Author's notes: thanks everyone for the extra pairs of eyes pointing out errors. No matter how many times I proofread these chapters, a couple mistakes always slip past my notice. I need a salamander to go through this thing and burn away any problem spots! Cause if I had my choice, fire would be my element!
"Everything sounds fine in there," Megumi said, her stethoscope resting on Kaoru's four month pregnant belly. The little bulge had grown into a decided bump, and most of Kaoru's regular clothes were not fitting right anymore. However, she and Kenshin normally wore gi and hakama during their training, and Kaoru had continued to wearing her kendo uniform nearly every day even though she wasn't in sword training anymore: since her hakama tied on, it could be adjusted around her growing stomach. Her swelling belly was starting to make her hakama look rather silly on her, but Kaoru had so many new and startling changes in her life that vanity was quite low on her list of priorities.
A zephyr perched on Kaoru's shoulder, watching closely as Megumi's undine skipped over her, examining Kaoru with interest. The Water Element was in the shape of a graceful nymph with flowing silver hair, and Kaoru privately thought that it was the most beautiful of the four Elements. The elegant doctor at her side was a good match for it; Megumi's hair was coal black and her lips were full and red. Right now, those lips were twisted into an irritated pout as she withdrew the stethoscope and snorted, "I'd prefer taking you into the clinic for a full battery of prenatal tests, but that husband of yours is a little overprotective and your Master keeps you both on a short leash. However, luckily, you're a magic wielder and a Neutral Element so my undine can give you a fairly good scan. If there is something wrong, my undine should be able to pinpoint it."
The undine tripped lightly down Kaoru's side and flew over to her mistress. Looking thoughtful, Megumi let the element twirl around her fingers, then nodded her head. "Good. You're in good health and the baby is developing nicely." She smiled and said, "Apparently there is a strong magic wielder growing in there. My undine is rather surprised by it."
The zephyr bounced a few times, then made two laps around Kaoru before coming to rest on her other shoulder. Catching a glimpse of Misao's gnome making faces at it, the zephyr hissed, beak snapping in protest. The gnome turned around, dropped its tiny trousers, and mooned the zephyr. Kaoru laughed, "Misao, can't you control that thing?"
"What?" Misao said innocently. The three women were seated around Megumi's small, crowded office in her and Sano's home, and they had been courteously but firmly directed towards the office so that the men could have some sort of pow-wow in the living room. The rumble of male voices leaked into the room from underneath the door, but Kaoru could not make out what they were discussing.
Megumi seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "I wonder what they're talking about?" she said with a frown. Kaoru reached out with the Soul Bond and was not entirely surprised to find that Kenshin was, once again, blocking her out. Irritation flashed in her as Misao bounced to her feet.
"Hmm, sounds like it's time for a little reconnaissance," she said with a wicked gleam and disappeared.
Megumi smirked, "Trust Weasel Girl to find something out. She's been training as a spy since she was little." Her face fell slightly, "Then again, so has Aoshi so Misao will have to eavesdrop without letting Aoshi know she's doing so, which will be a challenge. I suppose I'll have to nag it out of Sano tonight."
"I should be able to tell something of what's going on, but Kenshin's blocking out the Soul Bond," Kaoru said in frustration. "He's been doing that lately and I wish he wouldn't." Irritably, she rose out of her chair, noticing that it wasn't quite as easy to do now. Her body was undergoing a number of startling changes, and her muscle tone and reflexes were not what they once were. "It's like there some bad news that he wants to hide from me so I won't worry about it, but the fact that he is hiding it makes me worry even more." The zephyr danced in front of her, sensing her agitation and trying to make her smile.
"Lucky you can Soul Bond with Kenshin," Megumi grumbled. "I wish I could with Sano, but the big dope is the most block-headed Ward I have ever seen before. When we first met, he did nothing but pester me for a date and seemed to think 'Get the hell away from me' meant 'Take me, you big stud.' I finally tried to drown him but he didn't even get damp. My undine actually liked him even though he's a Ward," her eyes shot to her undine who was doing laps in a tank full of suddenly nervous fish.
"Traitor," Megumi grumbled, then her expression softened, "Not that I would trade Sano for anything, despite how much he can irritate me at times. It's just that a Soul Bond would make things so much easier. You're lucky," she said, a tang of jealousy in her voice. "Misao too. Her Soul Bond with Aoshi will never be as strong as the one Kenshin and you will develop, but at least she has that. You both do."
Megumi was interrupted by Misao coming back into the room, her face a study of disappointment. "Foiled!" she grumbled, flinging herself down on a chair. "They've Sealed the entire room, nothing's getting in or out. I can hear them talking, but the Seal muffles all their words. There's something big going on but they're being real quiet about. Aoshi's been blocking me out lately."
"So's Kenshin," Kaoru responded.
"Stupid boys," Misao pouted. "They just have to do that 'Don't-worry-your-little-head-about-this-I'm-the-big-tough-manly-man-who-will-take-care-of-everything' routine, don't they?"
