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

AN:  sorry, sorry.  I know it took a while and its not the longest chapter.  Sorry Sorry.  Um, don't expect to see another update until after March 23.  And for advance notice there will be another delay in april from around the 10th to the 23rd.  Many things in my appointment book around that time.  And I will be spending most of my free time preparing for those. 

Two Hitokiri – A New Fire is Born

"Kaoru-chan.  You should go wash up."  Tsuya-chan, another house woman that doubled as a nurse told her as she touched the worn assassin's hair.  It was dry, coarse, and crackled with the blood of the victims from a few nights before.  She hadn't bathed since.  She only sat at her lover's bedside since they brought him in late last night. 

He looked worlds better since the doctor had cleaned his wound sewed it up.  She wouldn't let her hopes up though; not until he woke.

"Kaoru-chan, he will wake up, but not right now.  The doctor said he has lost a lot of blood and it will take his body some time to replenish itself.  He will not wake in the hour you are away to bathe.  Do you want him to wake up seeing you like that?  Blood still on your face and the stench still on your clothes?"

The young woman peered down at her appearance.  Yes, her clothes still reeked of the blood she spilled, and it served as a reminder of what her life had come to.  It was something that allowed her to maul over Kenshin's words about killing, dying and happiness.  It kept her fixed in that moment of time when she slaughtered those men for the sake of protecting her loved one.

It was the first time she felt she was actually protecting someone.

The lives put in her charge to protect were always faceless.  She only knew them as Japan; as the future.  For the first time that night, her goals were given a face, the face of her lover.  He was the only one she truly wanted to protect.  With that being true, what did all the murders mean to her before that night?

Perhaps, sickeningly enough, that she killed for the enjoyment of it.  It used to give her a rise that she couldn't explain nor did she really want to.  But both Kenshin and herself vaguely acknowledged the rush with a smirk here and there; before, during, and after a job well done. Even with a kiss.  Like some disturbing congratulations, they had both used those nights of slaughter as an aphrodisiac.

So many questions plagued her mind.  All of which nauseated her, but none more than the question about the love that Kenshin and she shared.  What had been the basis of their whole relationship?  Was their passion for each other true or just company over a commonality?

She despised the thought and cast it away as quickly as she could.

Without word, she rose from her seat against the wall and proceeded to the bathhouse.  She had let her thoughts dwell too long, and now she was only ashamed to have thought them.  She would wash away this scent and the nightmares that accompanied it. 

~

Iizuka pushed open the doors of the run down building, only to let a cloud of smoke bombard his face. Many men playing dice looked up at the new arrival but quickly lost interest and returned to their games.

The man made his way over to one of the serving maids, dragging her away from another man's groping hands.  The act probably would have resulted in a brawl, but the man was too inebriated to care.

"Hey missy, I'm looking for someone."  He pressed some coins into hand and proceeded to provide a description.

The woman tucked the money into the folds of her loosened obi and pointed at a door on the second floor of the building that could be seen past the railing.  He nodded thanks and winked at the woman before making for the stairs.

Voices and giggles could be heard easily from the other side of the thing shoji door, but did not matter much in a place like this were the sound of drunkards below drowned out all else.  Iizuka recognized the gruff voice that belong to Hachiro and threw open the shoji door with reckless disregard.

"Hey!  A little privacy maybe?"  Hachiro yelled the very moment the man stepped into the room.  He pulled the sides of his gi around him to cover his nakedness while his prostitute sat up shamelessly and stared him down.

"Sir, I'm not the kind of women that does shows."  She spoke respectfully to him.  "Nor am I the kind that will take on more than one guest at a time.  So if you would…"  The geisha held her hand and indicated to the still ajar door.

"I wouldn't think you would be missy.  But I am sure you are the kind of woman that appreciates this."  He held out a handful of money.  "And all you have to do for it is give me and my friend here a few moments alone."

The woman grinned and pulled her robe back over her shoulders and tied it into place.  "You sure know how to talk to a woman."  She replied as she passed him, taking the money from his hands.  "And did you want the door closed?" 

Iizuka nodded.  "If you would.  And I'd also prefer if you didn't listen in."

This earned another smirk from the prostitute and she nodded in compliance before exiting the room.

"The hell did you do that for?"  Hachiro yelled as he pulled his hakama on over his persistent erection.  "Its going to hurt like hell now you know." 

"You have bigger worries than your goods to think about right now."  Iizuka spoke as he walked further into the room.  He looked around for a bit and shook his head.  "I would think with all that money you would have chosen better spoils than women and sake.  At least a classier set of women and sake."

"The cheap ones get you there faster."  Hachiro replied without specifying if he meant the sake or the women.  "Why are you here anyway?"

"To tell you that you are in the hot seat with the IshinShishi now and you aren't allowed back."  Iizuka said rather casually as he touched and fiddled with some of the ornate decorations in the room.

"Not allowed back?  Why not?"  Hachiro inquired, remaining calm and fixed in his spot.

"Katsura-san doesn't need your kind of people in his regimen.  Your behavior is a threat."

