A/n Hi everyone. Boy I had a heck of a time with this chapter. I worked and worked and it still didn't turn out just the way I wanted it too. I wasn't going to post it until it was right but I started to get the feeling that I was just going to mess it up if I kept working on it, so I decided to just post it while you can still understand it.

I know the reason; there is only one chapter left. And I always have a very hard time the closer I get to the end. I'm just going to have to force myself to type this last chapter. Most of you know I've already started Aoshi's story and I'm very excited about it and can't wait to start posting it. Okay, I'm going to stop talking and let you get to the story.

Disclaimer. I don't own Kenshin or Feehan.


Her workshop was destroyed. Utterly ransacked. The dozens of plastic shelves and drawers had been pulled, their priceless contents poured out and scattered about the floor. The light fixture over head hung on its wires, the electric light flickered, causing the spilled gems to blink up at her. Her wall of finished work was in shambles and splinters, the jewelry on them was a tangled mess. Tools were thrown about. Embedded into the walls and work tables. Stone and shell pendants were shattered into pebbles that crunched under her feet. Thousands of glass beads had been tossed to the ground and they had been trampled into dust. The bust that held her newest gift to the expectant mother was toppled over on the table. The necklace was ruined. Its delicate handmade links were snapped, the web of chain was tangled into an impossible knot. The gems had been pried from their fixtures only to be ruined. They lay at her feet, along with one of her work hammers. The gems had been smashed. Their fine facets cracked, the life inside of them dead.

The walls were covered in claw marks. In some spots, large chunks of the wall had been ripped out. Saitou stepped in after her and Tokio watched him in shocked silence as he lifted the door and set it back on its hinges. A hard tap with his fist secured the pins back into place and the door swung freely once again. The back of the door was also covered in claw marks. They weren't very deep but the hard wood was splintered nonetheless.

Tokio crouched down to gather up the tangled web of metal wire that use to be a work of art. "What…what happened?" Tokio swung her wild, tear filled eyes to her lifemate even as her hands gave up the fight to loosen the knotted metal strands. She covered her nose with the back of one hand. "That smell. What is it?" It smelled like something dead that was left in the garbage.

Saitou's anger made his tremble. His hands were clenched into fists and his jaw was set, sending the muscles in his face twitching. "I don't know." He said between his teeth. The scent was nothing that he had smelled before. And he was insane at the thought that he couldn't identify the thing that dared destroy his lifemate's work. A simple cleansing spell would never scrub the building of such evil and negative energy. The very walls had been contaminated. The only thing to do now was rip the building down and build a new shop.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Tokio surged up to her feet. He was supposed to be her protector. He was hundreds of years old. He had been in many wars. His anger flooded her and being a Carpathian female, she was unable to handle the wave of fury. Her body started to shake. "How can you not know?"

"It is a scent I haven't experienced before." His anger was affecting his mate and Saitou tried to swallow it. But as he glanced around at the destruction of his mate's delicate gifts, fury boiled low in his belly until his whole chest was nearly bursting with a need for revenge, violent revenge.

Tokio's head started to pound with the force of Saitou's endless anger. Her nose burned with the strangers scent and a lump formed in her throat. A choked-backed sob escaped her and she crouched back down over her scattered gems and allowed the tears to flow. These human were counting on her to bring them peace, to ease some of their suffering, and to protect them from the evil that hunted them. It would take weeks for her to start over and weeks more to finish the jewelry with the same quality spells weaved into every piece. These people didn't have that kind of time. With her vision blinded by red tears, she reached out to scoop up the scattered beads and gemstones. There were more than she could possibly hold but she wanted them all off the floor.

Saitou's hands lifted her from the floor, causing her to spill the beads and stones. "No!" she screamed, reaching out for her precious medium.

"It's alright Tokio; we'll clean it up together." Saitou felt helpless, unable to stop her tears as Tokio thrashed a moment more before falling limp in his grasp. She sobbed and pressed her face into his chest. In that moment Saitou's anger ebbed away to be replaced with a sudden burning urge to take his lifemate's pain away. Like a heavy weight in his belly that weighed him down, Tokio's grief surged to the front of his mind. He could clean her shop and build her a new one near his house, one that was inside his safeguards.

"Tokio!" Shouted a voice outside and the newly replaced shop door flew open. Standing there was Kenji who didn't look shocked at all at the state of his sister's shop.

"Kenji." Tokio's head snapped up from Saitou's shirt. It was the first time brother and sister had seen each other since the rip in their soul. Saitou dropped his arms and allowed his lifemate to leave his side. Tokio darted to her brother and the sibling embraced. She couldn't hold back the flood of emotion.

