Disclaimer: By now, everyone knows that I hold no rights over WK or RK. The fic *does* belong to me though!

A/N: 'ello again peeps! Here's yet another chapter of NTK, and I'm running out of interesting A/N stuff to say, so hope you enjoy this chapter too~ More angstiness and foul language to occur. Btw, if you haven't already read the prologue, then go read that too! Just a little something that I put up a few days earlier to give a bit of an 'explanation' to the fic. Sorry that it took so long to put this chapter up _ I was busy during the week with a ton of school stuff, and then I got addicted to .hack//sign and Get Backers over the weekend from the anime that my friend lent to me, and was busy watching the Tsuioku hen as well as Weiss Kreuz Gluhen. ^^;; And was busy attending a BBQ too! OOCness alert. Enjoy!

Reviewers' Space!

Aryanne – Wow! Thanks for reading my story! XD I love yours! Ah, the movie which had Tom Cruise in it and pre-cogs as well would be Minority Report. That really rocked. I wanted Sou to be on the good side for once, since he's always getting the bad nuts and all that. Yup, Kenshin is indeed a Dreamwalker…oh yes! I got the idea from watching too much Roswell episodes. I liked the idea and thought that I could use it in one of my fics, so in it went. Yup, Sano's humour is definitely a real clincher, and it's just so…Sano. ^^ Anyways, thanks for R&Ring and maybe I'll see you 'round in the next few chapters too!

Kaoru23 – Hey there girl! ^^ Yesh, I left a major cliff hanger. XD Mwahaha~ Glad you enjoyed the AoshixMisao fluff…lol, probably won't occur again for quite some time to come ^^; But it's a good thing that you love my stuff, right? (At least I think that's right! :p) Lol, good luck on your project and don't you *dare* die on me coz here's the next update! See you in the next chapter and thanks for R&Ring girl!

Eeevee – Yes, I have to admit that I enjoy being evil! XD Mwaha~ Glad that you enjoyed the chappy, and hopefully you *will* be able to tolerate Meg, ne? Thanks for R&Ring and see ya again in the next chapter or so.

System Freeze – Wow, thanks for reviewing then, ne? Glad that you like the story so far, and hope you stick around for the chapters to come! Thanks once again for R&Ring!

KeNsHiN – Ah, but that's what cliffhangers are for ne? For you to hang off so you want more ne? Glad that you enjoyed the chapter, and hope to see you again in the chapters to come. Thanks for R&Ring!

Iram – That's no problem at all, and it's great that you're reading anyhow. I'm glad that you think that I've mixed in all the elements in the fic well, and well, what can I say? =) I try my best. Yep, the story plot definitely thickens from hereon. Thanks for R&Ring and hope that you enjoy my story enough to keep on reading as the updates show up!

Riokai Guardian of the Ni – Glad that you like it! Will update ASAP!

Hikari no Eien ni – Thanks for R&Ring! Hope to see you again in the chapters to come!

Net – Ah, gomen, I'll try to space out my lines. _ Sorry, forget to do that sometimes. Thanks for R&Ring, and hope to see you again in the next chapter!

Baka-Ryu - ^^;; Lol, just flick Kanryuu huh? Wish granted :p Angst is good, yesh it is ^^ Read on to find out what happened to Sano and Meg ne? Thanks for R&Ring and see you again in the next chapter!

Dragona 2007 - ^^ Glad you enjoyed the chapter, and that you like Megumi's Gift! Will update ASAP according to my busy schedule! Thanks for R&Ring and see you in the next chapter!

Dragowolf – Sano and Meg? You'll find out in this chapter, that you will. Some stuff about Misao's parents was mentioned back in Chapter 10 or 11 I think, so go back and read that ne? Yes, Misao has special abilities just like the rest of them; she's actually a 'Shifter just like Aoshi (refer to Chapter 6). Here's the next chapter, and thanks for R&Ring! See you in the next update too!

Battousia-crazy64 – thanks for R&Ring and I'll try to update ASAP!

Shahrezad1 – XD Yesh, evil cliffhanger indeed. I couldn't possibly just kill her off when I just introduced her ne? Nah, can't have an angry Sano breathing fire down my back _ still need to finish my exams before I get whacked off into oblivion, thank you very much ^^; Happy to know that you find her 'talent' interesting and thanks for R&Ring! See you again in the next update!

