Well, here is the part you folks won't like hearing, I can't update for a while. I got dumped on by a pile of class work :whimpers: its not fair! I work hard in classes and yet this shit keeps happening...Oh well, I want to thank everyone again for reviewing, it makes me feel good to see them.

Any who, you all know the drill now on talking and thinking in this thing so I'll leave that out. Have fun reading!

Chapter Four: Memories Unlock

"I had a feeling this could not be avoided forever," Kaoru spoke softly at their questioning looks. Once they were settled down and she had her own bottle of sake she asked what they wanted to know.

"Well I mainly wanna know why you've been avoiding us Jo," said Sano with a gulp of sake. He was as calm as Ayame who sat beside her sipping the cup of tea she had opted for. Kaoru grinned and sipped at the sake in her hand. The fiery burn in her throat a welcome feeling at the moment as it slipped down calming her frayed nerves.

"Well, to be honest these last two days have not been good. I had things that needed tending to," she paused with a sigh. "Then came that damned fight, I sealed my fate by protecting this house yesterday."

"What do you mean?" asked Kenshin, Kaoru almost winced at the sharp tone in his voice. He was fighting with his inner demons, trying to not let him loose but still wanting answers.

"Well I have no choice now, my uncle Shin is not capable of caring for this family. Never had been, that's why my father had been the lord of the family." Sano and Kenshin shared an understanding look, Sano decided to ask about Akio.

"Why didn't Akio take control?" Ayame was the one to speak as Kaoru took a large gulp of sake.

"He is not a Kamiya by blood. He married our aunt." Silence fell over the group as they drank their select beverages. Kenshin stared at Kaoru, his thoughts drifting to things that had come to pass in the last two days in Yosaka. 'She said that Kage and she were bonded' Hai, she also said that Kage walks this Earth as I do. So is it possible that the meek little woman before us carries a killer within her? 'No,' Battousai laughed and mentioned this was the first time in years that they had agreed on anything. 'It is interesting that we would agree about Kaoru like this. Yet I feel the need to not trust her as we used to.' Kenshin could feel his alter ego agree with him once again. It felt odd but she had shown her ability to lie to them so easily. She can't avoid it now, so ask her again, maybe Ayame knows something about this whole mess.

"Where is he, where is Kage?" Kaoru choked on her drink and spit out what was left in her mouth.

"What?" she coughed and wheezed, Ayame pat her on the back with a look of concern which shifted quickly to anger when her eyes fell on Kenshin.

"Where is Kage," he said again, spacing out the words with determination in his voice. Ayame glared at him and he could see her thoughts in her eyes as they slipped between him and the pot of hot tea at her knees. "I wouldn't do that if I were you Ayame, I'm in no mood for games tonight." He turned his attention back to Kaoru who simply sat there looking away from him at a near by wall.

"I told you Himura, it is of no concern to you the where bouts of Kage. Now if you continue down this road I will have you escorted out of Yosaka and forbidden to return." Kaoru said coldly as she turned her sapphire eyes back on him, all life and energy gone.

"Whoa Jo-chan, calm down he's just worried about you, we all are. That's why we came here." Exclaimed Sano as he dragged her frozen eyes to him. "Honestly, Kenshin had a bad feeling and Tae confirmed it asking us to bring you home in one piece." Kaoru seemed to consider this as her eyes slid closed and sighed deeply.

"I'm sorry guys, but this is one I can't afford to mess up on. I have a feeling the reason Shin wants me to summon Kage has something to do with the grudge match that she made worse during the war." Kaoru rubbed her temples at the headache she could feel behind her eyes. Ayame turned her brown eyes on her cousin with concern and gently kneaded the tension in Kaoru's shoulders. "Arigato cousin," Sano and Kenshin looked at her with confusion in their eyes.

"She? Kage is a man; a woman isn't capable of killing like he was." Kenshin said firmly, he knew what he saw all those years ago. Kage had to be a man, there is no way humanly possible for me to have taken such a beating from a woman. Battousai growled from the depths of the rurounin's mind.

