Ch.2
Later that night, they were out on their mission. The Shinsengumi were not called the Wolves of Mibu for nothing. They were vicious, but Mailia and Kenshin were too. Speed and agility are a deadly combination and they both attain them. How unfortunate that anyone should be put against one alone, but both, is definite death for the prey. They made an excellent team; they knew each other's minds so well that words were not necessary. They worked as though they were one, step-to-step, thought-to-thought. So similar they looked too. They were both about the same height and wore their hair the same though different colors, Kenshin wore a blue gi with white pants while Mailia wore black all through. The only other obvious difference was that Kenshin was a man, Mailia a woman. Try as she might, Mailia could not hide her curves as well as she would like, so when put next to a man, it was obvious she was not. They were a dangerous team, which was why Katsura put them together. He could not afford failure to his mission.
Silently they moved through the dark streets of Kyoto. The only sound heard would be the rustle of the wind and the rain pouring down like a waterfall. They became soaked and cold, but they ignored it. Their mission was the first thing on their minds; all else came second. Finally they found their prey, a rather large group of them actually. Sixteen there were. Enough for both to have eight to take care of. They waited in silence in the dark shadows of the buildings all around. Finally the Shinsengumi draw near. With the next flash of lightning they bolt towards the Wolves of Mibu with god-like speed. With the next close flash of lightning, seven are dead, nine to go still. A couple put up more of a fight than others. Mailia gets one that is better skilled than the rest. He has narrow eyes, and a thin face. He looked like a wolf. He gets into the signature stance of the Shinsengumi. The sword was parallel to the ground. One hand was out stretched to the tip of the sword the other pulled back at the hilt, shoulder level. His feet were spread wide apart and then he came. Easily she dodged and parried his attack and swung her bloody sword round to catch the base of his neck, but he was already there to block it. "He's quick." Thought Mailia to herself. "I will have to try something a bit different."
The man prepared his stance again, but this time Mailia sheathed her sword and prepared for the next onslaught. He came at her, but this time he came from above. She already read his movements and was up in the air to greet him. She pulled her sword and pushed his sword aside, landing on her feet. He fell off balance a bit, but was on his feet nonetheless. This was her opportunity. She charged at him, drawing her sword and slicing at his neck, somehow he was able to block, but she whirled around and sliced his back open.
Kenshin watched the battle intently between Mailia and Saitoh. He had fought this man once before, and it came to a draw, but she, she was better than him. She was only gauging him, watching his movements and learning his techniques. She would kill him soon if he did not retreat. Saitoh was a proud warrior, but he was a smart one. He would not take kindly to defeat, but he would live to fight another day. Kenshin had already taken care of the rest while Mailia fought Saitoh.
Saitoh let out a growl as her sword sliced his back. He then looked around and saw that his fellow comrades were dead. He knew he was losing; he needed to leave to tell his master of the new assassin. He needed to let them know there was another assassin of greater caliber than the Battousai. There the Battousai stood in fact, watching with those amber eyes intently upon this woman. It angered him more for the fact was that this new assassin was a woman and was probably going to kill him, if he didn't retreat.
All this had happened in a matter of minutes. There the Shinsengumi lay slain, except one. Others would be on the way soon; he just needed to hold out long enough for them. He went on. Saitoh then prepared his final attack. He stood in the signature stance of the Shinsengumi proudly.
He yelled out to his opponent, "Aku, Soku, Zan!"
Barely she heard the words, Kill Evil Instantly. She then saw him get into the stance once more; only it was a bit altered. She sheathed her sword once more and prepared for his attack. She grew weary of him. He would die with his next attack. Suddenly he charged at her. She then charged at him and preformed her own final attack. Her sword was drawn, slashed upwards with great speed, and then brought down again to rest behind her with more power because of the leverage on her left foot. It happened so fast that he did not see her once he charged. She moved no longer with god-like speed, it was a god's speed. His world went dark. He lay motionless on the ground at Mailia's feet. She wiped her blade and walked away back to the inn. Kenshin followed silently in her steps.
