Author's note: LA!!! See… I'm back and updating… I just KNOW I've lost fans, but too bad cuz they'll miss a GREAT ending which should be the next chapter or the one after.

"Kenshin!!" Kaoru saw Kenshin laying on the ground, blood pouring from a not so deep wound on his right side, but obviously Shishio had decided the fight had been over since Kenshin's weapon lay several feet away from him and several guards had their weapons pointed at him.

"My beautiful Kaoru…" Shishio broke her stare on the Rurouni. "What has happened to your beautiful locks?" His bandaged fingers bent to grasp the hair far too short to hold in her ribbons for long. The ribbon finally slipped right into his hands and her hair sat just beneath her chin. Upon realizing this Kaoru turned a murderous gaze at Yumi, who was being restrained by several guards.

"I'm going to kill you." Her hand trembled with her slightly damaged manicured fingernails itching to tear into flesh.

With and angry growl she turned to charge at the restrained female. The enraged princess had been slightly faster than anticipated since she tackled the female in black, knocking her right out of the guards' hands. When they turned to look they saw Kaoru with her hands at the woman's throat strangling her.

"I'm going to kill you, for trying to kill me and Sano…" Her grip tightened as Megumi took a side glance at her fiancé who was starting to slowly come to. "I'm going to kill you for destroying part of my palace, and I'm going to kill you for trying to separate me from the ones I love!" Each word enunciated was a smack of the back of Yumi's head against the stone underneath them. With a shocked stare of what she had been doing Kaoru quickly eased up allowing Yumi the chance to turn around and smack her fist right against Kaoru's temple making the female fall to the side.

"How can you kill me when it is you who will be dead for taking my beloved's heart away from me?" Yumi in turn had gripped the back of the princess' hair and smashed her face first against the stone beneath her. In an instant the guards once again had control of the red head.

Kaoru sat up feeling a warm fluid running over her lips. She brought her fingers up to touch it and stared at the crimson that clung to the flesh of her hands. The blow had caused her nose to bleed; it could be broken, at the moment that was of little importance. A faint gasp barely registered in her mind.

"Shi…shi….o… Why?" Yumi's voice made Kaoru turn her attention to the woman with a blade protruding out of her stomach while Shishio's chin rested on her shoulder.

"You tried to kill my bride? That sort of thing must be punished for…" He simply said removing his blade and she fell to the floor clutching the wound in awe as blood spilled from it and onto the floor. Several guards snickered and backed away from the female. Kaoru stood up and walked towards the body of the one she had just recently tried to kill.

"Shishio… I love you…" She whispered as Kaoru smiled a weak smile. Even after it was by his hand he had slain her she still declared her love for him.

"I didn't want his heart." She whispered. "I'm sure he loved you as well, and I'm no more than a pawn for power."

"You're kind…" Yumi whispered as her eyes slowly slid shut. Kaoru grasped the woman's hand blinking back tears.

What had just happened? One second she was ready to kill the woman over her hair and now the woman was dying and she pitied her… No. She could relate to her. If he were to take his blade to her stealing her life she too would use her last breaths to declare her love. Her feelings for that man ran just as deep as Yumi's love for Shishio, even if he were a deranged maniac bent on power.

"How could you just kill her…?" The strange combination of anger and a calm restraint on that fury from the red haired warrior sounded loud and clear. "She loved you, and you just killed her." Kenshin continued speaking as he rose from the ground as if the wound in his side were nonexistent. Before anyone could move he had ran off to grasp his weapon that hadn't been moved since it left his grasp.

"How could you feel pity for that wench? She was nothing more than a common wench looking for her share of wealth. Not that it matters since there always will be other women at my disposal." Shishio turned to Kenshin, preparing himself for round two of the battle.

Sorry for the shortness, but I wanted to get something out before I get swamped all over again with college papers… -- more will be out again soon… I hope.