"Please don't make me do this," whined Kaoru as she slumped into her cousin's side almost like she was trying to hide from them

"Kaoru, I saw him, I fought him." Kenshin said softer, as much as he didn't want to trust her; her distress on this subject seemed genuine. Her soft growl and Ayame's glare made him rethink their innocence on the matter of the Shadow Killer.

"And I grew up with her, so did Ayame. Hell she was raised and trained by Akio; I nursed her wounds during the war. Held her when she was one the brink of death; I know Kage." Kaoru growled out, anger getting the better of her mind. Ayame gripped her arm tightly bringing her to her senses quickly. She took a deep breath and puffed it out quickly, "Ask anyone in this mansion if you don't trust me any longer." Sano's eye's widened in disbelieve as he turned to Kenshin.

"You don't trust her?" Kenshin's own eyes flashed golden in warning to Sano. "You can't be serious here. She our little missy!" the former gangster turned his eyes to Kaoru who was staring at him solidly. "I can't believe you two, for years you pine for each other and then this one little thing from your pasts and you don't trust each other any more?" He stood swiftly and moved to leave the room, anger radiating from his tense frame. "Be stupid all you want, I'm here to protect my little sister whether you guys like it or not so that's what I'm going to do." He turned back and snatched a bottle of sake before storming out saying he needed to kill a headache somehow.

"He's right you two, this is ridiculous." Sighed Ayame as she shook her head, "Kenshin, do you remember what you told me when you showed up her yesterday morning?" he nodded not sure where this was heading. "Then how is it that in less than a day you've forgotten everything that has happened to make you see and know what you told me?" Ayame turned back to Kaoru and hugged her saying goodnight. "Tomorrow we will begin your training as a lady, so rest well tonight." She said goodnight to Kenshin and made a calm retreat from the room.

Kaoru watched her cousin's retreating back thinking to herself, 'I can't believe that he doesn't trust me.' She sighed to herself and shook her head, 'It's my fault I never should have listened to that letter. If I had just left things alone and made them think I was dead then I could have kept my simple life with Kenshin. I could have died a peaceful life and he would never have known I was a hitoriki. Now he'll find out and he will completely shun me.' She could feel the tears threatening to spill from her eyes as she quickly rose from her spot and said goodnight before making a hasty retreat to her room, crying herself to sleep.

'Ayame had been right when she said to rest,' Kaoru thought as she panted from the lack of air to her lungs. "Ayame-chan, is this garb really necessary this early?" Ayame laughed softly and nodded. After last night both women had been strained, and her dear cousin had been merciless about this training. It was only the first day for kami's sake!

"Your posture needs a little work, so it's easiest to work on it from the beginning. Besides I think it suits you cousin." Ayame said with a small smiled, as she turned to her mother to double check that everything was in order. Saka nodded, she had agreed to help the girls knowing how Kaoru felt about the oncoming encounter. The day past by smoothly other than the few times the Yahiko had barged in, and despite the eyes that they could all feel watching them. They knew it was Kenshin and at times Sano, Ayame had mentioned that they could close the doors and then he wouldn't be able to watch. Yet Kaoru said to keep them open.

If he had thought her capable of deceit then he could watch her every move and see for himself that she was honest. After all she had no intention of loosing her temper and releasing Kage despite the tension she could feel deep within her soul. The longing for freedom and a good challenge, one that only Battousai could satisfy. So the days passed as such and after supper every night Kaoru would be freed from her confining kimonos and would teach Ayame a few simple things with the sword. The lady of the Kamiya family went so far as to convince Akio to teach her a few of the things he had taught to Kaoru as a child before her parents died.

"Come at me again cousin," she said firmly as Ayame stood from yet another trip to the floor. "You should know this stuff by now, it's been almost two weeks and yet I'm still throwing you down," Ayame glared at her. It looked like she was about to move in anger, but she stopped and rethought her move making Kaoru grin in her mind.

