I love Christmas, but I hate decorating for it. Especially before Halloween. 67 trees? Is that really necessary?

Disclaimer: … I know.

Chapter 41: Proposition

The smell of blood on the air was thick, alerting Saitou to be equal parts cautious and speedy. Him and the three other patrolling wolves he had chosen were already much too far from the palace to be running across the lady's father and his students. It was only a little after midday and if the party they sought was supposedly heading back towards the palace then they should have already crossed paths. The sweet aroma of blood was an ominous sign.

Quickening his steps, he jerked his muzzle to the side and the three behind him disappeared. Whatever was up ahead they needed to be prepared for anything. Whether they found a trap, an ambush, or that their charges were dead, Saitou did not want to take any chances of losing the advantage.

Too soon he heard the sounds of footsteps, two were solid and even, another was a combination of limp and drag. Skirting around the path the steps were taking, Saitou finally distinguished that the third person was actually two. This was their party of wayward travelers. Slipping up behind them silently, he studied the situation. A small boy with a wooden sword and a large boy carrying a real katana and another wooden sword in his other hand were escorting the two between them. The third boy had his bokken slung across his back while he supported the weight of a full grown man on his shoulders. Dark golden eyes steadied on the staggering steps of the man and Saitou felt anger and adrenaline surge to life. Pinpointing the location of his men he quickly determined their reports before jumping forward. All was clear and he had nothing to fear but their explanation of what was going on.

There was no time to be delicate about his sudden appearance, and so he was expecting shock. That it was the lady's father who first noticed and reacted to his presence was reassuring. Whatever had happened to him, he was not completely indisposed. Grey blue eyes dazed by pain widened as Koshijirou looked over his shoulder and spotted the overgrown wolf, but he did not shout. His composure proved that he was still thinking clearly. Not a moment later and those blue eyes were searching the woods around the small group, and Saitou felt admiration grudgingly join his relief. Now the samurai was aware of his entire patrol.

Aware that there was not enough time to wait for how the man would handle the situation, though Saitou was curious, the lead wolf was more concerned with what had happened to leave a nice bloody trail on the ground. "Forgive us the sudden appearance, Kamiya-san." All three of the boys jumped, the two unhindered ones twirling towards him, weapons up. Eyeing them in amusement, Saitou locked his irises back with the sword master. "Lord Kenshin asked that I escort you back to the palace." Letting his gaze drop to the shoulder that came into view as the pair in the middle slowly turned, he scowled at the hasty bandages barely keeping the blood from oozing out of the wound. "It seems, however, that we have shown up too late."

A shaky sigh escaped Koshijirou's lips. "You are a resident of the palace. Please you must hurry. There is a man looking for Kaoru. I've kept her whereabouts from him, but he knows now. He saw her last night when she left with the lord. You must warn Lord Kenshin. He must keep my daughter safe."

"This man attacked you?" Voice shortening, Saitou jerked his head again, calling one of his subordinates to him.

"Yes. He used to be a student of mine, but his compassion is limited only to himself. He is strong and selfish. A dangerous combination."

"Is there only just one?"

"No. He leads a group of men. I'm not sure how many. I've only seen a few at a time watch the house, but they are always different."

"Hm." Taking in the information, Saitou's eyes narrowed. The group of bandits he had kept his eyes on for weeks. They were no doubt the men he was speaking of. "How much blood have you lost?"

"Plenty, but I'm in no danger. The boys patched me up."

"Good. Stay here and rest. I will relay the message."

"I must get to my daughter." Disagreeing, Koshijirou frowned, his teeth grinding.

"Your daughter will be safe. My master will not be beaten by some upstart."

"Your master has not yet taken responsibility of her away from me. I will be going."

"Master." Kazuki rebuked him, but that only turned the man's scowl on him.

"Be quiet boy. You three have yet to explain yourselves to me, and I will not just sit quietly by in the dark. This concerns my daughter. I will not have her taken from me as well." Three sets of dark eyes averted from blue, but not one said a word.

"Do as you wish. I was not sent to argue with you." Sniffing, Saitou looked the boys over one more time. They were strangely unconcerned with the unreal scenario. After their initial shock of finding a wolf had snuck up behind them, their reaction to the fact that he could talk had been much less visible. "I will leave two of my men with you." Making eye contact with the two he meant, both wolves nodded. Swiveling his eyes to the remaining patrol member he flicked an ear. "You come with me. We have some scouting to do before we report to the master."