ArchAngel Of Fire – Hrm…Aoshi's and Misao's relationship will probably progress more slowly than, say, Kenshin's and Kaoru's _ it's just that I'm more of a KxK fan, so urm…more fluffy stuff will be written about KK rather than AxM. I'll try my best though, so please be patient ne? Oro~ who said anything about killing Megumi? ;) Thanks for R&Ring and hope you enjoy this chapter too!

Rekka's Angel – That's no problem at all, just review when you've got time, ne? ^^ Mm…yeah, I probably will make a FAQ when the whole story is done and then splat it onto the last chapter or something. But that's probably only gonna be happening near the end of the year though _ College is a pain in the ass sometimes. Thanks, my fanfic writing skills are kinda nonexistent, considering that this is only my 2nd fic ^^;;; hope that I will indeed get better in time. Ah, all questions shall be answered by the end of this chapter (and knowing me, there are probably gonna be more questions too…). Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you in the next update!

Chris37 - ;) Ah, all will be revealed in this chapter. Thanks for R&Ring and see you in the next chapter!

Flyinangel777 – Ah, I try to do my best, and glad that you enjoyed the last chapter! Will try to update ASAP, but I'm not guaranteeing anything! Thanks for R&Ring and see you again in the next chapter!

Lost Anime Angel – Wow, I'm glad you liked it that much to keep reading everything the whole way through ^^ I feel flattered. Thanks for R&Ring and I'll update ASAP! Hope to see you again in the next chapter!

Missaw – Lol, Oro-chan is just too much fun to tease. Ah, glad that the AxM WAFF kinda made up for the lack of KxK WAFF. ^^ But it's back again in this chapter XD Mwaha~ You liked the action scenes? Glad ya did girl, lol, it's tough to find the right words to describe the complexity of the situation sometimes, but when you get the words, then it all flows together really nicely. Ah, the only good Kanryuu is a dead Kanryuu! =) Cliffies are wonderful things to use XD lol, yesh, I know that I'm evil (as always). Lol, sorry about the mix-up for the prologue thing, but thanks for reading it anyway ^^ 'Twas supposed to be a bit of a bonus thingy for all the readers, _ but now it looks as if it's a bit of a compensation for a late chapter coming out. *sigh* But anyway, thanks for R&Ring and see you again in the next chapter!

Asuka-chan2 – Ororo? o_O;; ^^ I loves you toos! Lol, glad that you're enjoying the story so much. Yeah, Kenshin and Kaoru are really made for each other, but don't worry =) Sano and Meg will get their acts together soon enough if I have anything to do with it XD Thanks for R&Ring and hope to see you again in the next chapter!

Irksome one – XD Yesh, evil cliffhanger indeed! Oh, FYI, I didn't double post the last chapter, but added a prologue right before chapter one, so sorry for the confusion. No problem, hope the translator helps you ^^ Glad you loved the last chapter and thanks for R&Ring! Hope to see you 'round again in the next!

DragonTamer9741 – Lol *scratches head* Yup, I remembered! Oro~ is Sou-chan having fun? Must be better than helping me study ^^;;; Glad that you enjoyed the chapter!*pulls Sou out from the phone wire* Well, I'll send him back again soon to play, so until then, hope that you enjoy this chapter, and thanks for R&Ring! ;) See you in the next one!

Punky1 – Yup, Megumi has (finally) shown up! Thanks for R&Ring and hope to see you again in the next chapter!

Mseard@aol.com - Glad that you enjoyed it! Next chapter will be up soon! Wow, your friends are reading it too? Kewl. Here's the long awaited chapter!

CurlsofSerenity – Ah, she can't die! Lol, I'm not so evil as to bring in one of the main characters and then kill her off straightaway ^^; Yup, Kanryuu is gonna get his ass kicked badly in this one! Thanks for R&Ring and see you in the next update!

InuYasha22 – The first name last name thing? Well, actually, the drug lord's name is Takeda Kanryuu, following the Japanese system of first name last name, right? Normally (from what I know anyway), when you're being extremely polite to someone, you use their last name; in this case, Kanryuu's would be Takeda. First names are used when you know someone really well, or when you're being out right rude. In this case, Megumi would be using his name as the out right rude concept, so she wouldn't be being respectful and stuff. Hope that answers your question! Thanks for R&Ring!

The Girl Who Cried Oro – Yep, Megumi has weird powers too ^^;;; lol, this sure is turning really paranormal huh? Oh well. Glad that you enjoyed both the last chapter *and* the SDK fic. Lol, Kyo would probably *never* act that way, but we don't really know the story behind him and Sakuya ne? Maybe he was…nicer back then? O_O Strange concept though. =) If I write anything else related to SDK I'll send it to you ne! Thanks for R&Ring!

