Glad for the success of this story for what it is =)

As such, we move on to...

Chapter 10: Sting and Stung

"Damnit!" Kenshin hissed through his teeth while having the wounds over his right arm stitched up.

Kisuke sighed softly and shook his head, being as careful as he could be in patching up the wounds. "Ya over did it Kenshin…you were told to let it go but you just had to push those twenty seconds out."

"I know that damnit; I don't need you lecturing me!" Kenshin shot back while slamming his left fist into the matted floor.

The shopkeeper could only chuckle while snipping the end of the string, finished with the third point where Kenshin's skin had torn. Kenshin had held his Shunken active for five minutes but when he had been warned by Yoruichi to drop the technique, he ignored her warning. He had gotten too lost in his thoughts and anger over them to pay attention.

The result was the Kidö compressed around the arm tearing at his muscles. While it had been tolerable for the first ten seconds, every second after began to reveal just how dangerous his choice was; and how reckless.

Finally at twenty seconds he felt his muscles give way and with it his skin tore at three points up the arm, spilling blood and shattering the control of the compressed Kidö. The first tear occurred from the wrist halfway up the forearm. The second started just above the elbow and curved around the bicep. The third tear started halfway up the upper arm and went to the shoulder, splitting into a 'y'-shape.

Kenshin gritted his teeth as he moved the arm slowly; flexing his fingers to make sure everything was still working properly. "Don't go messing with that arm. It should be good in about two days, but if you reopen those wounds then it may be harder to seal up again."

"Right…thanks Kisuke."

The shopkeeper grinned while putting away the supplies. "Ah, no problem. You should be apologizing to Yoruichi though." His grin waned into a modest smile. "Don't think she took too kindly to ya ignoring her."

"Right." Kenshin sighed as he pushed up from where he had been sitting at the small table and moved to walk upstairs. Kisuke only could grin from where he sat as an almost nostalgic feeling settled over him from days long since passed for all of them.

The stairs creaked faintly under Kenshin's feet with each step taken. The sounds of the old boards shifting under his weight made him twitch only the slightest. Lady Soifon would be irritated if she saw me now, making noise. A faint smirk settled over his lips.

Finally having arrived before the room he knew belonged to his mentor, the captain felt a certain degree of unease settle over him. Yoruichi was always a pleasant woman to deal with; well, pleasant in definition but not pleasant for the calm and focus he often had preferred years ago. However, he knew he was in for it right now. Ignoring her was one thing, ignoring her and injuring yourself was another.

Giving a single knock he waited a few seconds before stepping into the room. Yoruichi was lounging on her bed with a book in hand, idly flipping a page over.

The captain walked over then knelt down at the side of her bed, lowering his head as he did so to show his respect. "Lady Yoruichi…"

/\/\/\/\

For some reason that she couldn't process, Tatsuki felt like she had been at this shop before. She had heard of the shop many times, some candy store that hardly saw business and seemed to carry really odd things. Why though did it feel as if she had been here before? Shrugging, Tatsuki went ahead and slid the shoji door open and glanced around. It was a bit dark inside and no one seemed to be managing the storefront.

"Hello? Anyone here?"

A door near the back opened and through it stepped out a blond man in mostly green with a green and white-striped bucket hat on his head. He had a fan open and was using it to cool himself in more of an appearance then necessity against the pleasant temperature of September coming upon them.

When he spoke he seemed a bit eccentric which was a bit unnerving. "Oh, welcome, welcome! It's not often I get such pretty ladies in my shop! What can I do for you?" He asked merrily.

Kisuke opened his eyes beneath the brim of his hat, and he was a bit glad his hat and hair obscured the view of his eyes because he was shocked to see that girl here. She was a friend of Ichigo's and had followed him to the underground training facility right before Ichigo, Chad, and Uryü had left for Hueco Mundo to rescue Orihime.

Tatsuki stepped in slowly, feeling nervous about being at the shop. Why would Kenshin come here? "Ugh…yeah. A friend of mine said he'd be here…Kenshin?"

She was friends with Kenshin? Interesting.

Kisuke closed the fan and gestured to the stairs to the side with it, "right up there."

"Thank you…"

Slowly she climbed up the stairs, not sure if this was safe. It wasn't a trap, right? Sure it seemed highly suspicious to be coming to a horrible shop like this and told to go upstairs, but she was just being paranoid.