"Yes sir."

X

The day that proceeded at the palace was lazy and slow, filled with insecurity and silent reassurance. Though there was much cause to rejoice with Kaoru returned and a wedding to now plan, the atmosphere was subdued, dampened by the absence of the lady's smile.

When her pretty sapphire eyes finally blinked open near midmorning to stare up at him Kenshin was glad to see the tears had stopped, but was saddened by the shame that had replaced them. It was a tangled emotion Kenshin knew all too well, and its existence within his lady was ill-fitting to her person. It would take time to heal the wound it had been born from and he prayed that time would pass smoothly.

At the table he quickly discovered what kept her calm and what agitated her guilt. With her insecurity she became clingy, unwilling to allow even a corner of the table to stand between them while they ate. Wishing to appease her he instead placed himself next to her, saddened further by the frightened creature his strong Kaoru had turned into. Leaning into his side, the arm around his back tangled in his kimono, she seemed more like a child than ever as she sought solace in his embrace. These actions, however, were the calm. When Tae and the others made their appearance with breakfast he was given witness to her agitation.

In an attempt to show no ill will for her disappearance, Tae spoke a soft, friendly greeting. Instead of a pleased response, Kaoru's form trembled against him and a nod was all she could muster to acknowledge the words. A shake of his head warned the cook off, but it took too long for Kaoru to calm down afterwards. She ate much less than he would have liked as well.

So his presence was the panacea she needed to place purpose in her return. He was the reason she had left, and now he was the only reason why she was there. Seeing everyone else was only a burden, a reminder of what she thought herself too weak and incapable to do. To allow her time to relax, Kenshin ordered that the servants keep themselves from sight, but it was not a command that would stand for long. It was not fair to the people she had befriended, nor was it fair to isolate Kaoru from everyone but himself. Action would help her to get past this reaction, but Kenshin was unsure what action she needed to take when there was nothing she could truly do. Or nothing he would allow her to ever do. Kaoru was his to protect now. She would never be allowed to harm herself again.

Convincing her to take a bath afterwards was another struggle. It was not that she threw a tantrum, even though he had compared her actions to that of a child. In fact, she hardly spoke at all, and he could see the strength that was required to simply keep herself together against the wearing self-deprecation inside of her. So it was her eyes that pleaded, and her hand that refused to let go, and his own heart that turned traitor and ached seeing the fear on her features. This emotional struggle battled his reason until he was the one pleading with her. Seeing him upset seemed to awaken her momentarily and she finally nodded in agreement. She even went without argument to her rooms to change by herself while he stayed to bathe.

Unwilling to be apart for too long for his own reasons, Kenshin rushed through his bath and then back to his rooms to change. Upon entering his pavilion he was reminded of the temper he had shown the day she had left, his belongings tossed and strewn across the floor. Some were even tumbling out into the hallway through the hole in the rice paper panels. Sighing, he pulled off his bathrobe and began dressing quickly. Getting it cleaned would have to wait until later.

It was as he was finishing the quick tie in his low ponytail that he heard the quiet gasp at his door and his stomach dropped as he realized he had been too slow. Two steps blocked her from entering, his voice soft as he reprimanded her for not staying in her rooms like he had asked her to. Sapphire eyes were bruised on top of weary, their dull depths darting glances at the chaos behind him. This too she would blame herself for, and she needed nothing else to add to her torment.

"I just wanted… to help with your kimono ties, like always. And brush your hair too." A slightly shaky hand lifted the brush she had brought along, her voice heartbreakingly hopeful. Her eyes were pleading again, trying to fix the pain she had put him through with any loving gesture she could conjure. Smiling warmly, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her outside.

"Not this time, Kaoru. I thought I might brush yours instead." She blinked at him as if unable to comprehend, but relinquished the brush without a fight. The loose hair around her face and spilling down her back was still very wet, dampening the dark over-kimono she was wearing. It drew his attention to her attire.

The clothing she wore was simple, though not as simple as her own clothes, since they were still within her father's possession. Instead she wore an everyday summer outfit for court ladies, with layered white kimono tucked into a red, baggy pair of hakama worn only by women. Only two layers of outer kimono trailed to the ground in place of the many layers of formal dress, but despite the simplicity her rank was well visualized. Still, it was something else that did not seem to fit her, and he realized it was because everything in the palace was now relics of the past. It was time to change that. They could no longer be bound by the past. They needed to look towards the future. When everything settled down he would have new clothing from her era made for her and perhaps for himself as well.

