Chapter 18: The Calm Before the Storm

Silence hung over the dojo as Kaoru, Kenshin, Yahiko, and Megumi waited anxiously for the return of Sanosuke and, hopefully, Kyouri. No one spoke to each other, each mulling over the events of the past hour.

As quiet as it may have been, and as pointedly as they tried to avoid looking at each other, a sense of uneasiness was almost tangible.

"Do you…do you think…" Kaoru began uncertainly at the people around her in general, "Do you think Sano's…okay?" Whether she realized it or not, she had voiced the fears of everyone present. Still, she regretted the words as soon as they came out of her mouth. It only made the fact that she was uncertain about Kyouri more real to her and everyone else.

"Yes," Kenshin finally said after a moment of thought, "Kyouri, whether she is human or not, would never harm Sanosuke." All eyes were on him as he gazed at the pile of clothes that were still laying in the yard.

Kaoru hung her head sadly, regretting what she had said. What was she thinking? Kyouri was, and always had been, half demon, including the times she had spent with them while she stayed in the dojo. She hadn't changed, she was still Kyouri.

The creak of the wooden gate of the dojo was heard, along with somber footsteps. They all looked up as Sanosuke, followed by a quiet Kyouri, rounded the corner and stood in front of them. No one spoke as Kyouri kept a firm gaze on the dirt ground, feeling a sense of anxiety almost suffocate her.

Kyouri's thoughts had been going rampant on the way back to the dojo. She wasn't sure what to expect from her friends, and she was scared of what she would find. What expressions would they have on their faces when she returned? Would they truly be comfortable around her, or would they only be pretending for Sanosuke's sake? Kyouri did feel stronger with the tall man beside her, and she was already relieved beyond words that he had so readily accepted her.

But to lose all of her other friends…

So there she was, standing before them with a reluctant air around her, timidly looking at the ground by her feet as she awaited the verdict.

They probably felt as if they had discovered some disgusting secret, Kyouri thought, that's why they weren't talking.

Sanosuke was one thing, but everyone else…

She had to stop thinking like this. Didn't she trust them? They were her friends; they trusted her enough to open their home for her, she should at least be willing to look them in the face.

She tentatively lifted her head, glancing at the faces of the people she had seen die in her dreams, praying for the tense moment to end soon.

They were all smiling, although rather nervously, as if at a loss of what to say but not necessarily wishing they were somewhere else. Kaoru had tears in her eyes, apparently trying to blink them away, while Kenshin was gazing at Kyouri and Sanosuke with a patient smile, as if waiting for them to break the ice. Both Yahiko and Megumi were studying Kyouri curiously (although Megumi's looks were a bit more furtive), as if the events of the last hour had sparked an interest and they were hoping to quell them by taking in her appearance.

"Why do you have cat eyes?" Yahiko suddenly blurted, his curiosity getting the best of him. Everyone stared at him, then stared at Kyouri, who was in turn looking at Yahiko with a surprised expression. Yahiko only gazed back at her determinedly, completely indifferent to the anxious expressions of his friends around him.

Kyouri had been taken aback by his question, having been expecting something more along the lines of "so…how many people have you killed recently?"Kyouri finally let a small smile creep onto her face, "It's because my father was a cat demon."

"So you're a cat?" Yahiko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yahiko!" Kaoru suddenly snapped, taking Kyouri's silence for embarrassment, putting her hands on her hips. "Don't be rude!"

"I'm not being rude, ugly!" Yahiko retorted, "I'm just asking a simple question!" His gaze shifted back to Kyouri. "Like, do you have claws?"

Kyouri laughed, "Yeah, I do."

"And special powers like that other lady?"

"Yeah, except I can control fire, not sand."

Yahiko looked thoughtful for a minute, "Do you start purring when people pet you behind the ears?"

"YAHIKO!" Kaoru exclaimed, hitting him again. "I told you not to be rude!"

"It's a simple question!"

"Perhaps that one was a bit much, Yahiko," Kenshin said with a small grin.

"Aww, come on!" Yahiko argued, "What's the big deal?"

Kaoru and Yahiko started yelling at each other once again, Kenshin finding himself dragged into the fray as they each tried to get him on their sides, while Megumi curiously examined Kyouri's old wounds, only to find that they were gone. Yahiko noticed this, and began asking more questions, which could be taken as embarrassing or perfectly reasonable, depending on if you were Kaoru or not.