It was a couple hours past midnight. By the time the other Shinsengumi arrived Mailia and Kenshin were back at the inn. Neither had even a scratch, but both were covered in blood from their enemies as well as the rain. They each poured water over their heads from the well to try to get more of the blood off, but it only washed it from their skin, not their clothes. Mailia went to the bathhouse first to take a bath. She went as quick as possible and changed into the yukata set out for her. She then threw her blood-soaked clothes in the dirty laundry basket for the maids to do. Kenshin went in next and did the same.
It was only an hour or so until sunrise, but they attempted to sleep anyways. Neither could sleep. Too much adrenaline ran through their bodies. Kenshin finally broke the silence and asked the question burning in his mind.
"Why didn't you kill him?"
"You figured that out?"
"Why wouldn't I have?"
"Good point. I wanted to fight him again. He gave me a bit of a challenge. Besides I believe he will prove useful in the future. He only fights because he believes in something, just as we do. Only he believes something different. When he told me those words, Ach So San, he truly meant it. It was not something that they drilled into their heads and they followed like a dog. He meant it in his heart. It touched me. I don't know why though. I suppose it is because we believe so fiercely in our ideals, that we see only that we are right and they are wrong. In a sense that is true, but if you ask them, they would say the same thing; they are right, we are wrong. He was not one of the drones who do as they are told by their masters, though he serves a master just as we do, we have a mind of our own and fight because we believe in it. He did too. I just couldn't kill him to easily right then when he had opened a new thought to me. Someday though."
Kenshin lay in silence for a while letting her words soak into his heart. She was right. Kenshin felt so incompetent next to her. She was so thoughtful and intelligent and all he knew how to do was kill. He felt very unworthy of her love. He wondered how a woman as beautiful and intelligent as she, would have any interest in him. He was just an assassin. Someone else was more worthy of her than him, yet she loved him. It was mystery to him that he would never truly figure out. Even though he thought himself unworthy of her, he was glad he had her.
Morning came and they both got up slowly and exhaustedly. They both crawled out of their respective futons and got dressed, the partition still separating them. Then they went out to the garden, where they were served breakfast regularly now. Katsura came out to them excitedly.
"You two are being talked of all about Kyoto. The Shinsengumi were found later that night. Fifteen dead of sixteen. Did the last one get away from you?" They nodded their heads and he continued. "It seems it was leaked out that there was an assassin team, but no more details than that. The Tokugawa government now has a new label for you: Death Comes In Two's. It seems you scared them enough. No one has ever been able to take the Shinsengumi down so easily and efficiently like you. The smiles were still on their faces. They will be more cautious now and they will have a difficult time is planning against us with the fear of you so close to their hearts. You have done an excellent job. We will not be needing your skills for a while."
In unison they reply, "Thank you Katsura." And they continue to eat. Katsura walks happily away.
They finish their meal and return to their rooms to get their money to go look around town at the shops. Since Mailia's uniform was still bloody she changed into her kimono and did her hair up with the ribbon Kenshin bought her. Then they left to enjoy the day. Katsura had given them double the usual pay, so they had extra money plus that which was saved. They walked through the garden and talked. He was much more open now than he had ever been since he moved away from his master, at least with her. They talked of many things.
He valued her opinion even though most men did not listen to women. He found that most times women were more sensible than men because they thought differently. Most times men only thought of war and revenge, when women thought of the repercussions it would take on the people involved. She was more intelligent than most women. She knew about politics and war, where as, most women, because their opinion is not listened too, do not even bother learning about it. Mailia is different from other women in more than intellect. She is strong and clever in battle. She does not have the weight that men do, or the muscle, but she is very quick and crafty. She slips in and out before her opponent even knows what happened, only to find their throat cut. She is very sharp in both physical and verbal battle. Her tongue would cut any lesser man's hide and make him cry for his mother. She took pleasure in seeing a man who attempted to defeat her in a battle of wits, with an incredible wound to his pride. Kenshin felt bad for anyone opposite her. More than once he had gotten into a debate with her over various things and lost. She just had too good of an argument. It seemed there were never any flaws in it. If she was unsure of the subject, she just wouldn't say anything, so as not to make a fool of herself.