Back inside her own rooms he coaxed her to sit in front of him, his touch light as he gathered up her hair. It was a strange twist to a situation he had always been on the receiving end of, but the first moment her head began to nod he felt gratification instead. Not long after she fell asleep leaning back against him, her hair fully dry and her breathing deep.

She slept for much of the day after that, waking only at lunch to eat and then follow him around until wearing herself out again. After supper she insisted on sitting with him in his office while he caught up on some paperwork. It was nighttime before he decided trying to convince her to go to bed was useless and he was going to have to pretend he was finished. Now walking her back to her rooms, he frowned at the tight grip her hand had on his.

For the entire day he had indulged her within reason, sometimes without reason, and for the entire day he had found his self-restraint tested. It was confusing how her vulnerability made him feel fiercely protective and yet at the same time tortured him because of her careless trust. Clearly she was not thinking about what her actions might entice, only believed that he would take care of her in her exposed state. Only his solid foundation of propriety and his respect for the woman he loved had kept her safe, but there was only so much a man could take. If she were to test him anymore he was not sure what would happen.

Shadowed features told him exactly what she wanted to ask of him the moment they stopped before her pavilion. Just the knowledge alone was tempting, excuse fighting against reasoning. Letting out a breath his smile was strained as he cupped a hand to her cheek and halted her from speaking. To put life to such a thought would be more than just dangerous, but unavoidable. Before the pain of denial could contort her mouth, he pulled her forward so that their foreheads were touching. The intimacy was all he dared.

"Please don't ask that of me, Kaoru." Confusion cut off fear and imagined rejection, her eyes searching the dark depths of his. "I won't be able to say no." If she were to ask him to stay, if she were to speak the words aloud, he would be unable to refuse. What was worse… he could not guarantee restraint.

For a single moment Kaoru herself seemed tempted as understanding dawned, and an equal amount of terror and hope warred for dominance in his chest. Everything else was forgotten as she stared back at him, no other emotion but hesitant contemplation for his words showing. Would she ask anyway, despite his warning?

A slow smile warmed her face and it was the first time since before she had left that she seemed like her normal self. "To a kiss?" Teasing softly, she lifted an eyebrow. "I hope you wouldn't say no to me, Kenshin." Stilling his chin with light fingers, she planted a chaste kiss on his lips then pulled back before he could react to the contact. "Goodnight, Kenshin. I'll see you bright and early in the morning." Turning away she pushed open the tsumado and took a step inside. "Father should be arriving tomorrow so we will have plenty of preparing to do. Make sure you get some rest, too, okay?"

Catching her hand and squeezing he pulled her attention back, stopping her before she disappeared into the shadow of her pavilion. Sapphire irises turned back, looking into his violet and she saw his relief and knew she had made the right choice. He would have regretted that night if she had asked him to stay. Such a reaction would only harm the both of them later. "I love you, Kaoru."

"I love you, too. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Kenshin stood listening to her movements a moment or two longer than was necessary, his eyes closed as he took comfort in her presence returned. Today had been her day of reassurance. Perhaps later he would demand a day of his own. It would be quite a long time, it seemed, before either of them truly relaxed without the physical security of having the other within reach. It would be difficult for now, but after he convinced her father to allow him to marry her, their separation would be less.

Shaking his head free of daydreams, he cast a final glance at the tsumado leading into her rooms and turned away. Before he could seek out his own bed he had one last order of business to attend to. The witch. After pondering her actions and the curse for the entire day he was comfortable enough with his own thoughts to finally confront her. It had taken much to keep him from marching into her shrine immediately after hearing Kaoru speak of the reason she had left. Kaoru's weary appearance and the fact that they hadn't finished talking had kept him in place long enough to calm down. Not that he was going to let the witch get away with her trickery without consequences. Though he did realize there was not much he could do to a woman that was already dead.

Taking the last step up the stairs to the door of the shrine, Kenshin paused with his hand already reaching to slide it open. Gritting his teeth, he twisted his wrist so that his knuckles were forward instead and rapped lightly on the door twice. There was no need to start the encounter in a way that would agitate either of them before anything was even said.

