Burning Flyer Miles

by Manx Maiden

Kaoru and her little brother have just inherited a dojo in Japan. All goes well, until her best friend and famous journalist drops in. Soon, Misao has them tangled in a web of revolution, government conspiracy, and two dangerously handsome men.

3. Chapter 3

Burning Flyer Miles

By Manx Maiden

Chapter III
Queens In Place

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or its characters. I also owe many other fanfiction writers for the ideas that inspired this story.

Authoress' Note: Hello all! Long time, no see. First off, I want to let everyone know that my current schedule has not allowed me to have this story completed the way I had planned to. I promised that I would have the entire thing completed before I loaded more chapters up, but time is scarce thanks to being a full time student and working two jobs. I had some of the other chapters drawn out, but they're not in their final forms yet. There is one good thing about this though. This way I can include all the ideas given to me by my reviews. Writing with the reader's input is always more fun anyway.

Before I begin the chapter, I want to say thanks to all my reviewers. Thanks to delp, kagome's heart, Iskra revoir, white_fang_585, Gregularreader, Kristy-chan, rubyred517, and Hikari-Kawaii, for all the support and praise. I also have two other readers in particular I want to address.

To Ozie:

Thanks for the critique. First off, I am really bad at leaving out or switching key words and verbs when I write. I do revise my work, but I have a tendency to see what I think is written down. My brain knows a sentence that I wrote really well, so I usually don't see what is actually written down on the page. These chapters are usually loaded in a hurry too, so sorry about the bad grammar everyone. Oh, I did check those spellings and you were right. I've been reading the manga for so many years that I totally space out on the proper name spellings some times. I'm really glad somebody caught that!

Yes, Yahiko is way too mature to be an eleven-year-old kid. He's actually thirteen. Sorry, it I wrote that in wrong or didn't explain it very well. Of course, I also agree that he's too mature for a thirteen-year-old boy as well. There's actually a real reason why he is so mature though. It is part of the plot, so I can't reveal it. Let's just say that his behavior isn't exactly natural.

I also wanted to explain why Kenshin doesn't speak English. The time line for the characters' lives in my story is somewhat the same as the manga and the anime. Kenshin still ran off to join a revolution that happened about ten years before Shishio took full power. Instead of being in school, Kenshin was out killing his enemies. He didn't need to learn English, but he did learn Korean, Vietnamese, and a little bit of Mandarin for his assassination missions. Although, that is a great idea to tease him about his bad accent. I did include that in this chapter and there is more teasing to come. Oh, here's another funny side quirk. Almost every other character in the story can speak some level of English, so Kenshin is going to be in the dark a lot of the time during group discussions. Thanks for the review!

To Famelis Ly:

Thank you! I was wondering who was going to catch that! To put it simply, Misao is both Kaoru's sister and her best friend. Misao is just not her biological sister. I've explained a little bit more of Kaoru's past in this chapter. Hopefully, that will clear some of the mystery about their relationship. If it doesn't, the revelations about Misao's past in later chapters will. Thanks for catching that!

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Aoshi marveled at the woman before him. He had never thought he'd ever see her again. He thought that she was some kind of hired gun. This was not good. This woman had seen him with Kenshin. He and Kenshin were hardly seen together in public. In fact, they were hardly ever seen in public period!

This woman knew who he was. She had to have been following him to run across him so conveniently that night. He despised taking women prisoners, but this time there wasn't a choice. This was very bad. Not only would she be a wildcat to just get near, but the way his blood raced at the mere sight of her would make all the harder to capture her.

"You look as if you are planning my end." Aoshi cursed internally when her naturally low voice sent shivers up his spine.

"Perhaps," he stated void of emotion. "Do you have a reason that I shouldn't kill you?"

The smiled that followed made the feisty woman look like a Black Widow who had just locked eyes with her new mate. Aoshi's felt his ever battle ready instincts awaken at that smile.

"As a matter of fact, Okishira….." she purred, the title rolling off her tongue, "I am about to save your war."

"Fascinating. I don't believe I've heard that line from one of Shishio's assassins before."

"I'm one of Shishio's assassins, huh? That would be quite a twist. Still, I think you're made a mistake. Don't you remember the lighter I gave you at the gas station, blue eyes? You did look at the name inscribed on it, didn't you?"

Suddenly, Aoshi's mind was spinning into action. He began to put two and two together. He knew of Misao Makimachi. What person involved in politics didn't? She was a young and rather rash journalist that seemed to make whole governments fall at her feet.

'Of course,' he thought. How could he not recognize her? He should have known after seeing the leather clothes, cocky attitude, and listening to her cunning mouth. (Her very lovely cunning mouth.) These were the trademarks that she was known for.

The Scarlet Kunoichi was the nickname given to her last time she landed in China. That little scandal she revealed in Beijing three years ago alerted the Asian world to her presence. When her Japanese-American heritage was made known, international eyes were set upon both Japan and the U.S.

"Everyone was wondering how long it be before you came to tour your ancestral home, Miss Makimachi."

"I always did want to see Kyoto at night. I heard it was quite a view. I didn't like Tokyo much though. Too many guns."

"I'm not surprised. I didn't have a very pleasant stay last time I went there either."

"I have something for you from a friend."

"Why didn't he bring it himself?"

"As Okishira, don't you know already?"

"Indeed, I do madam. Yet, I cannot understand how he came to die. He was one of my most highly trained men. Nor can I, understand how he came to disobey my orders to bring it about either."

"Perhaps, the orders were flawed."

"Excuse me?" he demanded, not sure if he had heard her right.

"You," she continued with sudden sparks in her eyes, "Ordered him back to base. There were four families in danger from Shishio and you ordered him home. Why? Didn't he tell you about them?"

"He did. He was simply needed elsewhere."

"That's it? That's all you're going to say about almost ending the lives of over twenty people?!"

"I was not the one hunting them."

"No, but you did have the power to save them. Not being willingly to do it is just as bad as actually hunting them down."

Aoshi had no idea why he was suddenly defending himself from a stranger. But that look in her eyes….. He had seen those eyes of disbelief and anger before. All were from his victims and that look was reversed for a monster. It was for someone who had just ended your world and destroyed your life as you knew it. He couldn't stand to see her looking at him like that.

"I knew that he would have died if he had stayed. My operatives have mostly been pushed out of Tokyo. Shishio's spies hold that town hostage. Tomo was one of only five. The information he had in his possession would have been used to save perhaps hundreds of people down the line. Which is more important Miss Makimachi; a hundred or twenty?"

Her reply was instant. "Why can't it be both?"

"Forgive me, then. I was not aware that you were going to sweep in to save the day."

Misao glared at him.

"Now, how did my agent die again?"

"He took a bullet for me. Sorry, I couldn't have died instead so he could follow your orders as his duty so preciously demanded."

Ignoring the sting her insult caused him, he continued, "His death is a pity. I am pleased that at least one of you made it out though. I am puzzled though. How did you make contact with him in the first place?"

"I followed the sent of a traitor among Shishio's men," she explained, "The trail led me to both him and Shishio's child hunting scheme. We teamed up and for three weeks worked as partners. Finally, we aided in the escape of the four families and met up with Shishio's men in the process. A fight ensued and he took the shot meant for me."

"You weren't… lovers, then?"

Now, she looked confused. "No. Why would you think that we were lovers? Wasn't he married? I mean, he even gave a note to give his wife if he died."

With the new light shed upon the mystery, Aoshi's respect had returned for the man. His respect had also surfaced for the woman before him. Tomo had been a ninja after all. For him to entrust Misao with his last mission's work, she must be a woman of character. Not to mention, that the pang of jealously he wouldn't admit to was gone now.

"Forgive me. I was misinformed of the nature of your relationship," he apologized, "May I have the information, then?"

"It's not with me. I will bring it to you. You know the new hot spot for Shishio's traveling friends?"

"Very well. It is, in fact, one of my next targets to dismantle," he stated.

"Good. Meet me there tomorrow around noon. Ask for me by appearance. I'll be wearing red."

He raised an eyebrow, but agreed. Bowing slightly, he turned to leave and headed towards the roof's edge.

"Wait, blue eyes" she called. "I do have one request for payment."

