Disclaimer: don't own them, wish I did.  Oh but I do own any mysterious characters that I made up.

AN:  Lucky readers.  Since I failed to find a good way to divide this part into the usual size pieces.  You get a long chapter.  Anyway, I am getting excited.  We are finally getting to the meat of the story.

Two Hitokiri -

"You must act soon.  Their plans are falling into place and they will manage to bring you down unless you immobilize the Battousai and Karasu before their planned attack."  The spy rubbed his hands, watching nervously at the Shishengumi surrounding him.

"My men are ready to do it now."  The man responded, his face glowing by his lit cigarette.  "We are only waiting for the most opportune time.  Which you are suppose to provide for us."

"Yes Yes.  Well it will be soon, I assure you.  Just not too soon.  Karasu has been on her toes lately.  She will be extra alert and will end any attack you try now.  We must wait until the Ishin Shishi get comfortable with its new arrivals, and everything falls into routine again.  Then will be the time to strike."

The Shishingumi around him all seemed to snicker and grin at the prospect of killing the Battousai and his partner Karasu.  It has been a long battle, but finally they could taste sweet victory and an end to this revolution.

"I cannot stay any longer," squeaked the spy.  "You have all the information you need to make it happen.   Just be prepared to go on any night.  I will send word by sun down.  Until then, I will not contact you."

~~

"They seem to be improving."

Kenshin glanced behind him to see Kaoru standing on the porch with a tray of tea.  Her wooden sandals clicked against the wooden floor as she came out from under the awning of the house and bent to set the tray on the ground.  She kneeled down next to the tray and poured two cups, one of which she held up to him.

Kenshin smiled at her and took a seat with her on the step of the porch, accepting the cup with thanks.  Together they sat and watched as the courtyard of men fought imaginary opponents made of big wooden posts.  "Their technique has improved." Kenshin commented, watching the men he had spent many weeks training now.  "But speed is not something I can teach them so quickly."

"They are not primed for speed."  Kaoru commented.  "They have all been trained to be strong; to build muscle and fight by brute force.  With speed comes strength.  It does not work the other way around.  Their ways are old, and their bodies too set in those ways."  She took another scan of all the men before her.  "They will not learn speed."

Kenshin turned to look at his companion.  Her face was completely unreadable as she spoke her words.  A skill she had picked up over the years of pretending to be a lady, all the while being a hitokiri.  He marveled at the woman only for a moment before returning his eyes to his subjects.  "Skeptic."

Kaoru shook her head lightly.  "No, just realistic."  They sat together in silence for a while more before she spoke again.  "Why do they look at me like that?"

Kenshin threw her a questioning look then scanned the faces of the men, none of whom were watching her at the moment.  "Like what?"

"They all glance and quickly avert their eyes.  They do not realize I see them, but the second I suggest that I might, they quickly turn away.  These are not the shy gazes I used to get from men visiting the compound, nor are they lustful."  Kaoru explained.

Kenshin chuckled.  "Its caution."  He received a confused look from her then proceeded to explain.  "The one you pulled your dagger on, Hachiro.  He spread word that you are Karasu and warned the others about approaching you.  They just want to look.  They won't bother you."

Kaoru scowled.  "They already bother me."  She ran a hand through her tousled bangs and turned her head to watch him, her eyes serious.  "Mou. Perhaps that was a bad move on my part.  Any one of these men could be a spy, and now they all know who I am because of one loud mouthed ass.  So much for the disguise."  She gestured at her clothing.

"Worry not love."  Kenshin whispered quietly.  "I have spoken to them all and had Iizuka keep tabs on their comings and goings.  Nothing to suggest that any of them are spies"

She gave the crowd another once over then rose to her feet, taking the serving tray with her. 

"We have an assignment tonight."  Kenshin said quietly.

"Hai."  Kaoru replied before entering the house, closing the shoji door behind her.

~

"I may return next spring. We'll have to wait."  He turned to his fiancée and gave her a smile.  "I'll bring a gift back home for you."

The young woman nodded and returned the smile, but remained silent as he explained his trip.

"But I promise that we can get married when I return.  This is just something I have to do."  He chuckled.  "Maybe even one day you will be able to say 'My husband was one of the men who saved the shogunate.'"

She cracked another smile at his remark, imagining herself saying such things.

"But don't worry.  I'm just going to protect people.  I don't think I will be on the attacking end."

"In spring then?"  The young woman asked. 

"In spring."

~

"You are lucky to be marrying your childhood friend."

The young man smiled.  "Yes, but sometime I feel guilty having found happiness in times like these."

"Don't worry about that.  All that really matters is that you find happiness."  The older man replied. 

"Kyoto Shoshidai and Shigkira Jubei."  A low tone spoke from the shadows alerting the company of men. 

Battousai and Karasu stepped out from amongst the wilting flowers, both with their hands on their hilts, ready to attack.

"Assassins!"  The younger man shouted and immediately stepped in front of the older man.

"Its too late."  Karasu spoke, her voice adding a foreign melody to the doomed night.  "You will receive your Tenchuu."

The first man charged at her, drawing his sword to strike, but it only met her hilt in a block.  Quickly and easily she unsheathed her katana, slashing across the neck before stepping in making a fatal blow at his collar bone, forcing the blade down, slicing him down to his ribcage.