This time Ayame came at her quickly, but then feinted to the left and if Kaoru hadn't known the trick she'd have been caught as her cousin shift back to the left and fully attacked. Kaoru barely moved out of the way of the dagger she had given Ayame after the first week of training. Ayame kept up with her and continued to attack, finally Kaoru had to flip over her cousin and drop into a more defensive form.

"Enough!" Barked out the deep timber of their uncle, only they didn't listen to him. Akio sighed as his shoulders slumped and he leaned against the door frame. Ayame would never be able to kill Kaoru, but she would definitely but a dent in Kaoru's plans if she ever fully connected with her. "If you two don't quit, I'll get involved and then we'll have to change our plans for the meeting 'cause neither of you will be there." He barely finished and he heard a sharp whistle that meant a weapon was being thrown at his person. Akio dodged and drew his sword, holding it at the ready as he looked to his two nieces who stood staring at him. Kaoru had thrown the dagger she held, by the look in her eyes she was fighting for control; again.

"Thank you uncle," panted Ayame as she tried to catch her breath, "K-chan I think it's time to quit for the night." Kaoru shook her head saying no, she needed to run. "Don't go to far cousin, he may not watch you any more but he can still sense you." Kaoru nodded and disappeared from sight, lost to the darkness of night. She turned worried eyes to her uncle as he sighed and sheathed his katana.

"I keep asking myself how much more before she snaps. She's been walking the edge since the attack, that Kenshin fellow isn't helping matters any." He muttered darkly and looked out the open door to the grounds around the Kamiya mansion. Akio turned his eyes to look at his older niece questioningly.

"She loves him uncle, I see the hurt in her eyes when she looks at him, the longing. The fact that he said he doesn't trust her is killing her. That's why it's become such a battle for control in her mind." Ayame said as she looked to the mansion where the windows were lit by candle light. "I fear the day of they will be here to talk, she will have no way out, any way to run from her demons then." Akio nodded, he shared Ayame's fears.

"We can only hope niece, your father avoiding her has helped, but she's still angry with him for placing the family in danger; for forcing her to make this decision twice in her life." Ayame nodded, her eyes flashing with anger. They both knew that if her father Shin had called conference of kin when the letter arrived, then Kaoru would never have agreed to this and the battle could have been held without her. Akio sighed and moved toward the main house, "I'm going to bed, if you should see her before you retire, tell her I will speak with her in the morning." Ayame said she would and he disappeared into the house.

"Kaoru, please come back soon," She whispered to the winds as she too moved to the main house and toward the bathhouse. A long dip in the hot spring would help her sore body and frayed nerves. She stopped a servant and requested a bottle of sake, she would be so grateful when this whole nightmare was over.

Winds whistled in her ears as she ran, bouncing from toe to toe, branch to branch. Freedom, her soul sang. She yearned for it, but deep inside knew she could never feel it again. Her speed slowed as she neared the clearing she sought, dropped to the ground and walked slowly into the clearing. Grave stones, they littered the ground from every corner of the clearing to the next. She moved to her left gripping the sword that rested at her hip, she had grabbed it from her room before coming here.

Coming to a halt under a huge oak she knelt and bowed her head to the two stones that rested under its boughs. She took a shaky breath and looked to the writing engraved therein:.

Here rests beloved father and brave leader, Kamiya Ryuko
Beloved mother and lady may you rest in peace, Kamiya Kanga

Tears fell from her sapphire and gold eyes as she gazed at the grave markers for her parents. Her soul angered as memories surfaced unwanted.

:>Memories :>

"Anata, she's a child," whispered a woman's voice from behind the father and daughter. They turned and found a medium height and built woman in a pale pink kimono and white obi. A loving smile on her sun kissed heart shaped face.