As she came upon a partially opened door she could hear voices inside.

/\/\/\/\

Soifon darted from rooftop to rooftop. The past few days she thought over just how irritated she felt about Kenshin not telling her the truth. He never had kept any sort of secrets from her. He always had been honest, always been loyal, and always been dependable.

Why then did he lie to her?

And why was his spiritual pressure around that bastard's shop? Soifon gritted her teeth as she shifted mid leap and began to head towards the shop ran by the man she loathed more then anything.

"Kenshin-kun, why don't you trust me? I gave you your name…"

Upon arrival she noticed his pressure was coming from the upper floor of the shop. What the hell was up on that floor anyways? Bedrooms maybe? Landing on the shingled roof she carefully moved toward the window where the felt the pressure at and glanced through the slots of the window.

/\/\/\/\

"Lady Yoruichi."

He waited patiently as his mentor continued to read her book, flipping another page idly. Her hair was down now which likely was either a hint of her laziness right now or possibly her frustration. She was wearing just a tank-top and her panties, but even that could be a sign of frustration when it came to this woman.

"Lady Yoruichi?"

"Oh, so now you care to listen to me?" Her gaze never left the page in front of her, but she really wasn't reading anymore. Why did her pupils have to be so damn stubborn? Kenshin and Soifon were like twins with how they acted; and yet, she loved that about each of them. It made things fun for her.

"I'm sorry, Lady Yoruichi."

"I know you are Kenshin, but would you just trust me for once?"

He glanced up at her with a frown. "You know I trust you…"

She closed the book and shifted to sit up in front of her first pupil, staring him hard in the eyes. "Then why won't you tell me what's been plaguing you? Don't lie to me and say it's nothing, Kenshin. I know you; I know when you're lying. We've known each other for a long time and you were the first within the Onmitsukidö to support me."

She sighed softly, leaning forward onto her knees. Her golden gaze drifted to the side for a second, reminiscing of the past. With a weak smile, she brought her gaze toward the pair of bluish-silver orbs of her pupil. "For once, let me support you, Kenshin." She smiled softly and reached out to brush aside the strands of his hair draped over his face, permitting herself an unobstructed view of his eyes.

It was strange. They were roughly the same age and yet she always seemed years ahead of him in how she carried herself and her wisdom. He sighed softly and lowered his head once more, letting his eyes close. "Lady Yoruichi…"

He felt her close the space between them. Her shins brushed up onto his thighs and her arms wrapped around the back of his head, pulling him against her just above her breast. Her fingers found their way into the strands of her pupil's dark hair, curling around them in a loving hold of his locks. She permitted herself to rest her face into the mess of his hair and take in his natural scent and the tinges of his sweat. She was familiar with how Kenshin smelled. She had often done this before in holding him against her.

His scent was so comforting. It was a mix of the earth with a strong hint of fresh rain. It was such a natural scent that it often made her wonder if the man she met who only introduced himself as Takeda was a man that lived in the wild, like the wolf he often seemed to act like.

She did care for him, very much so. He had been there at her side when she was alone, still waiting on Kisuke to make up his mind on where he wished to go. Even then, Kenshin was a faithful friend who she always found amusement in teasing. She would keep at it until she finally got him to swat at her and then she'd be content for the day.

"Tell me what's been haunting you Kenshin…please?"

/\/\/\/\

Tatsuki peaked in through the open door and what she saw left her speechless. The way Kenshin was being held, how close the two looked and the fact the older woman was scantly dressed…

She covered her mouth and backed away from the door, praying she hadn't been heard or noticed.

Kisuke glanced out from the room in the back as he heard the front door of the shop open then quickly close. "Well that was strange. Didn't she find Kenshin?"

/\/\/\/\

Soifon wasn't sure just what she was feeling as she looked on at the two embracing one another. Her mentor…her idol…was wearing little to begin with but the way she was sitting against Kenshin and how she buried her face in the man's hair made her blood run cold.

The last thing she saw before she drew away from the window was the arms of her pupil move around Yoruichi's waist. So was this why Kenshin hadn't been honest with her as of late? He was too busy being intimate with Yoruichi?

