Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

Thanks to my wonderful beta Royal blueKitsune

The Blood Of The Forbidden

Chapter 3: Tangled

Instead of going directly to Okina, they decided to walk around the empty city. True, it wasn't the most brilliant of ideas, but they needed time to think and to just clear their mind for an instance. Even if none of them vocally admitted it, they were apprehensive. They had had many close calls in the past, but never like this.

This had been too close for comfort.

The rain had stopped a while back, but the crisp scent was still fresh in the air, easing away some of the tension in Kaoru's body.

She didn't particularly pay attention to the soaked clothes that were sticking to her body, nor did she really take heed of the cold. Her indigo eyes were focused on the road ahead of her, while her mind was already busy with all the possible scenarios.

If there was one thing that could be said about Kaoru, it was that she always landed on her feet. This little incident was not going to hold her back. Already she had come up with possible solutions, but still she decided that she needed to have a little more information about their situation. Indigo eyes brightened, she knew exactly where to go for that information.

"Where are we going?" Misao asked as they finally came to a stop in front of what looked like some kind of club.

"CRIMSON PASSION" flashed in bold red letters on top of the door of the building, making Misao snort.

She knew of these kinds of places. Humans were quite oblivious to the real motive behind them, but to vampires and werewolves alike it was a feeding ground. It was a place where they could pick up their next meal, without having to worry about consequences.

This was a large city and an uncountable number of people disappeared daily. The vampire council also had large numbers of their own in the top positions in both government and police force. And that was without counting the 'servitori supusi'.

A servitor supus was simply a human who willingly served the vampires for money, power and even immortality. Servitor Supus literally meant obedient servant.

In other words the human was an obedient servant. Most of these kind of humans could be found in high position jobs in the government, police force, army and even hospital and labs.

This insured a certain control over the mortals, without them even knowing it.

Werewolves on the other hand, offered humans protection and even performed assassinations for the humans. The werewolves kept mostly busy in the underworld, expanding their power through illegal business.

It was well-known that werewolves were some of the best assassins out there, able to track their prey from miles away and with their incomparable strength and speed, it was no wonder these humans chose to side with the wolves.

Misao felt a growl leave her lips as she thought about the humans that willingly served the vampires and werewolves. The humans really didn't know what they were doing. To serve vampires and werewolves alike was similar to selling your soul to the devil. Once you closed the deal, there was no turning back.

"I need to speak with someone." Kaoru answered turning off the motorcycle, waking Misao out of her reverie.

The young woman turned off her motorcycle as well and turned to gaze at her older sister with suspicion clearly in her eyes.

"And you're going in there? There's no way, you're getting in, looking like that." Misao motioned to their drenched clothes, before pointing to the long row of people that were obviously waiting to get in.

"Misao, do you forget what we are?" Kaoru answered smugly, her eyes shifting to silver blue as her outfit changed in front of their eyes.

The eldest Kamiya expertly conjured the illusion, creating a completely different image for herself.

When completely done, she stood there wearing a short black spaghetti strap dress and strapped high heels. Her dark hair was left down and fell in soft waves along her back, complimenting the whole look.

"Stay here." She said softly as she whirled around and slowly walked to the club.

"Who do you think she needs to see?" Misao asked as watched her sister's back.

"Tetsuma." Kumiko said calmly, making Misao gape at her.

There was no way Kaoru was going to speak with that vampire, not after she turned down his proposal.

Okina had been surprised to find Aoshi at his door. Having not seen him in a while, he hadn't even known that he still lived in this city. A part of him was happy to see the blue-eyed vampire. Having known him for so long, there had always been some kind of respect between the two and some would even say friendship.

Still a part of him had been wary when he saw him. Something was up and he was proven right when Aoshi calmly explained to him why he was there.

"Think about what I said Okina. I'm certain you will make the right choice." Okina fisted his hands at his side as he heard those words, but he knew that he had no other choice.

He was backed up in a corner.

"Okina." The elder's head rose swiftly at the mention of his name

Yahiko slowly emerged from the door, a strange look on his face as his dark eyes settled on Aoshi. The youth narrowed his eyes at the tall vampire and Okina noticing the way his 'grandson' acted quickly decided to step in.

He certainly didn't like the way Aoshi was studying the human boy.

"Yahiko go back to bed." Okina ordered sternly. He shot the young boy a withering glare, when it was clear that he was about to protest.

Muttering under his breath, Yahiko did as he was told, but before he left he shot Aoshi another heated glare, which the vampire ignored.

He definitely didn't trust the other man, but decided to obey Okina for once and went back to his room.

"He is sick." Aoshi said softly, when he was certain that the human boy was out of hearing range.

Okina wasn't surprised at all. Trust Aoshi to pick up such things.