Aoshi's eyes narrowed slightly, but he motioned for her to continue.

"The night Tomo died, he and I snuck into a mansion owned by Shishio. I found out that there were some documents his secretary, Houji, had filed away that could have shed some light on his more shady treaty agreements. There were only a handful of Shishio's guys there, so we assumed that there wasn't going to be much of fight. We were stupid. The second we made it in, we knew that we were screwed. The place was crawling with some of Shishio's best ninjas."

"Tomo finally made it into Houji's office. I heard him having a fight with someone. I made it past the guards and ended up walking into a bullet. That's when Tomo jumped in front of me…. "

She paused for moment. Then, she managed to find her voice again.

"It was a woman about my age that fired the shot. She looked somewhat gothic. She had the thick, flowing black hair. The hazel eyes that glowed in the moonlight," she said dragging her voice over every word, "She even had the whole Cleopatra eyes going on. You know, she was basically the Vixen that all you bad boys dream about."

Aoshi raised an eyebrow.

"I was already wounded, so she kicked my butt pretty bad. Luckily, I kicked her tail too. She retreated and that's when I grabbed the files we came for. Funny thing, she never dropped her name. I would really like to see her again. So, I want to know who she is."

Aoshi's face was his usual controlled expression. "Did she use a pair of sais?"

"Yep."

"She's killed many of my agents in the past. She usually stays put in Kyoto though. She's known as the Sakura Habu."

"What kind of name is that?" Misao asked.

"The Sakura Habu. The Silk Dragon. The Scarlet Kunoichi. Who knows why women today are given these titles," Aoshi remarked.

"Ha ha ha. Okay, mister I-think-women-shouldn't fight, your old world attitude is noted. So, what does this chick exactly do for Shishio's corrupt regime?"

"I never said I didn't think women should fight," Aoshi stated, "I simply was pointing out that society gives you odd names."

"Point taken. How about answering my question then?"

"She doesn't really do anything."

"What?"

"She occasionally leads missions on Shishio's behalf, but she mainly stays here in Kyoto. She doesn't have a real position per say, but she does interfere in certain matters that she has an interest in. She is usually out hunting for an ancient katana that she is obsessed with."

"So, she has a lot of combat talent, but no real influence where Shishio is concerned," Misao summed up.

"No, she has great power and influence in the government," Aoshi corrected.

"Alright, enough with the cryptic ninja answers. What is she then? Shishio's lover? His long lost sister? Houji's mom? What?"

"Miss Makimachi, she's the Tenken's wife."

"Oh…. Wait! What?!"

*********************

The next morning was not a friendly one. The group had come back home late that night. Yahiko had crashed and Kaoru had gone to bed to both sleep and calm down. She was furious that Misao had never mentioned this Habu woman. She had gotten up this morning still mad, but slightly calmer than before. Yahiko was still asleep, but she found Misao still sitting in the same position at the kitchen table she had been in the night before.

"Wow," Misao said sarcastically. "She wakes."

"Barely," Kaoru corrected. "Did you stay up all night again?"

"Yep. I also found out a bit more about the vixen who tried to kill me," Misao sung happily.

"That's good. Now… Misao….tell me why?"

"Why what?" Misao asked not looking away from her laptop. Suddenly, she was assaulted by an army of flying hand towels and oven mitts.

"Kaoru! What the heck are you doing?!"

"Why didn't you tell me that you got in a fight?!"

"I did," Misao defended as she tackled Kaoru to the ground. "You saw the cuts. I told you that I tangled with Shishio's boys."

"I thought that they were just some lackey's!" Kaoru yelled from underneath her, "I didn't know that you were actually in a battle with a real warrior."

"I've been in them before!"

"You never lied to me before, Misao!"

Just then, Yahiko came stumbling into the kitchen looking like a zombie. Still tired, he yawned and stretched his arms above his head. Suddenly, he looked down and realized that his two sisters were struggling on the floor. Ignoring him, Kaoru was trying to get out from under Misao.

"…….Uh huh…….," he muttered slowly catching their attention.

"Well…… So who's going to pay for my therapy sessions?" he asked.

"Shut up, Yahiko-chan! Kaoru was attacking me with towels. I had to do something."

"Don't call me chan, weasel! Wait…. She was attacking you with towels?"

"I am not a weasel, brat!"

"Don't call me a brat! Seriously though, who attacks someone with a towel? Oh… wait, scratch that question."

"Yahiko, you have a dirty mind!" Kaoru scolded him. "Besides, I needed something that wouldn't leave marks."

"I'm a guy. What did you expect? And, you could have used boiling hot towels. That would have made it less lame."

"Thanks for the tip on how to torture me," Misao said as she and Kaoru finally got off the floor.

"Anyway," she continued, "If all homicidal family members will please accompany me to see Carlos…."

"You named your computer Carlos?"

"Yahiko, never question the methods of a writer."

Kaoru and Yahiko gave each other, and then her, a fearful look. Still, they bravely sat at the kitchen table and stared at the screen Misao had turned towards them.

"This is Lady Hina Seta," Misao announced.

"She looks like a witch….."

"She's hot."

"Yahiko! What have I told about gawking at our sworn enemies?!"

"Wait, so you can flirt with strange, dangerous men on planes, but I can't even look at a pretty girl in a picture from a news article?"

"It's not the same thing, Yahiko!"

"There was a strange man on plane?"

"It was nothing, Misao."

"No, Kaoru, it was something. Now, I want to hear about this strange, dangerous man on the plane. Or was it more than one man?"

"Misao, we have more important things to…."

"Was he hot?"

"Misao!"

Turning to her younger brother, she asked, "Was he hot?"

"How would I know?"

"Well, what did he look like?" she urged.

"I don't know. I was playing more attention to where he was putting his hands. I didn't really care what he looked like. She was seriously crushing though."

"Yahiko! I would have never…."

"Wow, Kaoru. One plane ride to Japan and you're already the most popular seductress in town."

"I am not, Misao! It was just a little harmless flirting!"

"Ha ha! You admit it then!" Misao grinned brightly.

"Okay, okay! I admit it, so can we get back to studying the woman who tried to kill you now?" Kaoru pleaded in frustration.

Misao decided to hold off the teasing for now. Kaoru could be deadly first thing in the morning.

Clearing her throat, she said, "Alright. I've talked to some of my contacts in the local underground. Plus, I've been researching the few written pieces on her…"

"You took off wounded to go talk up some assassins last night?!"

"You broke into the court house again?! They can put you jail for that you know!"

"It's okay mom. I used my new toy called a cell phone to talk to my large and rough friends. Thanks for your concern dad, but I also used this new invention called the internet to search for her. Hence forth, the computer you see laid before you," Misao explained slowly.

"Hence forth?" Yahiko repeated.

"Can I get back to my informative lecture, please?" Misao asked rapping her fingers on the table.

Misao took their angry mutterings as a yes.

"Now, where was I? Oh, yeah! Hina only appeared on the scene about three years ago. Our boy Soujiro was sent on an unknown mission to Okinawa by Lord of the Mummies, or a.k.a. the Emperor. He disappears for about six months and then reappears at Shishio's court with a beautiful new bride."

She continued, "No one, from Shishio to the guy who sells drugs in the ally has a single clue as to who she is. It is quite clear that she isn't exactly mentally stable though. It's not something that she seems to have been born with though. I think it's a result from some sort of trauma. She tends to break into psychotic episodes when men get a little too personal with her."

"Well, then her Cleopatra-style appearance is certainly off," Kaoru remarked. "So, how is she married if she goes nuts every time her husband gets close to her?"

"She doesn't," Misao answered her simply. "According to an inside witness, they actually are in love. In fact, they had eloped before anyone inside Shishio's government even knew about her existence. She was fifteen then and our beloved Tenken was eighteen. A true teenage romance."

"A weird teenage romance," Yahiko pointed out.

"True," Misao agreed, "She is known as the Sakura Habu due to her enjoyment of killing victims slowly while she looks them in the eye and smiles. A wide variety of poisons from her personal collection are her preferred method to kill off whoever pesters her."

"Lovely," Kaoru added.