The sun was warm on her face. Her hair cascaded down her back in a brilliance of gold and sunshine. Her skin shone like ivory in the rays of sunlight. Kenshin's own skin was tanned compared to hers and his hair was like blood running down his own back. They walked hand in hand down the busy streets of Kyoto like a normal couple would. Only they openly carried katana's at their sides. It looked a bit strange on Mailia, but she cared not, if they were attacked, as was common in these times, she would not be left unprepared.
Mailia like to see Kenshin smile. Rarely had he done it before, but now he smiled often in her presence. His skin was unmarred and his eyes were a beautiful deep purple, when he need not kill. Even when he was on a mission his, when his eyes were amber, she found them most attractive. He was slight, but built well from years of sword training. He was no older than her, at eighteen. She even found that his birthday was very close to her own. He made her very happy and she felt loved when she was with him. Her family had died when she was young, except her father. He was the one who had taught her the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, who he in turn learned from his father. She knew not were her grandfather had learned it from, but she did know that he wasn't supposed to know. There was to be only one successor to the Hiten Mitsurugi and yet Hiko knew it and he rightfully had learned it. Someday she intended to answer that mystery. Recently her father had taken ill and died of the fever, and so she was left alone in the world.
She had decided to put the principles of the Hiten Mitsurugi to use and joined the Bakumatsu on the side of the rebellion in order to protect innocents from the Tokugawa government. They ruled unjustly, in her opinion, and the country was never at peace, always at war. She wanted to stop it. She started out in Tokyo as an assassin, which quickly led her to become a leader of the men into battle because of her skills. In Tokyo, assassins were not needed too much. Most of the war was in Kyoto. She tired of that position and asked to be transferred somewhere else. That led her to the heart of the Bakumatsu. Kyoto. Her reputation followed her among the high-ranking officials. She was moved to and fro, performing simple things for them. Eventually Katsura obtained her and put her skills to use. He approached her one night. He had need of another assassin and asked if she would be one again for him. She was astonished. He had actually asked her what she wanted instead of being ordered to do this or that. She liked his attitude and accepted. He explained that he had the Battousai in his ranks and to prove her skill to him, she was to fight him.
He watched intently as they stalked each other through the night. Finally Mailia found him and attacked. He was extremely shocked to find they were not only the same skill-level, but they used the same style. They mirrored one another's moves exactly. They both fought with such enthusiasm and he could tell they were both becoming angered at the thought that they were in a stalemate, so he stopped them, officially hired her and put them to work together. They were absolutely amazing as a team. Before they were nigh undefeatable individually, but now they were unstoppable as a team. He took great pride in them both. He knew that they knew what they were doing was manslaughter and that eventually they might want to leave this disquieted place in their lives, he would let them because they deserve it, but until then he would use them to the fullest.
They ate quietly in a small restaurant. They ordered a bit of sake and drank it peacefully.
Kenshin looked up from his cup at Mailia and asked, "Do you ever want to get away from what we do?"
Mailia contemplated it for a moment then replied softly, "Of course. It is a mind-racking thing we do, murdering people. It is different fighting on the battlefield because then they know you are coming and are ready to defend, whereas, though we do not attack unarmed men, they are unable to defend and draw their last breath the second we find. They are evil men, but they have families too. I see each and every one of their faces in my dreams and probably will for the rest of my life. It is a hard thing we do."
Kenshin nodded and stared into his cup once more. It was beginning to get dark outside. The sun was low on the horizon disappearing behind the vast mountains in the distance. Mailia sighed and got up.