"He doesn't have long to live. Still Yahiko is stubborn and he won't give up that easily."

The dark haired vampire noted the sadness in the older man's voice, but didn't comment on it. Personally he thought him foolish.

"You shouldn't have gotten attached, he's human."

"I'm not like you Aoshi. " Okina snapped back, but the vampire wasn't affected at all.

Instead of answering Okina, he opened the door and watched as Saitou waited for him outside. If there was one person Okina didn't trust it was Saitou. The older vampire resisted the urge to look away as amber eyes gazed at him with something akin to dislike. Fortunately for him Aoshi called out his name, giving the opportunity to look away.

"Remember what we've decided." And with that both Saitou and him seemed to vanish into the darkness of the night, leaving the vampire to his thoughts.

The club was filled with humans, most of them drunk and easy prey to those that occupied the second floor of the club. The minute Kaoru had stepped into the club she had felt them. If she had to calculate she would say there were at least twenty-five vampires in the club, all of them occupying the second floor.

She wasn't surprised though, knowing very well that vampires liked to study their prey before moving in. From the second floor they had the perfect view.

The music blasted around her, shaking the very foundation of the building while people danced and grinded on the dance floor, lights illuminating their form. The place smelled of sweat, alcohol and arousal.

Stopping in her tracks for a moment, she gazed at the humans dancing on the dance floor. They were so oblivious to their surroundings.

And yet here she was, a predator, not even a few feet away from them and they didn't even know it. It could be so easy to loose herself to the beast within her and kill them all and they wouldn't even expect it. The darker part of her roared in encouragement, causing unbeknownst to Kaoru her blue eyes to glow eerily.

A guy that had been walking towards her, stopped in his tracks, fear taking hold of him. Noticing the guy Kaoru shifted her gaze so that her eyes were boring through his human ones. Even through the loud music, she could hear the way his heart rate accelerated in fear and how his scent changed to one of a frightened prey. Once again her darker side growled in satisfaction, but she quickly pushed those dark desires.

Ignoring the petrified young man, she turned away from him and walked away towards the stairs she had spotted earlier. The closer she got to the stairs, the lesser humans there were around. Still that didn't stop her.

Coming to a stop in front of the stairs, she found a large and bulky man blocking her way. Anyone else would just think him human, but Kaoru wasn't just anyone. From the first instance she laid eyes on him, she knew that he was nothing more than a 'gardian' in other words a guardian demon.

Vampires often used them as bodyguards and assassins. These demons could easily take a human form and could even speak human languages, yet they couldn't be any farther from being humans.

They were ferocious creatures that were quite hard to kill and were very strong. The only real weakness was that the bigger they were, the slower they were. Still their strength made up for their lack of speed.

The one blocking her was almost three times her size and stared impassively at her, his nostrils flaring as he took in her scent. He must have found what he was looking for, for his small crimson eyes momentarily glowed briefly, before he stopped aside to let her through.

Kaoru didn't say anything as she made her way passed him and up the stairs. Personally she didn't like these creatures. Her father had a few of them when he was alive; they had been mostly used for protection.

However one went as far as to attack Misao when she was younger. The demon was instantly killed, but the fear and distrust had made her father get rid of all of them.

She brushed the thoughts away as she got to the top of the stairs. Her eyes widened slightly when she noticed how different this floor was from the other. Red curtains adorned the windows, while the most expensive furniture was placed all over the room. Still it shouldn't have surprised her. Vampires were known to love luxury, beauty and pleasure.

She ignored the looks, she got as she made her way to the back of the room where she knew she would find him. Some of the vampires sneered at her, while others beckoned her to come to them, but she paid little heed to them. She even had to push passed some of the humans away, who wanted nothing more than to be her pet for the evening.

She finally came to back of the room and this time, she found her way once again blocked by another gardian. This one wasn't that much taller than her in his human form, but for some reason looked more intimidating than the first one.

"Can I help you?" He asked in a hissing voice that made Kaoru aware of how dangerous this creature really was.

"I'm here to speak with Tetsuma."

"My master isn't expecting anyone." He said softly, lips parting softly to reveal rows of sharp teeth.

"Your master will want to see me. Tell him that Kamiya Kaoru is here." He seemed ready to hesitate, but was stopped as she heard Tetsuma call out her name.

"My master will see you." He hissed, green eyes narrowed dangerously.

If she were anyone else, she would have called his human form beautiful. With his light green eyes and short blond hair and androgynous features he was definitely attractive, but she knew what he truly was and therefore she would never call him beautiful.

She ignored the demon behind her as she made her way towards the vampire, who was by now looking at with a small smirk on his youthful face.

"Tetsuma." She whispered calmly.

