Ello Readers! I'm feeling bad leaving you all off on such a rough chapter. Things are starting to get serious now. Unfortunately, this chapter is a bit of a shorty. This chapter is a bit lighter but word heavy. I fear I may have gone a bit overboard. But I hope you enjoy!

Even after spending so much time in the foundries, Misao still involuntary winced every time Aoshi's hammer struck the glowing red metal. She sat far enough away to avoid the occasionally white hot spark of molten slag that few off in random directions, but close enough to see Aoshi work. Around her, the sound of hammers on metal droned on as the other men worked hard to fill the number of weapons needed. But only Aoshi's hammer rang like a clear bell. He was shirtless like he always was when working. His muscles bunched and stretched as he moved. He was shiny with sweat and marred with the shadows of dark soot marks. There were a few other marks on his body that was not battle scars or smears of soot.

Misao flashed a cheeky grin before fighting it back. The other marks on Aoshi were caused by none other than herself. With her nails, and teeth and mouth. She wore similar marks herself. Unfortunately, they were in places too private for her to show off, but Aoshi wore his without shame. In fact, he hardly had his eyes off his work, regardless of the long curious looks his fellows were giving them. The only time his eyes left his work was the glance up at her. Each smoldering look nearly caused her to swoon like a delicate damsel. It made her feel as red hot as the ovens and wet from something other than sweat. She pulled on her kimono. It was already tugged lose and this last yank caused one shoulder to become exposed. Aoshi gave her a sidelong look as he stalked over to a water barrel and plunged the glowing metal into the clear magical water.

"It's too hot in here for a little Water fae." He murmured. He tried to sound disgruntled or even annoyed but Misao heard nothing but bedroom talk. She nodded, not really hearing him, instead, she watched how the steam rose up from the barrel and collected on the skin of his chest to bead up and drip down over the dips and hills of his chest and tight belly. She only had him once. In the forest still dressed like a randy youth who couldn't wait. She had to have him again, this time, slowly, with all those clothes removed. She would learn every dip and valley of his body, with her fingertips and tongue-.

"That one looks at you any hotter, this whole place is going to go up in flames." A worker grinned at Aoshi as he plunged a long glowing sword into the same barrel. He was slightly shorter than Aoshi but had a chest and belly like a giant tree trunk. Though his muscles were not as well defined as Aoshi's they were just as large, just hidden under a soft layer of fat. That paired with a bush red-brown beard gave him the look of a teddy bear. A slightly scary looking teddy bear.

Aoshi ignored Misao as he turned back to his work. "Little princesses don't belong down here." was all he muttered.

The man gave Misao a glance and winked at her. He was teasing them, she realized. She gave him a grin in return. The blacksmith nodded his head at her respectfully, still smiling and turned back to his work. There were mixed reactions to their growing relationship. Misao had learned that it was nearly divided in half. Half seemed to happy, or at least not care about Aoshi's relationship with her. The others were on the negative side. Her fellow Water people had nothing but smiles, and knowing looks. They were glad she finally took to someone. Only here, deep in the heat of the forges did she notice the negative.

Perhaps it was the Fire's who were a little too pious. They took their religious vows seriously and didn't like that their acting Lady of the Keep was in relations outside of marriage. Perhaps some just didn't like that one of their own shacked up with the Boss Lady or simply because she was a Water. Misao was sure it was a mix of reasons and she didn't really care. No one dared say anything to her about it. At least not with Aoshi standing next to her. A second smith walked over to the water barrel and plunged a spear head into the water. He glanced at Misao and Aoshi and chuckled.

That had been most of the reactions she had seen. Seems most of the smiths liked that their stoic, tightly wound lead finally loosened up a bit. The ones in the back, however. Misao glanced around the form of the retreating smith to see some glaring hot daggers at them. They turned away once they realized they were being watched, but Misao could feel the tension starting to grow in that side of the work space. Perhaps Aoshi was right, it wasn't safe for her here.