"She is really good at wielding the sai daggers. Trust me on that one. She is even rumored to be on Soujiro' s level of skill. The scar across my stomach is a testament to that fact."

"Besides all that, there is only one other thing known about her. She isn't loyal to Shishio one way or the other. She's loyal to her man. So, if the rebels go after Soujiro, then she'll fight to the death for him. He'll fight to the death for her too."

"So, Shishio is probably really careful about how he treats her," Kaoru realized. "One wrong move and his best assassin would turn against him."

"Yep. I think that's the only reason why he hasn't tried to kill Hina yet. From what I understand, she doesn't obey his orders very well and has even argued with him in front of witnesses before," Misao told her.

"So, Soujiro's the main guy to take out first, then?" Yahiko wondered aloud. "I mean his is the mayor of Kyoto. He's the one who's got all the power in this town while Shishio holds power in Tokyo."

"Yes, and he is still the one warrior who would defend Shishio to the end," Misao stated.

"Then, we will need to capture his wife alive to get his focus away from Shishio," Kaoru said.

"Easier said than done. We will need a plan. We'll have to wait until I fully heal though," Misao replied. "Now, tell me more about this hot guy on the plane?"

Kaoru blinked in surprise. "Misao, how totally random was that? We were talking about something serious, but then you switch back to that guy?"

"Sorry! It's killing me though. I must have all the juicy details!"

"Girls," Yahiko said, rolling his eyes. Getting up, he walked over to the kitchen counter to pour himself a glass of milk.

"Okay. You win, Misao. I'll never hear the end of this, if I don't tell you," Kaoru sighed.

"No, you won't," Misao confirmed in a happy tone.

"He wasn't cute… He was more handsome… like a guy you'd want to get stuck on an island with. He was older and more mature than most men."

Misao urged her to go on while Yahiko made gagging sounds in the background.

"He was about my height. He had amber eyes and red hair."

Misao straightened at the description.

"He was really sweet. He only spoke Japanese though. I thought it was weird that he never learned English."

Kaoru giggled, "He tried to speak a few phrases though. He was so cute and funny. He sounded like all those stereotypes you see on TV. You know. The shows where Asians have that really bad accident and speak broken English all the time? Misao, what's wrong?"

"Not a thing," Misao said with rather sassy laugh. "I just found out who you're mystery man is."

"You did?" The remark had brought Yahiko's attention back to his sisters again.

"Well, he's a good guy for one. He's a bit of a bad boy. He's also a real rebel. Oh, and I kissed his best friend."

"What?!" Misao's two siblings hollered at once.

Ignoring them, Misao went on, "He had red hair, amber eyes,…oh, and a cross shaped scar that no one mentioned. Your plane pal is the guy that what at the gas station with Aoshi Shinomori. They looked like they knew each other pretty well."

Ignoring the fact that the hot guy of her dreams was now within reach, she ordered, "Oh, no you don't, Misao! I gave you the details about this Kenshin guy. You owe me details too!"

"Alright, fine. I was going to tell you anyway," Misao said with grin.

Yahiko decided he had enough of their girl talk. Walking out of the kitchen, he hollered, "I'll be in my room! Call me when the barfing session ends and you're ready to take me to school!"

Five minutes later, he raced back down the stairs. His sleepy mind had finally processed what his sisters had said. He was now in full brother mode.

"Wait! Hold up! You kissed Aoshi Shinomori?! And you flirted with his friend?! What is wrong with you two?! You're never leaving the house again!"

********************

Aoshi surveyed his crew as they sat around the conference table. He, of course, sat at the head of the long, rectangular table. Kenshin sat at his left and Hannya sat to his right. Hyottoko, Beshimi, and Shikijo, all sat in the chairs on Hannya's side in that order. All the attention of the men in the room, however, was drawn to a pretty woman standing in front of a projector screen.

The men watched with interest as Omasu gave her weekly intelligence report. She was the head of the international group within the Oniwabanshu. It was her first leadership position, but Aoshi had felt that it was a promotion that was long over due. Not only was she one of his top spies, but she also knew languages and cultures than anyone else in the clan. She was especially talented at blending into U.S. and British culture.

"We know," she stated, "that Lord Aoshi has already made contact with the Scarlet Kunoichi. We have just discovered something else though. We have reason to believe that the Silk Dragon is here as well."

"How do you know that?" Aoshi asked.

"We were informed by an old friend of the Dragon's and an alliance of ours that she is here in Kyoto. She just doesn't know where."

"Is she a reliable source?"

"Yes, my lord," Omasu confirmed, "She is the most reliable source in our rebellion."

The men nodded in understanding.

"As you know, we have tried to make contact with the Silk Dragon in the past. So far, we have never been able to actually track her to one place. We don't know what type of travel she arranged, who is with her, or even where she went to once she arrived. However, we do now know some key facts about her that were missing before."

"Thanks to our newest comrade, Mr. Sagara, we now know her story. The legends are true. She was raised with Mr. Sagara, Miss Makimachi, Li Ling, later Enishi, and various other troubled children in California. Her father was the very same Lt. Kamiya who took his pregnant wife and Mr. Sagara with him when he fled the war over twenty years ago."

She continued, "The young couple set up a foster house and dojo to give troubled kids on the streets a fair chance in life. They were well received by the community and respected by the local gangs that ran the neighborhood in Chinatown. However, they apparently rescued one young girl who knew too much and this got them killed."

"The girl was none other than Li Ling herself. After the massacre, she and Enishi went into hiding and he worked as a hired killer for a local crime boss. The Silk Dragon, or Miss Kamiya, was separated from her only biological younger brother when they entered foster care."

"The other children in their care went their separate ways as well. Must ended up back on the streets. They were reunited two years later, however, when the Silk Dragon reappeared at the age of sixteen."

"Where did she go for those two years? I mean, her parents were dead and she somehow managed to disappear from child services. Where was she?" Hyottoko asked.

"We don't know," Omasu informed him, "No one does. Not even Mr. Sagara knows where she went. We're not even sure who trained her. He father taught her to fight when she was young. We know that. Still, we don't know how she disappeared as young kendo student at age fourteen, and reappeared two years later as a warrior of revenge at age sixteen. We just don't know."

"How did she destroy Li Ming and Fujita's mafia empire in such a short time?" Kenshin asked.

"She played their heritages against each other. That was her first move. She was very cunning and managed to weaken the organization from the inside. She then cut off their allies and supplies. This took about a year. After that, she and the group of vigilantes that followed her began to tear the small empire apart."

"Where does Enishi come in?" Hannya asked.

"Mr. Sagara was not with her all the time that Miss Kamiya was active. What we do know is that she and Yukishiro Enishi definitely did have a romantic relationship. We have even proof of an engagement to support this claim."

"Kamiya had no idea what he was?" Kenshin asked.

"No. Enishi was one of the vigilantes that worked for her. He was never really her foster brother either. He always lived on the streets and would only visit the Kamiya dojo when her parents ran it. It was a war, so to speak, and things just happened. From what I understand, his true nature was not revealed until Enishi took the power that the mafia bosses she had killed once possessed. He used her," Omasu replied.

"Then, she would be of no use to use," Aoshi announced.

"I must disagree, my lord. She is indeed the key to severing Shishio's ties to Enishi. Enishi is obsessed with her and has been searching for her as hard as we have. Even without his affection for her, the Silk Dragon's cunning and intelligence as a leader is bonus to us alone."

"I agree," Kenshin said, "She's the one who knows Enishi the best. I will need her help to defeat him when the time comes."

"Why would she fight though?" Hannya asked, "What would she gain from fighting a battle for Japan? She's American after all."

"She's like this super-hero woman though, right? Doesn't that mean that she'll help protect the innocent and all that heroic stuff?" Beshimi disagreed.

"She's also supposed to be best friends with this Scarlet Kunoichi lady. We know that that leather clad chick was wounded. Hannya could tell the minute she came up to him at the library. You must have realized it too, Lord Aoshi. After the fight she had, she's got to be healing somewhere," Shikijo suggested.

"Where else would she go, but to her best friend's house?" Hyottoko added.

"Agreed," their leader cut in smoothly. "Do we have a photo of her yet, Omasu?"