A soft voice that did not sound like the sorceress beckoned him in, but she was indeed the only person within the shrine when he slid the door aside. Frowning, he studied her shadowed features, the lone petal barely a flickering glow of luminance. There were strained wrinkles around her eyes and mouth, and she appeared to be older than he remembered. Even the once jet black hair on her head seemed faded. Only her eyes were still the same, a void of darkness staring back at him. They pierced him for several long seconds before drifting slowly away, a sigh leaving her lips.

"You are not happy with me. Not that I expected you to be otherwise." Stepping closer to the veranda she did not use any tricks to get closer to him like usual, and her grounded form surprised him. "I can think of only one reason why you would be here. Have you brought me the necklace as I asked?"

Face carefully schooled, he paced away from her down the walk, stopping before the only branch with a petal left. "No, I did not. I simply wished to talk."

"Talk?" She paused to consider him and the coolness of his tone. "Lord Himura… you do not seem to be a man nursing a broken heart." Face relaxing in shock, desperate steps brought her stumbling closer, her body still lower than his own on the ground surrounding the tree. "Did you have no love for her at all?" The question was nearly a cry of disbelief and alarm, and his violet eyes shot to her sharply.

"I have no intention of explaining the love I feel for her. Especially to you. Perhaps once you would have been able to understand, but you have clearly forgotten the experience over time."

Black eyes widened. "She's here, isn't she?"

"Yes, she's here. You were operating under the mistaken impression that I would believe the lies you fed me through her, or that I would let her stay gone. Have you truly forgotten what it is like to be in love? From what I understand of this plan you invented, it was to force me to experience the pain of losing the one I loved the most. How was her leaving me supposed to work? If I did not love her enough to have faith in the love she has for me, if I believed the words she spoke and let her leave, then I would not have truly loved her and the pain you wished for me to understand would have been barely half of what was expected. You thought this plan of yours through about as thoroughly as Kaoru-dono. Because I love her I will never let us be separated, especially by lies."

Dark hair slid forward as Tomoe ducked her chin into her chest, and when she next spoke the tremor that was working through her body was present in her voice. "I see. I suppose… I let myself believe it would work because I wanted so badly for it to."

"Why?" The chill in his question was fierce, his anger barely contained towards this woman that had so viciously manipulated and hurt the woman he loved. "Kaoru-dono is now under the mistaken impression that it is her own fault that the curse will remain. You deliberately hurt her, just as you deliberately hurt the rest of my people once before. No one else but me should take the full brunt of your wrath. I committed the crime against you; I am the monster that hurt you. How could you even consider hurting a child as good and loving as her?"

"Because it was better than the alternative!" A heart wrenching sob wracked her body, and one hand came up to cover the noise. "I never wanted to hurt her." The tears were obvious now, forcing Kenshin's tense muscles to slacken in shock. Uncertain, he watched her back into the trunk of the tree. "Not such a beautiful child. Not sweet Kaoru-chan. I even lied and said she could never come back, but there was no reason she couldn't. I was going to leave a message, with that wolf that visited, to tell you everything once the curse was broken that way you could find her. I thought I had planned everything so perfectly, but I was only desperate. I didn't want to hurt anyone else, but once I realized the truth about my own curse I began to despair. Why do you think it has taken me so long to take action? To find someone to love you? To help break this awful curse? How could I consider hurting her, you ask? No, Lord Himura, how could I consider hurting anyone?"

Kenshin swallowed, shaken by the first hand witnessing of her grief and the confirmation of truth he did not want to hear. "Then I was correct in assuming. It is no simple departure that will break this curse… I would have to lose her forever." A watery affirmative solidified the fact further, and Kenshin too had to back into something bracing. "I thought so." Heavy red lashes fell to hide his emotions. "To understand your pain, to know the pain I gave to each and everyone of my victims, I too must lose the one I love. Not to another. Not to separation. But to Death."

"When I set the boundaries I thought only to make you see what you have done to me and to others. I never thought… I never dreamed… this…" A gasping breath of fear shot her head up to lock eyes with him. "You must never tell her! She'll…"

"Do you think me a fool?"

"No. Of course not."

Letting out a breath, Kenshin grimaced at the twisting of the witch's features. Only one other time had she shown him such weaknesses. Since the day she cast the curse her appearance had always been controlled and calculating. To see that this situation was affecting her in any way was strange but also encouraging. It meant that she too cared for Kaoru.

"Forgive me. I know you are only concerned for her."

Nodding to accept his apology, Tomoe stared at the pink dust particles beneath her feet. "A concern that will not be necessary for long. That petal will fall tonight and it will be too late for any action to reverse my sin."

