Another chapters is out and ready to go! I hope you all enjoy this, and I know I have been saying this but it will get darker. Building up to it taking longer than I thought it would. For all of you who are waiting for Vampires to be Vampires, well it should start to happen soon! Battousai is ready to come out (he has been threatening me) and I promise that there will tons of K/K action soon! And some M/A for all those who want it!

Please let me know what you think with a review! It helps me figure out just how dark this piece of fiction should be.

Remember I do not own the Kenshin-Gumi. It's a sad sad world.

Ravyn

Kenshin stood there, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at his shishou. In order to defeat the ones that even now threatened his loved ones; he had to become what?

"Excuse me, shishou, but a what?" Kenshin questioned his eyes glazed slightly with shock.

"A Vampire Kenshin. You are my heir to darkness and only the King of Darkness can win against what you wish to go against. So that means I must change you, and then you must use the attack I have taught you to its fullest extent."

"But shishou!" Kenshin's voice was soft with surprise.

Hiko looked down at his Baka Deshi and sighed. " Baka Deshi, listen to me. Shishio is not human. He may have been once but he is not now, and he never will be again. Even now he plots to bring your world down around your ears, and then Tokyo. He has no love for life but for the blood lust that sings in his blood."

"Neither Rurouni Kenshin, or Himura the Battousai has what it takes to stop such a force of nature." Hiko declared firmly.

"Shishou, then who is to beat him?" Kenshin questioned, looking crestfallen.

"The man you have hidden so very well under your emotions. The man you were before the Hitokiri, the man before the Rurouni. The Hitokiri was made as a defense against the horrors of the Bakumatsu; the Rurouni was formed as a defense from the Hitokiri. For you to be able to master the Succession technique, not just use it, you must find the man inside and let loose the emotional barriers."

Kenshin dropped his head and struggled with himself. "But shishou I do not know how to do this. I have seen and done to many things to allow my walls to go down."

Hiko sighed. "Baka Deshi! By allowing yourself to become what I wish to make you, it will open the path to this. You may one day be able to do this yourself. But if two seconds of what you really are defeated me, imagine what you can do with your life if you allow yourself to be Kenshin, neither Rurouni nor Battousai. ."

Kenshin closed his eyes. "Will I be a danger to those I love? If you change me will I become a threat to my family?"

Hiko shook his head. "No."

Kenshin raised his head. "Then I will do this one last thing. And I will beat Shishio." And may Kaoru-dono, Yahiko, Sano, and Megumi-dono forgive me.

Kaoru stood there, blinking at the Vampire who was in front of her. He had dropped his fangs in the way a male Vampires getting ready to fight, and Kaoru turned to see Kenshin in a familiar stance.

"Sold your soul already, Cho?" Kenshin demanded his tone harsh, his golden gaze ablaze. Kaoru took an involuntary step backwards.

"Your mine this time Battousai!" Cho pulled out his whip like sword and took a stance.

Kenshin moved in front of Kaoru. "Kaoru, it would be best if you moved away form this battle scene."

Kaoru narrowed her eyes in anger. "No." Kaoru's voice was flint and steel and Kenshin barely hid a growl.

"Kaoru, you might get hurt." His voice was lower yet and Kaoru risked looking at him. He was looking at Cho, but his jaw was clenched and Kaoru blinked at the expression in his eyes.

Turning to back to the broom-head that was in front of them she narrowed her eyes as she saw the long, almost slinky like sword that he was un-winding from his waist.

"Kenshin," Kaoru hissed, "As superman like you may be, I don't know if you can fight both Cho and his lackey's."

"Are you going to let her tell you what to do Battousai?" Cho demanded. "I would have thought you could at least keep you mate under better control."

Kaoru growled at that. "I am not his mate!" What was it with these psycho Vampires that seemed to be coming out of the frame work either saying she was a rather desirable treat, or she was someone else's treat.

Cho shrugged his shoulders. "Either you're his or your not. If you're not, I might be willing to make you mine."

