(A/N) Heh heh, sorry this is so late people, but I've been having all sorts of troubles lately ranging from broken bones to homework to computer troubles and writer's block. This was an especially hard chapter to write because of what happens and I couldn't seem to decide how I wanted it all to go down. Anyways, it's here now and hopefully the next few chapters will come out soon and write themselves. I wish anyway.

Good news is I finally decided how I want to end this baby. So... warning: drama to the extrapolated extent in the future if you don't think it's already incorporated. Now I just have to decide on how I want to get to that...

AND A HUGE THANKS TO ALL WHO REVIEWED!! IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME THAT I GOT 30 REVIEWS ON MY LAST CHAPTER!! THAT'S SO MUCH MORE THAN I EXPECTED!! THANK YOU EVERYONE AND PLEASE REVIEW AGAIN!!

Disclaimer: Watsuki Nobuhiro... it's a good thing.

A Bittersweet Elegy

Chapter 4: See No Evil

"Piety shown the dead is pity in vain."

-Sophocles

With a quick wrench from his shoulder, his katana smoothly withdrew from the nameless man's skull leaving him to collapse upon himself and into a heap as the others before him had previously done. The corpse lay immobile under the careful scrutiny of blazing amber eyes that watched with a dreary nonchalance. That made a total of six within the past half hour, the same six that began their patrol just as long ago. That left him with eight left to deal with. The six in the tents would be of no problem, it was the two positioned around the fire that gave him reason to worry.

He'd have to be swift in their deaths, that was certain. The deaths would also have to run in quick succession or he would run the risk of alerting the woman whose tent was no more than twenty-five feet from the fire. Any misjudgement on his part would cost the woman her life meaning Katsura would be highly displeased and he wouldn't hear the end of it for at least a year.

Nimbly dodging the flickers of light dancing from the hearth, he made his way into the circle of tents encompassing the southern end of the camp, silently slipping into the folds of one shelter unnoticed. Just to be safe, he opted to dispose of the men harboring in the tent nearest to the woman first so that the deed would be done and he could work with less effort. He'd leave the man in the tent on the far northeastern side for questioning after all his prior duties had been fulfilled.

With cushioned steps he strode beside the two men slumbering in the tent and knelt silently drawing both his katana and wakazashi in each hand. He carefully positioned the blades just above the men's jugulars before swiftly slicing through the veins simultaneously waiting a moment afterward to slowly retract them from their victims' throats in as hushed a manner as he could muster. A soft pop echoed inside the tent as the wakazashi unintentionally slit an air pocket in the left man's neck causing Kenshin to stiffen instantly listening for any hint that he had been heard. When the dreary silence of the sylvan night prevailed, he sheathed his weapons and stealthy left in search of another sleeping tent.

One of the men in the tents adjacent to her own must have hiccupped, Kaoru thought to herself as she bristled at the sudden short, odd sound coming from her left. Hadn't she become too old for these quirky little fears? Murderers raiding the camp at night was something she would expect herself to have dreamed of as a child on lonesome nights like tonight, but now she had outgrown the triviality of unsupported fears to focus on reality and the obligations that went along with such things. Assassins... she needed to get a life. Dwelling on Kenshin's history had made a mockery of her mind in her own personal sense. It was all just her insanely vivid imagination...

So why was she still aware of a new shadow suddenly flitting across the silhouettes of her tent before disappearing just as quickly as it had arrived?

She sighed irritatedly trying to rid herself of the thoughts that began to plague her mind while her ears continued to evaluate the perimeter around her never leaving their alert status as short, sudden scurries in the brush were instantly picked up and concisely evaluated. Lifting a hand to her face, she briefly massaged her temple running her fingers back through her hair to alleviate any measure of stress she was presently feeling. No such luck, she was still as edgy as she'd been before and now even more so with the sonance of a rustling sound coming from behind her somewhere within the camp.

It was crazy, but she decided to go with her instincts... and they told her she was in imperative danger.