She needed to get away from here; she needed to clear her head. As she darted far from the small shop she felt tears bitterly sting at her eyes. So Kenshin wasn't as dedicated to her, his mentor, as she originally thought…

/\/\/\/\

"So that's why you had those night terrors?"

Kenshin nodded while running his fingers through his hair. It actually felt good to get his head cleared of what had plagued him for so long. "Yeah. I've felt guilty over not having been able to prevent her death at the hands of Aizen."

Yoruichi pulled Kenshin over to give him a kiss on the forehead then ruffled his hair. "I'm sure she'd still be glad that you lived after all that happened, but that you would carry on with your head held high like the man she knew and fell for."

"You're right, as always." He nodded.

She grinned and crossed her arms. "Well I'm not one to brag, but-"

He grunted, causing his sensei to laugh. Her rich laughter and having spoken about what had been plaguing him since the war's end allowed him to finally feel peace. As he leaned against the wall with her, he felt a smile cross over his lips and with it he knew there was something he still had to do. Just as he bore the crest of his mentor's family, he planned to get something simple on his right arm.

The number three.

/\/\/\/\

He had chosen to walk back to Tatsuki's to enjoy the calm of the night sky and the cool air. It was good that the fall season was rolling in as he really hated summer. Having been born in November, the cool weather was far more comforting to him.

He was a bit surprised to find the front door to the girl's house open, but instinct took over and he was careful to stay alert while walking through the house. Was it possible someone broke into her home? While he couldn't do anything to necessarily help if that were the case, he would should she be in danger.

It was illegal for shinigami to interfere in the lives of the living. The only time they could help was if it involved a Hollow attack, but if it was something outside of that it was beyond them to legally provide help.

Much to his relief he found her in her room, lying on her bed. "Tatsuki. You alright? I found your front door wide open and-"

"I'm fine…" She curled up some when she replied; her back kept toward the door of her room.

Something told him he wasn't wanted here. The air felt thick with tension and the strain in the girl's voice hinted that she had been upset, possibly crying. "Tatsuki?"

He began to take a step in when she sat up and glared at him. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks glimmered with the sign of tear-trails. Angrily, she threw his haori at him. "I want you to leave! Why don't you go stay with your mentor or whatever she really is to you?"

He wasn't sure what to do or say. Had he done something to upset her? As much as he wanted to try and talk to her to see what was wrong, he decided to do as she requested and picked up his haori from the floor. "Alright. I don't know what I did, but be safe Tatsuki." He sighed softly and stepped out, closing the door behind him.

She lingered there for a second before burying her face back into the pillow. Why did it hurt so much?

/\/\/\/\

Funny how the cool air that just minutes ago felt so comforting now felt bitterly harsh. He wasn't sure what Tatsuki had meant by her words. Stay with his mentor or whatever she was to him? What did she mean by that last bit? Yoruichi was-

Metal met metal in the dark of night. Kenshin held the scabbard in his left hand while gripping the hilt in his right, his blade only partially drawn to block the attack that had come at him from behind. Slowly, hesitantly, he glanced back over his shoulder to confirm what he really didn't want to see.

"Lady Soifon…"

The anger in her eyes was murderous, it wasn't the look an assassin would wear but rather the look a killer would wear. It was raw anger that lusted to be sated by the death of another.

"I see. Releasing Suzumebachi, likely here without clearance…well your reason is your own, I'm sure."

With the practice of decades as a master swordsman, Kenshin slammed his zanpakutö back down into the sheath, momentarily trapping the singer of his mentor's shikai to allow him to quickly turn about to face her. Releasing the hold he lined the butt-end of his scabbard up with his mentor's abdomen and slammed it against Soifon's stomach, momentarily knocking the wind from her and getting her to back away.

"You disgust me, to think I gave you the name Kenshin!"

"I've always remained dedicated to my duties, my honor, the Seireitei, and to my mentors." He stated while slipping his scabbard into his sash before unsheathing the nodaichi, the faint lights of the neighborhood reflecting off the sharpened edge with each inch that came out before sparkling off the tip.

"Apparently not…"

The rain began to come down heavy as if weeping over the battle that was imminent…

…a battle that should never occur…

Oh yeah...I do love a good fight!

So then...Next time!

Chapter 11: Bitter Tides: Bee vs Wolf