"…." Denotes talking

….. denotes thinking

*~* means a change of scenery (either temporal or local, I think which one of those will be clear) has taken place

Disclaimer: I do in no way own any rights, moral or others, to Rurouni Kenshin, its characters or plot. Characters other than the characters from Rurouni Kenshin bearing any resemblance to persons living or dead are purely coincidental. I do not intend to make any profits out of this story, it's written for entertainment purposes only and any attempt by persons natural or legal to make money from it in any way is not in accordance with this author's express wishes.

This chapter is, once again, dedicated to my cousin and beta reader, Néli. I can't imagine what you're going through at the moment, but we're with you every step of the way!

Chapter 15

Between the cold and empty walls

Shimajirou had not encountered any troubles on his trek through the forest- one thing to be grateful for. Also, he had found Seijurou's secret hiding place in pristine condition, in spite of its run-down and decrepit exterior the single, spacious room was quite inviting once one had gotten inside. Two cots- he wondered whether Seijurou had ever taken his student here- and a stove were the most essential and therefore only pieces of furniture, but the heavy woven rug on the floor and the large store of firewood along the back wall made up for that. In the middle of the chamber, a well-concealed trapdoor led down to the basement in which the Hiko family heirlooms were kept safe.

Depositing his unresponsive human burden on one of the cots Shimajirou unloaded the heavy bag he had been carrying and set about settling in. Seijurou was a rather thorough man, who didn't believe in abandoning creature comforts just because he had to be a sneak once in a while, thus the small stream behind the hideout came as no surprise to his brother, the aging ex-soldier. Ex-soldier- now there was a description of himself he had never thought he would use. In Shimajirou's world, loyalty went until death. The King had used him and his sentiments, far too long, far too extensively. He had abused the straight back his man had displayed all through his career, and he hadn't ever regretted it. Shimajirou had deserted him- he had, in some way, deserted himself, but the need to do that, the reason why, was him being human. Him showing compassion.

A moan coming from the parched throat of the young man he was caring for ruptured the bubble of thoughts he had encased himself in, and he hastily finished unpacking his supplies. Kenshin needed help, he was still burning up with a dangerously high fever, and some of his wounds had reopened during the trek. Shimajirou gently lifted his head up a little and brought the smooth, cool ceramic surface of the water jug he had found standing next to the door to the redhead's lips. Parched though as he was, Kenshin was unable to recognize what was happening to him and turned his face away. The right amount of force finally made him swallow, and his moans quieted down, much to the relief of Shimajirou. He had a lot of experience in caring for the wounded, but it was nonetheless distressing to see someone in pain and to be unable to do anything to help besides being there. It was even more disquieting since he had known his charge from when he was a small boy… memories of him clutching his arm, unshed tears in brilliant blue-violet eyes…

Shimajirou fell onto the second cot. He was bone-weary and tired, a tiredness not warranted by the short walk through the woods or the search for Battousai, it was more a tiredness of a soul that had taken too many blows to count and wanted to rest, to heal the bruises that marred its once clear and shining surface, just to be regenerated. An uneasy sleep settled over the old soldier, one eye open, one ear listening to the faraway sounds of the night that lay just behind the sturdy log doors of Seijurou's sanctuary, as he had come to call the little shack.

Early morning came with the song of a solitary blackbird. The sun had not yet risen, but the little songbird already celebrated the impending light with all its heart, jubilant and free. Shimajirou groggily raised himself from his cot, the stiffness of his joints and muscles reminding him of his age. The sounds of a pack of wolves hunting had been the only noteworthy occurrence that night, but being accustomed to the forest Shimajirou had paid it no heed. His feet found their way into his boots- rather sluggishly, to be honest, but they found it. His right hand raked through the shock of greenish-black hair on his head, untangling a few knots and straightening it where it had become tangled.

Eyeing the empty jug of water beside the door Shimajirou sighed. Time to get ready for the day… he knew he would be bored before long, with only the unresponsive Kenshin for company, but at the moment he would much prefer boredom to the prospect of heading outside into the rather cold morning air and getting water for them to drink. Couldn't the water just… come flowing into the door? Now that would be something! Running water inside a house.