"Well, I suppose that's why we are with them, isn't it, ladies?" Megumi responded. "It's aggravating but if the alternative is some spineless momma boy that can't make his mind up, I'll take the big, tough, manly blockhead. More tea, anyone?"
"My spy network has uncovered Shishio's headquarters," Aoshi reported, "And as far as we can tell, he is amassing his Juppongatana at Mount Hiei. However, Shishio's spy network is equally competent which has made intel gathering...challenging," he finished smoothly.
"Dear me, is the leader of the Oniwaban admitting difficulty?" said the newcomer, a tall man with a few strands of black hair falling across his eyes and a foul-smelling cigarette permanently wedged between his fingers. Saito Hajime inhaled deeply and returned Aoshi's icy stare with one of cool indifference.
The four men sat around the living room doing their level-best to outglare each other without making seem too obviously so. However, the salamander, undine, and gnome perched on their respective Masters' shoulder were glaring freely and making threatening gestures.
"The question is," Saito continued, "Whether the Battousai intends to challenge Shishio." He took another drag of the cigarette. "As nice as this little chat has been, my main purpose in coming here was to ask that and find out an answer."
Kenshin sat quietly on the edge of his chair, heavy bangs not quite covering the golden glow of his eyes. He said nothing. Saito continued, "You have returned to your master, after all, to complete your training. And, to my understanding, your master has made a rather interesting addition to your curriculum. A Soul Bond with an Air user. And a child on the way. I congratulate you, Battousai. You work fast."
"My wife will not be involved in this," Kenshin said with a quietness that spoke volumes. "She is a new apprentice and with child. Do not think of involving her in your schemes, Saito."
"Schemes? May I point out that it is you Shishio wants." He lit another cigarette, "It's your party, Battousai."
"We'll, he's getting the rest of us too," Sano said, mouth crooking in an anticipatory smile. "There's no way I'm letting you guys keep a good fight like that to yourself, you know."
"Oh, excellent, we have a rooster-headed Ward with nothing but his fists helping us fight against a group of men who are both Elemental Masters and Weapons Masters. Why, they'll probably simply lay down their arms and give up when they see him coming," Saito responded sarcastically.
"Hey! Look, I can walk through a herd of salamanders or undines without getting affected by them. You need me!" Sano replied indignantly.
"No, what I need is for the Battousai to give up this foolish vow never to kill again and return to the manslayer he was," Saito responded coolly, taking another deep drag of the cigarette. "The question is if he will do this."
Kenshin still said nothing. After several long minutes, he spoke quietly. "I made a vow."
Saito snorted, "And you expect to face Shishio and survive?" His voice increased in volume, edged with scorn. "With these ridiculous notions of right and wrong, you won't be able to defeat Shishio! Will you leave him to seize control of the world? He's killed scores of Masters, Elemental and Weapon alike, and he won't stop until he has defeated all powers magical and nonmagical that stand in his way. Will you just stand by and watch it happen?"
The salamander on Kenshin's shoulder was growing exponentially and hissing with energy although Kenshin didn't move. The scorn in Saito's voice sharpened, "Only Battousai the Manslayer can defeat Shishio. Kenshin Himura will die if he faces him. Is that what you want?" Cruelty edged his words, "You would leave your wife and child behind because you were afraid to return to the man you once were before? You will let your child grow up in a world dominated by Shishio Makoto because you..."
Air sizzled with energy. An army of salamanders apparated, lashing their tails in anger as Kenshin snapped into position, hand poised on his katana. Gnomes hovered around Saito as he unsheathed his blade and dropped into the First Stance of his Gatotsu. All semblance of unity fled the room as the two men eyed each other narrowly, waiting for the other one to attack.
"Enough of this," Aoshi said coldly. "The real enemy is not in this room. Stand down." Kenshin and Saito did not move, and their elements grew more agitated. "Stand down," Aoshi repeated. "At least do so for the sake of your woman in the next room, Battousai. Do you wish her to witness this? Saito, lower your weapon."
Both men did so with extreme reluctance but the army of elements stayed put, each silently menacing each other. Aoshio's cold voice continued, "You have a decision to make, Battousai. Either you return to the manslayer you were or you face Shishio as you are now. But make no question of it," Ice rimmed each syllable. "When this has passed, the Battousai and I will meet again. And I will take from him the title of 'The Strongest of the Strong' as a prize."
With those words, the Water Master strode forward and made a slicing motion. The air shimmed as something silvery tore away and the Seal was broken.
Sheathing his sword, Saito looked at Kenshin contemptuously. "Make your decision and make it quickly, Battousai. There is little time to waste."
Kaoru twisted in her seat uncomfortably. As of late, she had been developing leg cramps if she sat too long, and the day had brought a lot of sitting with it. Kenshin, normally attentive in a way that could be annoying at times, kept his eyes fastened ahead as he directed the Lexus forward. He was putting up so much resistance to the Soul Bond that she could not even attach onto his chi. However, it would not take a magic user to see that he was deeply troubled about whatever had happened in the living room. Turning her head, Kaoru saw that a gleam of amber was in his eyes and his shoulders were rigid with tension.