Carefully, Kenshin peeked out from the slit in the tent's lining assessing the area silently while his wrists flicked splatters of blood simultaneously from his unsheathed blades. From the cover of his brief shelter, he analyzed the stations of the men sitting idly by the fire. They were facing him at present, his presence masked by the aura of the fire licking skyward toward the eaves of the overhanging trees. The men sat calmly talking in low, friendly voices as they took turns stirring the fire or adding wood hardly aware of their current surroundings. Perfect.

After those two were finished, he could move onto what the real need for this mission dictated: information. He had left the man in the far tent and was intent on using him once the last of the patrolling shift was delt with. Katsura had specifically instructed him to retrieve information on the where-abouts of the Shimenkakumei, the rebellion of the lower classes of people instigated by the interferance of certain government officials who seemed intent on detering Japan from any further democracy. Those particular officials were the goal of this entire scavenger hunt. But, as Himura often enjoyed reminding himself, in order to reach the top of the pole, the base must be severed to keep the middle from suffering as well. The metaphorical middle of the pole was society itself, the base being the one's who held it together and the top being those who preferred the less tactical means of becoming important.

That's what this entire rebellion was solely based on: a feeble belief that those in power measured themselves at the top of the pole instead of the base while the opposite had been proven to be true. The catalysts of the Shimenkakumei alliance were truly those who carried on the efforts of others waiting for progress before shifting themselves into importance. Squalid pigs.

A snarl etched itself upon his features briefly as his resolve was strengthened thundering against the impulsive rush of his blood against his veins as he sought action. The value of life would continue to be exchanged tonight, he thought bitterly as he stealthily wove beneath the haloed shimmerings of the large campfire directly infront of him careful to stay low and out of the excessive reach of the fire's light keeping his darkly clothed body as shielded from view as possible.

After a few moments, he was directly infront of the two policemen staring coldly at them through the flickers of the fire and listening to them chortle inanly over senseless banter. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he involuntarily shuddered, the knowledge of an impending death beating at his temple with relative strength as his hand moved to the hilt of his katana. Swiftly. He'd need to end this as soon as possible, kill them both in as quick a time frame as his skill would allow or else risk one of them eliciting an offending cry before his work was finished.

An instant later he came to his resolve, bunching himself forward on the pads of his feet and rectifying himself into an imposing crouch just beyond the fire's reach waiting for one of the men to make a move that would issue his attack. One man haplessly threw his head back in a quick, hearty laugh before leaning in closer to his comrade.

Kenshin felt the muscles of his legs instantly contract as he held his breath and lunged through the flames of the fire, his hand striking mindlessly in a swift battou-jutsu.

Kaoru stood from her bedding material pulling the folds of her yukata securely closed as she softly padded to the entrance of her tent and pulled the flap away silently ducking her head low for a moment to clear the tent's overhang. If she were going to be as jumpy as she was, she might as well do it in the company of her traveling companions where she could at least be comforted with the presence of others.

Her eyes lifted taking in the two forms sitting parallel to her beside the fire, their profiles easily distinguished by the burning flames. A small smile crept to her face as she took in their jovial demeanors when a disturbance in the shadows of the fire caught her sudden attention. Without warning and in that same instant, a figure lashed out from behind the cloak of the fire drawing his sword in a smooth arc that aptly left both men silent as they fell back from their perches on a short, dilapidated log. A brief spray of crimson rain followed as the only figure still erect began to pull itself from its concluding crouch.

Before the image could fully register in her mind, she pulled herself back into the safety of her own tent clutching at her chest to relieve the tightness she felt there. Her mind screamed and her senses soared as realization hit her immediately and she acted hoping to at least prolong her own life. Silenlty, she ducked out the back of her tent careful not to intimate any noice that would summon the attacker's attention. She needed to awaken the rest of the group, warn them of the ensuing danger she'd just witnessed.

Flying out the back of her tent, she all but dove into one of the regiment's other structures quickly kneeling beside one of the men she found sleeping there. Giving him a rough shake she hissed close to his ear, "Wake up!! We're being attacked!!"

No movement. The man remained where he was on his stomach facing away from her frightened self.