But it wasn't to be. Even after three minutes of waiting the little stream showed no sign of abandoning its happily gurgling course behind the shack, and with a resigned look on his lined face Hiko Shimajirou got up and grabbed the earthenware jug.

A small sound alerted him to something being not right outside. A sound like an animal scratching on the door- and quite a big animal at that. A wolf? Or even a bear? The rustling of leaves spoke of a being that could not disguise its movements too well, so more likely a bear than a wolf. Wolves moved silently, like shadows… For the umpteenth time Shimajirou wished he had Seijurou's senses. Being able to sense ki energy, Seijurou would have found out whatever it was that was outside within a second of hearing it move, or even earlier.

But Shimajirou had no such senses at his dispense, so the only action left to him was to grab his uncle's sword in its honey-colored scabbard from where it had rested against the wall and meet the danger- he somehow automatically assumed the thing outside meant danger- head on.

Flinging the door open with a bang, Shimajirou was ready to strike against a beast with a single flying leap, the powerful muscles of his legs bunching already as he was aiming to fly high and hammer down on his opponent from below. It was therefore only with a supreme effort that he controlled his body into staying on the ground when he saw the small, distinctly human figure of a young girl, clothed in the shreds of what had once been beautiful garments. Her arm was stretched towards the shack, her hair, long and shiningly black, hid her face from view, and the number of small cuts and bruises on her body spoke of the rough night she must have had.

Shimajirou didn't even think before he had grabbed her and carried her inside, slamming the door shut behind him. He set her down on what had been his cot until morning, arranging the rugs she was wearing to give her at least a little semblance of modesty and went to get the water, tiredness and aching joints forgotten. He didn't know where she came from, didn't care, all he knew was that she had to have lived through unspeakable horrors that night. He surmised that she had been the prey of the wolves he had heard hunting, and that she had been in a battle, for some of the cuts that adorned her arms, legs and torso were too clean, too sharp to have been made by whipping tree branches and thorn thickets.

But a girl of her age normally wasn't engaged in fights or battles, and a girl of her age didn't usually have the muscles that only years of training how to fight brought with them. She was not what she seemed to be at first glance, and even though her stature was deceptively fragile Shimajirou would bet his life on the fact that she held the same kind of inner strength Kenshin called his own. She was… unique. He would certainly enjoy getting to know her…

Taking care of the wounded was almost second instinct to the ex-soldier by now, and with quick and sure movements of his hands the girl's wounds were dressed and she was sleeping clean and peacefully next to a still feverish Kenshin. Now there was someone who made Shimajirou worry- the young man called out in his unconscious state, and the fine lines of his face were etched deeply with the agony he was in. He was not getting any better from what Shimajirou could see, but at least he was clinging to his life with a stubbornness that befitted all the tales told about him. He would not die. Not now, not yet, not when so many things still needed to be done. Shimajirou sighed and settled down in front of the fire. He would wait until his charges regained consciousness, and perhaps he could catch another wink of sleep until then…

*~*

"Aoshi?" The brown eyes blinked with confusion, until understanding suddenly lit the classically elegant face they were set in like a candle in the darkest night. "I understand- Aoshi is the young man who brought you out of the castle? Shinomori's given name is Aoshi… well, I think he is alright, though I haven't checked up on him in the last three hours. He only suffered minor lacerations and flesh wounds, but he was exhausted and on the verge of collapse by the time I found you two.

"I have taken care of him, and he is resting and recovering. You were severely exhausted as well, and have only now woken. You were unconscious throughout the night, and for some time Shinomori and I feared you had inhaled too much smoke as your breathing became extremely shallow. I trust you are feeling better now?"

Misao raised one eyebrow. Her recollection of the past day wasn't the best yet, but this woman triggered some memory, about laughing and eating and talking about Aoshi….

"Are you the medicine woman?" Whether it was the voice or the eyes that made her make the association Misao didn't know, but the feeling of familiarity with this woman was affirmed when she nodded, a small smile gracing the corners of her lips.

"Indeed I am, but since I just lost my home and title it might be more convenient for you to call me Megumi. That is my given name."