Why are you shutting me out? What is it you don't want me to know about? she thought irritably. Aloud, she said, "What's wrong, Kenshin?"
He leaned over to take her hand in his, "Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Kaoru."
Angrily, she yanked her hand back, "Stop trying to be so damned protective, Kenshin! I'm a magic and sword wielder too, and I think I have a right to know what's going on."
"Kaoru, four months ago, you had no inkling of the magic inside you," Kenshin said evenly. "There are...forces at work, but that is the concern of Elemental Masters, not their apprentices. This is not your burden to bear."
"I'm your wife, Kenshin. Wives and husbands are supposed to share each other's burdens, and I can't do that if you keep shutting me out and keeping me in the dark and..."
"And because you are my wife, I have a duty to protect you and our child," Kenshin responded, a warning note dangling in the air. "There is much about the magic world you are unaware of and until you are ready, I will not expose you to it." His tone softened, and he reached for her hand again, "Kaoru, think of the child."
Kaoru pulled her hand away again and scooted to the opposite side of her seat, as far away from Kenshin as possible. He sighed and put both hands on the wheel, and the car moved forward in an icy silence. Hugging her arms to herself, Kaoru glared under her lashes at her husband. The golden rim around his purple irises told her that Scary Kenshin was not too far away and much as she would have welcomed a good, long screaming match with him, she didn't want to stress the baby out. For the past few weeks, Kaoru had been slowly growing aware of flashes of knowledge about the child growing inside her, little shimmers of chi that gave her insight into the baby's state of health and well-being. She knew somehow that while he liked it when she took warm baths and when a salamander or zephyr were twirling around her belly, the baby didn't like it when she drank caffeine or exposed him to loud shouts. One time she had been in the dojo when Hiko was bellowing at Kenshin about something, and Kaoru instantly felt a ripple of chi shivering up inside her that told her the baby was upset about the noise. Curling her hands around her belly, Kaoru reluctantly abandoned the fight and instead decided to give Kenshin the silent treatment.
He too said nothing more, merely directed the car forward through the late evening traffic. Looking out the window into the black night, Kaoru was suddenly struck with the thought of, Who is this man? The past four months had been a whirlwind of new changes, staggering in their immensity. She had gone from blazing hatred of the man besides her to married to him with his child in an extremely short span of time, and Kaoru realized with a shock that she had never really fully worked through why this had all happened. There simply hadn't been a lot of time for self-introspection in her new life, and Kaoru had learned to just roll with the punches as they came her way and keep moving forward.
Resting her head on the cool glass, Kaoru gave herself up to this thought. What had changed her feelings for Kenshin from disgust and hatred to respect, concern, and eventually love? Certainly his endless courtesy, respect, and care for her had been instrumental. The countless hours they had spent shoulder-to-shoulder carrying out chores, practicing magic, and chasing each other around with swords had helped too. But as Kaoru pondered all these things, the Soul Bond between them stood out. She had felt it practically from the beginning, intertwining herself to Kenshin despite her initial hatred of him. It had united them together in a way that neither could escape or ignore, and it had steadily ate away at her resistance to him. It had created intimacy between them, but for the first time, Kaoru wondered if it was a false intimacy.
Sneaking a look at Kenshin, Kaoru was suddenly flooded with just how little she actually knew about her husband. She had no clue if he had siblings or living parents, what his favorite food was, where (or if) he went to high school, if he had ever kissed anyone before her. She didn't even know why he bore a cross-shaped scar on his cheek, had never brought herself to ask him. Shivering, she drew her knees up, clasping them to herself. You're lucky, Megumi's words, tinged with envy, floated up in her mind. It's just that a Soul Bond would make things so much easier. Did it actually? Kaoru wondered what her life would have been like if she and Kenshin had been college students that met in biology class or if Hiko would have brought her into his house without forcing the Soul Bond between her and Kenshin. What would have happened if their relationship would have just developed gradually? Would it have developed at all?
Coulda, shoulda, woulda, Kaoru scolded herself silently, but the questions hung heavily in her mind and she brought them with her to bed to worry over. Kenshin apparently had thoughts of his own to chew over because after a few hours of lying by her side, he quietly slipped out of their bed and silently moved across the room to the door. A few seconds later, she heard the soft tread of his feet in the hallway. Even if Kenshin had not been blocking her out, she would not have needed the Soul Bond to know that he was going to the dojo to work off some tension.
Suddenly, the bed seemed much colder and emptier. Tucking the covers around her, Kaoru tried to fall asleep, but she had grown accustomed to Kenshin sleeping next to her with a rather astonishing swiftness. Even though she was still furious at him and part of her was glad he was gone so that she could sulk and glower freely, another part of her missed him. But he did not come back, and eventually Kaoru slipped into troubled dreams.