She shoved him again hoping for some sort of response but found none. Desperate, she turned to his bunk mate and repeated her actions frantically hissing in a near shriek, "Wake up!!"

Again no reply, just silence as she sat back on her heels and retracted her hands clutching them tightly in dismay. Their texture suddenly felt oddly slick, she noted as she lowered her eyes to gaze at her fists with growing uneasy. Blood. Her breath caught as she glanced between the men realizing finally the patches of dampened and darkened areas on their uniforms. Quickly, she scooted away, her hands going to cover her mouth in order to silence a scream she felt building in her throat and threatening to be released.

Slow footfalls met her ears, her senses heightening as dread continued to build at the edges of her consciousness seeping into a clutter of chaos in her frenetic mind. Soon, a foot became visible from the folds of the tent's opening as the figure waiting guardedly outside stopped infront of her shelter. She held her breath as she watched a crouching knee become visible in the dim silhouettes issued by the still blazing fire and her would-be assasin's frame became oddly outlined in the sparse light outside the tent. Moments later his hand moved, but she had already decided upon her resolve and moved to act just as quickly.

Gathering himself back up from his finishing pose, the hitokiri glanced about himself at the camp noting the stillness and wary demeanor of the area. He'd been careless, he decided as he calmly walked the distance between himself and a faintly glowing tent a few yards away. His sword dragged mindlessly in the soft dirt of the camp echoing a soft scratch from the soil and rock it delved into. The woman had seen him, he knew. The slight swing of her tent's folds and the lack of presence within the housing confirmed his suspicions. He didn't bother glancing into the room already aware that his quarry was absent.

A strong ki drummed at his awareness sparked from within a tent to his left. Indeed, she had fled in her fear. He would have expected as much from her and had not been disappointed. Absently, he followed her signal coming to a stop in front of the tent he knew she currently occupied. Kneeling beside the entrance, he decided to make the ordeal as untraumatic as possible, opting to end it quickly and without explanation. It was easier for them both that way. Killing women was never easy, nor was it something he took lightly, especially when they were innocent. Yet it had to be done as Katsura-san had instructed.

Readying himself to lung into the tent, he unsheathed his katana drawing it close to his side as his other hand slowly began to move the folds aside. Then he struck blindly in a wide arc intending to slash his victim into shock before quickly delivering the fatal blow, but his attack connected with air as he felt himself unsteady off balance and the shrouding material of the tent collapse nettingly about his diminutive form securely stalling and hindering him for the moment.

His mind screamed angrily as he lashed about the constricting material of the fallen tent pulling and yanking at his limbs to free them from the durable fabric with little luck as he began to enfold himself further into the trap... Trap? Had he just been caught in a trap? A trap forged within seconds by a woman no less? He growled lowly to himself as his tangled katana freed itself with a swift, hard slash and thus afforded him an escape from his temporary cage. Degrading, he thought to himself as he briefly reflected on his tryst while reorganizing his composure and personal belongings currently secured to himself. An inane trap...

The vibrations of a more gutteral snarl began to shake his features as the thought fully imposed itself making the assassin all the more frustrated. There was no lingering question now as to whether or not her fate would be secured by his hands; she obviously was aware of him and had more than likely glimpsed his face making her existance dangerous to his cause. He sucked in a deep breath looking about the camp and into the thick woods beyond the clearing where only the sparsest of remnants could be found indicating the frenzied escape of a recent matron. And the air, he noted drawing both his swords to his side and allowing them to hang languidly at his arms' length while he slowly began to trek towards a newly made path into the woods, the air was thick with the ghosts of fear.

Rocks, twigs, and heighted roots obstructed her path as she fled from the campsite, her heart pounding tightly in her ears and her terrified breath misting her visage. In the distance she could hear the clatter of her attacker as he fought raucously with his new bindings seeking urgently to detangle himself from his sudden, unexpected imprisonment. The sound of shredding material met her ears moments later as she realized he had finally liberated himself.