"But mommy, I want to be just like daddy," said the young girl as she stood from the attack her father had been trying to teach her. Her mother's gentle laugh soothed her from the small kernel of anger in her heart. Even her father smiled a twinkle in his dark sapphire eyes as he looked between his wife and daughter. She was never sure whether it was pride or love, or perhaps both as he gazed at the women he held dear in his heart.

"But Kaoru, you are a girl sweetie, you are to be a lady like mommy; don't you want to be like mommy?" This was a usual conversation and as usual the little girl smiled, showing her missing tooth to the right of her front teeth.

"I'll be both," she exclaimed happily and ran to hug her mother causing the older woman to laugh and lift her up on to her strong hips.

"Yes you will," she whispered as Kaoru's father wrapped both of them in his arms. "You will be the greatest Kamiya to live my child." Ryuko nodded with his wife and brushed a few stray hairs from Kaoru's face.

"Hai, we will raise you with a strong heart, courage of the greatest swordsman, and grace of an angel. You are our daughter, now and until the end of time." Kaoru laughed and wrapped her arms around her dad's neck as he pulled her from her mother's arms and lifted her high into the air. Her mother smiled and laughed at her husband's antics.

: :>:>

"Mommy!" screamed little Kaoru as the fire swarmed into her room. "Daddy!" she yelled again, she could hear them crying for her, they were telling her to run. She couldn't understand why, she broke through the shoji door of her room before the fire completely took it and ran toward her parents' voices. Kaoru yelled again for them but this time they were to busy to warn her, she flew through the open door to the back yard where the dojo stood.

Kaoru could feel everything in her freeze, there laid her mother crying and screamed as a man lay on top of her. Looking away she found her father fighting against five men with his sword, but she could see he was loosing. He had lost too much blood; he managed to push them away and saw Kaoru stand there. She saw his heart break, yet a new fire lit his dark eyes as they renewed their attack on the lord of the house.

Quickly Kaoru ran into the dojo, but one of the men saw her and followed her. She barely dodged his hands and grabbed the sword that rested on the lowest rung just for her. Turning quicker than she knew she could her blade met his side and she pushed with everything her little frame held. His gurgled cry ended as her blade past through the resistance and clean through his body.

Kaoru ran out of the dojo as darkness fell over her vision, she could feel every move but heard nothing, saw nothing. Rain pelted her body as all sound slowly returned to her senses. She stood still panting from the sheer exhaustion her small body felt at that moment. Slowly she opened her eyes that she didn't know she had closed and gazed at the body that rested at her feet.

It was the man who had been hurting her mother. A soft rustle of fabric to her right, blade at the ready, she found her mother and father lying near one another. Kaoru dropped her sword and ran to them, tears in her eyes.

"Mommy, Daddy, please get up please!" she begged as she dropped to her knees and crawled to them. Their chests barely rose and fell with gasping breaths, "Please get up, I promise I'll be a good girl just please get up." They smiled at her gently and her father shook her tired head.

"Sweet heart," Ryuko gasped and winced as he moved closer, "Go…to my… sister."

"But daddy, why you'll be okay, you just need some rest," now it was her mother's turn to shake her head.

"Our time is over Kaoru," Kanga whispered and coughed harshly bringing past her lips. "Be strong…we'll always…be with…you," she panted and used her good hand to grab a delicate chain from her neck and handed it to her daughter. "Never…forget… who you…are." The last of her mother's life fled her eyes and her raspy breaths fell silent.

"Remember…" her father coughed, "what we ta-taught you." Kaoru heard nothing but silence as her father fell to the ground, a bloody mess. She felt something in her snap, something deep within her heart died with her parents. Her small fist tightened around the necklace her mother had handed her.

Standing swiftly, she felt nothing, everything was cold in her as she grabbed the sword she had dropped and looked to her parents again. Her father's sword, she grabbed it and undid the buckle to the belt that her father had crafted. With a few solid tugs worth all of her body weight it came loose from her father's body. She strapped it to her back and began walking away. People had come running, including friends of her family but they all avoided her. Only a little girl and a man came to her side.