"How fast can you heal?" he asked.

"Pretty fast, but not as fast as full demons."

"Why not?"

"Because, half demon means half human as well. I still have some of the human weaknesses."

"Oro?" Kenshin said. "Like what?"

Kyouri smiled at him, "I still have a human heart. I'm too weak to properly control my emotions like full demons should."

"Oh," Yahiko said, then moved on to his next question, "Do you have super hearing or super smell too?"

"Yup, like I can smell whatever it was Kaoru made for dinner…or that may be the toilet, I'm not sure."

Kaoru made an angry face at Kyouri, even though she knew the hanyou was only playing around. Her angry face suddenly relaxed, and she found herself laughing. Kyouri started laughing with her, and soon everyone had joined in.

As they laughed, however, everyone realized that Kyouri had stopped laughing and, instead, was crying.

"Kyouri-chan?" Kaoru asked tentatively, "Are you okay?"

Sano put his hand on Kyouri's shoulder reassuringly, "Kyouri? Hey, it's okay."

Tears were still pouring down Kyouri's cheeks, but soon they realized she was also smiling.

"M-my friends are s-such idiots," she said in a cracked laugh. Everyone stared at her with looks of befuddlement, feeling unsure of what to say or do. Kyouri's cries began to die down, and she wiped her face cheerfully. "If anything, I'm glad I at least got to know you guys." They all smiled warmly, and she couldn't help feeling happier than she had been in weeks.

"Thank you," she said softly, "For everything. I…" Her eyes were sad, though full of emotion and completely different than the hollow orbs that had gazed at them under the hood, "I never realized humans could be so nice."

"The way you're talking, you'd think you were on your deathbed," Sano grinned, although a trace of uncertainty could be seen in his eyes.

She looked up at him, deep green eyes now full of regret, "I'm so sorry, but I have to go." No one spoke, each feeling that it was Sano's place to retort.

"I won't let you keep running," Sanosuke stated bluntly. He knitted his eyebrows, "I already said I won't let you waste your life."

She shook her head slowly, "I know that. That's why I'm going to go back." A collective gasp was heard from the group. "I'm going to go back and fight. I'll show him he can't control me." She grinned cheerfully at all the sad faces around her, "I'm sorry, but I don't know if I'll win or survive."

The odd cheerfulness she was showing contrasted bleakly with the sadness and regret shown in her friends' faces. She smiled at them, realizing just how much she appreciated each of them.

"I'm going with you," Sano stated.

"No."

"Hey!"

"Hey what? You're not going."

"That's not up to you!"

"Oh, yes it is."

"I'm going, and that's it!"

Kyouri looked up at Sanosuke with a steady and piercing gaze, "Sanosuke, it's bad enough that I've already dragged you into this and almost got you killed. I will not allow you to go and die."

"Who says I'm gonna die?" Sano replied, an equally intense look in his eyes.

"If you step foot into that manor and I fail, you will die," she replied.

"You can't be sure that you'll fail."

"This one agrees," Kenshin said, a serious expression on his face. "This one will go as well."

"Me too!" Yahiko piped.

"I want to help too, Kyouri-chan," Kaoru smiled. "I'll go too."

"I suppose a doctor will be necessary, knowing that rooster," Megumi smirked. "I'll go as well."

Kyouri looked at all her friends in panic. Kind and hopeful faces looked back at her. Why the hell didn't they understand?

"No," she said firmly once again. "No, no, no, no, you are not going. That's final. End of discussion."

"You can't tell us what to do," Sanosuke replied, all seriousness etched into his face.

"I won't let you do this to yourself," Kyouri frowned, "I won't let you go."

Sano stepped closer to her, bearing down on her with fierce copper eyes, "Ten years ago you left and I didn't stop you. A month ago you left and I didn't look for you. You've been facing him all this time by yourself." He grinned fiercely, as if looking forward to punching someone. "Well, I'm not going to let you face him alone this time."

Kyouri looked up into the eyes of the person she had deserted so much in the past. "Sanosuke…" she whispered, feeling a rush of gratitude for him. He was still with her, after so much.