On to the fic!

Chapter 20: Poison

Thoughts are in ' '

Speech is in " "

Telepathy is in italics.

Kanryuu screamed as the bullet ripped through his leg, penetrating through flesh down to bone, shattering it into small pieces. His grip on Megumi loosened as he fell to the ground, clutching his bloody leg; using the moment to her own benefit, the Healer slipped under his grasp, sprinting quickly towards Sanosuke. In any other situation, she would have run from both of the men, but intuition told her that Sanosuke truly harboured no harm towards her; how she knew was a totally different thing altogether, but she just knew.

"You fucking bastard!" The drug lord snarled at the assassin, fear momentarily forgotten.

"You mean this?" A small handgun that was tiny in contrast to Sanosuke's large glove lay in the middle of his palm, smoking slightly. "I'm more experienced at this than you are, old man." In the split second where his eyes had met Megumi's earlier, he had used his lightning quick reflexes to pull the gun out of the belt he had tucked it in before the mission, aiming for Kanryuu's kneecap and pulling the small trigger. Putting the safety back on the gun and tucking it back into his belt, he advanced towards the cowering man on the floor.

"And besides, I'm not the one who pulled the dirty tricks first." Blades glinted in the light of the corridor near Kanryuu's trembling form. "It's people like you who we take extreme caution against." Flicking his eyes back to meet Megumi's for a second, he addressed her softly. "Please close your eyes; this is something that you shouldn't have to see." His attention turned back to the drug lord before he could see her reaction; cold fury radiated in his eyes. The muscles in his arm corded as he squeezed the hand-switch within his glove.

"Your existence ends here."

Blades of steel pierced through cloth and flesh with practiced ease, blood starting to stain the drug lord's sweat-soaked white shirt as Sanosuke shifted his hand to stab up into Kanryuu's heart. The man died as the blood entered his mouth, eyes rolling up in his head and head lolling to the side, body going limp around Sano's stab. The assassin retracted his claws from the man's body and wiped them on Kanryuu's shirt before sheathing them within the glove again. Touching the switch of the com-link, he spoke into it methodically.

"Zanza here. Criminal eliminated and target found. Evacuation can commence."

Kenshin's voice betrayed no emotion as he answered, even though he was inwardly sighing in relief, something he was sure the others were doing as well. "See you in five minutes." The com-link fizzed once before radio silence reigned. Sanosuke turned to the Healer who had been standing behind throughout the bloody event.

Megumi stood there, somewhat entranced by Sanosuke's grace and agility at 'offing' Kanryuu. There was something mesmerizing about the way that he moved that Megumi couldn't seem to put her finger on, and she continued to stare at the spiky-haired assassin. Her voice was but a whisper.

"Who are you?"

Sanosuke regarded her silently for two seconds before giving her an ambiguous answer that gave away nothing. "One of those who brings Heaven's Justice against those with heavy sins. And right now what I'm supposed to do is get you out of here, Takani Megumi."

She started slightly before catching herself, eyes narrowing suspiciously at him. "How did you know my name?"

"Does it matter? I'm here to save you and that's what I'm doing." The muscle in his eyebrow started to twitch slightly with annoyance; she was asking questions that he hoped to deal with only after they got back to headquarters, and even then, he had hoped that Kenshin and Kaoru would have been the ones to fill her in. 'So much for an easy mission, huh.'

Megumi drew herself up proudly; her earlier fear seemed to have evaporated somehow now that she knew that he wasn't here to kill her, and the protective sarcastic barrier that she had made for herself over the years reared up to provoke him. "And what if I don't want to be saved?"

He scoffed lightly and an eyebrow lifted itself under the cover of his mask. "You have got to be kidding me, lady. What the hell were you running for if you weren't trying to get away just now? If you would just drop the 'I-didn't-need-your-help-at-all' act, then we wouldn't be wasting time here." He was surprised at himself; why, at all times, especially now, was he arguing with their mission target? 'What the hell is going on here? Shit, this is not helping at all!'

Now it was her turn to be indignant with his attitude. "Excuse me?! I could have gotten out of here fine without your help at all, thank you very much! Who the hell would need help from a tori-atama like you--!" Megumi's hands clamped over her mouth as her eyes widened. 'Kami-sama! What possessed me to say stuff like that?! He's an assassin, for god's sake! And here I am arguing with him when he could just easily slash at me with those blades of his!'