"Will it?"

Frowning, Tomoe looked up, confused by his questioning when the answer was more than obvious. "What do you mean? You couldn't possibly be thinking of hurting her yourself."

Standing straight once more, Kenshin stepped to the edge of the walk, violet eyes shooting to her in irritation before studying the final petal. "Of course not. I have a second purpose for appearing before you tonight. I was going to present you with a proposition, but that would mean I was certain of my words. It is more of an idea, really. One that I would like to ask your opinion on."

"You have thought of something? An alternative?" There was guarded hope in her voice, and a sheen of vibrancy partially dispelled her dilapidated shell.

"An idea." Reaffirming, Kenshin reached out a hand to the final petal, but it did not react to him like Kaoru's necklace had. Its fading form stood as a neutral party. "From what I have understood from you about the time limit on this curse, I was given as much time to break it as it took for each of these petals to fall. I am uncertain of this part, but tell me, Kiyosato-dono, do the petals also have to shatter?"

The respectful use of her married name briefly caught her off guard, forcing her eyes closed. "I do not think it matters whether they shatter or not, Lord Himura. The reason they fall is because they are no longer alive. Once all of the life and magic they have taken from me is dissipated then they turn dark and die. It is the absence of magic that places a limit on the curse. Without any magic left to reverse what I have cast, then there is no way for you to be changed back."

"Ah." His answer was pleased, and her curiosity rose. Stepping away from the tree she approached the veranda.

"You are thinking of the necklace, aren't you?" Sight turning inward, she contemplated his direction of thought. "The last few times I have seen the necklace it has appeared to be still strong with life and energy. Much stronger, in fact, than any of the ones that ever hung upon the tree. I wouldn't even be able to properly gauge how much longer it might last."

"But if you had to guess, what would you say?"

"Years. Many years. Perhaps even another hundred."

Kenshin let his eyes close on a sigh, the action relieved. When they opened once again he actually smiled at her. "My proposition to you, Lady Sorceress, is to let Kaoru-dono keep that necklace. Let her nurture it and protect it until the end of her natural life, fifty or sixty years from now, and when she finally does pass away the requirements of your curse should be met. There will still be enough of your magic left to undo it, I will suffer the loss that you wished, and everyone innocent will be free. Do you think it possible for this to work?"

Blinking, amazed, Tomoe pressed a hand to her mouth. "I… I think it might. Since you have already lived more than a thousand lifetimes, losing her now or losing her later will affect you just the same. You will still live on after she has gone, and since you will not age her loss will always be premature. Do you think you can handle watching her age in front of you?"

"What a meaningless question. What difference will it make to me what she looks like? She loves me despite my appearance. How could I ever do anything less?"

That was not what I meant, young Himura. Smiling, Tomoe nodded. The fear of the inevitable would only help meet the requirements, and so there was no need to place doubt now. This plan was much more plausible than hers had been. "And what will you do afterwards? Will you hasten your trip to be by her side once the others have been freed?"

"No. They do not deserve to be abandoned. I will stay for the remainder of my natural life and help them to adapt and incorporate this new era we have found ourselves in. We cannot stay isolated forever."

"Very good. You have indeed grown into a much better lord than your father ever was."

Strangely subdued by such praise from this woman, Kenshin felt a moment of guilt that was quite unnatural when aimed towards her. "This proposition will unfortunately require you to delay your reunion with your loved ones. It is quite a selfish request on my part, and I am sorry that I am once again the reason for your separation."

"Do not feel sorrow. I have done this to myself. It is the least I can do to release your people from this wretched curse. Besides, I would not be able to greet my loved ones with an open heart if I still held regret for the lives I have condemned."

"Then I will thank you for the extended time. I promise not to squander it." Inclining his head in a slow salute, Kenshin turned on his heel to march towards the door. "If you will excuse me, Kiyosato-dono. Kaoru-dono's father will be here tomorrow and I must think carefully on how to ask for his permission to keep her. If all goes well, which I am expecting it will, then she will be my wife in a few days." Stopping, he looked at her directly for his next statement. "I would be honored if you offered a blessing for our union."

"Of course, Lord Himura, that is wonderful news." Brow curling, she watched as he reached the exit. It was regrettable that they would not be able to conceive a child together because of the curse. Tomoe was sure Kaoru would be more than agreeable to motherhood. Lord Himura himself had the makings of a good parent, as well. Shaking her head, she decided not to dampen the hope his visit had fostered. Later, when his happiness was not so fragile, she would speak to him on the matter. It was quite possible he was already aware, anyway.