"But you're young!" Misao exclaimed, looking her savior up and down.

"I know, which is why I preferred that nobody see my face when I worked for the King. I had to deal with enough accusations of practicing witchcraft as it was, without having the added bonus of eternal youth…" she trailed off, reminding herself not to be too sarcastic.

"Anyways, if you are feeling better, princess, I can show you your Aoshi- you were frantic when you woke up. It might do you good to see him sleep, and your wounds aren't deep."

"Really? I can see Aoshi?" Misao was almost bouncing from her bed with excitement, and for the first time since awakening took in her surroundings. Quaint, roughly hewn wooden walls, hastily erected partitions- this was some sort of emergency shelter for those injured in the attack on Dunkelland Castle.

"What is going on? What happened at the castle? I remember throwing my last kunai into some of these villagers, but they wouldn't be stopped and set fire to the room I had hidden in. My eyes burned and I couldn't breathe, and then I dreamed that Aoshi came and carried me out of there…" her face shone with happiness at that thought. It was strange to watch the arrogant, confident Amazon princess transform into the young, infatuated girl she was within the blink of an eye. Megumi smiled, the wisdom of her years of leading a hard life giving her the advantage and detachment she needed to deal with her overly excited patient.

"He did, at least the captain of the Palace Guard stumbled in here with you in his arms. He told me how he knew about this place, that the chief investigator had set this up in case there ever was an emergency, and then he collapsed, asking me to take care of you before falling unconscious. He awoke soon after I had treated his wounds and explained to me how the castle had been taken, since I had run as soon as I saw the villagers approaching as were my instructions from Saito. I was to be here before everyone else… I didn't know the attack was that bad."

"Is Aoshi…?" Misao blushed, realizing just how much she disregarded the rules of her upbringing in worrying about a man like she did.

"Sleeping? I already told you he is," Megumi replied knowingly, a twinkle in her cinnamon eyes.

"Then take me to him now," the young woman insisted, her upbringing and natural leadership abilities giving no room to Megumi for contesting the demand in her voice.

"I will," the medicine woman acknowledged, silently nodding her appraisal of Misao's strength. She was strange, she was brought up so different from herself, but inside, she resembled herself more than the young princess would ever know. It was the same kind of power that kept the two of them going, the same kind of strength of character that would never relent.

"Stand up slowly- you have a light concussion," she said, waiting for Misao to sway to her feet and slowly move around her bed. "Now follow me."

*~*

Kenshin felt weak. His head felt frail, his limbs felt weak. He felt as if he were paralysed from the neck down. He was lying in a bed. He didn't know where, or how he had gotten there. The last time he remembered, he had been in Hiko's house, and then he had met that strange young boy with the mesmerizing violet eyes…

Groaning, he opened his own shining amber orbs to the world, squinting against the dim light that was still too bright for him to properly see. Everything was a blur, and he was grateful for the numb feeling to most of his body. Apart from his head, which certainly had little men running around inside while poking at his poor brain with white-hot pokers he wasn't able to feel any pain.

He was facing the middle of the room, barely able to see the other wall across the second bed that was occupied by a lump taking up most of his vision.

"Where am I?" he meant to ask, but only mustered a weak moan as his lips refused to part around the words and his tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth.

"Drink," a friendly, if a little gruff, voice ordered him, pressing the cool rim of a ceramic cup against his parched and cracked lips. He shuddered feeling the cold, and became aware of the needles that were being stuck into every single inch of his skin. He moaned softly again, his defences against the pain weakened by the fever and the helpless, weak feeling.

"You have to drink the water, Kenshin." Again, the cold assaulted him and this time he was too weak to resist, feeling icy water trickle into his mouth and down his throat, bringing the realization that this actually felt good after the initial discomfort had passed.

"Who?" he croaked, grateful that his vocal cords allowed him this one word. His head was spinning; he felt as though he was upside down and could hardly concentrate on hearing the answer. He didn't even know whether he had asked the man who took care of him who he was or the human-sized lump at his side. Something about that lump was familiar… he felt as though he had seen that before.