She pulled her kimono around her tightly, despite the heat and turned back to the man before her. Again, each hammer blow made her blink and sent her ears ringing. But she enjoyed it all the same. She wasn't going to let a few stuck up, Fire's get to her.

… . . …

Aoshi set aside the thin, short sliver of metal and took up a second small ingot and shoved it into the forge. He stepped on the wooden paddle attached to the large bellows and watched as the air blew the forge into a glowing orange cavity. The slip of metal turned red and then orange and then quickly into white. He removed it just as it started to turn soft. With hammer in hand, he beat at the ingot and then returned it into the fire.

It was a job he had done for years. It was his element. He knew just when the metal was perfect for shaping, he knew when it was losing its structure, and just how long to plunge it into the water to build it back again. Holding a half-formed weapon in his hand was all he needed to tell if it was forged true and strong or if it had a defect that would lead it to break in battle. Half the men there were of the Metal type. Born between the Fire and Earth elements, they were strong, long lived and held a deep passion for both warfare and love making. He had been raised around Fire's and never really spent much time looking into the Earth side and all their traits.

It was one of these traits that Aoshi cursed at the moment. His entire focus needed to be on his work. But instead, it was on the little slip of a female sitting behind him, just out of his sight. He could feel her eyes on every inch of his body. It was almost as if he could feel where her eyes were roaming. It gave him the strange urge to struck like a cock in front of his hens. He felt her eyes on his back and he gritted his teeth to ignore the way his muscles twitched, flexing for her view. He glanced up at his fellows. Most of the other Metal fae could hardly contain their amusement at his plight. But near the back, a group of Fire smiths had gathered to work and he could only see contempt in their faces. Misao was their Lady and head of the Keep for the time. She was unmarried and now, in their eyes, soiled.

Aoshi huffed and folded the hot metal over on itself over and over and over many time over again. He was sure the girl would grow bored with the constant noise. The heat if anything should have driven her away. But no, she sat, just as captivated now as she did those few years ago when they first arrived. He could smell the sweat as it gathered on her skin. Yet another distraction. Not just for him now, but the other Metal fae. Their Earth tendencies honed in on that scent and he knew what was going through their minds. It was the very same thoughts going through his. Finally, he was done, three small bits of pointed metal cooled slowly as he set his tools away.

"Out with you." He grunted, in Misao direction.

"Already?" She whined.

"It's been hours. You need water and I need food." He growled out. He threw on a tunic and grabbed her by the upper arm and pulled her out of her seat. A thin wisp of steam rose up from where their skin touched. He ignored her weak protests as they left the forges. She let him pull her through the stone tunnels back to the cooler part of the Keep. Her slippered feet padded quickly beside his thundering boots.

"What did you make? I couldn't figure it out." She chirped.

She should be angry that he was hauling her around like this. But she gladly allowed him, which only added fuel to the fire burning in his veins. The hall was deserted because everyone was enjoying their mid-day meal or out in the warm pleasant weather. A little alcove created by a massive stone pillar was too much of an invitation for him to ignore. He yanked the girl in front of him, causing her to yelp in surprise and he picked her up and pinned her to the dark corner of the alcove. She was already waiting for his lips when they covered hers. Her hands dove into his sweat damp hair and already small sounds escaped from the back of her throat. All this tipped him right off the edge.

For hours she had been tormenting him with her eyes, her questions. The small glimpses of skin she gave him only made him want to rip the clothes off her body. His work-rough hands yanked on her green silk kimono and her neck, shoulders, and breasts became marked with soot from his fingers. She didn't care, her legs were wrapped around his hips and she kissed him as passionately as he kissed her.

There was a noise. Aoshi froze, Misao froze and the pair turned slightly to glance out into the hall. There, a Water guard meandered by. He gave them a glance. Noticed his Lady and gave them a ghost of a smile before wandering off, never breaking step.

"Perhaps we should refrain from doing this here," Aoshi said as he pulled away from the wall, letting Misao slip down to her feet.