"No, sir. We have not found one photo of her anywhere. Mr. Sagara does not have one either. We've already checked all the airports and harbors. This is a holiday weekend, so there is no way to track how she arrived here. Like Mr. Himura, she chose the perfect time to arrive her without being seen."

"Why here?" Kenshin wondered aloud. "Why now? What could she gain by coming to Kyoto?"

"We don't know. She will no doubt have her younger brother near by her though. She never leaves alone. We were given a description by Mr. Sagara. It was pretty general though, and he hasn't seen them in two years."

"What's the description, Omasu?" Aoshi inquired.

"She is of average height. She looks Asian. Maybe, long hair… Oh, and blue eyes…. Mr. Sagara said that they sparkled like…."

"Sapphires?" Kenshin asked perking up.

Everyone in the room stared at him blankly.

"Omasu, is Miss Kamiya kind by nature, but have a rather unpredictable streak about her?"

Now worried about the former Battousai's health, she said, "I guess…."

"Aoshi, remember the woman on the plane I said I met?"

"Yes…"

"It's her. Her first name is Kaoru, isn't it?"

"Yes, but how did you know that? I never said…"

"Omasu. I met her on the plane. I talked with her most of the plane ride over from South Korea. She didn't know a lot of Japanese. She said that she had custody of her brother and that she had just inherited a dojo here in Kyoto."

"Himura," she said, "There aren't many dojos left, since Shishio's government frowns on martial arts."

"Maybe she was lying," Beshimi offered.

"No," Kenshin corrected, "She wasn't lying. She was proud. She talked about how she wanted to open her own kendo school."

"Wow," Omasu said in an impressed tone, "She's a female warrior, hero, and now a kendo teacher. She's got my respect. Let me meet her when you find, okay?"

Kenshin smiled at her. "She wouldn't stay in the city. She'd want some place where she can hide in some seclusion. Especially, if she's hiding a wounded Misao Makimachi."

"There won't be many modern dojos outside of Kyoto," Omasu told him.

"Who says it has to be modern?" Hannya offered. "She did just inherit it after all."

"Okay, I'll start looking," Omasu agreed.

"You do that. Let me know what you find," Kenshin said as he stood up to leave. Grabbing his coat, he headed for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Aoshi asked him blankly from his chair.

"Out. If she's remodeling an old, country dojo, then she's going to need supplies. I know where she's going and I am the only one who's seen her face to face," Kenshin replied smugly.

"Someone should accompany you," Aoshi cautioned.

"I prefer to do this alone," Kenshin refused.

"This is no time to revive your plane flight love affair, Himura," Aoshi reprimanded knowing what he thinking.

Smirking, Kenshin fired back, "Omasu, did Aoshi tell you about his first encounter with Miss Misao?"

Confused, she looked to her leader. "You had met her before tonight, sir?"

"Met her?"

"Himura…" Aoshi warned.

"Yes, blue eyes?"

All the men in the room stared at them strangely and they were now slightly alarmed. Aoshi shot him a look that promised a world of pain for him if he continued.

"What? Didn't you tell them, Aoshi? You guys, should have seen him! The two of them were making out right there in the gas station parking lot."

Hannya raised an eyebrow in surprise and smirked. Beshimi and Hyottoko gave him knowing looks. Shikijo slapped him on the back offering a "way to go leader". Omasu's eyes were wide and she had her hand over her mouth to silence her giggling. Aoshi wanted to hide in a corner.

"See ya later," Kenshin said with a salute. Aoshi glared death itself at him and Kenshin walked out the door smirking. The news spread like wildfire that everyone's beloved and serious Okashira had made out with the beautiful, fiery reporter. By the time Kenshin actually got out the front gate, the news was all over their Kyoto base.

********************

Tension filled the limbo as it rolled down several streets and alleyways. Houji fidgeted nervously in his seat. He was sitting right across from the Tenken and his young bride. Arms looped together, the young couple sat as close as possible with joined hands. Hina looked out the window while Soujiro read a letter he held in his free hand.

Shoulder to shoulder, Hina occasionally laid her head against his chest and glanced at the letter, too. She soon got bored of reading, however, and would go back to staring out the car window again.

Sighing, she said, "Shishio is so long winded sometimes. Why can't he just say what he wants you to do? Does he have to explain every master plan of his down to the last detail?"

"You know, Lord Shishio. He likes to be thorough," Soujiro replied still reading.

"Why can't he just call you then? It would save paper."

"You can burn paper, Hina. It's better to write it down, then to say in a recorded conversation. Shinomori seems to have planted phone taps everywhere lately."

Hina rolled her eyes. "Forgive me. I know I shouldn't question the method Lord Shishio uses to deliver orders to you every ten minutes."

Soujiro's smile seemed to widen at her sarcastic tone. Both he and his wife seemed to be oblivious to Houji's discomfort. Houji had now come to fear this young couple even more than he feared Lord Shishio's temper. The two youths weren't afraid of anyone or anything. The days of Houji giving orders to the teenage boy who once served as Lord Shishio's assassin was over. The man that sat across from him was now a king, and the young woman wrapped in fur beside him was his queen.

When Lord Shishio had made Soujiro mayor of Kyoto, he had unleashed a very cunning and ruthless leader that no one knew had existed in the Tenken. The former assassin's independence was a shock to even Lord Shishio himself. While Soujiro had never out right defied him, he had openly disagreed with him on several occasions.

The first time this happened, had been the night he had shown up with Hina. Lord Shishio had objected to Soujiro's elopement and demanded that he divorce his teenage bride. They disappeared into Lord Shishio's office soon after that to discuss the situation.

Houji never knew what was said, but when they emerged Soujiro was never the same again. Soujiro got to keep his new bride. The boy was made mayor the next day and Lord Shishio once mentioned that it was a good way to keep Soujiro satisfied and happy. Soujiro was no longer the teenager that everyone used to tease and joke with. He was no longer Kamatari's "kiddo" or the boy Yumi used to push around. He now inspired as much fear as Lord Shishio did. The Juppongatana now followed his commands with the same obedience given to only Lord Shishio himself.

While truly frightening, Soujiro couldn't make Houji's skin crawl like his wife could. While looking rather gothic, she still gave off a seemly innocent aura to most. Her voice was usually a soft whisper, but her words were sharp and could cut through people like a knife. Like the smile of her deadly husband, her soft voice and calm demeanor stirred horror within the human soul when she decided to unleash her homicidal desires.

While Soujiro felt nothing about death, she found enjoyment in suffering and pain. She had a rather nasty hobby of poisoning anyone who insults her. She once confessed to him that she took pleasure in seeing their faces twist with pain. At least, Soujiro had the curtsy of just driving a sword through their body and being done with it.

Now, guess who got the pleasure of always being Lord Shishio's messenger to the happily insane couple? Why, it was always Houji of course. The last countless number of messengers had all met with a grizzly fate. Some of the messengers had angered Hina and died in horrible agony from poison or her very accurate sai daggers.

Others had been run through by Soujiro's katana after making a mistake or two in their mission. Still, Soujiro had savagely tortured others when they had upset his wife. So far, it seemed that only members of the Juppongatana themselves where safe from the couple's wrath.

"What do you think?" Houji asked the silent man nervously.

Folding up the letter, Soujiro slipped it into his coat pocket. "I'll contact Yukishiro about those grenade launchers tomorrow. I'd better talk to Kanyru's men today though."

Hina perked up at this. "I thought that we were going to take that ambassador and his wife on the tour of the army base today."

"I'm sure that the base commander can do that for us. We'll just send them our apologies and invite them to the mansion for dinner sometime," Soujiro suggested.

"If you want to, Sou. I'm not going inside Kanyru's hoar house though," she complied.

"I didn't plan on it," Soujiro agreed. "Besides, I have something for you."

"Oh, really?" she asked excited.

Soujiro smoothly reached over to the limbo door on his side and opened a small compartment. Reaching inside, he pulled out a jewelry case and turned back to face his happy wife. Smiling even wider than usual, he lifted the top open to reveal a beautiful crafted pink Habu dangling down off a shining gold chain.