"I am Hiko Shimajirou, your master's brother. Seijurou sent you and me to safety. And if you meant our guest, she's a girl I found outside our doorstep this morning. She was hunted by wolves and has been in a battle and…" Shimajirou stopped talking when he saw Kenshin narrow his eyes. He was staring at the girl next to him. His fever-flushed cheeks paled with the strain he was putting on himself, and Shimajirou started to get worried.

As the redhead focused through the haze of his cooking brain and body, he realized there was something familiar about that lump over there, especially as it emitted a low groan and turned to face him, opening incredible, night-sky blue eyes. There was only one person in the whole Kingdom with that particular eye color…

"Kamiya!" he exclaimed, paying for overtaxing his body when a coughing fit threw him back into unconsciousness by reminding him of his wounds.

"What did he mean, Kamiya?" Shimajirou wondered, carefully settling Kenshin's head down on the bed. He had held him through his fit, trying to calm him through his presence but the young pupil of his brother's was simply too weak to endure the strain.

"My name is Kamiya. I am your King and liege, and I demand an explanation, a proper meal and clothes, my subject," the girl intoned, sitting up on the bed and holding herself regally upright.

Suddenly, she stared down at herself in horror and started to shriek, the high-pitched sound almost loud enough to rupture Shimajirou's eardrums. He didn't have any idea what might have started this outbreak of insanity, but he threw her a huge cloak Seijurou had left behind, assuming she had seen some horrors in that battle he didn't want to know about and had just been reminded of them in her nearly naked state. His instincts had been right- the shrieking stopped.

"Now where is my meal? Kamiya demands you serve your King, peasant! And who is this?" Her gaze fell onto Kenshin's unconscious form.

Shimajirou could honestly say he hadn't ever been that baffled before. He didn't know what to answer, or which question to answer first. After all, it was not every day that an insane girl stumbled into your life. A girl who thought she was the King. Helplessly, he shrugged, shrinking under the irate and expectant blue glare. Where was Seijurou when you needed him?

*~*

The young boy had never, in all his life, been as afraid as when he had lain in the rubble that had once been the furniture of a chamber in the castle. His back was throbbing where he had been hit with a scythe, and he felt his shirt sticking to the wound. Yet he didn't dare move a muscle, he had seen what the villagers and especially these specially trained men the three leaders of the movement had done to those that were still alive. Trying not to breathe, trying to seem dead, the boy lay there helplessly, watching as the tall, pony-tailed leader came to confront the mysterious, cloaked and hooded one that was shrouded in mystery, standing right in front of him.

His boots were dangerously close to stepping on one of the boy's arms, and he fervently prayed that would not happen. Bruised and beaten as he felt, he knew he would not be able to hide his being alive if he was stepped on.

Thankfully, some higher force seemed to hear his prayer since the man took a step forward, towards the cloaked and hooded leader. The boy was very confused as to who this might be. He had been working in the kitchen when the attack had begun, and because he prided himself on being brave and because he had wanted to impress that one girl that worked alongside him he had joined the fight, slashing at anything that looked like an enemy with the knife he had pulled out of the butcher's block. He had only stopped when he had been struck with the scythe and had fallen off the wall, blacking out and awakening only to the voices of three men shouting orders. That had been the first time he had seen the leaders of the attack- he had been sure they were the leaders because their orders were obeyed unquestioningly.

One of them he knew- it was the one who was standing in front of the mystery man right now. He had lived in the castle before the attack, and he had been quite high in rank. He had had to bow all the way down for this man.

"Shishio, what is it?" Shishio- that was ponytail's name, the boy clearly remembered, clenching his teeth to keep from hissing as the wind tugged at his shirt.

"I have come to fulfill my destiny," Shishio snarled, a sword in his hand, a weapon still dripping with the blood of its victims.

"Fulfill your destiny? But Dunkelland is already taken, my dear Minister of the Interior and closest advisor to the future King. The castle is in shambles, the King has been seen fleeing by my own son… he isn't dead yet, I want him to suffer like I have… and you have reached your goal as well haven't you?" Mystery man cackled underneath his hood.