Tetsuma was one of the few vampires that she could consider somewhat of an ally, still that didn't mean that she trusted him fully.

He had been her father's ally and had extended his alliance to her when her father had been killed. He had helped her a lot in the past, but still there was that small voice in the back of her head that always prevented her from trusting him completely.

He wasn't a vampire Lord for nothing. To get such a position you needed to be strong, cunning and merciless. After all there would always be those that would want to take your position.

"Kamiya." He muttered with a grin on his face as he pushed the woman in his lap away.

The blond obviously offended turned to glare at Kaoru, but the dark haired woman merely ignored her, not wanting to deal with a servitor dependent at the moment. Unlike the servitor supus, the servitor dependent was addicted to the vampire, to the point that they were almost possessive towards their masters.

These addicted servants as they were often referred to were addicted to the vampire kiss, which is also called the sarut.

The vampire kiss is basically another weapon to the vampire. Why struggle with your prey when you can have her be completely submissive.

Yet only the pureblooded vampires, mostly the most powerful ones, were able to perform the sarut, which not only was a combination of dark magic, but also of certain venom that the vampire injected into their victims when biting them.

Now however the vampires went as far as to have these addicted servants that were basically the vampire's blood bank on two legs. It was ironic and slightly sardonic to see that some vampires didn't even have to tire themselves by hunting anymore. Blame it on these humans that would willingly give them their blood up for just a few minutes of pleasure.

A wry smile appeared on Kaoru lips as she thought about how easily the humans were being manipulated. If this continued she was afraid that the race would not last long.

"Come, sit with me." Tetsuma motioned her with his hand, snapping her out of her dark musings.

Squaring her shoulders she slowly made her way towards him. Finally reaching him, she sat down in one of the plush leather couches facing him. She was slightly relieved to see that there was a small glass table separating them. Crossing her legs, she made herself comfortable in her seat.

The blue-eyed hybrid resisted the urge to growl as she felt the vampire's dark eyes on her exposed legs. Fortunately he seemed to quickly regain his composure and raised his face to gaze at her.

"Tell me now, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? It's not every day that I find myself in the lovely presence of the heir to the Kamiya dynasty." he asked almost mockingly as he took a sip from the wineglass in his hands.

She narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't say anything. True even if they were hunted down, she was still the heir and possibly the new leader if she chose to rebuild her father's convent, but for obvious reasons she refused to do that. She had barely any way to protect her sisters, let alone a whole convent.

Hoping to change the subject she instantly went to what she was here for.

"Is there a price on my head?" Kaoru asked without missing a beat, her eyes trained on Tetsuma who had now placed down the glass and was staring calmly at her.

His black eyes regarded her, with a hint of amusement, making her wonder what was going in that head of his. Still it was clear to her that he wasn't surprised by her question.

'Bloody bastard.'

"Why would you ask such a question?" He asked as a waiter handed her a glass similar to his.

Under other circumstances she would have declined the offer, but the scent of the blood was too tempting for her to resist. She silently took a sip from the liquid enjoying the fresh taste of it as it flowed down her throat. A guilty voice in her head told her that this was probably the blood from some unlucky soul that they managed to ensnare, because it was very fresh and still warm.

Nevertheless the true predator in her quickly drowned out that tiny voice by pointing out that this was the way life was. They were the predators and humans were their prey. It was as simple as that.

Putting down the glass she calmly returned her gaze once again to Tetsuma, who was observing her calmly while sipping from his glass.

"My sisters and I were attacked by both vampires and werewolves tonight. It makes you wonder if someone was after you, don't you think?" She said licking the excess blood from her lips.

His hungry eyes followed the movement and she was reminded of the fact that Tetsuma had once a long time ago offered her safety within his convent if she was to become his mate. She had refused, not willing to risk him or his convent members and not willing to become his.

In both the vampire and werewolf world, Tetsuma would have been considered the perfect mate for her. He was strong, a leader and would provide and protect her, everything her kind would seek in a mate.

Still she had declined his request. For if there was one thing in life she was certain about, it was that she would never become attached to anyone. Her life was complicated as it was and she didn't want to bestow her problems on a mate or possibly a pup.

Her blue eyes grew cold as she thought about having a child. She could never allow such a thing to take place, for she could never allow a fate such as hers to fall on an innocent.

Especially not a child.

"There's a rumor going around that both clans want to end this war. Until now both sides seemed to be at par with one another. So they need that one thing that can tip that balance in their favor." Tetsuma muttered bringing Kaoru out of her musings.

True, she had heard the rumors of both clans wanting to end the war. Still it had nothing to with them, right?

Her eyes widened as realization hit her.

"They want us." Kaoru found herself saying without realizing it.