Squealing in excitement, she took it from his hands and held it up to the light. She joyfully watched it glitter before flung her arms around Soujiro kissing him. Releasing him a few minutes later, Houji nervously watched her bounce around like a child with a new toy. She loved it when people played on her new nickname, so naturally she was thrilled with her rather bizarre gift.

"Happy Birthday," Soujiro offered kissing her forehead.

"It's so pretty!" Hina exclaimed. Holding her hair back, she turned slightly to allow Soujiro to drape it around her neck.

Kissing her neck after he closed the clasp, he added, "I've also made reservations at the Akabeko tonight. We'll have the private room near the entrance that you love so much."

She hugged him and laid her head against his chest. The two were in a happy state of bliss and Houji was afraid to interrupt it. He had to though. The fate of the empire really did depend on it.

Clearing his throat, he steeled his courage. "Soujiro, I was informed that we have some unwelcome visitors that arrived in your city today."

Hina and Soujiro both looked at him almost curiously.

Houji continued, "I don't know where they are, but I am certain that the Scarlet Shinobi and the Silk Dragon are at large in Kyoto."

"Scarlet Kunoichi?" Hina hissed as she sat up. "That's the slut that gave me the scar across my chest. How long have you known that she was here, Houji?"

Taken aback at her new mood, Houji confessed, "I was told just before we left the mansion."

"You mean that didn't tell me right then? Why did you wait?" she demanded.

"Soujiro was quite clear that nothing was to come before your present."

"Sou, you were going to hide this from me?"

"Of course not," he replied. "I had no idea that this was his news."

"Well, I want that leather clad cow's head on a stick!"

"Calm down, Hina. We'll hunt her down and then you can your revenge," her husband vowed. "Let's just focus on your birthday night. There's no need to ruin our plans just because of one soon-to-be dead reporter, now is there?"

Pouting with playful eyes, she purred, "Do you promise that I can be the one to kill her?"

"I swear it," he said taking her in his arms again.

Snuggling against him, she turned her pleased smile to Houji. Very unnerved by the action, Houji was forced to simply smile back.

"I forgive you, Houji," she pardoned him.

"Happy Birthday, Hina," he managed to croak back.

The Tenken and his bride cooed and kissed the rest of the way to Kanyru's mansion.

**********************

Kenshin had been shopping in the hardware store for almost three hours now. He had been down every aisle twice. It was to the point that he was just about sick of anything having to do with home improvement.

He knew that Kaoru would have to come to this store sooner or later. He didn't know when though, and he couldn't just stay in the place until closing time. He was tired of waiting and the staff was already starting to stare at him strangely. Finally, he decided to give up and just tap the cameras. That way, he could observe the customers at home and he would still know when Kaoru came in.

Suddenly, he got a glimpse of raven tresses and the caught the scent of jasmine. Abandoning the cart, he followed the raven beauty to the paint section. He pretended to look at paint samples while she shopped in the aisle across from him. He kept trying to catch a glimpse of her face, but customers, wheeled carts, and paint cans, kept getting in his way.

Finally, he saw her face. He was instantly drawn in by those deep sapphire jewels again. While she couldn't see him, he could see her. It was Kaoru Kamiya all right. He had to admit that she looked even better than he remembered.

Apparently, the other men in the store thought so too. They kept walking by just to stare at her. Kaoru, for some reason, didn't even seem to notice. She was quite content to stare at the shade of "butterscotch" paint she held in her hand. Kenshin suddenly wanted to know who in their right mind would give a paint color that name.

Kenshin followed her from a distance throughout the store. If she knew that she was being followed, then she sure didn't act like it. He was slightly surprised that she hadn't realized that he was watching her. Her skills of perception were rumored to be rather amazing. He began to wonder just how depleted they had gotten over her last few months of peace.

He soon found himself following her out the door. She was still pushing a cart full of supplies that Kenshin was sure amounted to over five hundred dollars in cash. He watched from among some cars as she piled each of the items in the trunk of her jeep. Memorizing the license plate, his eyes took on a predator's gleam as she closed the trunk and left the cart in the parking spot beside her.

Unexpectedly, she locked the jeep and began to walk away from it. Surprised, the former assassin followed her steady walk with silent footsteps. Although he feared he was often following too close, Kaoru never looked his way once. Weaving in and out of the heavy stream of people, she sailed gracefully through the holiday tourists and streetwalkers that bustled along the city sidewalks.

Assuming that she was headed to another shop, Kenshin was in no hurry to keep up with her. Trying to throw off any suspicions she might have, he let her get several yards away from him in the crowd. He soon realized how stupid this move was.

Looking around, he realized that she vanished from his vision completely! She wasn't anywhere near him now. The mob of people made it nearly impossible to track her further. Mentally kicking himself, he ducked off into an alley. Planning to scale the rooftops, he hid from public view and hoped he good pick up her trail again.

Seeing a local fire escape, he hurried to it and climbed up the first steps. His mind didn't register the swing of metal until it was too late. The pain in his head confirmed that he should never have dropped his guard. Kenshin cursed his carelessness and fell from the latter with the world spinning around him. His mind tried to make sense of the world, but it was no use. The darkness of a dreamless sleep consumed him.

********************

The sounds that filled the air were not what you would expect. As Misao climbed, jumped, and surveyed the city from the roof tops, no one below even noticed her. They seemed to have no clue of the dangerous world around them. There were no gun shots, angry shouts, or sounds of street riots.

All Misao could here were the sound of children playing, people chatting with friends, and cars cruising along. It was relaxed time of day and everyone seemed to just be flowing through life.

Misao was actually in one of the more upscale sections of town. Most of the roof tops she was traveling on belonged to wealthy families with pleasant reputations in Kyoto. No one would ever suspect that the hell hole she was traveling to even existed here.

Deep in the heart of this neighborhood, lay a building an eloquent as the home of a wealthy doctor and his family. In reality, it was the home of Kanyru Takeda. He was a local black market dealer and flesh merchant that specialized in selling young women to very select clients.

This house, however, was one of his lower prostitution houses that catered to Shishio's men and Kanyru's own allies. It was kind of like a guest hotel. Thankfully, the owner was not home very often and left it to his stupid cronies to run the place. Shishio's men weren't often there during the day either because they did want to draw the public's eye to the place.

Misao's presence there was more of a calling card for Kanyru. She and Kanyru knew each other well from their days back in the Chinatown slums. He was once a low level punk who killed the right people to get noticed by Yakuza leaders in Japan. Thus, began his rise to power.

Kaoru had been his worst enemy and Misao herself was the nightmare that still haunted his dreams. He would no doubt recognize her description and alert Shishio. Kanyru was a main smuggler for Shishio and threatening him would instantly make her target.

This would then promote her to a major player in Shishio's mind. The bigger a player you are in the game, the more influence you have to bargain with.

First things first though, she had date to keep with a certain Okashira. Finally landing on top of Kanyru's infamous hotel, Misao easily landed on her feet in an ally just to its left. Hidden in the shadows, she removed the long leather coat that hid her very revealing outfit.

Dressed in nothing but black heels, light make up, red leather short shorts, and a red leather bra top; she waited in the shadows as a black car with faded windows pulled up to the house. As she watched, the car pulled around back and let out about four women dressed in clothes like hers. The back of the house was easily hidden by trees, insuring that no one would see such trashy girls in such a classy neighborhood.

She had found out on the streets that the pimp with these girls was sloppy. He never paid attention to the girls he took out or brought back. Some girls had escaped that way, and he himself was almost killed for the mistake. He was a real sucker for the Herrin the gangs sold and was often high on the job.

Without any problem, Misao slipped in easily behind the women and was herded into the house by the men at the door. She was instantly brought into a different world than the one outside. Smoke and the sound of perverse pleasure filled the house. The women walked by wearing fake smiles and gazes filled with far off and dead hopes.

Through out the house, men played cards, laughed, talked with flirtatious women, and were lead into rooms of pleasure. As Misao walked, she easily spotted the hired guns throughout the place. In reality, none of them were real threats. She did recognize some of the men that she thought might be undercover agents, but she saw nothing solid to prove it. This was going to be easy.

Suddenly, one of the hired guns grabbed Misao's arm. Nearly ripping the arm off, he dragged up two flights of stairs and down several hallways. Not putting up a fight, she allowed herself to be herded like cattle.