He did not ask me about the wolf. The realization was surprising, and she lifted a hand to stop him before he made it fully out the door. Outside, a loud shout from across the yard interrupted her. With the door still open she could just make out the large shadow of what looked like a large canine slide to a stop in front of the steps. Panting, the creature ducked its head in a quick show of respect before giving its report.

"Bandits, my lord. Heading for the front gate." Saitou's rough voice rasped as if he had run long and hard. "I did not get a good count, but it looks to be about fifty or so. They attacked the lady's father last night after you left. It seems their leader wishes to take her from you." The wolf in question made the shocking announcement, and Tomoe gasped in surprise. Kenshin shot her a glance.

"Stay inside." His hand snapped the door closed and she wondered if he had thought about what he was saying to her. Tomoe couldn't leave her shrine even if she had wanted to.

Marching down the steps, Kenshin headed straight for the front gate. "What happened to my patrols? How did they get so close to the palace without me finding out?"

"They have been in sight of the palace for weeks, my lord, but they have made no move towards us. Such things have happened many times over the centuries. I suppose we have been too reliant on their fear of this place. We have kept an eye on them, but I regret not spying. We would have heard their intentions long before this."

"Where are my patrols now?"

"Two are following them, one of them is mine. They are not large enough to openly attack. The rest are either too far away to be of any help or sleeping."

"Wake everyone. Have your patrol sent to maintain a border between the palace and the city. Send word to Kogorou, Soujirou, Sanosuke, and Aoshi. I must see them at once. Where is Kaoru's father now?"

"I left him with two of my men. They will keep him safe, but he insisted that he would be coming. He is too injured to fight, but he would not be talked down. I can't say for sure how close he is to getting here."

"Stubborn fool." Grumbling, Kenshin waved a short dismissal. "Have my men meet me at the front gate."

"Yes sir."

Saitou bounded away in a hurry, leaving Kenshin to march towards the gate by himself. Within moments an alarm sounded, banging a harsh rhythm to alert those within that trouble was coming from without. Life stirred around him in confusion, noises of alarm and disbelief. Giving direction, he ordered those in his sight who were untrained for battle to flee back towards the city. Those few he came across who could fight were sent to escort the rest of the residents away. The frequent stops caused him delay, and he was too far away from the front when he heard the lock break with a splintering crack. The invaders were within his walls.

"My lord!" Sano and Soujirou were the first to arrive, but his other two generals were nowhere in sight. Stopping with a quick nod, Soujirou spoke without preamble. This was war time now, and pleasantries were no longer needed or wanted. "Kogorou-san is out on patrol by the ridgeline, and Aoshi-san took his men out towards the mines early this afternoon. There was trouble at both locations. I suspect it was a diversion to split our forces."

Kenshin scowled. "Why was I not informed?"

"Don't blame him, it was my fault." Sano looked irritated and ready for a fight. "The lady just got back and I didn't want anyone bugging you so you could fix whatever problem you were having. I'm sorry. I'll accept my punishment gladly."

"There's no time for that now. Soujirou, I want you to find my lady. You will protect her with your life."

"Yes sir." A serious nod was all that was given before the cheetah disappeared.

"Sanosuke, have the men fence in the intruders. I will not have them infiltrating my palace. Push them back."

"That will spread our numbers really thin."

"Against children like these there should be no problems."

"Yes sir."

Chaos was in full rule of the palace as he neared the gate, his people fleeing, loud shouts and laughter echoing in the air. Noises of looting told him that the intruders were so far unchallenged and relaxed enough to leave themselves open. As he stepped around the side of his own pavilion, though, his appearance was startling enough to freeze those within sight in their tracks. The looting within continued.

"I wondered when you would show that ugly face of yours."

Hard violet eyes searched the wide-eyed men in front of him, looking for the owner of the voice. The effort was soon wasted when the owner made himself known, stepping boldly forward as if completely unafraid of his unnatural appearance. Green irises were arrogant and derisive as they stared back at him, and Kenshin felt an innate reaction of irritation for his rudeness.

"All alone, monster? It's a pretty big place for just one."