Misao growled in protest. "No one here cares." She argued as he quickly untangled himself from her grip. He tried to pull her kimono back into form but only succeed in covering it in soot. She batted at his hands. Her blows like soft butterfly wings. "No Water cares about what we do in the shadows."

Aoshi knew this. He had stumbled upon many of the guards in the dark corners with the maids, handmaidens, cooks and even nurses from the other side of the Keep. They didn't seem to care that they were being watched, and Aoshi didn't make a fuss of it. The men, even in the throws of their passion still noticed him before he noticed them. They did nothing, save to distract their partner from realizing they had been seen. They were healthy, strong men and women for it. Like the Earth fae. As long as it didn't impede their guard duty, he didn't mind.

Perhaps it was the Fire in his blood that didn't like the idea of such an intimate thing happening in public. Maybe he was selfish and didn't want an inch of Misao's flesh to be exposed to other men. Or perhaps he was just shy. Whatever it was, it took control of his raging hormones and he pulled himself away from the dark shadow of the pillar and yanked Misao back to his side. First, he needed to get water for the girl. He would think about his own needs later.

… . . …

The time at the Water Kingdom had been too short for Kaoru's liking. She knew they had to get started with the longest and hardest part of the trip but she found it impossible to tear herself away from the sea and the embrace of the Goddess.

But she had to. Their last night was spent in the great hall painted with sea life and bright corals. Even in the dancing light of candles and lanterns, the paintings seemed bright and alive. They had a great feast in their honor by the King. Kaoru and Kenshin sat in awe at the spread of food the sea had to offer. Great fish poached in milk and olive oil. Piles of shelled clams and muscles. Crabs of all sizes with their shells cracked and their sweet meat served with melted butter and herbs. Great beds of salted kelp upon which sat cuts of a giant tuna. It's red, raw meat tender and of a delicate flavor. Rice rolled around bright clusters of fish eggs. There were fruits piled high in plates set about the table. Sweet golden pineapple, banana, figs, sea grapes, star fruit, Breadfruit, and many others.

Good, hard spirits made from soursop and mango flowed with abandon. Kaoru drank enough of it to make her head spin and her body feel fuzzy and light. Kenshin drank too. He was used to wine, so the mixed hard spirits shocked him in their strength and he carefully watched Kaoru to make sure she didn't drink herself into a stupor. But it seemed she had already self-regulated herself and stuck to water once her face started to turn red.

There were pots of chowders, fish pies. Fish and vegetables pickled in rice vinegar. Soups filled with sea cucumbers, fish and squid, as well as crisp vegetables. Fried rings of squid and octopus. Shark cut into steaks and their fins served in soup. Oysters served raw and cooked and countless dishes of shrimp. Sea birds prepared half a dozen different ways. Kaoru prayed long and hard to the goddess and the sea, thanking it for the creatures taken for their meal. Then she ate and ate until she had tasted nearly everything. Then she ate more. She felt as though she had never had food before in all her life. She couldn't eat enough of it. Nothing made her feel full. She wondered if this was because she was eating the food of the sea or because she was with child. Whatever the reason, she ate more than even the largest Water man at the table.

Kenshin, for the most part, was game to taste everything. Some of the raw things threw him off a bit but he still tried it. In the end, he was content to sit and watch his lady wife eat her fill. She had really come into herself the few short weeks they had been there. The sea water, the seafood and being in her True Form had done wonders for her. She was glowing, putting on weight and always happy. Their love making had reached a new peak. She never seemed sated and Kenshin was more than content to exhaust himself for her pleasure, and in return, was pleasured far more than he deserved. He was eager to leave the water, but he loathed the thought of dragging his wife through his homelands. He didn't want to see the life in those laughing eyes slowly die.

But all the good things must come to an end and after many hugs and kisses to the King and Queen, Kaoru looked back at the castle on the island in the sea and said goodbye. They reunited with the Fire soldiers on the main land and discovered they had found contentment with the women of the town. Love making, freely given was rare among them and even though the most pious disproved, they all seemed well and relaxed after spending their nights in the arms of a willing lover.