Still she ran hoping to put as much distance between them as possible and be lost to him in the affording masses of the woods. Her hindering foot lagged behind her catching at sharp stones and debris she was unable to avoid and inflicting soft cries from her as she continued forward determined to lose her assailant in the brush, but as the laws of physics would endure, her persistance would not uphold for long. Moments later her foot caught on a raised root sending her careening forward into the harsh spines of a nearby thicket. An inaudible gasp escaped her mouth as the wind was knocked none too gently from her lungs and she landed harshly on the palms of her hands and hips. Not a moment was lost, however, as she instantly sought cover in the dense growth beside her crawling beneath the hangings of low trees, short growths and dead bushes to conceal her figure from prying eyes that she was sure would follow her.

And she waited with bated breath as the silence grew stronger in her mind until the soft pat of cushioned footsteps softly met her ears straining her hearing until she felt her ears would surely bleed. And still they came almost silently as the brush nearly refused to sift and rustle beneath the man's feet as he walked. He neared at a dangerous pace, each step coursing over the expanse of slow seconds until they rounded the bend behind her and meticulously carried their master within reachable distance of her relative sanctuary; until the faint sepia tinting of his tabi became blinding to her eyes in the complete darkness of the night lighted only by the highly distant glow of a dying campfire lengths away. She watched agonizingly as those clad tabi stopped their journey parallel to her side causing her to absently hold her breath as the glint of shining steel reflected in her eyes as the two swords he held in his hands were carefully turned in dextrous wrists.

Kaoru waited as he stood there, the swords leisurely revolving in his hands catching faint glints in the shimmer of her wide, tearing eyes. Silence ensued for a few more moments as she sat in her hiding spot watching the progression of the man's swords as the same gleam reflected periodically in her glassy orbs. Fear continued to rise in her the longer he lingered and she desperately hoped he would move forward and find another spot to search soon. The leering glint of his blades was beyond daunting and she fearfully waited as each revolution caught her eye. 'Why is he doing that?' she thought anxiously to herself as the weapons suddenly ceased their movement, the shine of the meager light settling blindingly in her eyes as they did so. A thrill went down her back as she realized what his purpose had been and in a dire attempt to mask herself once more she clamped her eyes shut willing her pursuer away an instant too late.

Seconds later a crackling scream erupted from her tense throat as the thick foliage and brush in front of her was nearly completely swept away from her with the quick, deft stroke of the man's katana leaving her haven open to view but herself still unreachable in the density of the thorny growth. He staggered forward through the debris carefully cutting what he could to reach her all the while staring transparently at her shaking form in the cover of the coppice. Doe eyes watched the apathetic gleam of amber slivers approach her slowly as her survival insticts began to drum in panging rhythms against the back of her skull until she felt she would faint from sheer horror. Those eyes... her mind screamed calling for action as her feet shot out kicking more spiny branches and debris forward to block her assailant as she stretched back to the edge of her designated hiding spot. Her feet shot out flinching when the cool steel of the man's sword grazed her leg or swept closely to her skin in a futile attempt to obstruct or deter him from his apparent goal.

Ripping through the final bindings of the thicket, she struck out scrambling to catch her feet as she hobbled forward, hope striking anew in her chest at her departure before a hasty blow caught at the side of her temple sending her sprawling into the lap of a nearby tree. Confusion reigned in her senses as the heavy steps of another person echoed in the stillness behind her as the person hovered hazardously over her gasping and panting figure. She lay there a moment under his menacing stance awaiting any movement from him that would issue her impending death. His foot shifted softly in the foliage as the sharp scrap of his katana rang against the stones on the ground.

"I'm sorry, miss," an expressionless voice said above her as she scarcely heard the breeze of his weapon being raised. "But there can be no witnesses; I apologize."

Malice filled her as his words and intentions registered fully in her head coming out as distorted lies meant to make her death tolerable in the eyes of her attacker. With the last reserves of her strength and courage, she spun on her spot against the roots of the tree glaring loathsome, gleaming eyes back at the dull, golden glow of his own forcing an inalienable understanding between the two for the present moment's time.