She watched warily as Tetsuma leaned over the table so that he was only inches away from her face. From far away his eyes looked dark, almost black, but now that he was only inches apart she could clearly discern the flecks of deep crimson that hid in those inky black pools.

"You have no idea how many out there want you Kaoru." Tetsuma whispered, running his index finger along her cheek, before leaning away from her.

She was mentally berating herself for letting him touch her, but that was just the way Tetsuma was.

Cocky fool, she thought sourly as she tried to focus once again on his words.

"Think about it. I know very well that you still haven't reached that potential that you're craving and still you easily take care of a pack of werewolves, a hunting pack to be exact. It doesn't take a genius to understand how beneficial the three of you can be in this war. With the proper training and guidance I would say that the sky would be the limit. And it certainly doesn't hurt that all three of you are good enough to eat." He muttered as he leaned back in his chair and brushed away some of those unruly chocolate bangs from his eyes.

"Stop speaking such nonsense." She found herself instinctively retorting, hackles rising.

She hated the way, he spoke so freely about her sisters and her. She had known from the beginning that they have become the object of lust and desire of many vampires and werewolves alike, but hearing it from Tetsuma only made the thought truer than she wished it to be.

"Ah, Kaoru do not underestimate the power of lust. It's not just for nothing that it's considered one of the seven deadly sins." His voice was reprimanding and she resisted the urge to growl at him.

So instead she settled with rolling her eyes at him in annoyance.

"Since when did you become a religious man? The last time I checked you believed in power, money and how many women you could screw in a night." She shot back, sarcasm dripping from every word, but he didn't seem to mind at all.

"I must believe in something, dear. After having lived for so long, you tend to loose focus. And besides if evil like me exists, wouldn't there be good somewhere out there as well?" He challenged calmly, voice soft and even.

She snorted at the thought of him actually believing in a higher power. It was ridiculous in her opinion. Still it didn't concern her if he did.

"Hn...if you say so. The last time I checked though, God just forgot about us or maybe we do not belong to his herd." she said coldly as her hands fisted in her lap as she recalled all that they had been through so far.

"Maybe..." He whispered, dark eyes far away.

"You've been speaking to Anji again haven't you? I swear that vampire can make anyone belief his wife's tales."

It seemed that he didn't like her tone, for she noticed the slightly narrowing of his eyes.

"And yet where are you heading Kaoru? Aren't you going to hide in a rundown chapel? A house of God?"

Gone was the calm tone, he had used earlier. His voice was now condescending and mocking, making her bristle. She didn't come here to be made a fool of.

"That doesn't mean anything. It's just a place and I can't help that Okina chose that place to live." She sneered teeth bared while her temper threatened to overthrow her.

"Whatever you say...here." He whispered, reaching in his dark coat for something.

Kaoru was fuming by his obvious dismissal, but she had no time to argue or say anything else as he threw something at her. She easily caught it. To her confusion it was a simple envelope. Meeting his eyes, she watched as he motioned for her to open it.

She was once again surprised as she managed to see what was in the envelope.

"Airplane tickets?" She asked confusedly, raising her face to gaze at the vampire, who had by now finished his glass of blood.

"Yes, go to South America, it's safer there at the moment."

He seemed to sense her hesitation, for he quickly continued.

"You're not safe here. More will come after you and your sisters. Both of us, know that you will be safer there." She seemed to consider his words.

"How did you..." He quickly cut her off, knowing exactly what she was going to ask.

"Kaoru, my job is to know everything. Do not fret yourself any further. Take the tickets and the money and get yourself and your sisters out of here."

She raised an eyebrow suspiciously at his tone. Having known him for a long time, she knew exactly when he was hiding something. And right now he was.

"There's something you're not telling me Tetsuma." Her blue eyes were narrowed and her lips were set in a thin line, but he didn't bother to lie and just told her the truth.

"Some things are better left unsaid."

Kaoru resisted the urge to growl as the vampire obviously dismissed her and returned to his lady friend who seemed to have popped out of nowhere.

Rolling her eyes, she stood up. Shooting a last glare at him, which he promptly ignored, she whirled around ready to walk away, but stopped as Tetsuma called her name. She slowly turned her head a bit so that she could gaze at him over her shoulder.

"Be careful Kaoru."

Kaoru wasn't certain what it was, but she could clearly hear the concern in his voice and it made her realize that things were much serious than she had anticipated.

"Hn...thanks." She found herself whispering, without a second thought as she walked away, leaving the vampire to stare after her.

As she walked away, she couldn't stop herself from wondering if things could get any worse.

If only she knew how worse it was going to become.

TBC...

A/N: I'm finally back. It's been a long time, but hopefully now this story can finally get on track. Anyways thanks to all the reviewers!