The mention of the much-disliked nickname made the proverbial vein in Sanosuke's forehead pop and he moved forward towards Megumi who started to back away. "Look who's talking, Megitsune." He growled under his breath. With a quick step of his feet and a swipe of his arm, he had slung her over his shoulder, carrying her like one would a sack of potatoes. An undignified squeal came from the woman's lips as the shock set in. Her brown eyes darkened slightly; saviour or no, she would exact her revenge NOW! Sanosuke immediately began to regret not having knocked her out first before slinging her over his shoulder as she began to tug at his hair hard. Still, he continued to make his way through the maze of the corridors as he cursed lightly underneath his breath every time the dull pain zinged through his head from her hard tugs at his hair.

'Damnit, why the hell do I always end up with stuff like this?!'

~*~

Kenshin turned first, followed by Kaoru and Soujirou simultaneously as they heard the sound of feet on the gravelly path. Sanosuke advanced from within the complex with what looked like…a woman? On his back. The look on his face screamed extreme annoyance and Kaoru's eyebrow lifted in amusement. He sure has met his match ne, itoshii? Her voice made Kenshin smile slightly as he nodded back at her. The trio were glad that their colleague was unscathed from the encounter he had had with Kanryuu and were even more relieved that there was no sign of blood whatsoever from the gunshot that they had heard echo throughout the whole building.

Soujirou spoke up, a small smile on his face as he nodded towards the wriggling woman slung across Sanosuke's back. "That's no way to treat a lady, Zanza." The grumpy assassin allowed his 'baggage's' feet to touch the ground as he grumbled to himself. She turned and glared at him the moment she could stand, and he glared right back at her.

"Lady my foot!" He continued to gripe; their eyebrows rose, was he actually arguing with their mission target?

"I've met men back in there," Megumi jabbed an angry finger back at the complex building. "Who knew better how to treat a lady than you would ever know in five lifetimes, tori-atama!" Their eyebrows rose even higher at the unexpected insult back at the tall assassin.

His eyes sparked as he threw back a retort at her. "Oh?! Then why don't you go running back in there to join the rest of them, vixen? That's where you belong don't you!" He instantly regretted the words that came out of his mouth. Sanosuke barely had time to meet the warning glance that Kaoru gave him before a sharp slap was administered to his face, nearly taking off the mask that covered the top half of his face.

He didn't know which was worse, the fact that she had slapped him because of his thoughtless remarks or the fact that the hand which had connected with his cheek seemed to carry an electric zing with it. Megumi was in a similar state of shock as she cradled her hand towards herself; her hand stung from where it had connected with his mask, but the strange electric tingle that she had felt when it had come into contact with his skin refused to go away, along with the strange familiarity that she seemed to have about it.

Slightly apprehensive, she asked the only thing that her mind could think of at the moment.

"Do I know you?" Kaoru, Kenshin and Soujirou exchanged glances; could it be what they thought it was?

Sanosuke was shocked to say the least. 'Gods, I so do NOT need this!' He glanced warily at her. "I've never met someone as violent as you before. Are you gonna slap me again?" As Megumi opened her mouth to answer, Kenshin interrupted.

"That's enough. We've spent too much time here, and we need to leave now." The authority in his tone left to space for arguments. They had better things to do than to stand around listening to HalfSouls argue in the midst of a blood-drenched compound. He drew a piece of paper with the words 'Tenchuu' out from the pockets of his trench coat, placing it on a nearby body; Kaoru followed suit by placing a black rose atop it. The pair rose, their job done, ready to go home.

A dark figure hidden within some of the foliage surrounding the compound readied his pipe, the poisonous dart within it already loaded. He put his mouth to the top of the blowpipe, readying his aim. Just a little bit closer and his target would be in the clear.

"Let's go." Kenshin and the others moved forward towards the gates away from the scene of carnage. The dark figure within the tree smiled sinisterly, putting all the force of his breath into the blowpipe; the small dart flew straight and true, but barely elicited but a small gasp from its target. Satisfied with himself, the figure melted back into the shadows away from the group of assassins.

A feeling like a small pinprick stung Kaoru's neck, a small gasp released from her lips. The path in her view immediately seemed to go blurry, but the others walked on, rather oblivious to her mental state and fuzzy vision. Even her arm seemed to blur in front of her face as she reached out towards them before the poison took control over her limbs and she slumped to the ground unconscious.