Hot tears welled at the corners of her eyes as she focused on the one point of the man she could decipher from his dark silhouette against the faint, dying light of the distant campfire behind him. Her scorn etched itself clearly on her features as he carefully examined the play of emotions dance briefly across her face at her inability to directly see him in the dimness of the night. Still his breath caught when he looked back fully at her, the remnants of his scattered memory wailing at something he thought he'd long forgotten in the passings of time and age. The steadfast grip on the hilt of his sword tightened whitening his knuckles and engaging an uncanny shake in his arm as he supportered the added weight of his weapon. She couldn't see him, but the slight beam of the campfire danced perfectly against the pale features of her angry face entracing each fine detail to his calculating eyes.

She died... he thought cautiously to himself unconsciously taking a mild step back from the cornered girl. She died. In the dojo. Years ago. Impossibility was not something he believed in though he decided as he noticed the malicious appearance on her soft features slowly level as traces of confusion threatened to surface in their stead at his sudden, questionable behavior.

"How dare you..." he heard himself hiss against the backs of his teeth as rage welled in the pit of his consciousness.

The girl was obviously startled as she straightened her neck pressing herself forward from the tree carefully giving him a bewildered look as his body lost its composure in flinching and trembling fits. Slowly as time passed into a minuite, she visibly slackened watching him diligently as he stood like an apparition against the backdrop of the fire, his hair easily molding into the firey tongues that licked out far behind him.

Kaoru felt her mouth move to speak, her lips struggling to pronounce the words she intended to affirm with him when a sudden slash struck the bark of the tree directly above her head imbedding the violating blade deep within the tree's mold. Intensity filled the air once more as the man took rancorous steps forward beligerently assessing the young woman in front of him as the glow of his eyes singed at his lids and her exposed self.

"How DARE you!!" he bellowed leaning in to strike once more at the tree uncomfortably close to her head. "How DARE YOU!!" he continued, the accusation becoming a heated mantra in his head as he continually thrust as the tree's thick trunk to emphasize his words as though he meant to make the large creature fall from its high perch back down to the earth.

He swung blindly hardly caring if he struck her and perhaps hoping he would yet willing himself not to all the same. A plague of forgotten emotions settled upon his nerves hindering him from reaching his target as his mind intended to do. Anger, rage; it was all shadowing the confusion and hurt that imbedded itself deep within his gaze as he watched her cowering figure avoid the slashes of his strikes.

"Why?!" he demanded stilling his weapon momentarily to await a response as her fingers groped the ground seeking refuge from his fury. "Why are you mocking me?!"

The girl shook her head incessantly denying the accusation as she felt her fingers clench around something long and solid.

"Stop it!!" Kenshin heard himself yell as his katana lashed out once more as though of its own accord.

He watched as she ducked back into herself to avoid the attack before resuming her refusal shaking her head as violently as she could without injuring herself too much.

"Stop it!!" he commanded dashing the dirt at her feet with his blade just inches from her bare toes and then striking again at the trunk above her head, but she didn't stop.

And the longer he impulsively tried to force her into conceding, the longer he threatened her with his blade, the more real she appeared to him. The soft contours of her terrified face glowed against the distant light of the campfire. Utilizing that light, he was able to note and divulge in every similar feature that graced her face from the shape of her brow down to the tiny scar that leaked against the corner of her eye.

"How dare you mock me; mock... HER!!" he nearly sobbed in the back of his throat as he ceased his offensive passes. He kicked at the dirt angrily barely missing her. "Why would you mock her? She was innocent!!" Again he dashed at the dirt trying to hide the obvious pain in his voice with his violent actions. "Wasn't it enough that they killed her?"

Slowly, the girl's eyes rose to meet his as the faintest slip of compassion dismissed itself into her cerulean orbs. She held his gaze for a moment before he shunned her away and clenched his vibrant eyes shut and away from her prying stare.

"She's dead and yet you would still find it in yourself to mock her memory?" he hissed bitterly tightening his grip on his katana.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she retorted calmly and evenly straightening her posture once more now that he had stopped his advances.