"Aunt Yuki," she whispered as she looked them in the eye. The man drew the other little girl close to his side and pointed away from the town, pointed westward.

"Kaoru!" yelled the little girl.

"Shush Tae, she can't hear you," said the man harshly.

"But Genzai-san, she's like a sister, I can't let her go." She was crying, sobbing for the man to let her go.

"You have to," he said finally and pulled her away from the path little Kaoru had taken and away from the dangers that may have still lurked near by.

:>End :>

Tears fell from her closed eyes as the memories finally left her tortured mind; she was resting on her knees bent over crying into the dirt.

"It's not fair," she whispered harshly, her voice cracking with emotions. "It's not fair," she said louder as a clap of thunder rolled above her head. She screamed her words into the night as the rain fell, cloaking her tears just as it had that day. Her face was pointing to the sky as it washed away any trace of her pain from her face.

Everything she had loved was ripped from her then by the secret of her blood as it was now. The only man she had dared to love would hate her for what she was; he would hunt her just like he had during the war. Slowly she rose to her feet, bowed to the graves and turned. Yet she stopped and turned back, she kissed the tips of two fingers from both of her hands and brushed them over the cold stones.

"I miss you both so much," she whispered and finally left the way she had come. She was in no hurry, the rain had always made her afraid but tonight she welcomed it. Her steps though slow at first were more certain, and stronger then they had been in years.

The rain slowed to a mere drizzle and not long after lights were dancing in the near distance, she was close to home. Only Ayame would still be awake at this hour. Sure enough the doors to the back yard stood open, a young woman wrapped in a yukata and robe stood there with a candle lantern. Worry etched into every inch of her young face making her look that much older.

"You shouldn't worry so much Aya-chan, it adds twenty years to your face," she jested with a light chuckle. Ayame's worried face turned to a glare then softened to a smile. A smile so much like her deceased mother's that Kaoru felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Her cousin ushered her into the house and to the baths, Ayame would not let her fall ill at this point.

"You should learn not to stay out in these storms K-chan; I was so worried about you." Ayame said once her younger cousin was sitting in the hot water and she was washing the long dark mane of hair. "You went to them didn't you?" Kaoru nodded silently as Ayame washed her hair.

"I can't hide any longer Aya, its hurting me to do it." Ayame silenced her by hugging Kaoru's soaked form to her.

"The choice is yours, I have a feeling he may be more understanding than we have thought." Kaoru turned to look Ayame in the eye, her sapphire rimmed gold ones full of curiosity. "I've seen him watching you cousin, I see in his eyes what I see in yours." She turned Kaoru back around so she could finish washing the dark mane. "Even though he says he doesn't trust you, he does and he loves you. I haven't spoken to him directly, but a woman knows these things K-chan."

"I'm sorry Aya-chan," Kaoru whispered causing Ayame to giggle and call her silly. "Akio told me about that husband of yours," there was a faint growl to her words as tension filled her shoulders with the desire to spring and kill the man she spoke of.

"Calm yourself Kaoru, he is all ready dead. His betrayal was dealt with years ago, I'm just glad I never bore him children." Kaoru nodded and the rest of the bath was past in silence. When Ayame was satisfied that her cousin wouldn't fall ill from her wandering in the storm she allowed her to rise and dress. "Will you retire to your chambers? Or would you prefer mine?"

"I'll be fine in my own, could you see to it that I have breakfast in my room though? I am not going to be able to handle seeing him with me like this that early in the day." Ayame nodded and the two went their separate ways to sleep for the night.

Kenshin sat against one of the walls in his room the storm had woken him from the light sleep he had fallen into. He sighed as he thought over the last week and a half, he hadn't spoke to Kaoru in all that time. It was killing him and his other half. They both craved her attention, for her smile to be at them, for her presence to calm them as only she could. This is pathetic rurounin, Battousai muttered from the depths of their mind. Kenshin snorted slightly but agreed.