As she was hauled down one hallway, a man did catch her eye as he walked by. She could swear she had seen him before. He had short brown hair and was barely taller than her. The women in the halls stayed away from him and he gave off the hint that was not interested in them.

Several clearly armed men followed him at a distance. It was his face that captured her attention though. His eyes were a bottomless pit of light blue and his smile was an empty one that radiated madness. She saw no emotion there and instantly knew who he was.

'Crap,' Misao thought as she saw him look her way. Thankfully, he didn't look at her for more than a minute. As Misao was drug past him, she was able to catch a few between him and one of the men behind him.

"Shishio wants up raise the prices…."

That was one….

"No more taking on new girls, the Oniwabanshu has its spies everywhere now…."

That was the only other line she got. Misao did breathe a sigh of relief though. She had gotten the gist of the conversation that Soujiro was leaving. Misao could take on the other men in the building, but she was not healed enough to take on Soujiro just yet.

Finally, the man dragging her brought her to halt in front of a white door. Yanking her in front of him, he snarled at her.

"This man," he stated, "Has asked for you personally. He is important to the boss and will be coming and going periodically. You'll stay in his room for the next few days. He likes pain and you will do whatever he wants. Understand?"

Misao nodded.

"A word of advice. Do your best to make him happy. The last two girls didn't last long with him."

With that said, the man opened the door and pushed her inside. She instantly saw the chains, knives, and other instruments the man had laid on a nearby table. Sitting on the bed, was a tall man with his face hidden in shadow.

*******************

Kenshin's brow crinkled when he first felt the draft. Looking down, he realized that he was no longer wearing his shirt or shoes. His instincts began to kick in again as he glanced around the room. The only breeze was from a nearby fan. The room smelled of rotting wood and carpet. Bugs scampered across the floor without a thought for the human hanging from a pipe in handcuffs above them. Kenshin knew where he was.

He was in an abandoned, run down building probably somewhere downtown. Looking over to his right, he saw the reason why. A few feet away from him lay a table with various knives, needles, and container of something he couldn't name. Whoever was holding him captive, didn't want anyone to hear him scream.

He suddenly realized that blood was still trickling down the back of his head from where the pipe had him. He still felt slightly dizzy and knew he had a concussion.

Rubbing his sore head on his arm, he felt a piece of cloth placed right over the cut. His torturer was apparently merciful enough to bandage his first wound. This sent Kenshin's mind in a whirl. Since when were Shishio's men so generous?

His excellent hearing finally picked up the sound of someone breathing. The only light in the room was a large lamp that hung from the ceiling. Just beyond the reach that light, a lone figure sat directly in front of him watching his every move. No, this was not one of Shishio's men.

Smelling her jasmine perfume, he growled at how stupid he had been. He had raised his guard around her, but not enough. The fact that she was female buried in his brain, he hadn't seen her as much of a threat. While he did not doubt her ability to fight, he had never actually encountered a woman who could main and kill as coldly as a he could.

Despite the rumors, he couldn't picture her as the nightmare of mafia bosses. He couldn't envision her as the terror of the American underground. However, the woman in the shadows watching him had no doubt done this torture many times before. She could torture him and feel nothing just as he himself could torture another man.

Kenshin knew that she was used to being underestimated. Not only because she was female, but also due to the obvious compassion in her mannerisms. That softness in her voice and eyes threw people off guard.

In those moments he could imagine a sweet little girl fluttering around her father's dojo. He could see the kind heart that she possessed, but could very rarely show. What he had not seen was that she had once been like any other little girl. He knew all too well that any little girl could become a woman of rage and hatred if truly driven over the edge.

Given the right amount of betrayal, abuse, and violence, any woman could become a demon that wanted only hell for her abusers. This was such a woman who terrorized the gangs of America's Chinatowns. She didn't want revenge for simply her own self. She wanted to claim some form of justice for all those who couldn't claim it themselves.

This was the woman who became a criminal to viciously defend her home and family. This was a woman who was used to winning by constantly being underestimated. This was the woman that few men had lived to see. This was the woman watching from the shadows right now with such frigid, unforgiving eyes. He wanted to test those eyes.

"Does it bother you?" he asked suddenly in a cocky voice.

At the tilting of her head, he continued,
"Does it bother you, that they gave you such a feminine name like "The Silk Dragon"?"

Raising an eyebrow, she kept her dazzling sapphire eyes trained on his amber ones as she walked into the light. Now three feet away from him, she smirked slightly.

"No…," she purred in a way that sent his blood racing, "I always thought it rather amusing actually. How funny that the word "Silk" could send such shivers up a man's spine."

"Huh. I suppose it is… Kaoru…. May I call you Kaoru?"

High heels clicking against the floor, she began to circle around him like a lioness cornering her prey. Her dangerous gaze never left his hard and callous one.

"Call me whatever you like. It doesn't really matter after all," she replied smoothly in her broken Japanese.

"Now why is that, Kaoru?"

"Because I brought you here to torture and kill you, of course. Names really aren't needed."

"But names make it all the more personal, Sapphire."

"I thought you were calling me Kaoru."

"But Sapphire matches your eyes.
…..And your temper, I suspect."

"You haven't seen my temper yet."

"Now that is frightening."

"Do I frighten you often?"

"Constantly, Sapphire."

"Constantly? How long have you been following me? Since the airport?"

"What can I say? I just couldn't stay away."

"Obsessive, aren't you, Battousai?"

"Me? You're the one who can't keep your hands off me. I mean….. my, my…… removing my shirt just to enjoy the view. That's very scandalous, Kaoru."

"I thought of removing your pants, too."

"Well, Kaoru…. Your attraction is stronger than I thought. You really must have some control…"

"There are so many more….tender… areas down there which can be used to make men talk. You'd be surprised how many men spill their cuts after I hack something off there. It's really rather affective."

Kaoru came to a stop directly in front of him. She came to stand but barely inches from his face. Strands of their hair began entangled in the room's only breeze.

Kenshin stared into her frozen eyes.

Kaoru stared back into his molten gaze.

The two gazed into each other's souls.

And in that moment, two lives were irreversibly connected.

"Tell me, Kenshin, who are you?"

"Who do you think I am, Kaoru?"

"Perhaps, as dangerous as I am."

"Incorrect, Sapphire."

He leaned his body down as far as he could. He leaned down until their lips were almost touching.

"I, in point of fact, am more dangerous than you, Sapphire," he whispered in a low tone.

"That," she whispered back, "I would have to see to believe."

"I am also something else, Sapphire," his voiced added in an even tone.

"Really, Kenshin? And that would be?" she asked smoothly.

"The coin that tips the scales of the dragon."

The echo of metal breaking was Kaoru's only warning to jump back. The pipe Kenshin had been working on during their entire conversation had finally given way. He had been stalling. He has distracted her. She was furious.

Still within his reach, he easily swung the surprised Kaoru around and threw his handcuffed hands around her neck. Pulling them tightly against her neck, he began to apply pressure.

"The keys, Sapphire."

Fury filling her at his demanding voice, she slammed her pointed heel into the soft skin of his toe. His instant hiss of agony motivated her to slip her bruised neck from his loosened grip. Bringing her leg up to his eye level, her kick sent him sprawling to the ground.

"Not until I'm done with you, Kenshin."

Growling, he twirled his body around and her balance was gone in an instant. His legs made swept the fiery woman off the ground. He put all his weight on top of her to gain the advantage. This wasn't a real fight yet. Fight to the death or not; Kenshin not about to seriously injure any woman. Besides, both of them had a chance of dying in a true hand to hand fight.

Kenshin instantly regretted his actions though. He saw her expression of rage when he pressed his body on top of hers. She misunderstood his actions. He simply wanted to hold her down, but she was thinking more deviously than that. Kenshin cursed himself because he knew that flirting with her earlier was only confirming her false assumption of him.

Before he could have reasoned with her. Now, he could see it in her eyes that her mind was going into survivor mode. Now, she was going to fight with everything she had. Kenshin cursed himself again.

*****************************

'Hell no!' Kaoru decided as she began to verbally call Kenshin every swear word in the English language.