There, Kaoru wrote a letter to Megumi telling her of their travels so far and their estimated date for arriving at her academy. Kaoru looked forward to finally meeting Megumi almost as much as she looked forward to swimming in the ocean. A few more weeks and she would finally meet the young Water female who rose above all others in a Fire School. She wrote to Misao as well. Telling her of the great feast and their departure from the castle and her fears of entering the Fire Lands. She didn't mention her pregnancy to Misao or anyone for that matter. She feared that her Healer would take one look at her and know. But if he did, he didn't say anything, for which Kaoru was thankful. In order to keep her secret, she asked her handmaidens for her Moon cloths. She had to pretend that she was still bleeding. She was surprised that they hadn't noticed her lack of bleeding already.

They turned South East and traveled long hard days. Kaoru refused the pain numbing drink from the healer their first day of hard traveling for fear of what it might do to the child inside her. But because of that, she suffered through the pain of being back in the saddle for the entire day. She knew Kenshin and Sano were watching her closely, so she sucked it up and refused to show her weakness. But every evening, when Sano gently plucked her off the back of the horse Kaoru couldn't help but press her face into his chest and cry from the pain. She was silent even though she knew Sano was not. She knew he spoke about her tears to Kenshin and they both spoke to the healer who told them she refused his pain reveling drinks.

"I don't know why you don't want to take them," Kenshin said one night as he helped her into bed. She snuggled down into the cot and tried to ignore the pain in her thighs.

"In a few days I'll be used to it again and the pain will go away." She argued back.

"Yes but, no need to feel the pain now if we can prevent it, Kiga ." He returned gently, petting the hair from her face.

Kaoru felt her heart swell. How lucky she was to have Kenshin as her husband. She turned and waited as he climbed into the cot next to her and pulled her close. "Just give me time. I know I can get through this on my own." She said, setting her head on his shoulder. His arm draped around her and he sighed.

"I do not understand you, that I don't. But I won't force you if you don't want it."

And that was that. He never pressed her, for which she was thankful. Only Sano clicked his tongue in disapproval later the next day but he also said nothing to press the matter.

The land slowly started to change. Soon the ground started to grow flat. The rivers vanished behind them and the trees as well.

Then one day, nearly two weeks after leaving the castle, Kaoru watched as the Water Kingdom fell away and in front of her stretched a large flat land of nothing but pale green and yellow grass. She felt the constant buzz of water energy start to stutter and then stop altogether as they pressed into the eerie quiet of the Nether Expanse. The Land Between. The land that carried the power of nothingness. No hills blocked their view, no trees or shrubs. Only a sea of knee high grass that bent to the will of the wind. The land was quiet. No sounds of birds or anything but themselves.

Sano leaned over. "Weird isn't it, Missy?"

Kaoru nodded as her eyes looked out over the plains. "I feel. Nothing." She whispered.

Sano nodded. "The Expanse is a place of true neutrality. No elemental power reaches this place. And it suffers the wrath of all Elemental power."

Kaoru gazed off into the horizon. The pale grass extended far beyond her sight. If she didn't know better, she would have thought this was the end of the world.

"Floods, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, Brush fires. They all happen unchecked here." Sano said, his eyes also looking out into the distance. Kaoru looked over at Kenshin as he too gazed off into the horizon.

"It feels strange," Kaoru confessed. "Out of control." Which was odd, it was a silent, peaceful place. The wind in the grass was soothing. She could almost be lulled to sleep by it. But somewhere deep inside her warned her to not let her guard down.

"Our powers are almost nonexistent here," Kenshin said, pulling his horse next to them. "It seems quiet, but never let your guard down. We have nothing but our sight and hearing to warn us of danger here, that we do." His purple eyes were constantly scanning the area around them but they always returned to hers. "Don't worry, Kaoru. This is a short trip. We should only be in the Expanse for three days if we ride hard."