Kenshin froze slightly in his footsteps at the small sound of something falling to the ground behind him. His brow knotted for a second, then he realized that he couldn't feel Kaoru's mind at all. Alarmed, he turned back to see that his HalfSoul was slumped unconscious behind him. He pivoted in his steps, alerting the others that there was something wrong, drawing close to Kaoru's fallen form in seconds. The red head turned her over in his arms, gloved fingers drawing across her pale complexion. His eyes were wide violet as he spoke to her both vocally and mentally. "Bara." Kaoru. "Bara, are you all right?" Kaoru, answer me please! His fingers at the back of her neck soon found the cause of her unconscious state, and his eyes flared amber angrily. By this time the others had crowded around the pair, concerned at what had happened.

Pulling the dart from her neck, Kenshin hissed angrily. "She's been poisoned." His eyes darted to the surrounding foliage, and he cursed himself when he found the lingering aura of someone who had only been around moments earlier, but was far-gone now. 'If I get hold of the one who did this to her…!' Anger flared dangerously in his ki, causing the others to shy back slightly. Megumi, on the other hand, pushed Sanosuke away, moving towards Kaoru to check her condition.

"Can I have a look at the dart please?" Glowing amber eyes flicked to the young doctor as she reached a hand out towards him for the dart. He placed the needle into her hand carefully so as not to prick her skin. She frowned as she dabbed some of the poison off the needle onto her finger, tasting it on her tongue. Her eyes widened in shock as recognition hit her. Megumi looked strained as she turned her eyes on the glowing amber ones. It was not good news.

"We need to get her somewhere safe where there's garnet and fool's blink is at once. The poison needs to be drained out of her system as soon as possible otherwise she could die." Sanosuke and Soujirou barely had time to let the enormity of the situation sink into their minds before Kenshin was standing once again with Kaoru scooped up into his arms, amber gaze afire. If the condition had not been so serious, Kenshin would have considered passing Kaoru over into Soujirou's care, before hunting down and exacting vengeance upon the one who had dared commit such an act against his HalfSoul. 'Not now,' he told himself. Giving both the men a quick glance and a strained look, he seemingly disappeared before their eyes with Kaoru. Megumi started to protest as Sanosuke pulled her up bridal style, but the serious look in his eyes stopped her.

"Please, right now we need to get back as soon as possible; her life is in danger, and if anything happens to her, we'll never forgive ourselves. Please understand that we'll definitely need your abilities when we get back." She nodded mutely for once, allowing him to carry her as the wind swept around her. Sanosuke's feet barely touched the ground as he followed Soujirou's speeding steps back to the Black Dawn headquarters, heart heavy within his chest.

'Kami-sama, please let her be alright!'

~*~

Aoshi and Misao held each other tight within the circle of their arms, a brief comfort from the painful reality of the past and the world. The peaceful silence was shattered when the door was practically pounded down. Getting up quickly, the two spies approached the front door only to have it burst open moments later, and Kenshin practically flew in with an unconscious Kaoru in his arms, Soujirou and Sanosuke close behind them with another raven-haired woman. The calm countenance of an assassin-spy took over as Aoshi took in the situation. He walked around the sofa that Kenshin had placed Kaoru on.

"What happened?" Sanosuke answered for Kenshin, who was absorbed in pulling off Kaoru's coat to feel the temperature of her skin.

Navy blue eyes flicked to meet Sanosuke's dark brown as the spiky-haired man recounted what had happened earlier. "We were leaving the scene when a dart hit Kaoru. There must've been poison on the dart, according to Miss Doctor over here," he jerked a thumb in Megumi's direction. "And it needs to be purged, otherwise Kaoru could die." Kenshin's hand was on his throat in a flash, and his amber eyes burned fiercely. Sanosuke could only stare down at the shorter man in shock.

"Don't say that. Kaoru won't die." The red head's voice was deceivingly soft but threatening. "Now make yourself useful, Sano." His grip left Sanosuke's throat and he returned to tending to Kaoru, Megumi moving beside Kenshin to help. The tall assassin fingered his neck where Kenshin's fingers had been pressed into earlier, gulping at the firm grip that the shorter assassin had had on his throat. It was at moments like this that he wished he didn't mouth off so much, but what was done had already been done. All he could do was try to repair it.