'Maybe we should apologize for being so harsh to her. Everyone swore on their lives that Kage was a woman, so she didn't actually lie to us.' He could feel and almost see Battousai nodding in agreement even as he was pacing within the confines that Kenshin granted him. He had taken to watching over Kaoru and Ayame during their little training bouts, but he had grown frustrated. He could only see her, he could talk to her or touch her as he used to. Whenever the girls were within the dojo, which seemed to be all day, he had taken to wandering the city. Helping where ever he could.

Though a few nights into the girls' training Kaoru had disappeared, he hunted the grounds and found nothing. Then he found the gardens where they became the forest just beyond the walls. Kenshin had found her there, walking among the boughs singing a calm melody herself. Kaoru hadn't noticed him, but he could feel the effects of her voice on his soul. Yet he still turned and left her, he had needed to speak to Akio about her safety among the trees.

Akio had merely chuckled and slapped him on the back, saying "She's safe, trust me." When Kenshin inquired as to how that could be due to all the things he had seen happen during the war, Akio had just laughed harder. Ayame had to explain for her uncle.

"There is nothing out of the ordinary; it was all Kage's doing. She would never hurt Kaoru while she walks there, and she would never let anyone else get to her."

"But I didn't feel Kage there,"

"Oh she's out there, trust me," trust her huh? Kenshin had been a little skeptical at first, but he knew that if Ayame and Akio weren't worried about Kaoru in the forest then he had to be a fool for worrying. Tonight was no different then the last week or so of nights. The storm worried him though; he could feel Kaoru and knew that she had to be out in the trees again. Kage had better be out there tonight, Kaoru is terrified of storms growled out Battousai.

It wasn't until the storm began to pass and the rain calmed to a light drizzle that he felt Kaoru walk among the grounds. Her aura felt different though, it felt darker somehow he just could figure it out. It was well into the night when he heard movement from her room next to his. She gave a soft sigh and lit the candle in her room.

"I know you're awake, what do you want?" there was an edge to her voice, like she was straining with something.

"Sessha wanted to apologize, to you and Ayame, mainly you. I guess sessha's mind got the better of him where Kage was concerned." Kaoru gave a soft growl and he saw her shadow move so her hands were on her head. "Kaoru-sama, are you okay?"

"Why Kenshin, why do you call yourself sessha?" her muffled voice said no malice or anger, just curiosity. She has a good question there baka; Battousai said and fell silent once more as she spoke. "Just because of things that were beyond your control? You blame yourself for the actions of others, what for? To repent? For what? I was alive during the war. Anything that may have happened due to actions you took could not have been worth killing yourself over. Believe me Kenshin, anything you did would be nothing in comparison to what Kage had done. Now go to sleep, tomorrow Kage will be coming. I want you rested so you can a proper hold on Battousai."

With that said on her part she blew out the candle and he heard the rustle of fabric as she lay down and her breathing evened out in sleep. There is only one thing that Kage could have done that was worse then my actions. 'And that is what?' Kenshin said with slight anger that they may have misjudged the other hitoriki. Kill out of vengeance, killing innocent people with that in her mind. That is the only thing worse then what we did. Battousai was actually quite somber in his admission and it shocked Kenshin. The rurounin lay down within the fading warmth of his blankets, closing his eyes with hope of sleep.

How can you sleep? 'Easy my body is tired,' Battousai gave him the impression of pacing circles within their mind again causing Kenshin to sigh. 'What now, sessha is tired,' I am still trying to figure out this mess. 'Why?' Because our beloved said that Kage would be here tomorrow, I'm trying to figure out if we should trust the old fool. Kenshin remained silent, mostly out of shock that his other half was willing to consider trusting an old enemy. 'I think a good night's rest will help us to decide,' Battousai agreed with him and allowed their body to fall into a light slumber.