Saitou witnessed something remarkable. As his raven-haired mate wrapped her arms around her crimson-haired brother, a look of peace and tranquility passed over both their faces as they pressed their foreheads together. For one small moment their souls were whole once again. Saitou couldn't help but watch in fascination and a bit of jealousy as Kenji calmed his sister with a simple squeeze of his arms around her shoulders. But he was eternally grateful that he was able to take Tokio's pain away.

"Where's mom and dad?" She sniffed into his shirt.

"They went to help Itsuko pack some things." Kenji answered, petting her hair.

"Huh? Why?" She pulled away from Kenji. "What's going on?" She looked at Saitou then back to her brother.

"You know the news that's going around? About something attacking children? Well it's in this area now. We think it's a vampire so we're going to have Itsuko stay with us." Kenji answered. "Obviously this thing is closer than we thought." He said as he glanced around her shop.

"There's humans in this area." Tokio gasped. "Do you think that a vampire did this?" She held her hand out to her shop, tears returning to her face."

"Quite possible." Saitou said. "The scent in here is strange and similar to the scent I picked up when we were tracking."

Tokio nodded softly and returned to the embrace of her brother. Kenji petted her hair in a brotherly fashion. "Tokio,…I feel terrible for what I did."

Saitou glanced around, pretending to be looking for clues. He was trying to give the siblings a feeling of privacy while Kenji apologized.

"The rip?" Tokio asked. And Kenji nodded. She didn't need her bond with him to feel his torment. "It's alright."

"I thought it was the best thing for us. I just couldn't push you far enough away. I still heard what you thought; I could feel your emotions." His purple-blue eyes glanced at Saitou for a moment before swinging back to her. "I felt nearly everything you did. No matter how deep and far I pushed; I couldn't give you the privacy you needed. But had I thought that cutting out bond would rip your soul," red tears started to pool in his eyes. He didn't blink them away so they simply dripped from his eyelashes, "I never would have done it." he said in a strangled whisper as he lowered his head.

"Hush, Kenji." Tokio dipped her head to catch his eyes.

"I didn't mean to cause you any harm." He blurted as it the words had been a heavy weight. "I just wanted you to be happy."

"Kenji, it's alright. Okay, I forgive you." Without their close bond, Tokio was suddenly at a loss as to how to comfort her brother. What once had been second nature now felt like a struggle. So instead she pulled him into their familiar embrace and tried to wash him with feelings of love and forgiveness. If she could only establish a small part of their bond once again.

Tokio froze, the idea rushed at her so hard and fast she was nearly staggering with its simplicity. She glanced over at Saitou and found him wide eyed and just as rooted to the ground as she was.

'I'm not sure but it should work.' Saitou said, reading her worries. His eyes softened and he actually smiled gently. 'Try it. It may be good for both of you.' He wasn't fond of the idea, but if it would help his lifemate feel even the slightest more normal then he was willing to let her try almost anything.

Before she could change her mind Tokio found the small throb in her brother's neck. Her lips parted and her fangs slipped easily through his skin. Kenji staggered, leaning heavily on his sister for a moment before he found his legs. Instinctively his body went rigid and his eyes clenched shut as his teeth clamped together. Several red tears escaped and fell on Tokio's shoulder and back. "Tokio?" he gasped as she pulled his powerful male Carpathian blood into her body.

'We can have part of our bond back, Kenji.' She whispered into his mind using the common path so he could hear her. 'Share blood with me Kenji and we can be connected once again, even if it's only a fraction of what we had.' She pulled away and licked the wound to heal it. 'Please.' She begged. 'I want us to be happy again.'

Kenji bit back a sob and pulled away enough to gaze at his sister. "You promised, years ago, that you would never leave me." He breathed a soft laugh. "I was the one that ended up leaving you. You always stuck up for me and I repay you by ripping a hole in your soul." And still she wanted to have a connection to him. How forgiving and understanding she was. He was lucky to have her for a sister.

"Big brother." Tokio protested but Kenji hushed her with a gentle raise of his hand. He smiled softly and dipped his head, using one hand to tip her chin up and to the side.

Saitou jerked his head to the side as he saw Kenji's fangs flash against his lifemate's neck. His hands clenched into fists so tightly he felt blood drip from where his sharp nails broke through his skin. It was impossibly hard to stand yards away while another male fed off his woman, even it he was her brother, even if it was for their own good mental health. Then in an instant it was over. He felt it when Kenji pulled away and seal the wound he had created. Now they had a blood bond. Not as strong as the bond they had before, but the normal bond most Carpathian's had with their kin. He took one shuddering breath before turning around to find them hugging, their bodies shaking with silently laughter. It had worked. Tokio pulled back slightly to look at him.