Kenshin growled low in the back of his throat at that.

"Enough talk." Cho warned as he swung his sword foreword. Kaoru dove behind a light post and rolled, her silver belt-whip extending from her fingertips as she brutally slammed one frying underling into another the where slowly starting to close in on them.  

"I have these, Kenshin, you think you handle broom head?" Kaoru questioned over her shoulder as she moved through them. These types of Lackeys where created rather easily from the bodies of those killed by werewolves and where more zombie like than real Vampires. They where incredible stupid but still very strong and when in large numbers they could be rather dangerous. So far the only living creature Kaoru had seen so far was Cho, and he closer the death than living anyway. 

Blood path vampires rarely lived lives because they had the right; they lived because they had stolen someone else's life.

Kenshin dodged Cho's attacks easily. The man had underestimated him by quite a bit, and for that he would pay with his tedious hold on life. Again. Kenshin could feel the stolen blood pounding through his adversary's weak body and knew that he had not feed recently.

Which meant that he had not attacked because he wanted to. Which meant that Cho was simply a diversion of some sort.

Kaoru.

Shifting forward Kenshin moved past Cho's blade with his god speed and skated behind him. Unsheathing his sword he removed Cho's head. Normally he would have attempted to talk the man out of this particular life style, as he could still find his way off the Paths if he had not been on them long, but Kaoru was in danger and he had no intention of letting her get hurt.

Besides, Cho would have simply fought him till the energy in his blood left him and then died anyway. Best to make his passing as easy as possible.

Kaoru was starting to get worried. No matter how many of these things she managed to keep from standing back up, more always appeared. It was almost as if she was being heralded towards something or someone. She was quite a distance from where the fight had started and there was something ticking at the back of her brain.

It wasn't until she heard the low howl and felt something slam into her shoulder that she realized what it was.

The office building that Soujiro had chosen was near one of the nicer parks in the area. If you went down a few flights of steps you actually would find yourself on the biking and jogging paths that where there.

Kaoru gave a yelp of pain and surprise as she was tumbled down several steps and hit hard on the cement once she hit. Groaning Kaoru looked around for her weapon but found only mass zombies and one transformed werewolf.

It wasn't a full moon and it sure as hell wasn't dark so...Kaoru shrieked and scuttled backwards. The damn thing had a blood amulet.

And she was defenseless.

Kaoru heard the sounds of bodies falling and just as the werewolf launched itself at her throat she saw a blur and the werewolf was send backwards, a Katana buried in its throat.

Kaoru licked her dry lips and turned to Kenshin who was starring at the now dead creature with an expression that scared her.

He didn't even look at her as he went to get his Katana and Kaoru shrieked. "NO!"

He stopped at turned looking at her in confusion, a hint of the earlier anger in his eyes. "What?"

Kaoru attempted to stand and then fell back down when her ankle protested the movement. "It has a blood amulet on his throat! You have to remove it and break it before you can get to your sword or it will just reabsorb its power and attack you again! Blood amulets are made to absorb Ki and blood of those it has either killed or injured. Its the only way those things can shift forms before the full moon."

Kenshin walked over and with one quick yank had the amulet in his hands. "How exactly do you destroy one of these things?" Kenshin questioned irritably.

"Smashing it works. But may I suggest you throw it against something, that way you are not near it when the built up blood Ki is let loose." Kaoru instructed. "Misao and I found about these things on a rather nasty raid." Kaoru shuddered in memory of the hair brained stunts they had to pull to get the little boy they where saving out of that particular werewolves den.

Kenshin tossed the amulet against the stone wall just next to the steps. It exploded and a dull red cloud rose before dissipating into thin air. Kenshin then turned and removed his Katana from the dead carcass and snapped his wrist to remove the blood.

Walking over to Kaoru he dropped in front of her and gently grasped her injured ankle. "Anything else hurt?" His tone was soft and gentle, as where his hands and he eased her ankle out of her shoe. Kaoru wasn't sure how he knew which ankle it was, or that it was an ankle, but she really didn't feel like asking right then.