He was really unbelievable. What had a hanyou like her done to pick up a stubborn rooster like him?

She shook her head in disbelief, "You're such an idiot."

"Is that really any way to express gratitude?" Sano asked, frowning with annoyance.

She laughed weakly, "I can't believe you're so willing to walk into the lair of a demon." She looked at him, her green eyes glinting with emotion. "You can go, but only if you really want to."

"Kyouri-dono," Kenshin said, ignoring Sano's look of triumph as he punched his palm with a devilish grin. The rurouni's usually pleasant face was now a mask of seriousness, "Are you really planning on killing him?"

Kyouri looked steadily at Kenshin, "Yes."

Kenshin shook his head, "There must me another way. This one cannot stand by and let you go kill a man."

"Kenshin," Kyouri replied, her eyes flashing, "You're not stopping me."

"This one will if he has to," Kenshin answered stoically.

"He's not a man, Kenshin, he's a demon."

"No one deserves to die."

"Dammit, Kenshin!" Kyouri rounded on him, gripping the front of his gi and glaring at him. "You don't understand! Save your morals and code of honor for samurai and humans; for a demon, they're worthless!"

"This one is sorry, Kyouri-dono," Kenshin replied, gently taking her hands off him, "But this one can't stand idly by while one dies."

"Kenshin," Kyouri breathed, trying to regain control of herself, "Listen to me. You are a human. You have no idea of what I'm talking about when I say 'demon.' What you have seen tonight is nothing compared to him." She squared her shoulders and clenched her fists, looking at him fiercely.

"Death is the only way to harm a demon," she continued, "If you do not kill him, he will come back for you relentlessly until he does. If you do not kill then…then they will never be free of the bonds that hold them. Death is the only answer for one who lives forever."

Kyouri took in a deep breath, obviously shaking as she bowed her head so that her eyes were hidden in shadow. "Do you…do you really think that I wanted to kill her? Do you really think that I wanted to kill Say?" She held in the painful tears that were threatening to flow once again. "I loved Say like a sister… and I had to kill her."

Her head snapped up, facing Kenshin once more with glossy eyes brimming with tears, "That's the world I have lived in, that's the world where I grew up." She squeezed her eyes shut, then yelled angrily, "He killed my father just so he could become this powerful! My father died to save my mother!" Black blood from her clenched fists splattered the ground. "And now I have to kill him to save the people I love!"

She breathed heavily as silence rung around them, everyone staring at her in shock.

"Kyouri," Kaoru breathed sadly, covering her mouth with her hand.

"I never wanted to kill," Kyouri whimpered, her voice cracking, "I never wanted to be a demon." She looked at her clawed hands as the wounds on her palms closed slowly, then wiped her face with her sleeve. She sighed, but then looked up determinedly, "But I am what I am. Half of me belongs to that world, and now all of me has to accept it." She looked sadly at Kenshin. "I'm sorry, but I have to kill him."

Kenshin's eyes were wide with amazement, feeling at a loss of what to say. Kyouri was looking at him imploringly, begging him to let her go.

Was it possible that a world so different really existed? He sighed, looking down at his sakabatou. Yes, it was, he knew first hand, having belonged to one ten years ago.

He nodded slowly, then added, "This one shall go with you as well." He smiled his rurouni smile, "If anything, to keep Sanosuke from getting in trouble."

Kyouri laughed shakily as one usually does after an emotional episode, then nodded as well, "Fine, you can both come."

"And us?" Yahiko piped.

Kyouri laughed and patted him on the head, "Not in a million years, kid." Yahiko was about to snap back angrily, mostly for being called a "kid," but Kaoru stopped him as she put her hand on his shoulder.

"Then we'll be waiting here for you here, Kyouri-chan," Kaoru smiled.

"Yeah," Yahiko said grudgingly, then added a bit more eagerly, "Come back so you can tell me more about your cool powers." Kyouri laughed, and nodded.

"I'll be here as well, Sanosuke," Megumi smiled coyly, "Please don't bother yourself for my sake, I have enough work as it is."

"Yeah, yeah, kitsune," Sano frowned as he shoved his hands in his pockets, "Very funny."

The doctor gave a genuine smile to Kyouri. "Good luck, Kyouri-san."