A gentle knock on the door, roused the one within the room. The occupant sat at an open door to the near by gardens enjoying the morning air. The door slid open slowly due to a lack of response; Ayame poked her head through and smiled.

"Not in the mood to speak cousin?" Laughed Ayame as she slipped into the room with a tray of food, "I figured it would be better that I brought your breakfast to you." Still no response from the silent figure that was Kaoru, it was beginning to worry her. "K-chan, please respond." Kaoru sighed and turned from the door, closing it quietly behind her.

"I was lost in my thought Aya, I apologize," her normal soothing timber was deeper but still sounded like a woman's. Kaoru looked up at her, straight in to Ayame's eyes. The golden ring surrounding Kaoru's iris's blended into the ring of sapphire blue surrounding it. "It's been a long time Ayame," Ayame smiled regardless of the sliver of fear that raced through her spine.

"Yes it has, now please eat, you will need your strength. Akio said that he wished to do some weight training with you." Kaoru raised a brow questioningly causing Ayame to shrug while her cousin ate. "We both know you're strong, but I think he wants to be certain that you're at the top of your skills again." Kaoru made a sound in her throat saying that she understood. Ayame stood and moved to the door, reopening it and sitting on the private walkway to stare at the garden.

"What is on your mind?" her voice was soft and just as Ayame remembered from all those years ago.

"I'm just thinking about last night."

"What of it cousin?"

"Your friend Kenshin, I spoke with him this morning you know. He seemed to be distracted, when I asked him about it he simply said that he was wondering where you were, and when Kage would be arriving." Ayame had changed the subject and both had their reason for being grateful. Kaoru laughed as she sat down next to Ayame, adjusting her yukata so she could be comfortable.

"I told him last night, his guard must be on high alert with the knowledge that I'm supposed to be here." Ayame shook her head and looked at her cousin.

"No, K-chan, he said that he wanted to be the first to speak with you so he could form a truce." Kaoru's eyes widened slightly and she broke down laughing. "Kaoru, be serious cousin, he seemed dead set in doing this." Her laughter settled into giggling then silenced as she sighed.

"I know he was and so am I. it just amuses me that he finally came to realize that I was harmless to him and all in this house after I basically tell him he has no choice." Ayame tilted her head slightly in question and Kaoru said to disregard her earlier words. "Come though, I need to dress for training and you have things to tend to for that meeting in two days." Kaoru handed Ayame the travel bag that she had shoved into a corner of her closet.

The black chest bindings were first, they both laughed that they had barely enough to bind Kaoru's chest. Ayame made the comment that her body had finally had a chance to grow into its proper form. The hakama and gi still fit, but were tighter than they used to be. They made an agreement to get new measurements and have new clothes made before the meeting. Ayame grabbed some wrap to put on her feet and wrist so they were supported for the day of training they knew was going to push her to her limits. The final step was her midnight hair, Kaoru said to just pull it up like she had been for the last couple of years using a jade ribbon to hold it.

Kaoru thanked her and slid her father's sword into the belt that Tae had also packed into the bag. Ayame pulled out a small box and asked her what it was.

"My mother's necklace," she muttered and told her to put it on the vanity with her other things, she would wear it tonight at dinner and from then on. With everything dealt with Kaoru disappeared out of her room, leaving Ayame to clean up the breakfast and make sure everything was secure. This was going to be a long day and Ayame was not looking forward to it and she had a feeling that neither was Kaoru.

Well there we go folks :bows: another chapter and I think I did a good job personally. Any who I have reached a block with my school work and I won't be able to do anything for a week or so other than my class work. So thank you again for the reviews and I'll get another chapter out when I can.

Just how is Kenshin going to react when he sees with his own eyes that his beloved is his former rival? How will the Kamiyas handle Kage's presence among them once more or the meeting with their rivals? Only two days left until the confrontation.