"Nothing besides a few bumps and bruises." Kaoru said softly as he cradled the swollen ankle.

"I don't think it's broken but Megumi-dono will want a look at it. I will have to give her a call once I get you to your apartment." Kenshin said softly, almost as if he was talking to himself.

Reaching down he handed her the shoe and then placed one arm around her back and one under her knees. In one single swift motion he stood his arms cradling her against his chest.

"What do you think you are doing?" Kaoru spluttered at him. "It's just a sprain, I can walk."

Kenshin grandly ignored her, no matter how much arguing she did.

Kaoru was in the process of tugging on his bangs in irritation when she felt cool metal against her back. Turning her head as she heard the sounds of a car door being opened she sighed when she was placed on cool leather seats.

"Kenshin I could have walked!"

Shaking his head Kenshin sprinted around to the other side and slide into the drivers seat. Kaoru buckled herself in quickly and leaned backwards.

"So, Kaoru, how do I get to your apartment?"

~*~

Misao sleepily stirred from the warm ball she had found herself curled into. Blinking her eyes open slowly she shifted under a blanket and noticed that Rei was no longer curled up into her side.

Sitting up slowly Misao became aware of light childish laughter coming from behind her. Blinking sleepily Misao turned and frowned lightly. The tentative frown turned into a huge smile when she saw both Rei and Aoshi.

Rei was planted in Aoshi's lap, her hands pressed over her mouth to muffle her giggles. In front of her was a picture book that held some of her and Kaoru's favorite fairytale's. Aoshi wore a stoic expression but his lips curved into a slight smile that for some reason, delighted Misao.

"Read it again Aoshi-San!  I want to here about the lady who helped save the Beast! Please Aoshi-San? Rei love stories Aoshi-San!" Rei chirped up at him, her pale green eyes dancing with mischief and laughter.

Aoshi smiled at the little girl and gently closed the book. Misao and Rei both gave similar pouts, Rei because she wanted her story, Misao because she wanted to here him talk. His voice was like honeyed silk and Misao would have been happy hearing it for the rest of her life.

"Its time to fix dinner." Aoshi softly told the child, his hands and voice gentle. Misao had this itching feeling at the back of her mind, something telling her that she should remember something, but just as quickly as she had felt it; it disappeared.

"I'll make dinner!" Misao said cheerfully jumping up. Rei gave a startled shriek and then giggled again, her eyes dancing with mischief.

"You scared Rei Mi!" Rei said happily. Once again Misao was reminded of a young her, and that thought caused her to smile.

"I am so sorry Rei, how about you help me pick out what where going to eat!" Misao asked just as cheerfully and Misao could have sworn she caught a slight sparkle in Aoshi's eyes.

"Rei would love to help Mi!" Rei squealed wiggling out of Aoshi's lap, the book long forgotten. 

Misao swept the wiggling body up and they trudged into the kitchen. Misao held Rei as they looked through the pantry and both wrinkled their noses at there limited options.

"Do you feel like instant Raman?" Misao questioned Rei doubtfully.

Rei wrinkled her nose in the same manner she had just seen Misao. "Rei does not like."

Misao nodded. "Normally I go and get fresh groceries to make dinner when we need them, since we are normally not home, otherwise we live off this stuff since Kaoru can not cook." Misao walked over and placed the child on the counter. "If Kaoru-Chan ever offers to cook you something to eat, say no."

Rei nodded. "No to Kao-Chan cooking."

Misao walked over to the phone and grabbed a series of menus that she and Kaoru had collected. "What type of food DO you like, Rei?"

Rei chewed on her bottom lip and the discussion was on. Aoshi came in somewhere in the middle of the arguing and they finally decided on appropriate food.

"Tomorrow we will have to go shopping to buy groceries," Misao mumbled to herself as she hung the phone up after ordering. "I can not live off this stuff everyday!"