His countenance slowly lifted revealing a set of flashing, amber eyes that settled upon Kaoru with the same chilling grace one would accuse their lover of possessing. She fidgetted under his scrutiny awaiting what he would say next. Even as he corrected his own slumped position, she expectantly watched him as a sort of reverance came about his features. And then he spoke.

"Of course you don't. I shouldn't expect you to." He paused drawing his body around so that he directly faced her and lifted his weapon above his head, the tip nipping at the very edge of her yukata. "The dead are never aware of their compromises."

Kaoru's eyes widened as she watched the play of motion arc the assassin's sword down toward her head before quickly reacting and grabbing the thick stick to her side and parrying his blow instantaneously, knocking his blade to the side and away from her prone body before taking advantage of his initial shock to shoot the edge back against his ribcage effectively countering him for the moment.

His pain never even registered in his awareness as he turned back to her dully shaking his katana in his throbbing grip. Returning his cold eyes back to her startled form, he realized many things that licked and knotted at his memory and his sense of duty. It would not end tonight with the battle already transgressing upon his emotions.

"You will die soon," he said sedately to contrast his earlier passion. His voice was low and husky barely nicking at the glacial atmosphere around them. "Soon." He lowered his sword, sheathing it silently. "Be aware. Soon."

Kaoru stared into the mass of fire-eatten gold that protruded from her attacker's stony gaze. The brazen fury slowly seemed to ebb the longer he watched her liable form laying disposed in the arms of her protective tree until the slightest traces of a new, daunting emotion began to mix with the vices of his anger and oppression. And she wondered as minutes wore on and the pair merely watched the other with interest similar to intrigue. Kaoru felt her lips faintly move as a question formulated in her mind seeking to be answered, but in the moment it took her to find her voice and blink herself into vocal ability he disappeared like an apparition taking his ghostly leave in the night.

Before she was even left to ponder over his sudden disappearance though, a shout caught her ear from the campsite shocking her into reality as she was called for frantically.

"Kaoru-san!!" a male voice shouted across the area. "Kaoru-san!!"

Stumbling over her ripped and tattered yukata and struggling to stay upon her feet, Kaoru moved toward the voice hardly paying any mind to the ache in her scarred and agitated foot.

"Natsuo-san!!" she cried fervently, making her way back towards the camp and her refuge in the lone man left alive in the brigade besides herself. "Natsuo-san!!"

Rushed footsteps came to meet her half-way until she found herself supported by a masculine figure that soon swept her into strong, worried arms back toward the camp bidding her to rest. "Kaoru-san, daijobu?"

"I'm fine," she panted against his shoulder as he carried her deftly through the brush and set her against a log situated across the fire.

He left momentarily to retrieve the medications kit from a nearby tent and set to bandaging her injuries. His breathing was harshly ragged as he hurried to care for her wounds only slightly mindful to apply due gentility to his actions. "We must hurry," he stated as he finished his patching on her leg. "Everyone's dead, the enemy forces may return soon and we must leave before they do."

Quickly, he stood and left to fetch a pair of horses that were still lingering in the makeshift paddock on the outskirts of the camp before returning and rushing to saddle the animals as fast as he was able to attaching certain items to the tack as he went.

"Natsuo-san," Kaoru said calmly reaching for his arm when he made to grab the medical kit beside her. He ignored her address and continued with his actions as she shifted closer to him from her spot on the ground. "Natsuo-san, please..."

"Hurry, Kaoru-san," he pleaded holding an arm out to lift her from her reposed seat in the dirt. "They'll be back any minute now!"

"No!" she started forcefully knocking him from his eager frenzy to leave. He stared blankly at her, a horrified edge gleaning in the corners of his eyes as he waited for her to continue. "A group did not attack us."

"What?" he stammered lowering himself to crouch beside her, his uniform crinkling slightly under the pressure of the position. "But then, what happened to our men?"

Kaoru shook her head calmly. "One man came," she began looking out into the dark expanse of the forest. "An assassin I think."

Natsuo followed her gaze and saw nothing as he fidgetted on the balls of his feet trying to decide what precautions to take. "An assassin?" His voice shook as he continued to glance around the vicinity. "What happened to him? Where is he?"