"What herbs or stones do you need?" It was his way of making up for stupid words coming out of his mouth. Megumi's glance flicked to him for a moment before turning back to Kaoru, and she pressed a cold compress to the younger woman's head before addressing Sanosuke. "I need some garnet and fool's blink. I don't care how or where you'll be able to get it from, but if you don't get it in five minutes, her life will be forfeit." Her fingers hovered over Kaoru's throat pulse; just because she hadn't had a patient in five years didn't mean that she had lost the compassion or skills that a doctor had.

Sanosuke nodded and left for the shed, Soujirou trailing the taller man as he glanced once more at his shivering twin on the couch before leaving through the open front door. Aoshi and Misao stood around helplessly, somewhat at a loss as to what they could do; Kenshin was wiping Kaoru's fevered brow as she shook from the poison, and Megumi was bustling around the kitchen, getting another cold compress ready. The okashira of the Oniwa Banshuu finally spoke.

"Is there anything else that we can do?" The doctor shook her head in response. "The only thing we can do right now…is wait. I can't use my Healing ability on her until at least 80% of the poison is purged from her body." Her eyes were downcast. "I'm sorry."

"Ms. Takani." Kenshin's voice made her turn her head back to the red haired assassin. She was startled to find that his face was almost the same colour as that of Kaoru's: a pale, ghostly white. "She's getting worse." As Kaoru's HalfSoul, he was, to some extent, feeling the same pain that she was feeling, but it didn't take a genius to know that what she was experiencing at the moment was probably ten times worse. The colour in her face had drained completely, and her shivering had increased; little incomprehensible phrases had come from her lips even as Kenshin tried to comfort her. In turn, Kenshin had started to sweat profusely himself, some of the effects of the poison carried over to him through his link with Kaoru, and for that he was glad; if he hadn't been there to carry some of the pain that she had been feeling, he was fairly sure that she would've been dead by now (1).

The sound of the front door being closed drew the attention of Aoshi and Misao, and they turned to find Sanosuke and Soujirou there. It was no shock to see that Sanosuke was breathing heavily and sweating after undoubtedly the use of his telekinetic powers, but it was a shock to see that the younger man's skin was drained of all colour as well. Kaoru's twin proceeded into the kitchen with the two jars, and had barely placed them on the shelf when his legs gave way beneath him. Aoshi hurried to his cousin's side (2).

Soujirou rasped. "Kaoru…mind…" His eyes rolled up into his head and he fell unconscious. "Shit." The okashira of the Oniwa Banshuu found himself swearing; Kaoru's mental links with her twin and her HalfSoul seemed to be both a blessing and a curse; on one hand, it saved her life, but on the other, Kenshin and Soujirou were not left unscathed by it. Reaching for one of the cold compresses that lay on the kitchen table, he pressed it to the younger man's head. Aoshi's mind and heart were in turmoil as he tried to wake his cousin up. He grit his teeth as the sweat rolled off Soujirou. 'Damnit! I'm not losing either of you tonight!' A hand that held a red stone appeared in his line of sight.

The lanky assassin looked up the hand to find that it was Megumi who was offering the semi-precious gem to him. "Put it into his mouth; it'll help stem some of the effects. (3)" Dropping the garnet into his palm, she returned to Kaoru and Kenshin. The fool's breath, which could have passed as dry seaweed, was wrapped around a large garnet stone as she pressed it into Kenshin's hand. Dark chocolate brown eyes met feverish amber as she gave instructions to him.

"This needs to go into her mouth now. The poison will react to it and the stone will be eroded, so don't worry about whether she needs to swallow it or not. After the poison has been purged, I'll be able to heal the damage that may have been done to her muscles or bones by it, but her mind is another thing." The lady doctor paused for a second before continuing. "I won't be able to know how much of her mind is damaged until she wakes up again, and even then, it might be hard for her to do so. The effects of the poison are barely known, as it is new, and it was just put onto the black market." She looked at Kaoru.

"The rest is up to her."

Kenshin's arm tightened around the fabric of the couch; he realized that it could be none other than Enishi's doing, but how on he had been able to find them on a covert mission was beyond Kenshin's understanding. Now, Kenshin had no doubt that Enishi was definitely still alive, and was going to toy with the most important person to him, just like he had done so many years ago with Tomoe. Easing Kaoru's lips apart, he popped the garnet stone into her mouth and drew her lips close again. Her sweat-drenched brow creased slightly at the motion, and she struggled slightly in Kenshin's arms before settling down again, but just as feverish as before.