Laughter from inside cut through the air, and Kenshin's violet eyes swung to his tsumado as they burst open, a man with his arms full of gold and other riches stumbling out. "Boss! You wouldn't believe…!" Trailing off he caught sight of Kenshin from out of the corner of his eye, his head swiveling towards him slowly. "Holy… shit…" Dropping everything in his hands, he backed away, tripping his way off the veranda. "What the hell is that?!"

As Kenshin watched the man try to escape his reach the vague form of shadows in the dark could be seen creeping up from the side. "No. I will assure you that I am not alone here in this palace." Ignoring the others as they whispered and eyed him cautiously, Kenshin answered their apparent leader. A sneer of disgust contorted the young man's features and Kenshin was surprised by his sudden transition into rage.

"I'm well aware of that, you beast! You have my woman somewhere in here and I have come to get her back!"

Coldness pierced Kenshin's heart and the expression on his face stiffened at the implications of his words. "You are sorely mistaken, boy, if you think I will just hand her over to you and this rabble of dishonorable men."

"Make no mistake, you hideous creature, I will have Kaoru one way or the other, and I will do whatever I want to with her. She belongs to me!"

There was a tremor in his hands and voice that spoke not of fear but something closer to insanity. It was a touch unnerving because it meant the boy was obviously unstable. Anyone in such a state had no sense of boundaries or morals. They were as dangerous as a starving, wounded animal. There was just no way of telling what he would do to get what he thought was rightfully his.

Eyeing him, Kenshin let out a measured breath. Insanity was something he had more than enough experience facing. "My lady belongs here with me where she will be honored and protected from appalling men like you for her entire life. You will speak of her with more respect or I will have that tongue out of your head."

The tension in the air snapped as restrained violence unleashed, but instead of charging blindly like Kenshin had expected, the man jerked his head instead, a signal to attack. The presence behind him lunged forward, Kenshin sidestepped neatly, and a harsh growl then grunt landed the would-be ambusher on his face with a very large, well-groomed dog latched onto his back. A moment of silence fell over the yard, the dog's mahogany eyes sweeping the number of enemy, before Sanosuke lifted his head and shouted in a clear voice.

"Attack!"

X

A/N: So it's shorter than the last few, but that made me happy. Unfortunately, it took me much too long to write it, but with Christmas and visiting family and working all this overtime, I felt awful when I was home and practically useless when it came to trying to write. Anyway, here it is now, and I hope you have enjoyed it.

So, the boys are still being tightlipped about what they know, and Koshijirou is none to happy about it. He's wounded but alive, but not in any condition to be joining any battles. Saitou has gotten off the hook somehow now that Kenshin is aware that he knows of the curse, but I guess that's what happens when the palace gets attacked. There isn't much time for reprimands. Tomoe is not a bad woman. In fact, she was always a good woman who had something horrible happen to her. I hope I have portrayed her alright. I never wanted anyone to hate her, but it was helpful to make her seem like she was still bent on her revenge. I hope you have all understood this. In light of hearing their conversation about how to break the curse, sending Kaoru away was better than engineering her death. Tomoe does not want that to happen almost as much as Kenshin does not want that to happen. The proposition was very thoughtful on Kenshin's part, however. Another reason why Kaoru should have never done everything alone to begin with. Kenshin is much older and in consequence much more experienced than she in many things. His ideas as well will be more in depth. I wonder, though, did anyone notice an inconsistency? XD

So the attack has arrived. I need this to be a bit more serious than everyone is thinking it will be. I realize I have put this image in everyone's mind that the palace was a staging ground for a war once before. However, that was a thousand years before, and if you remember, Tomoe took out the army. All that is left is the palace guard, the city guard, and the lord's ninja assassins. Kogorou, the leader of the palace guard is up on the ridgeline with a large group of men, while Aoshi has taken the Oniwabanshu to the mines to track another threat. That leaves what city guard that is not out on patrol to protect the city from intruders, and the few remaining palace guards to rout out the invaders. They are both an elite group, so they are few but powerful. They have experience on the intruders, but the intruders have height and weapon advantage. Sorry that I have had to explain that here in the author's notes, but I'm afraid in the midst of the fighting and excitement that it might not come across very clearly. I will try my hardest to do this, even though I have taken the time to explain here. Thank you for waiting, thank you for reading, and please let me thank you for reviewing as well!

In the next chapter, the intruders break through, Kaoru navigates the chaos, and Kenshin tries to defend his people and his lover… it will not be an easy feat without his sword. Please review!