"Eat out often?" Aoshi asked softly. Misao had the thought that if this man every rose his voice it wouldn't be pretty.

"Yes." Misao wrinkled her nose. "Most of the time if I am cooking we get good home made meals, but when its Kaoru's night.... Raman or take out or the usual fare."

Aoshi gave a slight smile of amusement the Misao missed because she had turned back to Rei. But Rei did see it and she clapped her hands in delight.

Misao blinked when the phone rang. "Hello."

"Misao can you please open the damn door in about thirty seconds?" Kaoru's sugar sweet voice was laced with venom and Misao jumped off the stole.

"Is there a reason why you can't open it?" Misao questioned as she sprinted across the small apartment.

"He won't let me walk."

Misao blinked at the phone as she unlocked the door. "How does that effect you opening the door Kaoru?"

As she opened the door Misao blinked at the sight of Kenshin carrying Kaoru the last few feet into the apartment.

"Kaoru what happened?" Misao questioned worriedly. She had seen Kaoru run like the hounds of hell where after her with a fractured toe, so Kaoru being carried meant she was in quite a bit of pain.

"It's not bad at all Misao. Over protective here won't let me walk, move, or even breathe with out his explicit permission." Kaoru's tone was acid itself. Kenshin lightly set her down on the couch.

"Keep that foot elevated." Kenshin warned as he placed a pillow under it.

Misao looked over at the red-haired man. " Himura-San?"

"Kenshin." He said without looking at her. "And she fell down two flights of steps with several zombie's helping her down the way."

Kaoru growled. "You act like it has never happened before. I am a big girl Kenshin," Kaoru's voice was beyond frustrated and Misao had the feeling they had been over this before. "I can take care of myself. You act like I am breakable and I am not! I am used to looking after myself!"

Kenshin leaned close. "As of right now you will not ever have that problem again."

Kaoru glared back, her back ramrod straight in anger. "Why you..."

"Kao!" A cheerful voice said as Rei scampered in. "Your back!"

Kaoru yanked her furious gaze away from Kenshin and then grinned at the little girl, and if her smile was strained no one said a word. " Yes I am."

Rei looked at Kaoru and frowned. "Your hurt!"

Kaoru ran a gentle hand through the girl's bangs, "It's not bad. Don't worry I will be perfectly fine if I could get away from over protective red-heads who I don't even know."

Kenshin ignored her, the smart thing to do in Misao's opinion, and gently pealed Kaoru's sock off her swollen foot.

"Not anything! Kamiya Kaoru!" Misao screeched in shock. She totally missed the startled glances Kenshin and Aoshi gave her as she berated her best friend. "You entire FOOT is black! I mean that bruising is going to go halfway up your leg before its done! And your TOES are black!"

Rei even joined in much Kaoru's chagrin. "Black foot! Painful; you not okay!"

Kenshin even let out a hiss of sympathy. "Aoshi do you mind calling Megumi and seeing if she can come over here and look at this?"

Kaoru opened her mouth to argue but quickly closed her mouth when she met Kenshin furious glare. Kaoru knew, somehow, that he wasn't so much angry at her, but at the fact that she was hurt.

She had no idea how she knew this, she was just aware that she did.

Kaoru froze when his look gentled and dark violet eyes softened as they watched her. Kaoru watched with something akin to fascination as he tucked a stray strand of dark hair behind her ear, his touch and face the most gentle she had ever seen or felt from a man.

It was a stark contrast to the man who had practically ripped the Zombie's apart piece by piece.

"Kenshin! That tickles!"

Warm hands slide down her sides looking for the ticklish places that she knew he was going to find.

Looking up breathless once his hands had stilled she gazed into his warm eyes and blushed.

Kaoru blinked repeatedly. His warm eyes had a hint of amusement in them and Kaoru vaguely wondered what in the world she had missed.