"No. I will have reached it once you and your son are dead!"

The boy involuntarily gasped as the blood-dripping blade of Shishio's sword arched towards mystery man's neck. He gasped again when the ringing of steel on steel hindered Shishio from reaching his target.

"Don't you dare hurt my father!" The third leader had arrived, flinging his blade to intercept Shishio's, snarling like a wild beast as he leaped at the traitorous, irate advisor to the dead minister of the interior, Hiruma Gohei. His eerie, white hair was wildly dancing around his face, his exposed teeth gleaming in the sunlight. His blade locked with that of Shishio, he reached out with his free left hand and wrapped it around the traitor's neck so fast that the boy never saw him move.

"Enishi, stop. I am sure our friend didn't mean this. The excitement of winning the battle has gotten to him. Let him go." The third leader finally threw his hood back, revealing a shock of white hair over the ravaged, lined face of an old man who stared at his son out of a pair of deep-set, beady black eyes that held an insane glint to their immeasurable depths.

"Lord Yukishiro… you are right, of course, and I beg your forgiveness." Shishio fell to his knees, groveling in the dirt at the third leader's feet.

"You should really call me Oibore if we are to work together as closely as we decided to… now, now, Enishi, please remove your sword from Shishio's neck- we need that head of his still." The third leader- Yukishiro Oibore- was definitely insane, the boy concluded after watching the exaggerated movements of his hands that accompanied his overly pronounced words.

"As you wish, father," Enishi conceded, snarling at Shishio for good measure before sheathing his weapon. Fascinated, the young boy watched it slide into the intricately designed scabbard Enishi had slung across his back. He had never before seen such a weapon, a broader sword than Dunkelland's katana, looking heavier yet having the same dexterity, as ad been proven when Enishi had whipped his weapon around to intercept Shishio's strike.

"Well, my son, my friend, it's time to claim our prize. Dunkelland is ours to rule, finally, as it should have been from the beginning. Come. Follow me!"

The boy watched with wide eyes as the three set off, trying to discern whether or not his ears had played a trick on his mind as he thought he had heard that weird Oibore man sing his last words over and over again while striding up to the castle.

Shaking off his stupor he decided that was, in fact, irrelevant. The castle was taken, and the army was gone. Someone had to tell Saito. And since he didn't see any other survivors nearby, he would be the hero who would fulfill this task.

Gritting his teeth against the pain in his back, the young boy stumbled to his feet and into the direction of Dunkelwald, right where he had seen the army go off to.

*~*

Hiko Seijurou was enjoying what turned out to be a rather pleasant and amusing day in spite of the two soldiers stationed outside his house. From time to time, the serene calmness of his wood home was disturbed by an angry shout from the younger, spiky-haired watchman, but apart from that… well, to be honest, he was always waiting for a shout of the younger, spiky-haired watchman. It wasn't every day, after all, that he got the live performance of two court jesters right in front of him.

Sipping on his precious saké, which was just the right temperature inside the delicate cup, he took to watching the two men's antics once more, as he had the entire morning. Spiky-hairs- also known as Sagara Sanosuke or Sa-ha-no-chan!- was leaning as far away from his companion as possible without leaving his post.

"I. Don't. Love. You." He hissed quietly, reddening in embarrassment, sounding to all the world and Seijurou especially like a broken record repeating the same line over and over.

"But Sa-ha-no-chan…" the other man- Yano-the-moron- whined.

"Leave. Me. Alone." Sano's voice got that dangerous rumble. Seijurou grinned devilishly from where he watched them. The last time Yano had persisted after getting Sano's warning Seijurou had gotten to see a most amusing chase all over the clearing around his house, ending with Yano being thrown into the little stream to the back.

"But Sa-ha-no-chan, I thought you were over your love for Kamiya!" Yano shimmied closer to his taller companion.

Sano was fed up. Saito must have been blind to assign this partner, and apart from that worrying about Kenshin made him even more physically sick than Yano did. Enough was enough. This charade had to end here and now.

"You know, I'm not gay!" he roared, and before Yano could even blink twice he found himself out cold on the ground after having been on he receiving end of Sano's mighty left hook. "Idiot," Sano spat, sucking on the torn skin of his knuckles.

