Cursed

by lossehelin

For a thousand years the village has known of the beast living in the old palace. A beast said to live on human blood. One father knows the truth, and is now bound by word to return a favor he has ignored for thirteen years.

43. To Perceive Compassion

I'm so happy. Not as happy as I probably should be, but happy enough that there are a small few of you that have grasped a part of the curse. I haven't given too many clues, so I'm not disappointed. Don't feel insulted or upset if you haven't understood yet. It's not you; it's my story that has not delivered the full info. I have tried to emphasis a small point about who, really, is supposed to break it, though. I was hoping that would come across. Please continue to think about this as you read the first part of this chapter. As to Kaoru's death… I'm sorry, but it was necessary, and I shall explain why.

Disclaimer: Grief is one of the most dangerous and forgiving of all emotions.

Chapter 43: To Perceive Compassion

"Get up." Scowling at the frightened form of the child cowering before him, Kenshin growled the demand. When wide green irises did nothing more than stare his growl turned into a snarl. "I said get up!" The boy scrambled backwards, his hand blindly searching for anything to help him escape the monster coming for him. Knocking his head against the raised flooring of a veranda, Enishi tensed, feeling trapped. Reaching one clawed hand down to fist into his clothing, Kenshin jerked the child to his feet. At his full height Enishi was much taller, but even as he had to stare down into the molten yellow eyes of the lord he felt like a small, frightened animal.

Pushing him to the side and out into the open yard, Kenshin advanced as the boy stumbled to keep his feet. "Pick up a weapon." Staggering as he tried to keep the changed ambiance of this beast at his front, the boy's figure lurched as he tripped over dead bodies and other obstacles that he had no time to watch for. "Defend yourself now if you wish to live." Stalking him unhurriedly, Kenshin's progress was smooth and unhindered even as the dark gold of his irises never once left his prey. "I will show no mercy once I am armed." The words trembled as they left his mouth, his features twitching as if pained by his rage. Choked by the very air of murderous intent, Enishi's mouth opened to speak, but nothing, no matter how he tried, would be forced past his lips.

"Wait!" Jade green eyes swung incredulously towards the form of his old sword master. Kneeling next to the lifeless form of his daughter, one of her limp hands clutched in his, Koshijirou was calling for the mercy that the palace lord claimed he would not grant. "The boy's death will not make this right! It's not what Kaoru would have wanted!"

Kenshin's steps did not pause. "Kaoru is gone. She can no longer want anything because of this boy." Fury ground his jaw together, his chest tight with rage. "This boy playing at being a man." Stepping over the body of a bandit, Kenshin kicked at a katana lying next to it. "Pick it up, boy, and attack me again. I promise you this time I will give you my undivided attention."

Flinching as the bladed weapon flipped through the air and stuck into the ground several steps behind him, Enishi's chest heaved. The fear flooding his brain was irrational, primal, and overwhelming. Not one thought of picking up the weapon pierced through the thick stench of terror. All that remained of his will to live shouted an echoing mantra to flee. This place was no longer one of equal footing. He was a child staring into the hungry jaws of an ancient, feral dragon. Foolishly he had thought to invade the dragon's den, arrogantly he had taunted him from slumber, and mistakenly he had destroyed the maiden instead of the beast.

"I didn't…" Words finally escaped him, but their breathless utterance only sharpened the lord's focus, darkening the loathing in his eyes.

"You will not speak! I will not hear one word of your witless reasoning! You killed my lady! I will not be satisfied until your head is separate from your neck!"

"I beg you to stop this, Lord Kenshin! My daughter…"

"Silence, Kamiya-san! If you do not wish to see his death then look away!"

A lithe figure bounded out of the darkness of buildings, the cheetah's long strides guided by the length of his tail as he turned sharply to head in their direction. In the dead of night the shadows were penetrated only by the reddish glow from the fires still eating away at the palace pavilions. The flickering light slid over the long span of a katana clutched firmly between his powerful jaws, creating an ominous shimmering of wraithlike shapes on the dark lacquer. Skidding to a stop next to his master, he lifted his chin in offering, flexing his jaw when the weapon was removed.