The seconds on the clock ticked by, then minutes. Kaoru's ragged breathing slowed to a more sedate pace, and some colour returned to her face. The paleness in Kenshin's skin also seemed to recede a little, and he allowed himself to relax. Soujirou's eyes were half-open, half-closed; Aoshi and Misao were crouched on either side of him. The garnet seemed to be taking effect on the poison. A few more minutes passed, then Megumi tapped Kenshin on the shoulder lightly and he nodded, moving back from the couch to give her some space.

Her hands hovered above Kaoru's form, close to the skin, but never touching. Megumi's eyes closed, her brow furrowed as she pulled the source of her power to the surface. The others watched on in silent amazement as blue light surrounded the Healer's hands, then spread to Kaoru's body, seemingly wrapping it in 'blanket' of sorts. Sweat beaded on her forehead as the power continued to flow from her into Kaoru's body, knitting together injured muscle and bone. Someone dabbed at her forehead with a cloth and she inwardly thanked the person, but said nothing, for fear that it would break her concentration.

More colour flowed back into Kaoru's skin, and Soujirou could finally get up and make his way towards his twin, promptly sitting down beside Kenshin. Ten more long, drawn out minutes passed, and the blue light faded away from Kaoru. Megumi moved away from the couch to allow Kenshin and Soujirou nearer to the unconscious Kaoru, only to find that she had backed up into a pair of legs. Blinking once, her gaze followed the pair of legs up, and she found that she was staring at Sanosuke, who was holding a cloth in one of his hands. She realized then that it was he who had helped dab the sweat away from her forehead earlier.

Megumi smiled at him as she stood up. "Thank you." He gave a noncommittal shrug. "That's ok, I heard you the first time you said it." Her eyebrows shot up at the seemingly innocent comment; she had not said a thing out loud (4). However, her mind had no time to ponder these things as she suddenly felt faint, a result of using her Healing powers. Strong arms wrapped around her waist, stopping her descent towards the floor, and the tingle of electricity that seemed to envelop her could only mean that those arms belonged to Sanosuke.

"Hey, you ok?" His eyes were concerned as he looked down at her. "You want water or something? You look really pale." If Kenshin and the others had not been so concerned with Kaoru's condition, they would have noticed that Sanosuke was actually being concerned about someone they had barely known for a few hours; something very un-Sano-like. Megumi shook her head, offering him a weak smile. "It's always like that. I get exhausted after I use my ability on a large scale." She allowed herself to lean into his chest. "I'm glad I was able to help, though."

"Sheez, Megitsune, we're the ones who are indebted to you now." A rakish smile flitted across his lips. "Thanks for saving jou-chan. She means a lot to us, and you can't even begin to fathom how much she means to Kenshin." One hand left her waist to point at the red head by the couch. "He's been through hell and back, and if he loses someone important to him again," the assassin shook his head, "it'd be the last straw."

"Is that what his name is?" Sleep was wrapping itself around her tired mind, but she needed to know something before she drifted off to la-la land. "And…what's yours? Your real name, I mean."

"Sagara Sanosuke." Came the gruff but soft reply. "'Night, fox." Looping an arm below her knees, he picked her up bridal style once again, placing her on the other empty couch. Some unknown part of him felt like kissing the Healer on the forehead, but he squished the urge down; he had barely known her for less than a few hours, had saved her life, argued with her, gotten slapped by her, and now he wanted to kiss her?! It was hardly believable to his mind, but as fate would have it, it had indeed happened to him. Already he could hear some of her thoughts, and the tingle of electricity that Kaoru and Kenshin had talked about, characteristics that existed between HalfSouls. Yet, it didn't seem fair that she had seemingly popped out of nowhere and was making him feel this way. As luck would have it, his line of thoughts was soon cut off.

Kaoru screamed.

From the seemingly peaceful countenance that had been in her posture just moments earlier, she had started screaming; the screams were filled with fear and pain, and they echoed throughout the house. She struggled hard against Kenshin, who was all but straddling her body on the couch to keep her down. He gritted his teeth against the scream that would otherwise have come out of his own mouth as the black wave of pain washed over his mind as well. Tears were streaming out of Kaoru's blank half-open eyes; evidence that she was definitely not awake, but was nevertheless suffering in whatever dream it was that she was in.

The pain wasn't only limited to Kenshin, as they soon found out. Soujirou was clawing hard at his own arms, as if trying to get something out of his skin, and he, too was screaming. Aoshi forced his cousin down onto his back and pinned his arms down. Yet, still, he writhed on the floor and the screaming continued. 'Damnit!' Aoshi was getting panicky as Soujirou continued to writhe, going into something akin to an epileptic fit. 'If we don't do something soon, he could bite off his own tongue!'