"Anyway," Misao said loudly breaking the spell that had somehow wound around her and Kenshin twice in the past thirty seconds, "You got attacked. Himura here mentioned something about Zombies? Those things normally have something controlling them, so what was it."

Kaoru grimaced. "A werewolf with a Blood Amulet."

Misao groaned. "Another one of those things?"

"I think this was one of the newer types of Amulets though. It wasn't one of the older models that are a bit more complicated and harder to destroy. The werewolf was easily killed."

Misao dropped onto the loveseat her expression thoughtful. "So that information that Saito gave us is pretty much true then. The older the Amulet the stronger the Blood Ki, hence the reason it makes it harder for us to kill them."

Kaoru nodded her head.  "But what had me concerned is how they are making those Amulets in the first place. After looking at the one that we got our hands on before Saito destroyed it, it was made out of something very much like glass but had been twisted by something."

Misao's expression was just as disconcerted. She then brightened up as she smiled at Kaoru. "We really shouldn't worry too much about it, that's Saito's division's job remember?"

Kaoru made a face but her reply was lost in the yelp that followed to Kenshin placing a package of ice against her ankle. "That's cold!" Kaoru growled in annoyance. Even through the towel that he had draped over her ankle so as not to get burned by the ice, it was still freezing.

Kenshin smiled then. "It's supposed to be."

Rei nodded her head in agreement with Kenshin. "Ice. Cold!"

Kaoru snatched a pillow and fell back, the pillow covering her face. "Everyone is against me!"

~*~

After the food had been devoured Megumi had shown up and looked at Kaoru's ankle. She had informed Kenshin that she should stay off of it for the next 48 hours as much as possible and ice it three times a day for no more than fifteen minuets and to keep taking the Advil she had brought. Besides that and keeping the foot wrapped there was very little that could be done.

Misao chewed on the end on her braid thoughtfully as her fingertips flew across the keyboard of the lab top she had placed on her lap so that she and Kaoru could work on some of the files they had left lacking the last few days thanks to excitement.

Kaoru was currently sitting with her leg propped up and a series of papers falling around her and the couch. Both women where doing there best to ignore the curious stares of Megumi, Kenshin, and Aoshi.

Rei was sound asleep in Aoshi's arms and Misao was left to wonder what exactly seemed to not only be drawing herself in but Rei as well. There was something behind the ice façade and it was as enticing as it was mysterious.

Misao loved puzzles.

"I think that the last of the information we have collected." Kaoru said thoughtfully as she handed Misao a series of notes and documents to be plug into the computer. Misao nodded her agreement before adding the information into the correct files.

"What exactly do you two do?" Megumi's voice questioned smoothly and Kaoru had to wonder exactly how long they had wanted to ask that question.

"You mean besides getting in out of situations that are life threatening and hiding those who need to be hidden?" Misao questioned, her normal edge of playfulness entering into her voice.

"That's one of way of saying it." Kenshin agreed.

"We help out the other branch of our department by collecting data. Sou-chan is in charge of making sure the information we give him is given to Saito. But because we have continual contact with those who have the most information about the darker aspects of the Underworld we work as great information bases." Kaoru said with a shrug as she began replacing the scattered notes.

"Kaoru and I are super spies."  Misao said with a grin. "We also have contacts in just about every aspect of the Underworld. Which was why we where put in charge of finding Rei since we where the only two who had any chance of calling in favors enough to locate her."

Kaoru and Misao smiled as it had only taken one contact to find her, but there was no need for these people to know how many contacts or exactly who they had talked to.

Misao hit the save button and jumped up to help the immobile Kaoru gather papers. Placing the lab top on top of the box of files Misao headed into her room to place the information in the safe she had in there.

Misao looked at the clock and blanched. It was nearing midnight and she at least had to get to work tomorrow at eight sharp. She had already called Soujiro, much to Kaoru's annoyance, and told her what was up with her friend's ankle. 

"I think its time for me to turn in." Misao said softly to Kaoru. Turning to Aoshi she offered her him a smile. "She can sleep with me. Do you want to carry or shall I?"