"Come on, we should go. I am tired of being in this kimono anyways. It is beautiful, but not comfortable." Kenshin nodded again and got up. As they paid their bill and were walking out of the door Mailia slipped her hand into Kenshin's and they walked home together on the warm night. The stars shone brightly by the time they made it back to the inn and the moon was full. It had started to rain softly again. They walked into the inn and straight to their room. Kenshin watched her silhouette dance upon the rice paper partition as she changed into her yukata once more and laid down for bed, then blew her candle out. Kenshin watched as she disappeared, then changed into a yukata of his own and tried to sleep too. He lay as still as he could so that he could hear her soft rhythmic breathing, which eventually put him to sleep.
His dreams were not entirely bad this time. Normally they were filled with blood that he had shed, but this time there was relief to the onslaught. A lone figure stood like a light in the darkness beside him. Mailia. His relief to the things that plagued his mind none stop day and night. She looked at him and smiled, he smiled back and took her into his arms and held her there for a long while, afraid she would leave and his nightmare would come back. He turned his head to see her face, but there was only darkness. He held nothing. She was gone. The blood started to come again. All his victims crowded around him and he could not bring himself to fight back against them once more. The light of his life was gone.
Mailia awoke later that night. Kenshin was tossing and turning, sweat poured from his body. She felt his forehead and he was hot to the touch. She went to the kitchen, found a rag and filled it with cold water, then returned to his side. She dabbed it on his forehead and neck trying to bring down his fever. He opened his eyes and looked about the room, dazed, then closed them again and returned to his fitful sleep.
He came in and out of consciousness like that for the next two days. He had a terrible fever the whole time. Mailia ordered a special brew of tea to help bring the fever down and slowly gave it to him. After a couple days it started to work better. His fever went away for good and his sleep was more peaceful. Strength started to return to his body and by the fourth day he was able to go out to the garden to eat his breakfast. On the fifth he was back to normal. His sickness had passed. He was out too much in the cold, where he caught his fever. Luckily Mailia did not, though she began to feel a bit sick while caring for him. She immediately started to drink down the herbal tea and she was fine the next day. By the next week, they were given their next assignment.
Later that night, they were out on their mission. The Shinsengumi were not called the Wolves of Mibu for nothing. They were vicious, but Mailia and Kenshin were too. Speed and agility are a deadly combination and they both attain them. How unfortunate that anyone should be put against one alone, but both, is definite death for the prey. They made an excellent team; they knew each other's minds so well that words were not necessary. They worked as though they were one, step-to-step, thought-to-thought. So similar they looked too. They were both about the same height and wore their hair the same though different colors, Kenshin wore a blue gi with white pants while Mailia wore black all through. The only other obvious difference was that Kenshin was a man, Mailia a woman. Try as she might, Mailia could not hide her curves as well as she would like, so when put next to a man, it was obvious she was not. They were a dangerous team, which was why Katsura put them together. He could not afford failure to his mission.
Silently they moved through the dark streets of Kyoto. The only sound heard would be the rustle of the wind and the rain pouring down like a waterfall. They became soaked and cold, but they ignored it. Their mission was the first thing on their minds; all else came second. Finally they found their prey, a rather large group of them actually. Sixteen there were. Enough for both to have eight to take care of. They waited in silence in the dark shadows of the buildings all around. Finally the Shinsengumi draw near. With the next flash of lightning they bolt towards the Wolves of Mibu with god-like speed. With the next close flash of lightning, seven are dead, nine to go still. A couple put up more of a fight than others. Mailia gets one that is better skilled than the rest. He has narrow eyes, and a thin face. He looked like a wolf. He gets into the signature stance of the Shinsengumi. The sword was parallel to the ground. One hand was out stretched to the tip of the sword the other pulled back at the hilt, shoulder level. His feet were spread wide apart and then he came. Easily she dodged and parried his attack and swung her bloody sword round to catch the base of his neck, but he was already there to block it. "He's quick." Thought Mailia to herself. "I will have to try something a bit different."