A thoughtful look graced her features as her eyes persistantly watched the folds of foliage and brush beyond the camp cast shadows on the dreary floor of the woods. And then she answered, her voice taking a sing-song quality that shocked her lone companion. "He left."

"What? Why would he just leave?"

Again Kaoru allowed her tone to abide by soft, almost maternal qualities as she answered, her brow furrowing slightly as realization seemed to instill itself in her mind for the first time that night. "He left... because he was sad; I think."

Natsuo shook his head violently willing himself to make sense of the woman's dazed babble. "Kaoru-san, we need to leave," he said with a calmer demeanor extending his arms to lift her from her spot on the ground. "He will probably come back for us if you did indeed encounter him."

His words seemed to ring a truth within the young woman as she nodded her head and allowed herself to be lifted into her companion's grasp as he took her to her waiting mount. "Yes, he will come back," she whispered against his shoulder pricking at the older man's hearing. "Soon."

A few lengths away into the shadowing brush of the forest, a crimson head bobbed slowly in abject agreement. Soon, indeed. His sheathed knuckles brushed lightly against the soft bristles of his mustache as his lips gently made to kiss the round, golden object he clutched tightly in his fist. Arisen memories or not, he would not fail his duty. The true source of his ache was dead, and this new copy would not provoke his mastered suppression of feeling or self-control. On the morrow he would find her.

The thought brought him to grip the ring in his palm tighter.

And on the morrow he would kill her. Whether or not she was an exact replica of his past love, it didn't matter...

There could be no witnesses.

Next chapter:

Speak No Evil

(A/N) This time I decided not to leave you with a cliffie type ending in case I have another huge gap in updating which could be very likely.. sigh. Stupid school. Anyway, please review, and in case anyone is wondering where Natsuo came from, he was the guy that Kenshin was planning on killing last so that he could get information on the position of the Shiminkakumei. Yeay!! They met up... not in the best way, but they met. And they'll do it again next chapter too.

REVIEWER RESPONSES:

-Strawberry Shortcake of Doom- Thanks so much for reviewing!! Hmmm.. many questions that I cannot answer... yet. I can answer a coiuple though. Kaoru does have scars from the fire and later I'll describe them better in the fic, but they pertain mostly to her right foot, which she is unable to completely use normally which makes it hard for her to walk. And no, she's not Iwasaki-san's mistress... you'll have to find out more about 'them' later on

- Saiyan Serpent- Well... apparently, Ken-san didn't take the encounter very well, and Kaoru was unaware of who he is. Heh heh, gotta keep the angst I suppose. Thanks so so so much for all the reviews and I hope the chapter was exciting enough for you.

- Kat- Hmm, I understand your confusion, but I believe that's the beauty of the plot. Kenshin comes back to a certain section of the government he believes will help him achieve his justice for Kaoru against the corrupt areas of the government that supposedly killed Kaoru.

- Psychotic Tanuki- Hehehehe, I always wondered about the idea of Kenshin with a beard, so I decided to incorporate it in here. Anyway, I hope to produce some kind of image soon with Kenshin as he is supposed to look in this fic with the new scar at his lip and the beard. However, I don't know if he'll be keeping the facial hair.

- kouri- gobbles cookies greedily Ahhh, that was good. Thanks for the support, I really needed it and I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long with such a huge cliffy. Hope this made up for it!!

- Sketchess1- Ya really think this has potential to be one of the great RK stories out there? Hmmm... that would be a dream come true. Thanks for helping me keep my spirits up. I really needed that!!

- Espi- Is Matsuyo good or bad? I don't know, bwahahaha... I guess we'll have to see. When I really think about it, I can't come up with much of a list of fics that have Kenhin revert permanently to Battousai either. I suppose we could start a trend though, ne?

-Jane, communist dust bunny, nobody, Foxterr, Musoka1, usukeurameshi, Kindred, ken/bat fan, anniall4, maru, , echo, stephchan, wolf, Bokken of Doom- Thanks to all of you who reviewed, I really appreciate the support and I hope I can get the next chapter out to you all soon!!