburn-haired angel smiled slightly, and Kaoru blushed, finally able to look away.

"Yes I'm fine. Thank you."

It was so strange to her, but somehow she felt safe with this stranger, and her fear of the fire was banished, for now. She took comfort in his silent strength as he wrapped his arms closer around her small form, and she snuggled closer into his embrace. Kaoru knew that she should have felt strange, snuggling up to a complete stranger – even if it was indeed a dream – but she felt as if she belonged in his arms. Lifting her head towards him, she saw his eyes on her, the small smile still on his lips.

"You should return to your sleep now, blue-eyed one." He pressed two fingers against the back of her neck softly.

As if on cue, Kaoru's eyes started to close of their own accord, and she tried to fight off the drowsiness of sleep.

"Wait…your…name…?"

"Kenshin." Came the soft reply. "Sleep now little angel."

His voice faded away as sleep overtook her.

When Kaoru opened her eyes in the morning, she remembered that she had been dreaming, but she couldn't remember what had happened. Fuzzy images filled her head; a man with the strangest violet eyes ever; red hair that caressed her cheek; strong arms that held her close; and a strange sense of comfort. A name…

"Kenshin…" she whispered.

Soujirou's grumpy voice shook her out of her dreams. Be quiet and let me sleep!

She chuckled, and all thoughts of the dream were pushed back into the recesses of her mind.

~*~

Across Kyoto, Kenshin's eyes slid open to stare at the ceiling. Instead of having a good night's rest, he had gone and dreamwalked into someone else's dream instead. He wasn't too annoyed that he had stumbled into someone else's dream; he had saved a blue-eyed angel from a fiery death. 'Sweet girl.' He thought to himself. 'Not like she'll remember me in the morning.' As a dreamwalker, he would always remember what he did in dreams, but the dreamers themselves, more often than not, would forget.

Just like how dreams are supposed to be, fleeting moments.

Kenshin, however, couldn't shake the feeling that the girl was somehow connected to him in a way, and he couldn't forget how natural it was to hold her in his arms. He shook his head slightly; it was no matter, of no consequence. It wasn't as if he would ever actually meet the girl in real life…

Right?

Dictionary

Only 1 word this time!

Nanda – informal way of saying 'what'

Notes:

(1) 'abilities' – We're referring to the paranormal activities that most of the characters possess. Yup, Kenshin is one of those who has these abilities too; and he's what you'd call a DreamWalker. That means he has the ability to walk into someone else's dream and communicate with them; DreamWalkers can do this, even if they're not telepathic. Yesh Roswell-ish enough for you? No, they aren't aliens.

(2) 'Kagami' – Aoshi's codename. It means 'mirror'.

(3) ^^; guess you all want to know why Kenshin is so shocked huh? I guess it would have to do with the fact that there's actually a… urm female assassin who is in one of the top assassin groups in Japan. Not trying to be sexist or anything, but well, Japan is still quite a traditional country in some ways, and I figured that it would be a bit surprising to Oro-chan that one of the top assassins is a woman.

(4) 'Bugnuks' – yet another little something that I borrowed from Weiβ Kreuz. Those are the gloves that Ken always wears during missions. There's a sorta button that Ken squeezes on, and then claws come out from his gloves where his knuckles are. Sano can't just fight bare hand ne? *shudders* I wouldn't think that he'd want his fists to be covered in blood anyway.

(5) 'Bakufu' – Enemy group of the Ishinshishi. The ones who cause all the trouble; guess you can call them the Underground troublemakers or so.

(6) So…what *is* Kenshin thinking about here hmm? Kaoru's not the only one who's affected by fire ya know. Well, all I can tell you is that it's got something to do with his past, and when I'm done with Fallen Path, then you'll know what's going on, ne? For now, that's still under wraps :p

Kenshin's OOCness – Don't expect him to be this Rurouni-ish throughout the whole fic, because I can tell you right now, that he won't be. As to why he's showing so much emotion around Takasugi and Katsura, they're 2 of the 3 people who really know him, so he isn't too concerned with holding his emotions in check as with complete strangers. _ Please don't think that I'm trying to plagiarise Linay's 'Broken Pieces', because I really *am* trying to make this as different as possible from hers.

Kaoru's OOCness – Well, not trying to make her seem weak or anything in this fic; very far from it in fact. She's one of the characters that I really respect, coz she's got her own opinions and will and isn't always depending on others to save her; in short, she's got spunk. J She's got her own spunk in this fic too. As to why she's got a phobia of fire. Well, the death of her father traumatised her enough to the point that she's now got a fear of fire for life. *Shrug* Things like that happen, ne?

Connection? – Ah yes. Why do Kenshin and Kaoru feel so natural around each other? …the answer is…I'm still working on that! XD hahaha ^^;; gomen ne, you'll find out soon enough as the fic moves along. Ah, bliss.

A/N: Mwahahah~ XD that's where you're wrong, Oro-chan!! *Grins evilly* ^^ am I evil or am I evil? _ Gods, so much for writing a 1000 words; this chapter was close to 2000! _ And I thought that I'd had enough of typing Malay nonsense this morning…must be due to interest; hrmph. Next chapter, is definitely the mission _ it's been put off for way too long, so it'll have to show up next time. Hope you liked the slight WAFFY-ness, and well, R&R! BTW, I think I'm putting Fallen Path on hiatus until I finish this fic; all my time will be going into writing up chapters for this one, and I still need to write an epilogue for my Inuyasha fanfic, and there might even be a one-shot RK KxK fanfic upcoming too. So, yeah, Fallen Path will be put on the back burner for a while.

Request: If you've just started reading this fic, please, please, only submit one review with everything that you want to say about the story; it's not like I don't like reviewers putting in reviews for every chapter of the fic, but if there's say, 5 chapters up, then read all the 5 chapters first, and then review. I think it's a lot neater that way. Thank you!

* If anyone would like to draw some fanart for my fic please do send some :p although it's way to early to ask ^^

Thanks to all for reviewing, and see you again in the next chapter!