The man prepared his stance again, but this time Mailia sheathed her sword and prepared for the next onslaught. He came at her, but this time he came from above. She already read his movements and was up in the air to greet him. She pulled her sword and pushed his sword aside, landing on her feet. He fell off balance a bit, but was on his feet nonetheless. This was her opportunity. She charged at him, drawing her sword and slicing at his neck, somehow he was able to block, but she whirled around and sliced his back open.
Kenshin watched the battle intently between Mailia and Saitoh. He had fought this man once before, and it came to a draw, but she, she was better than him. She was only gauging him, watching his movements and learning his techniques. She would kill him soon if he did not retreat. Saitoh was a proud warrior, but he was a smart one. He would not take kindly to defeat, but he would live to fight another day. Kenshin had already taken care of the rest while Mailia fought Saitoh.
Saitoh let out a growl as her sword sliced his back. He then looked around and saw that his fellow comrades were dead. He knew he was losing; he needed to leave to tell his master of the new assassin. He needed to let them know there was another assassin of greater caliber than the Battousai. There the Battousai stood in fact, watching with those amber eyes intently upon this woman. It angered him more for the fact was that this new assassin was a woman and was probably going to kill him, if he didn't retreat.
All this had happened in a matter of minutes. There the Shinsengumi lay slain, except one. Others would be on the way soon; he just needed to hold out long enough for them. He went on. Saitoh then prepared his final attack. He stood in the signature stance of the Shinsengumi proudly.
He yelled out to his opponent, "Aku, Soku, Zan!"
Barely she heard the words, Kill Evil Instantly. She then saw him get into the stance once more; only it was a bit altered. She sheathed her sword once more and prepared for his attack. She grew weary of him. He would die with his next attack. Suddenly he charged at her. She then charged at him and preformed her own final attack. Her sword was drawn, slashed upwards with great speed, and then brought down again to rest behind her with more power because of the leverage on her left foot. It happened so fast that he did not see her once he charged. She moved no longer with god-like speed, it was a god's speed. His world went dark. He lay motionless on the ground at Mailia's feet. She wiped her blade and walked away back to the inn. Kenshin followed silently in her steps.
It was a couple hours past midnight. By the time the other Shinsengumi arrived Mailia and Kenshin were back at the inn. Neither had even a scratch, but both were covered in blood from their enemies as well as the rain. They each poured water over their heads from the well to try to get more of the blood off, but it only washed it from their skin, not their clothes. Mailia went to the bathhouse first to take a bath. She went as quick as possible and changed into the yukata set out for her. She then threw her blood-soaked clothes in the dirty laundry basket for the maids to do. Kenshin went in next and did the same.
It was only an hour or so until sunrise, but they attempted to sleep anyways. Neither could sleep. Too much adrenaline ran through their bodies. Kenshin finally broke the silence and asked the question burning in his mind.
"Why didn't you kill him?"
"You figured that out?"
"Why wouldn't I have?"
"Good point. I wanted to fight him again. He gave me a bit of a challenge. Besides I believe he will prove useful in the future. He only fights because he believes in something, just as we do. Only he believes something different. When he told me those words, Ach So San, he truly meant it. It was not something that they drilled into their heads and they followed like a dog. He meant it in his heart. It touched me. I don't know why though. I suppose it is because we believe so fiercely in our ideals, that we see only that we are right and they are wrong. In a sense that is true, but if you ask them, they would say the same thing; they are right, we are wrong. He was not one of the drones who do as they are told by their masters, though he serves a master just as we do, we have a mind of our own and fight because we believe in it. He did too. I just couldn't kill him to easily right then when he had opened a new thought to me. Someday though."
Kenshin lay in silence for a while letting her words soak into his heart. She was right. Kenshin felt so incompetent next to her. She was so thoughtful and intelligent and all he knew how to do was kill. He felt very unworthy of her love. He wondered how a woman as beautiful and intelligent as she, would have any interest in him. He was just an assassin. Someone else was more worthy of her than him, yet she loved him. It was mystery to him that he would never truly figure out. Even though he thought himself unworthy of her, he was glad he had her.