Tokio smiled brightly at Saitou. "I can't believe-"

'Saitou, Kenji!' boomed a voice in all three of their minds. Kenji winced in surprised and untangled his long arms from his sister.

"It's Aoshi." Kenji said unnecessarily.

Tokio glanced from one male to the other as their eyes went distant. Aoshi had adjusted his speech so that only Saitou and Kenji could hear. She waited, frustrated that the Dark One was sparing her. But almost instantly Saitou was relaying the message Aoshi was feeding him.

'A human residence not far from here has been attacked. The humans are wounded a male and female and one child. Sanosuke stumbled upon the scene while making his rounds. The scent of whatever attacked them is very fresh. Megumi and Sanosuke are staying to heal and protect the humans. Kenji, your father and I are to spread out and catch this thing, whatever it is.'

Saitou hard eyes focused once again and he jerked his gaze to his lifemate. "Your mother and cousin are safe in Sanosuke's home. You are to stay in here. Your father's safeguards are strong, you will be protected."

"I agree." Kenji added, anxious yet nervous to get out and get hunting. His hand absentmindedly reached up to rub the spot his sister had bit him.

A sudden feeling of unease settled deep in Tokio's chest and all she could do was numbly nod her head. The males walked her. Kenji in front and Saitou behind her, all the way back to her parents' home. All of a sudden the night seemed dangerous and unsettling. What once was welcoming in its mysteriousness was now a place where monsters lurked. Somewhere, not far from here, a family lay hurt and afraid. They reached the house and silently walked into the kitchen. Saitou wrapped his arms around Tokio and hugged her tightly.

"Stay here. We'll be back soon. This thing can't be too far." At this he set his hands on her shoulders and pushed her down to sit in a chair at the kitchen table.

'Watch Kenji, please. Don't let him do something stupid.' She just got him back, she wouldn't be able to stand life if something happened to him.

Saitou smiled and touched his fingertips to her cheek. 'I'll watch him, Sweetheart.'

'No I mean it.' They had no idea what was out there. And Kenji hardly knew what he was doing.

'Sweetheart. My word is law, trust me. I give you my word that will not let anything happen to your brother.'

Tokio relaxed slightly. Saitou would protect Kenji as well as he would protect her. 'Just don't let him know you're watching him. He'll never forgive his meddling sister.' Tokio tried to smile at her own little joke but her stomach was starting to cramp so tightly. She glanced over at her brother, who had his eyes glued out the window. No doubt he didn't want to witness their longing looks for each other even though he seemed to have accepted their bonding.

The fear in her grew and she thought she would become sick. 'Please be careful, Saitou.' She turned her eyes back to her lifemate. She couldn't lose him; not now, not when things just started to get better. As much as the death of Kenji would hurt her, if anything happened to Saitou…it would destroy her.

Saitou only smiled. 'Trust in me.' He said simply before dipping his head and placing a chaste kiss on her lips. A kiss that burned her skin and left her wanting more. But Saitou stood and stalked over to Kenji. "We have to meet up with Aoshi at his house. There we are to form a plan to scrub this forest and find this thing."

Kenji looked up at Saitou and nodded, he then turned his hard purple eyes to his sister and he pointed at her. "Stay." Was all he said before vanishing into mist. Saitou dissolved into mist as well and the mixed colorful particles filtered out of the house and into the sky.

Tokio felt herself shut out of not only Saitou's mind, but Kenji's as well. The feeling was strange…empty. As if someone hallowed her out and now she was nothing but a shell. 'Saitou?' she whispered in her mind, knowing he was not going to answer her. He had blocked their connection to spare her any violence he might encounter. Her hands on top of the table clasped each other and she twisted her fingers together, suddenly feeling very nervous.

This was what her mother had explained to her, the separation of lifemates. It made you sick, uncomfortable, and made you think irrationally. And that it would only get worse the longer the couple was together. While she and Saitou had only been bonded for a few days, she could hardly imagine what it must be like for her mother or for Tomoe for that matter. She and Saitou hadn't even completed their bond yet. They still had to bed each other; sex would make the bond concrete. Tokio took a breath. She had to be strong, she had to.

… . . …

Sano carried a small five year-old girl in his arms and set her sleeping form down on the sofa. Megumi had healed the bruise to her brain that had sent the girl into a coma. Now the child slept, healed as if nothing had happened. Her parents, however, fared far worse than a mean bump to the head. Sanosuke turned and took in the sight once more. The house was torn to shreds. Even the sofa the girl was resting on was gashed right down the center, cream colored foam poked out of the rip in the fabric. Claw marks dug into the wall, right through the sheetrock and into the wooden studs behind them.