Soujirou was suddenly biting down on someone's arm, the screaming subsiding as his teeth drew blood from Misao's skin. The young spy had quickly rolled up her shirtsleeve thrusting the flesh of her arm into Soujirou's mouth so that he wouldn't end up biting his own tongue off; she had felt guilty earlier for not being able to do anything for either Kaoru or Soujirou, but now she was helping to stop the fit that Soujirou had fallen into. She bit her lip against the pain as blood continued to flow from her arm, and her turquoise eyes met Aoshi's dark worried ones. She flicked a thumbs-up at him with her free hand, telling him without words that she was alright.

Kenshin breathed heavily as another wave of pain hit him hard, making him close his eyes momentarily. They re-opened again as the pain rolled off to reveal dark amber mingled with amethyst. Kaoru's teeth had bitten deep into Kenshin's palm when she had gone into a fit alike Soujirou's; trickles of his blood were on her lips, even as she relaxed again, the screaming over for now. Her eyes were still blank and half-open, and Kenshin made his decision to enter her dreams again. His eyes flicked to Megumi who was still asleep on the other couch; she had fallen into a deep sleep, and the screaming hadn't even woken her up one bit. Sanosuke was trying to calm the sleeping teenagers who had woken up to Kaoru's and Soujirou's screams. They were frightened, and wanted to know what was going on, as was to be expected; yet, at this moment, none of the adults could offer any answers.

"I'm going into her mind." Kenshin addressed Aoshi who was the closest to him. "She's lost in there, somewhere, and I need to go in to pull her out." His eyes flashed amber as he pulled Kaoru up into a sitting position, one hand braced around her waist, while the other pulled her head into his neck. "Don't touch either of us until both of us wake. (5)" The taller assassin nodded as Kenshin turned back to Kaoru, and closing his eyes, dropped his mind shields, and dove into Kaoru's chaotic mind.

"What's happening?" Yahiko demanded. "What's wrong with Kaoru and the kappa?"

Sanosuke turned dark worried eyes to both Yahiko and Tsubame. "We don't know right now, but if you're worried about their health, then there's nothing to worry about." He glanced back at the still forms of Kenshin and Kaoru on the couch. "But if it's their minds that you're talking about, then that's something else. Kenshin's gone into Kaoru's mind to bring her back to us."

Tears burned behind Tsubame's eyes; it seemed so ironic that the very people who had saved her had to go through so much pain. Her voice was tiny.

"Will they be alright?"

Sanosuke could only offer them a weak smile as he pulled the two teenagers into what he hoped was a reassuring hug.

"We can only pray."

Dictionary

Zanza – Sano's assassin codename

Bara – Kaoru's assassin codename. Her full codename is Kuro Bara, which means Black Rose.

Tenchuu – Heaven's Justice

Tori-atama – Rooster head

Megitsune – vixen

Kami-sama – God

Jou-chan – literally 'Little Miss'. Sano's nickname for Kaoru.

Notes:

(1) Just like how HalfSouls can sense each others' emotions, they can also sense each others' pain. It carries over through the connection, so…ouch ouch and more ouch. However, it doesn't give the whole brunt of the pain to the other HalfSoul, but just gives a taste of it. Comprehend?

(2) The twins have a mental link as well, don't forget that; just like HalfSouls, twins can also sense emotions and pain, and this proves through in this fic, and apparently, in real life as well. This is why Sou is experiencing (almost) as much pain as Kaoru is. The link that twins hold is also just slightly closer than the link between HalfSouls, so Sou would therefore experience more pain than Kenshin is.

(3) Whee. Invented all of this stuff. Don't try this at home!

(4) Dun-dun, all of you are proven correct! HalfSoul connection between Sano and Megumi is acting up.

(5) While the minds are sort of um… 'absent', if anything happens to the bodies of the people whose minds are absent in the outside world, there could be dire consequences.

A/N: Whee~ yet another cliffhanger ne ^^ Mwahahah~ as you can see, Kenshin and Kaoru aren't the only HalfSouls in this fic, and if you haven't already figured out by now, Megumi and Sano are HalfSouls too! Anyways, sorry for the long wait, and hope that you enjoyed this one! KxK fluff in the next chapter, as well as some angst! Thanks all for R&Ring!