Aoshi stood and motioned with his head for Misao to lead them to her room. The first thing Aoshi noticed was how soothing the colors of her room were. Decorated in a series of greens the room was dark enough to sooth his light sensitive eyes and bright enough to show Misao's personality.

Placing the little girl on the Queen sized bed he let his eyes scan and immediately noticed a towel on the floor next to what looked like some sort of doll collection.

Reaching down he picked the towel up and raised a questioning brow to Misao was turning around with a shirt that should have been small enough for the little girl to sleep in.

Misao beamed up at him. "It's my doll collection. I made them myself. Kaoru accuses me of having an unhealthy love for play dough and revenge."

Aoshi blinked. "Revenge?"

Misao's smile brightened. "These are all Kaoru and my ex-boyfriends."

Aoshi blinked and took a closer look and saw several play dough shaped dolls stuck with pins and several other painful looking objects. Aoshi looked back up at Misao in surprise but she calmly placed the towel back over them and then hummed as she moved to her closet.

Life with Misao was never boring.

Aoshi watched her as long as he dared, his soul and eyes drinking her in like had been all day, and slowly he slipped out of the door craving for a time when he could stay and brush her hair for her and watch her change her clothing. A day when she was his.

~*~

Kaoru woke up screaming.

It wasn't a normal and natural thing for her to hear Misao in the background, her own blood curdling screams echoing, and Kaoru was not used to having her door slammed open and a red haired man standing with blazing gold eyes as her screams where fading.

"Kaoru?" His voice was surprised and harsh.

Kaoru was to caught up in the fact that she had woken up screaming for the first time since she was a child to think of the fact that he was here, in her room, while she had only a moderately long t-shirt on, instead she was busy tossing the covers away from her from and attempting to stand.

Her bad foot catching the floor was enough to make her howl again but then she was caught in strong arms and lifted.

"Kaoru?" This time his eyes where back to violet and showed concern.

"Misao, I need to get to Misao!" Her hands where wrapped in the collar of his shirt her eyes wide and frantic. Her hair fell in a heavy curtain around her shoulders and even though part of him demanded that he just stay there and hold her, his feet where moving towards Misao's room before her sentence was finished.

Misao had Rei wrapped in her arms with Aoshi standing next to her, his expression clearly stating he wanted to hurt someone.

"Misao, did you see it to?" Kaoru's voice was frantic hedged with tears that she was attempting to hold back.

Misao raised wide tear filled eyes and nodded.

Rei looked up and said in a small voice, "He is coming. Isn't he?"

Kaoru buried her head in her hands and nodded.

It was one fire.

Frantically Kaoru grasped her Bokken and opened her door to attempt to find Yahiko. The smoke made it hard to see anything that was going on.

Which was why she thought she was alone till a Katana buried itself in her stomach. Kaoru looked up in surprise and agony and crumbled when it was pulled out.

"This is his fault." The words where honey coated and surprisingly gentle. "The Battousai fault for brining you into this and for not protecting you better, so hate him blue bird."

Bandaged fingers tilted her chin and Kaoru met eyes as red as coal. "Hate him as I do."

Kaoru didn't notice she had her head buried into his neck until she noticed his arms wrapped around her.  Shuddering in his arms she raised her eyes to Misao.

"Something very bad is on its way here."

Something wrapped in bandages and hate, something that wanted to destroy this amber eyed man with the darling little girl who was clinging to Misao, something that licked at her very soul.

And was coming closer.

Once again I am a stinker!

I would like to note that for sprains there is very little you can do. Four years of basketball had taught me that much! And it is possible for you toes to turn blue and most of your lower leg. And let me tell you it HURTS!

Kaoru, under the circumstances, is much braver than I was.

I would also like to note that I will explain who our mystery man in bandages, if you haven't figured it out, is. And how he is able to be there…..

The answers WILL come!

I hope you all enjoyed!