Morning came and they both got up slowly and exhaustedly. They both crawled out of their respective futons and got dressed, the partition still separating them. Then they went out to the garden, where they were served breakfast regularly now. Katsura came out to them excitedly.
"You two are being talked of all about Kyoto. The Shinsengumi were found later that night. Fifteen dead of sixteen. Did the last one get away from you?" They nodded their heads and he continued. "It seems it was leaked out that there was an assassin team, but no more details than that. The Tokugawa government now has a new label for you: Death Comes In Two's. It seems you scared them enough. No one has ever been able to take the Shinsengumi down so easily and efficiently like you. The smiles were still on their faces. They will be more cautious now and they will have a difficult time is planning against us with the fear of you so close to their hearts. You have done an excellent job. We will not be needing your skills for a while."
In unison they reply, "Thank you Katsura." And they continue to eat. Katsura walks happily away.
They finish their meal and return to their rooms to get their money to go look around town at the shops. Since Mailia's uniform was still bloody she changed into her kimono and did her hair up with the ribbon Kenshin bought her. Then they left to enjoy the day. Katsura had given them double the usual pay, so they had extra money plus that which was saved. They walked through the garden and talked. He was much more open now than he had ever been since he moved away from his master, at least with her. They talked of many things.
He valued her opinion even though most men did not listen to women. He found that most times women were more sensible than men because they thought differently. Most times men only thought of war and revenge, when women thought of the repercussions it would take on the people involved. She was more intelligent than most women. She knew about politics and war, where as, most women, because their opinion is not listened too, do not even bother learning about it. Mailia is different from other women in more than intellect. She is strong and clever in battle. She does not have the weight that men do, or the muscle, but she is very quick and crafty. She slips in and out before her opponent even knows what happened, only to find their throat cut. She is very sharp in both physical and verbal battle. Her tongue would cut any lesser man's hide and make him cry for his mother. She took pleasure in seeing a man who attempted to defeat her in a battle of wits, with an incredible wound to his pride. Kenshin felt bad for anyone opposite her. More than once he had gotten into a debate with her over various things and lost. She just had too good of an argument. It seemed there were never any flaws in it. If she was unsure of the subject, she just wouldn't say anything, so as not to make a fool of herself.
The sun was warm on her face. Her hair cascaded down her back in a brilliance of gold and sunshine. Her skin shone like ivory in the rays of sunlight. Kenshin's own skin was tanned compared to hers and his hair was like blood running down his own back. They walked hand in hand down the busy streets of Kyoto like a normal couple would. Only they openly carried katana's at their sides. It looked a bit strange on Mailia, but she cared not, if they were attacked, as was common in these times, she would not be left unprepared.
Mailia like to see Kenshin smile. Rarely had he done it before, but now he smiled often in her presence. His skin was unmarred and his eyes were a beautiful deep purple, when he need not kill. Even when he was on a mission his, when his eyes were amber, she found them most attractive. He was slight, but built well from years of sword training. He was no older than her, at eighteen. She even found that his birthday was very close to her own. He made her very happy and she felt loved when she was with him. Her family had died when she was young, except her father. He was the one who had taught her the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, who he in turn learned from his father. She knew not were her grandfather had learned it from, but she did know that he wasn't supposed to know. There was to be only one successor to the Hiten Mitsurugi and yet Hiko knew it and he rightfully had learned it. Someday she intended to answer that mystery. Recently her father had taken ill and died of the fever, and so she was left alone in the world.
She had decided to put the principles of the Hiten Mitsurugi to use and joined the Bakumatsu on the side of the rebellion in order to protect innocents from the Tokugawa government. They ruled unjustly, in her opinion, and the country was never at peace, always at war. She wanted to stop it. She started out in Tokyo as an assassin, which quickly led her to become a leader of the men into battle because of her skills. In Tokyo, assassins were not needed too much. Most of the war was in Kyoto. She tired of that position and asked to be transferred somewhere else. That led her to the heart of the Bakumatsu. Kyoto. Her reputation followed her among the high-ranking officials. She was moved to and fro, performing simple things for them. Eventually Katsura obtained her and put her skills to use. He approached her one night. He had need of another assassin and asked if she would be one again for him. She was astonished. He had actually asked her what she wanted instead of being ordered to do this or that. She liked his attitude and accepted. He explained that he had the Battousai in his ranks and to prove her skill to him, she was to fight him.