Yano didn't answer- there was no reaction whatsoever from him but a rapid coloring of his jaw where Sano's fist had found its mark. Restraining himself, Sano refrained from spitting on the limp body of his downed opponent and made his way over to where Seijurou sat. One of the swordmaster's eyebrows was raised to his hairline in amusement, yet his sharp eyes watched the approaching young man warily.

"Diplomacy is not among your virtues," Hiko Seijurou stated dryly.

"He was an idiot," Sano retorted, eyes flashing and fists clenched tightly at his side.

"I suggest you don't try a repeat performance with me," Seijurou said, taking in Sanosuke's battle-ready stance, "the outcome would be different."

"I don't want to hit you- I want to know where Akai- Battousai- is!" he ground out, annoyed by Hiko Seijurou's irritatingly superior and calm demeanor.

"You have already searched this house." Seijurou sipped on his saké.

"But you know where he is and he's my friend!" Sano shouted hoarsely, stressed out from a long night, the worry, and Yano's company.

"He's your friend? Does he even know your name?" Seijurou was slightly intrigued by this man. Not only did he possess an above-average amount of strength, his ki also shone with fierce loyalty and genuine worry- unfortunately, even the haragei senses of Hiko Seijurou were unable to determine the subject of these feelings.

"He does. And he called me his friend as well. I helped him escape- you didn't honestly think he could break out of iron chains and run from Dunkelland Castle on his own as badly injured as he was- is?" Sano challenged.

"They do say he is a demon." Hiko watched his young visitor- when had he come to think of that soldier as a visitor?- closely.

"That's rubbish and you know it is. He's as human as I am- if someone's a demon it's you, 'cause I've never seen anyone deal with Saito the way and speed you did. But Akai- Battousai- moves similar to you, so you have to know him."

"I don't have to know anything- I simply know a lot of things. You seem very observant." Seijurou started to enjoy the conversation.

"This is not about me! This is about my friend!" Sano shouted, his fists slowly inching into attack position at the height of his chest.

"You are even ready to strike at me after what you have witnessed for the sake of your friend? You can't have known him that long!"

"I don't. But he's still my friend and has my loyalty, and I need to know what happened to him! He was… he was one step away from death's door when Megumi- the medicine woman- and I came down into the dungeons, and the Chain Master…" Sano shuddered at the memory of that vile creature, "the Chain Master said he wasn't finished with him yet, that he had yet to scream. And he… " he couldn't go on.

Hiko Seijurou carefully took another sip of saké. From what he had perceived of this man he was honest to a fault, protective, loyal, strong and hot-tempered. He would not lie.

"What are you going to do with this one?" he jerked his head into Yano's direction.

"Leave him in the wood!" Sano spat, disgust evident in his face, stance and voice.

"Tie him up and put him in my wood storage shed." Seijurou ordered, reaching behind his back and throwing Sano a length of rope, "then follow me. I will take you to my baka deshi."

"To your… are you Akai's master?" Sano's eyes widened. No wonder that man could defeat Saito!

"You really must've known him for a very short time. His name is Kenshin." Seijurou finished his cup of saké and carefully placed the small, fragile porcelain bowl on the low table in the middle of his front room.

"Kenshin? Well, I guess he couldn't tell me…"

"Follow me." Seijurou ordered, his mantle billowing dramatically around his impressive figure as he stalked out of the house and into the woods.

"Follow?" Sano did so.

Hiko Seijurou's house in the woods was deserted once more- well, apart from the muffled groans coming from the wood storage shed. Between the cold and empty walls, silence reigned.

… to be continued …

I am posting this chapter betaed only by Ryan and myself. Néli is in hospital for the next round of treatment…I hope she lives through it and that it helps! Sorry for any weird grammar and horrible spelling mistakes- neither Ry nor I have any definite knowledge of grammar and we don't know a single style of English either, so please don't be too hard on us! Néli is usually the patient one who forms my motley English into something recognizable as a language…

*grins* Now comes my favorite part! Yuppieh!