As his partner battled, Battousai moved in for the other two men, hoping to dispose of them in one quick blow, but the younger man was thrown aside before his flesh could receive the cool steel.

The older man fell quickly and Battousai turned to finish the other.  He swiped his sword passed him but the man had ducked and stumbled away from its reach.  Frustrated, the assassin turned to him with cold eyes.  "Give up."  He commanded.

The younger man charged at him anyway, his stance weak, but his will strong.  They battled as Karasu wiped her sword with the sleeves of her gi and watched, waiting.  The man was not a great swordsman, but he persisted even as the Battousai had delivered many blows.  She found the battle to be very intriguing.

"I will not die!"

It ended all too soon with a final charge, and young man was down, but not dead.  His body convulsed as tears began to form in his eyes.  "I don't want to die. Tomoe"  He murmured.

Kaoru shook her head and went to Kenshin, whose eyes were wide with wonderment.  "You are bleeding."  She spoke softly, surprising herself with how emotionless her voice had been.

She traced the line of blood with her finger and showed him. 

He looked at it confused. He had not shed blood in years.  Not since he and Kaoru stopped their training battles against each other.

"He was not a great swordsman."  She stated without any real intention as she raised her sleeve to his cheek and began wiping away his blood.

"I know." Kenshin replied, his eyes watching her.  "He just had an amazing will to live.  He had something he really wanted to live for."  He put his hand on top of hers and clasps his fingers, holding her hand still.

"Akira!!"  A shrill scream interrupted their moment and both assassins turned to find the source.

Their eyes met a young woman about nineteen, running through the street towards them.  She collapsed next to Battousai's last victim weeping over him. 

"Akira, Akira.  No you promised.  You said you would be back by spring.  I came, I came to find you when you hadn't returned.  Why didn't you come back like you were supposed to.  Akira, Anata."  Her sobs were heavy in the still night.  The two assassins could only stare at the woman before her, weeping over what seemed to be her only love.

Their eyes met and held gaze for long moments.  Sapphire searching Amber, looking for answers.  

"Monsters."  There was a low hiss from their new arrival.  "You are heartless monsters!  How could you do this to him?  To us!  We were to be married!  He was supposed to come back last spring and start a family with me!"  Tears streamed her cheeks.  "We were going to be happy.  But now we can never have happiness."  She spoke softer this time.

Kaoru let her eyes meet his again, not wanting to look into the woman's dark eyes filled with hatred.  "We must.  She has seen us."

Her sword clicked at her side as she started towards the woman. 

A hand reached out and pulled her back by her gi.  "I will do it."  Kaoru looked back at him with questioning eyes.  "I started it."  He explained.  "I will finish it."

He strode past her, eyes shadowed by his coppery hair.  Standing in front of the weeping woman, he unsheathed his sword.

Her eyes looked up at him boldly, defiantly.  They reminded him of her eyes; strong willed.  "Do it."  She commanded.  "I don't care anymore.  You have already taken everything away from me.  What is there left in my life?"  She bowed her head again and clutched the gi of her love.  "Just kill me with the same merciless heart as you killed him with."

Kenshin shook his head and plunged his sword through throat, killing his first woman.

~

Kenshin and Kaoru walked onto the Ishin Shishi compound with silent heels.  Kaoru carefully lead them through to their room, avoiding conversations and encounters with anyone.  Their walk home had been very similar.  Silent, hand in hand. 

Even now, Kenshin's eyes were shadowed with confusion and one hand to his newly scarred cheek.  She had gone to embrace him once he sheathed his sword, but he had been slow to react and cold to her touch.  Yet he still held her hand the whole way home, suffocating it with his intense grip.

Once they were secluding in their room, he let go of her hand and took his spot by the window to keep watch.

Kaoru watched him with interest.  He had wanted to be the one to kill her.  She knew it was the first woman he had ever killed.  It would have been hers as well.  She would have done it, for him she would have.  He already seemed distressed over the young man the woman called Akira.  She could see now that the death of the woman had added to his worries, creating this brooding mood for him.

She didn't blame him for his attitude.  She had felt the power of the woman's words as well.  Something about her voice and tears had hit home for both of them.  She shook her head and began changing out of her bloodstained gi and into a sleeping yukata.

Kaoru tucked herself into the futon, attempting to find rest, but with no avail.  She couldn't stop thinking about the woman; her face, her cries, her murder.  She couldn't stop thinking about Kenshin and how he must have been feeling. 

Deep in her thoughts, Kaoru had not managed to hear the soft padded footsteps on the hard mat covered floor.  She hadn't sensed his movement at all until the covers moved around her and another body slid into the bed with her. 

Kaoru lifted her head and looked over at Kenshin who was watching her with intense eyes.  "What are you doing?" she asked as he slipped his arms under her and around her waist, pulling her close to him.

He pressed his forehead into the crook of her neck, his red bangs tickling her shoulder.  "Just let me hold you."  He whispered quietly into sleeping robe.

"But the watch…"

His grip on her waist tightened and his lips touched her neck, "Don't worry, I will protect you.  I will protect us tonight."

Kaoru sighed and pet his hair and cheek for a moment before returning her head to the pillow.  She let her hands go beneath the covers to join his hands at her waist as she melted in close to him, giving her whole presence to him as his body and mind seemed to need and even demanded.

TBC