She easily buried her knee into Kenshin's groin causing his body to rise up. Bringing an elbow back, she felt blood pour out of his nose when bone hit cartilage.

As he lay on the floor in agony, the furious woman flipped up in the air and over to the table the knives lay on. Grabbing all five, she used her sensitive hearing to lock on to his pained breathing. With swift and well-trained motion, the blades whizzed through the air before she had looked at her target.

To her frustration, the hurt man ducked for the first two that whirled towards his head. The third aimed for his neck he deflected with a flick of his cuffed hands. The forth aimed for his chest he caught. But, hah! The fifth dagger hit its target as it sailed into his thigh piercing through flesh and muscle.

"Kaoru!" he shouted hoarsely as the pain started. "I don't want to fight!"

"What do you want, Kenshin?"

Desperate to end a fight that was already getting worse, he shouted, "I am the one who killed Enishi's sister. I am the one they call Battousai."

Searching his eyes, she saw that he was telling the truth.

"Enishi told you about me."

"Yes," she replied, "He said that you ruined his life."

"That's true. But the way he say's Tomoe died is not true. It… was an accident."

Kenshin didn't know if she would believe him. He didn't know if she would trust him. His own wife had died on his blade. He had never meant it to happen, but it did. Could another woman ever trust him again after that? He waited for her judgment that he knew was sure to come.

"I'm not trying to hurt you. And I wasn't intending to fight you when I was following you. I need an ally that can help me defeat Enishi. You're it. I'm a close comrade and friend to Aoshi Shinomori. I'm also in league with the rebels that you and Misao are now working with."

"I know all that," she replied smoothly. "I am slightly confused though. How can I help you?"

"That depends, Kaoru. Do you still love Enishi?"

"No," she said sharply, "He betrayed me and everyone I loved. He is a dangerous man and he belongs in either a padded cell or coffin."

"You and I both know how powerful he is, Kaoru. We couldn't go after him now. Not with all the allies he has now."

"Then what are you suggesting?"

"Help us take down Shishio first. You have something that none of us have, Kaoru. You have the ability to inspire and unite an army against a common foe. No one so far in the rebellion has that much popularity with the people."

"The Japanese people don't even know who I am, Kenshin. I'm an American, not Japanese."

"But your father was Japanese and the people do know who you are. In America, you were a vigilante. Here, you are viewed as a hero in the Asian world. Though no one speaks of it, you are secretly admired through out the far east."

"Together with Miss Misao, the two of you will finally convince the people of Shishio's tyranny. You two could reveal the corruption. Plus, you have another advantage."

Listening, she carefully asked, "What that's?"

"Enishi is still obsessed with you. If Shishio were to directly target you, Ensihi would cut off all ties with him. Enishi is his main weapons supplier and financial support. Take away Enishi and Shishio is left with only one leg to stand on."

Kaoru was quiet for moment and only the sound of their breathing could be heard. She stared at the floor. Finally, she looked back up at him.

"What about Li Ling?" she asked.

"She is a hard one to predict, but her love for Enishi should keep her at bay for now. If you die, Enishi will fall apart. She would never hurt him that way."

"Kenshin, Enishi is bound to get over his obsession for me eventually. Like all good stalkers, something I do will send him over the edge. What happens then?"

"Well….. Don't send him over the edge until we defeat Shishio."

"You are putting to much faith in your war, Kenshin. ….And in me."

"You're our last option, Kaoru. Besides, I've heard that you've done the impossible before."

"Kenshin…?"

"Yes?"

"How many will die, if I don't help?"

"Truthfully ….thousands more. Maybe millions. That is, if he is able to launch war on a worldwide scale."

"What if we fail?"

Kenshin stared her down hard. "Then, we will all die along with half the nation."

Kaoru stared back him with those frigid eyes again.

"One condition."

"Yes, Kaoru?"

"It is not negotiable."

"What is it, Kaoru?"

"Whether we win or lose my family all must have a safe place to run to. Either here in Japan, back in America, or to somewhere else."

"Agreed. Kaoru, you do know that if Shishio achieves war capability then he will attack the U.S. first, right? You always get rid of the toughest warrior first. Along with the U.S., he will target England and China first as well."

"Yes," Kaoru said, "I know. But, right now, he's also butchering his own people in Japan. That's the problem to take care of first."

"Are we partners then, Kaoru?"

"….."

"Kaoru?"

"…Yes. Yes, we are."

"Alright then. Tell me, Kaoru, how do you feel about parties?"

**********************

Walking towards him, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, you like pain?"

"Well…." The man said rising, "The man I'm pretending to be did. He was quite the sadistic lunatic."

"I take it by your tone of voice, that his death was not quick."

Aoshi Shinomori said nothing as he walked towards her. Without a word, he held out his coat to her.

"What's that for?" she asked confused.

"I refuse to speak to you while you are wearing that, Miss Makimachi."

"First off, it's Misao. Secondly, I didn't know that the great Okashira of the Oniwabanshu was embarrassed at the sight of a clad woman."

Rolling his eyes, he declared, "The look of a prostitute …..does not suit you…..Misao."

"Well, that's good to know, Aoshi. May I call you Aoshi?"

Taking the coat to appease him, she wrapped it around herself securely. This guy was strange, but at least he appeared to be on the up and up. He was hot, too. Ah… Why did she have to keep thinking about that?

Not waiting for her to put the coat on, Aoshi walked over to the table and flung the various instruments of torture on the floor. Swinging a brief case on the metal surface, he opened it to reveal several documents and a disc.

"This," he stated in a smooth voice, "is a copy of an extremely important file from Shishio's private computer."

"What is it?"

"That, I do not know. It's encrypted. From what my sources tell me, your brother is very good at computers, correct?"

"Yes, he is. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you know that. Hey, don't you have people working for you that can do that?"

He stared in her eyes. "Many. However, there are none currently at the level of skill your brother possess."

"Okay. So, what is the other thing you wanted to discuss?"

"You will be guarded."

"Aoshi, I'm touched," she said dramatically.

"You will build a pool."

"Okay… With what? The money I'm now earning from glamorous new job here or the money I constantly pull out of my butt?"

He glared at her. "You will call this number tomorrow morning," he ordered handing her the card, "for a crew that will come out nearly all day long. They will guard you during the day and another agent will arrive at night."

"Oh, so you're paying for my new pool. How generous of you, Aoshi!"

"Are you never serious about anything?"

"Of course, I am. But being serious all the time is no fun." In a low whisper, she muttered, "And you certainly look like you could use a little fun."

"At night," Aoshi growled in an irritated tone, "the agent will stay hidden in your house."

Misao smirked. "You don't have a clue where we are, do you?"

He was silent.

"Alright, so who are these men who are going to live in my house?" she said letting him off the hook.

"These agents will be your contacts. From now on, it will too dangerous to contact you in person myself."

"This phone," he continued holding up a red cell phone, "is your link to me. Push the O key on the phone and it connects directly to me. It is for emergencies only."

Misao slipped the disc into her top along with the other papers Aoshi handed her. Opening up a secret section of the brief case, Aoshi revealed two perfectly crafted clocks.

"Consider them gifts from the Oniwabanshu. The men downstairs with an earring in their right ear are mine. They will begin shooting five minutes exactly after I leave. This floor is up to you to clear out the men here."

"What about the girls?"

"A clean up crew will be right behind you to get the girls. You will be escorted by my men into a blue car waiting outside."

Misao picked up one of the clocks and admired it. With a satisfied look, she loaded it and then grabbed the second one. Aoshi quietly watched her with an odd expression in his eyes. He looked away, however, when she returned his gaze.

Misao's forehead crinkled in confusion as she tried to read him. Giving up, her eyes took on a sad hue. Setting the clocks down, she reached back into her top again. She pulled out some papers sealed together by a rubber band and held them out to Aoshi.

"These are the papers Tomo and I got from the mansion. I don't know what they're worth, but he did and I suspect that you to do. The… bottom one… is the letter to his wife. I haven't read it," she solemnly. He took them from her grasp and put them in his coat pocket.

Turning now unreadable eyes on her once again, he declared, "You have not yet stated the conditions for our agreement."

"Condition One. My family will be protected."

"I can guarantee it. What's the second condition?"