"Shall we get going then?" Kenshin smiled, as Kyouri grinned appreciatively at Megumi, speaking as if they were heading out for a lovely walk on a nice summer's day.

Kyouri nodded, then looked up at Sanosuke. He grinned bracingly back down at her. She smiled back, then, with a final goodbye to her friends, headed to the gate.

She should've been feeling burdened with the idea of two humans accompanying her into the lair of one of the most powerful demons in Japan.

Quite to the contrary, however, she felt comforted to know Sanosuke and Kenshin would at least be besides her, protecting her from the caustic words of her uncle.

-

-

"Nee-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you, er, have to do that?"

"Eh?" She looked down at her hand, which was thumping compulsively against the hard floor of the wide porch they were resting on. She clenched the offending fist, and indignantly rested her chin on it. "What the hell is taking them so long?"

Rei was never a patient one to begin with, she knew, but Say had been gone for a few hours. She was supposed to be fetching Kyouri, and Rei didn't think it would take that long to persuade the hanyou to come back.

Then again, Kyouri could be a real bitch sometimes…except, of course, that she was a cat…

A shiver ran down Rei's spine.

"Nee-san?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you feel that?"

"…Yeah." She frowned, sitting up. "Someone's at the gate."

-

-

"Okay, a few things before we begin," Kyouri stated, turning to face her companions.

"Here we go," Sano muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets impatiently.

Kyouri ignored him, however, and continued, "Do not, under any circumstances, get in my Uncle's way. That means," she said, sticking her finger in front of Sano's face, "No butting into my fight." She glanced at Kenshin, "That goes for you too, Kenshin."

"Oro?" he replied innocently.

"I mean it!" she said, firing up. "It's bad enough that I let you come with me in the first place!" Both Kenshin and Sano sighed exasperatedly. "Just don't get in the way."

"All right, all right, Kyouri-dono," Kenshin smiled, "We will behave."

"You better," Kyouri snorted, then, after a final look at the men behind her, she turned to the gate and pushed it open, walking in.

All three of them stepped into a deserted courtyard, a large western style mansion looming ahead of them.

There was no way no one noticed their entrance.

"Hello, Kyouri." A chilling voice suddenly spoke out of nowhere. Kyouri felt Sanosuke and Kenshin tense behind her, and was sure Kenshin's hand was resting on the hilt of his sakabatou, if only out of habit.

Her uncle stepped out of the shadow in front of them, smirking evilly with his eyes glinting malevolently. She shuddered inwardly, looking at those eyes full of bloodlust at the sight of the two humans behind her.

She watched the blood red eyes study her companions, growing steadily more amused as he took in their looks of determination.

"My, my, Kyouri," he smirked. "What are you doing, bringing those humans here?" Kyouri didn't answer, but simply glared at him. He laughed, "Say isn't with you, is she? Does that mean she's dead?"

Kyouri's glare deepened with disgust, "Yes."

He laughed once again, "And just what do you have planned?"

Kyouri frowned. "I'm going to kill you," she growled, clenching her fist and allowing demonic energy to course from her.

"You?" he sneered. "Kill me?" He tilted his head back and let out a chilling laugh, then pinned her with a mocking glare. "I won't even bother with a hanyou like you. Rei!" he called out, throwing his head back once again.

A second later there was a blur of light, and Rei was standing before them, gazing at Kyouri indifferently. "Yes, father?" she asked, not turning to look at the demon behind her.

"Kill the humans," he laughed wickedly, "Then kill her."

She remained silent, gazing at Kyouri with her electric blue eyes. Kyouri returned the stare willingly, silently begging Rei to stand down. She didn't want to hurt anyone else she cared about. She didn't want to kill another one of her cousins.

Kyouri's face was a mask of determination, sheer will visible in her raging green eyes.

You can't stop me.

Rei blinked, and at that moment both women understood each other perfectly. A small smirk appeared on the lightning demoness's face.

"Forgive me, father," Rei said, returning to her listless countenance, bowing her head, seemingly indifferent to whatever happened in that dark courtyard, "But I don't believe I can."

"What?" the demon lord hissed, his red eyes narrowing dangerously.

"I believe I am supposed to carry on business transactions for you," Rei replied, turning to face her father unflinchingly. "This fight is completely personal. I can't interfere."