"Is that so?"

Iizuka nodded and reached into the folds of his gi.  "In addition to delivering that message, I am to ensure that you do not return to the compound, nor find you way into the enemies' encampment."  He showed the other man what had been hidden in his hands and the other man grinned with contempt.

"So this is how the IshinShishi takes care of the unwanted members huh?  I didn't think Katsura to be the type."  Hachiro moved from his spot, closer to Iizuka.

"He isn't, but I think this is what it takes to silence you."

~

"How is he?"  A voice drew Kaoru out of her catatonic trance beside Kenshin.  Katsura stood before her, watching down at both Kenshin and herself in an overbearing fashion.  "Has he woken at all?"

Kaoru shook her head.  "Hardly a stir from him."  Her response was quiet and horse from days without use. 

"I have spoken to the doctor about him.  He says he will wake, but cannot fight for many weeks."  The tall man squatted down by the sleeping form.  "He says its too risky reopening the wound.  He in fact advised that Himura should not be putting such a strain on his body all the time.  Hiten Mitsurugi ryu is a demanding style."

The woman let her eyes shift to her master's, trying to read the meaning in his casual tone.

"You are also not in the best of condition.  As I understand it you have been sitting here for days without sleep of food.  I'm sure your muscles are growing stiff from sitting here."  He looked at her and touched her hair fondly.

"Katsura-san?"  She replied, unsure what else to say.

"I've decided to cancel the strike.  We are no where near prepared.  We have lost one of our key elements.  And our other pillar of strength has allowed herself to rust in the corner of a room, malnourished and beaten by exhaustion."  His dark eyes pierced her just as his words had.

"Cancel?  But Katsura-san, we cannot.  This is our chance!"  Her words snapped at him like crackling embers.  "You always talked of this being our only opportunity to end this revolution and take Japan.  You are so willingly forgoing the chance?"

Katsura rested a hand on hers.  "I will not risk your lives."

"I am not at risk."  Her voice was cold in return.  Her sapphire eyes seemed to be ablaze, leaving no trace of the dull grey they had been for days.  "Let me complete the mission.  Let me end this war."

"I cannot allow it.  You cannot face two regimens on your own Kamiya-san.   No, do not give me defensive look.  I am not attacking your skills.   You know very well I have all faith in your abilities, but two squads is a handful for even the both of you.  And as I said, you have not been focused, and your body is no longer prepared to fight."

"I can take care of the Shishen-gumi.  They are without their first and third leaders, and a good number of its members from that night they attacked us.  Okita and Saitou were the best they had.  I assure you I can eliminate the rest.  Let me finish this Katsura-san.  Please, don't hold off and wait for Kenshin to heal.  I don't want him to have to go out there anymore."  She took a sidelong glace at him.  "You were right, he is changing.  I would rather have the Kenshin that is pure and without hitokiri than the one that only knows bloodshed.  Let me protect him from this, let me finish this so that we can live in the Japan you have always dreamed for us."  Katsura kept focused on her stare.  Her eyes seemed to shine now with a passion he had never before encountered in her. 

"I don't think…"  He started before she grabbed his hand in return and interrupted him.

"Let me do this.  I will be ready.  Let me fight."

Katsura let his eyes fall to rest on the sleeping man's form.  He took a deep breath then replied, "Less than a week.  You have less than a week."

Kaoru nodded, her gaze not shifting from Kenshin.  "I will be ready."

TBC…

Oroness forever-  haha, no worries.  I make threats all the time and never follow through.  But my friends still dread the day that maybe I will follow through.  So they are still thoroughly scared of me.  Just how I like it.  Other-wise its all in good fun.

Brittanie Love-  Thanks, I will

Kenshin's angel-  I only wish it was homework.  Homework can save grades….instead I must put all my effort into those exams.  Blah, who ever thought of having an exam worth 40% of your grade.  I hate that one who thought of that.

Mishorou mie-  Oooo party? Where?!?

Noner_89- Heh, have hope.  Hope is good.  Or is it…after all it was one of the things in pandora's jar…that's something to muse over.

Crystal Renee- I guess the good thing about cliffs is just what you said.  When I write a cliff, I am so into it, I keep writing beyond the cliff, so I am ahead of the game and thus can put out updates faster.  So everyone is happy!

Zsilver- Awe, I hope everything is going good with the new boy, and glad the old break up wasn't tough on you. 

Mz. Amber Eyes-  Hmmm, would you like me to bring her back so that you can kill her?  I mean that would make for a great twist.  I can see it now.  "Suddenly something lurking lurking in the shadow comes forth with a dagger in hand.  Kenshin stumbles back.  'No! No!, I killed you already.  You are dead.'  Her pursuit continues as Kenshin begins to run.  Then like a flash of lightning Mz. Amber Eyes appears and stands between them.  'Hey bitch, I'm taking you down!'"

Battousai-katana- I suppose I really haven't said if he would live yet, huh?

Hounding wolf:  Haha, then I guess you are glad about what I did with him huh?