Blood…it was everywhere.

It came from the female. No doubt she had bore the brunt of the attack to protect her child. Sano struggled not to let anger grow in him. He had to keep his thoughts and feelings in check with his lifemate working on healing the poor woman. Megumi kneeled on the blood soaked carpet with her hands over the massive wound in the human's middle. His lifemate was as transparent as a ghost as she worked. Fixing everything she could. The human male lay only feet away. He too was badly hurt but Megumi had spent enough time stabilizing him so that she could work on the child and the woman without worry.

Sano worked in way slowly around the house. Whatever it was, it was long gone for sure, but perhaps there was clue as to what it was. A vampire wouldn't just attack and leave behind bleeding humans. Vampires were gluttons, and so much blood left behind…it was impossible to see a vampire doing this and not draining them dry. Especially the virgin blood of the child. It was prized and no vampire would pass up the opportunity to drain the child until he was drunk off of it.

As Sano wandered deeper into the house the scent of the attacker grew thick. It was almost like the stench of vampire, but something was off. The stink wasn't as horrible as a vampire; this scent was mild compared to it. Like meat that had gone bad, as opposed to meat that had been rotting for a few days. He made his way up the steps to the second story. The male came to a door and he pushed it open. It was the master bedroom. The covers on the bed hand been thrown back. Obviously they had jumped out of bed when whatever it was had attacked their house. Sano slowly backed up and stepped further down the hall, the door across the way was hanging by one hinge. With a sinking feeling Sano glanced inside. Dolls and stuffed animals lay everywhere, blood was everywhere. This must have been where the creature had attacked the parents when they found it in the child's room. The trail of blood down the steps told him they must of fell, or were thrown down the steps

Sano stooped to pick up a clean stuffed kitten to give the child while she slept. But just then a door creaked and Sano jolted upright. His power flaring out. A door at the end of the hallway creaked as it slowly opened and closed. Sano took a second to check Megumi. She was silently healing, safe and sound. The male walked across the carpeted hallway and slowly pushed open the swaying door. There Sano found the cause of the moving door. Wind blowing in from a shattered window. A blinking lamp lay on the ground, its sky blue shade crushed as if stepped on. The flashing naked bulb was throwing strange shadows on the wall. Inside the room was a sight that made Sano's blood freeze in his veins.

The male rushed into the room, ignoring the mess of torn curtains and glass and reached the bars of the small maple wood crib. Inside the crib…was nothing. He took a deep breath and caught the scent of another child, thick with the smell of talcum powder. "God." Sano said to himself, his head snapped to broken window. The jagged shards still clinging to the window frame were smeared with thick, viscous blood. Sano reached out and touched the bloody glass. The blood was mostly dry, with a few thick drops still a bit tacky. He touched his fingertip to his tongue and instantly his stomach revolted and he had to spit the taste of the blood from his mouth. It didn't burn like vampire blood but it defiantly wasn't human blood. It tasted like rotten meat, just like the scent that was left behind.

Sanosuke glanced back at the crib. Whatever it was must have escaped through this window after the parents confronted it. "Megumi!" Sano shouted, turning and pounding back down the stairs. His lifemate glanced up from her work just as he reached the bottom. "Megumi, there's a crib upstairs, I can smell a second child. I think whatever this is must have took a baby."

Megumi's eyes went wide. "I thought so." She said softly.

"What?"

"Healing the woman, I found evidence of childbirth. It must be a newborn. Sano! You have to tell the others that this thing might have a baby with it." She jumped to her feet. "We must find it!"

But Sanosuke was already a step ahead. 'Kitsune, go back to healing the humans, don't worry, we'll find this thing.' He waited for a moment while Megumi turned now to the male human and he dove into himself to find his connection with Aoshi. 'We have a problem.' He said, interrupting anything the Dark One was doing.

'Elaborate.' Aoshi returned simply, his voice flat yet beautiful.

'I believe whatever this thing is might have a newborn human baby.' There was a moment of silence that nerved Sano.

'I thought so.' He finally said.

'That's what Megumi said, Aoshi, what's going on?' He had the sudden feeling that he as being ignored but then Aoshi spoke, covering all connections he had with the other males. Saitou, Kenshin and Kenji must already be out searching.

'We have to find this attacker as soon as possible. If it in fact has a human child, the child is in grave danger, if it is not already dead.'


a/n This was one of the shortest chapters ever in this series. I could have gone back to add some filler, but it would seem very useless and out of place. So I figured this was the better way to go. Egads I can't believe that the next chapter is (possibly) the end. Thanks for reading, reviews are loved.