He watched intently as they stalked each other through the night. Finally Mailia found him and attacked. He was extremely shocked to find they were not only the same skill-level, but they used the same style. They mirrored one another's moves exactly. They both fought with such enthusiasm and he could tell they were both becoming angered at the thought that they were in a stalemate, so he stopped them, officially hired her and put them to work together. They were absolutely amazing as a team. Before they were nigh undefeatable individually, but now they were unstoppable as a team. He took great pride in them both. He knew that they knew what they were doing was manslaughter and that eventually they might want to leave this disquieted place in their lives, he would let them because they deserve it, but until then he would use them to the fullest.
They ate quietly in a small restaurant. They ordered a bit of sake and drank it peacefully.
Kenshin looked up from his cup at Mailia and asked, "Do you ever want to get away from what we do?"
Mailia contemplated it for a moment then replied softly, "Of course. It is a mind-racking thing we do, murdering people. It is different fighting on the battlefield because then they know you are coming and are ready to defend, whereas, though we do not attack unarmed men, they are unable to defend and draw their last breath the second we find. They are evil men, but they have families too. I see each and every one of their faces in my dreams and probably will for the rest of my life. It is a hard thing we do."
Kenshin nodded and stared into his cup once more. It was beginning to get dark outside. The sun was low on the horizon disappearing behind the vast mountains in the distance. Mailia sighed and got up.
"Come on, we should go. I am tired of being in this kimono anyways. It is beautiful, but not comfortable." Kenshin nodded again and got up. As they paid their bill and were walking out of the door Mailia slipped her hand into Kenshin's and they walked home together on the warm night. The stars shone brightly by the time they made it back to the inn and the moon was full. It had started to rain softly again. They walked into the inn and straight to their room. Kenshin watched her silhouette dance upon the rice paper partition as she changed into her yukata once more and laid down for bed, then blew her candle out. Kenshin watched as she disappeared, then changed into a yukata of his own and tried to sleep too. He lay as still as he could so that he could hear her soft rhythmic breathing, which eventually put him to sleep.
His dreams were not entirely bad this time. Normally they were filled with blood that he had shed, but this time there was relief to the onslaught. A lone figure stood like a light in the darkness beside him. Mailia. His relief to the things that plagued his mind none stop day and night. She looked at him and smiled, he smiled back and took her into his arms and held her there for a long while, afraid she would leave and his nightmare would come back. He turned his head to see her face, but there was only darkness. He held nothing. She was gone. The blood started to come again. All his victims crowded around him and he could not bring himself to fight back against them once more. The light of his life was gone.
Mailia awoke later that night. Kenshin was tossing and turning, sweat poured from his body. She felt his forehead and he was hot to the touch. She went to the kitchen, found a rag and filled it with cold water, then returned to his side. She dabbed it on his forehead and neck trying to bring down his fever. He opened his eyes and looked about the room, dazed, then closed them again and returned to his fitful sleep.
He came in and out of consciousness like that for the next two days. He had a terrible fever the whole time. Mailia ordered a special brew of tea to help bring the fever down and slowly gave it to him. After a couple days it started to work better. His fever went away for good and his sleep was more peaceful. Strength started to return to his body and by the fourth day he was able to go out to the garden to eat his breakfast. On the fifth he was back to normal. His sickness had passed. He was out too much in the cold, where he caught his fever. Luckily Mailia did not, though she began to feel a bit sick while caring for him. She immediately started to drink down the herbal tea and she was fine the next day. By the next week, they were given their next assignment.