"It's by far the most important, Aoshi. It has to do with my brother. Here's the short story. Two years ago, Yahiko and Kaoru disappeared for two years in foster care separated from each other Neither one has ever revealed where they were or what happened to them."

"My concern is for Yahiko though. I suspect that he worked for the mafia boss who killed our parents. I don't know what happened, but they did something to him. His speech patterns and mannerisms aren't normal. When he's angry, he's like a different person all together."

"Forgive me, Misao. But, he is a young man with no father and an abusive past. He was forced to watch his two sisters suffer while he was helpless. He is bound to be confused and angry."

"That's not what I mean! I find him in odd places of the house sometimes during the day and he has no memory of going there. His reflexes are quicker than they should be and his hearing is nearly inhuman."

"I will look into it. What is your last condition?"

"I want to know who my parents were."

Aoshi blinked in confusion. "I beg your pardon?"

"I'm an orphan," Misao explained, "I was an infant when they died. I was born in the U.S., but my parents were born somewhere in Japan. I tried to trace them a while back, but I hit only dead ends. I want to know who they are."

Understanding now dawning, Aoshi replied, "I agree to your terms. Call that number tomorrow morning and my men will arrive around noon."

Seeing Aoshi turn to leave, Misao cried, "Wait!"

Looking over his shoulder, he waited for her to speak again.

Reaching for the ties to the coat that was currently swallowing her form, she asked, "Don't you want this back?"

"No," Aoshi commanded to stop her removal of the garment, "I will get it back shortly."

With that, he left and closed the door. Misao tied the long leather coat around herself tighter. Listening, she waited for the first gunshots to go off.

Meanwhile, Aoshi stepped out back into the sunshine and into his waiting limousine. Hannya was waiting for him inside and looked at his Okashira strangely. After a few minutes of Hannya's staring, Aoshi gave him a look that silently ordered him to say what was on his mind.

"My lord," Hannya asked confused, "Where is your coat?"

********************

The room was dim and covered in shadows. The only light was in a small corner that seemed as if it wanted to hide from the darkness. It was a simple office lamp that sat on a small oak desk. The path of the light was only strong enough to illuminate the paper lying directly underneath it. The identity of the reader was hidden from view.

Saito approached slowly and came to stand directly behind the reader's chair. His eyes were used to this drab light and he had no trouble making it around the other furniture in the room. Without making a sound, he lit a cigarette and waited for the person in the chair to speak. Smoke filled the room for nearly ten minutes, before the stoic silence was broken.

"Do you have any news to report?" a soft feminine voice asked.

"Yes," came Saito's calm reply. "The "Silk Dragon", as you call her, has been reported to be in Kyoto. Our group there has already established contact with her."

Never glancing away from the paper she was reading, the woman asked, "To what end?"

"The Battousai has established a partnership with her. She will work for us to destroy Shishio, and then they will both go after Enishi."

"That certainly saves us the trouble," she remarked.

"I agree," Saito confirmed. "Still, the real question here is; can she be trusted?"

"With a doubt," the woman replied instantly. "I was with her in Chinatown. I saw her passion. She is the key to winning this war. She and Misao Makimachi are the good publicity we need."

"Publicity," Saito sneered. "Popularity doesn't win battles."

"Perhaps not. It does help to have support from the people after you win though. Besides, we need more operatives willing to sacrifice for our cause. She is wonderful at inspiring that loyalty in people."

"You're spending too much time focusing on the rebellion and not enough time focusing on hiding yourself," he pointed out. "You're the leader of this rebellion, you know. Drawing the government's eye is a very stupid way to destroy all we've worked for."

"Do you speak to all your superiors this way, Hajime?" the woman asked amused.

"Only the ones I respect," he replied.

"I feel the love," she remarked. "I'll be fine though. They're looking for a male leader, not a female one. I doubt that Shishio has even entertained the idea of a woman leading his opposition."

"This isn't the dark ages," he said sharply. "People will realize that you're woman eventually. There's nothing strange about female leadership anymore. Although, you do seem to change your mind a lot."

"Oh, really?"

"You're also very moody."

"Oh? And you're not, Hajime?"

"Certainly not."

"Uh huh. Well, I want you to keep an eye on our four leading rebels. Keep me updated about how well they interact together. We need them to work together if we what to take back Kyoto."

"You want me to go to Kyoto? Who's going to lead the defense here in Tokyo? " Saito asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I think I'll survive without you for a week or so. In the meantime, I'll try not to change my mind too many times."

"Yes. It would be helpful if you could learn to control that urge," he agreed with a teasing glint in his eye.

"You'll leave on the morning train tomorrow," she commanded. "Also, tell Aoshi that he needs to take out the weapons plant within the next two weeks. I'll send the blueprints with you."

"I look forward to it."

**********************

"Kaoru calm down," Misao tried to soothe her friend.

Misao was currently walking down an abandoned alley. It had been several hours since her meeting with Aoshi. She had gone back home to change, but she decided to talk to some of her contacts before she called it a night. Throwing her short hair up in a messy bun, she left the house wearing her black stiletto boots, blue jeans, and black leather halter top. Now armed with her much messed weapons, she had searching the dark streets for hours looking any information that she could pick up. Aoshi's oversized leather coat flapped back and forth with her every step. Hopefully, one of Aoshi's boys would see the coat and she could give it back to its owner.

"Look, Kaoru," she said into her cell phone's speaker. "I'll be home in about an hour and I'll tell you all about the meeting with Aoshi. I just need to see one more contact. He owes me a favor and I think that he'll be man enough to voice his opinions about Tenken and his boys."

Misao sighed and rolled her eyes as Kaoru started into another lecture about safety again. Honestly, Kaoru had more maternal instincts than a mother bear. Her concern was sweet, but Misao had only been doing this kind of work most of her life. Kaoru even used to send her on these missions back in the day!

"Look, I'll be home soon. I need to go. Why? You know, it isn't very threatening to these guys when I'm arguing with my mother! Oh…. You are so acting like my mother. Then again, I guess that would be your mother that you're acting like. You are too as bad as her!"

Misao's banter over the phone continued as she walked several blocks over. She had dropped her motorcycle in a parking lot earlier. It was easier to blend in with the crowds when you walked. Ironically, hers clothes were the most bizarre that she'd seen either. Misao was so caught up in her argument with Kaoru that she didn't even notice when she was in front of the Akabeko.

Not looking where she was going, she never noticed stepping into the path that other people on the streets had clearer. The now human-free trail resembled that of a red carpet and the people stood eagerly around it. Everyone stared in amazement as she walked down the invisible road without so much as second thought.

Finally, she turned around and nearly dropped the phone. Seta Soujiro stood with Hina on his arm not but five feet away from her. The three people stared at each other in shock. The crowd was growing restless and was beginning to wonder why the woman's appearance had rattled their leaders so much. The last thing Kaoru heard was Misao's whispered curse on the other line.

**********************

Aoshi was silently reading his once neglected novel when Omasu burst into his study. Aoshi slowly lifted his head from the printed words he held in his right hand. He calmly observed the clearly rattled woman before him. She was breathing heavily and was accompanied by a worried Hannya who stood behind her. Now slightly alarmed, Aoshi silently closed his book and set it down.

"Miss Makimachi is in trouble!" Omasu blurted out.

Seeing his leader's confused look, Hannya explained, "She has had an accidental encounter with the Tenken and the Sakura Habu."

"She's staring them in the face at the Akabeko right now!" Omasu exclaimed. "She's in danger! She can't take them both on at once."

Aoshi rushed from the room with Hannya hot on his heels. A frantic Omasu followed quickly behind them. Not soon after their departure, the whole Oniwabanshu base was on high alert.

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Authoress' Note: I tried a new method of writing with this chapter. I wrote an outline of the scenes and then wrote them down separately as they came to me. I realized that I could produce better quality writing that way, instead of just sitting for hours and writing. I'm eager to hear what ya'll think about it though.

I really want to know what you thought about this chapter. I especially want to know what you thought about Hina. Both criticism and praise are welcomed. Here's a little sneak peak at the next chapter. Two old friends that Misao and Kaoru both knew back in their Chinatown days reappear in Kyoto. Read and review!