Reviewer's corner

Ben: Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter too even though it was a transit one!

ChiisaiLammy: Don't worry, Enishi and Kaoru will fight... I just thought it was rather probable that an exhausted and already weary Kaoru would lose quickly to Enishi... anyways, they will fight again, later! Thanks for everything!

Felina: Hope you're feeling better soon! I hate being sick, so I send you my most powerful Get-Well-Writing in these words!

allin656: Ummm... I haven't divided all of my storyline into chapters yet, but I guess there will be around thirty chapters. I hope so, at least, but when my twin and Néli start interfering there might be more^.^

Dove of Night: Ummm... let's see, I broke my ankle, overstrained both my wrists in piano practice, got a slash in my arm, had a bad case of the flu.... that's what I remember off the top of my head. If you're talking all my life, however, I have broken at least one bone in every part of my body (yup, I'm a bit accident-prone and it doesn't help that I take stupid dares such as jumping down from a sixteen-foot-high tree branch [I was only ten, then, though]). *grins* Hope you are better soon!!!

missaw: keep your hyperness, it gives me energy! *plays the energy leech* Anyways, here's the update!

Natsuko: I think we can agree on one thing: school work is EVIL! Néli says thanks for all your encouragment, and she tries to keep her spirits high. It's especially hard for her because of her eidetic abilities and because she has metastases already, but she's still trying to stay strong and your support means a lot to her. Ry is his usual cynic self and says you should try pulling your assignments off the internet- it works for him ^_^ No really bad cliffhanger this time, or is it? *grins* Thanks sooo much!!!

dinkydaelf: Aoshi is not dead! I would never kill him *gasps in horror* ! Unfortunately, Ryan is just about as stubborn as I am, meaning he would demand food every five minutes and refuse reading- it would rob him of his favorite ammunition for teasing his sister!

EEevee: Hope nobody threw you out the window yet! It was a close shave with Ry for me (he already had the gag in hand), but he didn't go through with it (I shut up). *grins* Misao is not your average Amazon- but I thought that, in a medieval setting, a free spirit such as her would break under the rules and restraints placed ont he average woman and have thus made her extraordinary- but I can understand that it's weird for you (it's weird for me, too!). yup, Kamiya certainly needs to work on her people skills... Hiko vs. Saito is one of my fav musings, too!

Lady Katia: Ummm... thanks for liking my story so much that you reviewed for EVERY chapter! I did my best to get this out- had a fencing tournament this weekend, though, and could only check my mail on Monday, and then Néli already was in hospital. thus, this is a little late- hope you forgive me and will still read RtK!

Kairi7: Thank you! I usually update once a week, but with the past two chapters I was a little faster... Hope you enjoyed this one!

the sacred night: You were absolutely right in your assumptions *grins*! I think it's time to get that little romance thing underway... and I think I will have fun with Kamiya and Kenshin both sick and in the same room and torturing poor Shimajirou!

monique: Woman... well, she will get to know her true gender soon, but the 'changing' will not happen overnight. SHE will take her time to emerge from HIM.... and I plan on having fun meanwhile!

Jessikitty: Umm, yes, my grammar... sorry? *feeble excuse about not having been able to learn just ONE type of English inserted here* That period was supposed to be an ellipse (...), but didn't come out that way *thinks it has something to do with her HTML*. I use FrontPage as an editor (yes, I'm lazy!), but still it sometimes doesn't do what I want it to. Hope you're not too stressed- I am experiencing a bit of a lull at the moment, to be honest. Not that that's bad, I have a test on Thursday after all, but... well, once you're used to it you even MISS stress!

The-Lone-Lemon: Meeting underway, update's here! Cya!!!

Next chapter: Force and impulse. One of my favorites so far… and yes, it's THE chapter. Kaoru talks to Battousai! Sano, Seijurou and Yahiko! Saito finds Aoshi, Misao and Megumi and suspects something about Misao's parentage! Oibore, Enishi and Shishio establish their reign!

I won't set any definite date on when the next chapter will be out- I have a huge biology exam on Thursday and Néli isn't feeling too well, either. So, look for it next week! Until then!

Cya!!!

Chi