"T-Then we'll be in the Fire lands?" She didn't know why, but suddenly she felt terrified. They were all stripped of their powers here.

Kenshin turned and looked at her with hard eyes. "Yes."

… . . …

Kaoru found it hard to get to sleep that first night out on the Expanse. She turned over in her cot and curled up on her side. She was thankful for the guards and their idle banter because their deep comforting voices broke the silence of the Expanse. Sanosuke's distinctive, easy going laughter sounded not far from the tent and Kaoru couldn't help but smile at the sound of it.

Slowly her hand drifted down over her stomach and rested low where her child grew. She had no idea when she would start to show. She hoped they would make it over the vast hot and dry lands before the child made itself known. Once she made her pledge and satisfied the Fire traditions then she would tell Kenshin. She feared, even at this halfway point that Kenshin would turn around if he knew. Almost as if her thoughts had summoned him, Kenshin ducked into the tent and Kaoru quickly pulled her hand away from her middle and lifted her head.

"Are you still awake?" He asked softly when he saw her move. He unbuckled his sword belt and wandered over to her side. "Can't sleep?"

"It's too quiet." She whispered. It felt as if her voice would carry across the grasslands for miles.

Kenshin nodded in understanding as he undressed. He removed his shoes and his shirt but left his pants on and set his swords, belt and all above her head above the pillows before slipping in beside her.

"Do you expect trouble?" She asked softly as her eyes went to the weapons. On impulse, she reached out to touch the handle of one blade. It was worn but well cared for. The wrappings dirty from handling but they were tight and not a single thread was popped. How long had he used these swords? She could vaguely remember the groom he had been. He seemed frightening, dangerous. She had heard he was skilled, even then, as a teenager. Kaoru wondered why she hadn't quaked in fear at the sight of him. Instead, she mouthed off to him. She glanced to the side to see he had climbed into bed but was sitting there watching her with a curious look on his face. Kaoru flushed and pulled her hand away.

"Not expecting it, just being ready, that I am," Kenshin answered as she got comfortable under the covers again. "If we were to be attacked, this would be the time to do it. We are at our weakest here, that we are."

Kaoru nodded and pressed close against him as he settled into bed. He waited until she was comfortable before wrapping an arm around her. "Sleep now, my dear." He whispered in her ear.

She closed her eyes but try as she might, sleep wouldn't come. The silence was too loud. Then, as if knowing her struggles, Sano, perched by the campfire outside their tent started to sing. It was a soft song, perhaps even a lullaby. Kaoru kept her eyes shut as she listened to the words.

"Can you hear the distant thunder?
Can you see the moon in the sky?
I can see a full horizon,
the Sun lifting his eye.
Arms raised to greet the dawn,
As fiery eyes of wisdom shine."

Kaoru sighed softly and Kenshin tightened his hold on her. She didn't know Sano could sing. And he was rather good at it. His voice was soft, warm as if he was singing to himself but the dead silence made his voice loud, yet lovely. There wasn't even an instrument to accompany him. She wondered, as her mind started to drift if he could play one as well?

"All of my life I have seen many offerings,
To the Gods and all the wonder that they hold.
But how many people really can, hear the pipes of Pan?
As they sound across our sacred land of old.

I can see a cloven hoof falling,
On the bare skin of the Earth.
I can see life rejoicing, feel theTriple One's rebirth.
Golden light dapples the woodland,
As the piper dances and plays his tune."

As if by some elemental magic Kaoru felt her body grow heavy and then weightless. She felt nothing but warm security all around her. Sleep drifted in on the back of the Earth fae's voice.

… . . …

Misao huffed as she marched back to her room. She went out to the kitchen for a midnight snack of sickly sweet honey rolls and cake. Yet even that didn't help the frustration. Aoshi hadn't come close to her in days. No kissing, not even any touching. It seemed like their one time in the forest was going to be their only time together. He was still her bodyguard and somehow was able to keep from being alone with her. Misao growled as she picked at her cake and popped the piece in her mouth. What was his problem? Was he too proper? Was their time in the forest just him being weak and now he regretted it?