"You will obey me, wench," he growled threateningly, but another flash of light had passed through the yard, and she was gone.

Kyouri let a small smile creep onto her lips. Rei's defiance had actually come in handy for once. She would have to thank the hot-tempered demoness later.

"Insolent wench," her uncle growled, gritting his teeth. "She will pay just as soon as I am done with you."

Meanwhile, Aisu and Uneri, Rei's younger sisters, were gazing at Rei anxiously.

The lightning demoness was white with fear, shaking slightly as she drew in hesitant breaths.

"Nee-san," Aisu whimpered. "Why did you defy father?"

Rei clutched her chest, praying for her fear to die down. It took every ounce of hatred of her father within her to refuse him just then.

She smirked at her younger sisters, "I find the idea of death more comforting than spending the rest of eternity under father." She ignored her sisters' cry of fear as she moved closer to the edge of the roof, gazing down at the four people in the yard and thinking of Say.

Her older sister had enough faith in the hanyou to be killed; Rei would honor her memory by allowing Kyouri to face her father without interfering.

"Good luck, baka neko," she muttered to herself.

Kyouri smirked at her uncle's obvious discomfort. He had been hoping to get someone else to do the dirty work for him, as he usually did. How long had it been since he fought someone?

Probably not since he killed father.

Kyouri's smirk fell off her face, a mask of concentration replacing it. Now, not only did the lives of her human friends lie in her hands, but the life of Rei as well.

Fine, what was a little more pressure, anyways?

"Kenshin, Sano, step back," she said calmly, addressing the men behind her. She looked back at them, "Remember your promise."

Kenshin and Sanosuke nodded, stepping back to the perimeter of the courtyard, giving room to Kyouri and her uncle for the fight that would ensue.

Kyouri turned to face her uncle once again. There was no turning back now.

-

-

Note: Waaaaah, I KNOW, OKAY, I KNOW! It took me forever to get this chapter up, and I have to say it's all my fault.

Well, okay, partially my fault.

There was a big thing with my beta reader, but that cleared up. But then my brother stole my computer because his wasn't working. THEN the whole network died and now there's only internet on a few computers, NOT including mine.

See? It's not completely my fault!

….

DON'T HURT ME!

Oh, yeah, this is supposed to be a note about the chapter, right? Well, it's not my favorite, but it could be worse. If you really want, I could wait until I'm completely happy with it. That way, you can get it by the time my poodle learns to open doorknobs with her opposable thumbs. Ah, well, what can ya do?

Reviewer Responses (yes, these are still allowed, according to Omasu-kun):

White Rabbit5: Well, reading your last review made me guilty. I left it off in a pretty climactic spot, and now I think all that drama's died down. Everyone should go back and read the last chapter again, for the sake of numbing down my guilt T.T. Anyways, I'm SO happy you liked the last chapter! I've been planning that chapter since I first thought of this fic two years ago, so, yeah, I'm happy! Thanks for reading over it, by the way, I really appreciated it!

K.T. Kyouko: "Hop"…? It says HOP! Damn! And in a dramatic spot too! (-fumes-). Oh well, can't do much about it now. In any case, I'm glad you liked the last chappie, so did I! And I really, really, hope you're still reading this, because it's been sooo long… T.T

Rayne-chan: Now really! What kind of a response is that! (-grrrr-).

OmasuOniwabanshu: Yeah, I kind of felt Sano was being overshadowed by Rei and Kyouri, so I had to give him his kudos. I've also been planning that scene since, well, forever. I loved the headbutt, it was one of my favorite parts! (Kyouri: bleh, I didn't).

FairyMage: Ahh, the headbutt (a lot of people liked that, I guess). Yeah, if something like that happened in the anime or manga, I'd definitely crack up! Thanks for everything, I know I've probably been annoying. I hope school's going good for you! (how's your dorm?)

Kumori-hime: I hope you'll like this chapter too, although, like I said, it isn't my favorite so far. How disappointing… (-glomps!-) Don't go!

I feel bad that after so long this is the chapter you get. I love you all so much, and really count on your support! THANK YOU ALL, EVEN IF YOU ABANDON ME RIGHT NOW, I'LL STILL LOVE YOU! (just a little bit less, tho' XD)