The girl paused, her bite of cake lodged in her throat. Maybe he didn't like her? Maybe he liked other kinds of girls, or maybe he didn't like that she gave up her virginity. He did seem a lot like those stuck up Fires. But their friendship had been real. They were attracted to each other, Misao was sure of it. Suddenly the cake tasted of sawdust in her mouth and she wanted to spit it out but forced herself to swallow it. Maybe it had been about the chase. Now that he had her, she no longer interested him.

"Gods damn that man," Misao whispered as she felt her eyes burn. No! No, she would not cry, she refused. Nothing was known for certain, maybe he had valid reasons. But couldn't he share those reason with her so they could be on the same page? Gods, she turned into one of those girls that eat sweets and bawl over boys. She paused and stomped her foot. She needed to grow up. If Aoshi wanted her, he knew where to find her. Misao turned the last corner to the hall that led to her rooms.

She felt her cloak tighten around her throat as someone grabbed it from behind and yanked her backward. Misao staggered into a hard form. The form wrapped its arms around her, pinning her against him. It was a man, Misao was certain of that as she yanked her head around to see a familiar looking Fire.

"What in the dark rings of Hell do you think you're doing?" Misao gasped struggling against his grip. "You're not supposed to be here."

The man only held her tighter as he bent to hiss in her ear. "Little Water Lady shouldn't be out on her own in the middle of the night. Bad things happen to ladies in the night."

Misao threw her head back, slamming the back of her skull against his face. He could hardly contain his yowl of pain but surprisingly didn't let up on his hold of her. Misao struggled to keep calm and remember her training, but all she could think about was the fact that Fire's could rape. It was something she had risked even as a very young girl sneaking into their workplace to watch them create. But she had never felt the threat even though she had been repeatedly warned. Now that she knew the healing, blessing the Goddess had given them through sex, she realized how horrible such an act was, and it was suddenly something she feared more than anything. Such a wonderful thing should not be forced and taken, with pain and fear.

"Damn little Water bitch. You're no longer fit to lord over this keep now that you soiled yourself with that filthy half-breed." He spewed. "You and your kind. You part your legs for anyone with a cock, whores, the whole lot of you."

His grip became crushing as he dropped one hand away and when it returned Misao could see the glint of a dagger in his hand.

"Best we open that belly and make sure you don't birth some filthy mutt of a fae." He raised the dagger.

"Not today," Misao whispered to herself as she smashed her foot down on his, praying he wasn't wearing boots. Even in soft silk slippers, the heel of her foot caused the small bones at the top of his to crack like chicken bones. She was right, he wasn't wearing boots, instead, he had soft leather shoes, perhaps to better sneak around in. It was a bad idea on his part. This time he did yowl in pain and she slipped from his grasp just as he slashed at her wildly with the blade. Instinctively, Misao threw her arms up in front of her, the long delicate silk sleeves of her kimono prevented him from aiming his blade true. The fabric ripped and tore but Misao didn't let it distract her from dodging away from him. He was fast though and easily kept up with her.

And then around the flash of fabric Misao saw her room guard, Azure, loom up from the dark shadows of the hall and with the handle of his sword, popped the man in the back of the head and he dropped like a sack of rocks.

A/n
Note: "The Pipes of Pan" Is a real song and it's a beautiful song. I recommend looking it up on youtube. It's by Damh The Bard.
I'm going to admit that Sano and the Earth Elementals are my favorites to write about. I see Sano, as silly as he is sometimes, being super serious about his beliefs and perhaps this lullaby was one that was sung to him as a little Earth-boy by his sacred mother. I'm going to enjoy writing more about them. Anyways...I hope you enjoy the song if you look it up. And I would love to hear your thoughts on it if you do!

Now, what has Misao gotten herself into and who attacked her? Hmm. Things are getting thicker back home at the Keep while the Cat is away it seems.

I hoped you enjoyed it, dear readers, reviews are loved.