"As you requested, my lord."

"Very good. That will be all." Soujirou nodded and silently gave his master the space he would require. Hefting the weapon to familiarize himself with its weight and balance once again, Kenshin eyed it briefly before flipping the hilt towards his dominate arm. "This weapon has not been drawn from its sheath in a thousand years." The heavy weight of his gaze landed on Enishi. "How unlucky for you to have found the one thing I would gladly destroy this world for." In one wrenching motion the blade was ripped from its scabbard, the excess piece tossed to the side in silent promise that it would not be put away again until its job was finished. Blade now bared completely the surrounding air became suddenly heavy beyond reasoning, pressing down on Enishi's shoulders, chest, and buckling his legs. Where before he had thought the atmosphere thick with the lord's shift in demeanor, this time it seemed to distort the very space around him. It was no longer hard to breathe, but impossible. His terror was no longer irrational, but all-encompassing. The man he had thought to be a creature, that had gently cradled Kaoru's form in his arms before taking flight in the woods, was gone. In its place stood the true form of the monster he had imagined his form to represent. Not one trace of humanity was left.

Knees buckling, Enishi instinctively grabbed for anything to keep him upright as the terrible presence before him advanced. Fingers grasping at the katana stuck into the ground, he tore the tip from the dirt and landed once more on his backside. Legs kicking, eyes wide, he fought to gain his feet so that he could escape the demon coming for him. The red scales of his skin seemed darker than before, the gold in his eyes brighter, and though the fires were not close to their position, he seemed surrounded by murky plumes of black smoke that obscured and enhanced his appearance. Frightened by his visions, Enishi's tongue loosened and he stuttered in stark panic.

"Wait! It was an accident! I was aiming for you!" Lashing out violently, Kenshin's sword whipped through the air and rammed straight down on his victim's head. Reflex kept Enishi alive as his arm raised quickly to block, the katana in his hand clashing with the master's mere inches from his forehead. Every muscle in his arm quivered under the force of the blow, his elbow and wrist aching, and metal sparked upon metal as the lord's katana hissed at being denied. "I didn't mean to kill her! Something else got in the way!"

"You would dare to deny your roll in her death?" Pushing weight behind the crossed steel, Kenshin forced Enishi to step back. "You dare to blame it on chance? Your knife stole the very breath from her lungs! Your hand destroyed the life in her eyes! There is nothing you can say that will convince me of your innocence!"

"I didn't want to kill her!"

The abrupt absence of Kenshin's sword unbalanced Enishi's stance, rocking his equilibrium. The sudden quick return of the weapon forced Enishi to parry. Hard amber eyes were cold to his existence, and he knew that words would do him no good. Frightened by the finality of the outcome that was promised, he fought desperation in an attempt to stay alive.

Harsh and unrelenting Kenshin's blade struck out in quick succession, the blows like a powerful hammer beating against Enishi's very bones. Barely able to keep up with the master's speed, barely able to keep his own footing, it was blatantly apparent that he was losing. There was too much experience behind the lord's actions; too much weight. With a sword in hand he was unstoppable.

In a state well beyond terror, Enishi could only react to his opponent's attacks like an inexperienced child relying on instinct alone. Pushed back relentlessly, the monster before him no longer capable of civil conversation, one strong blow threw him through the air. Slamming into the veranda, his back cracking apart the posts and flinging him into one of the gardens on the other side of the walkway, he landed with a grunt on his back. Lungs gasping once, his green eyes widened as the red-scaled demon cleared the broken roofing in one swift leap. Coming down quick on Enishi's position, katana flipped and angled down for the boy's chest, the rage in his being was so calm it was unnatural. Rolling to the side at the last second, he lifted his sword to counter the second strike.

Shoving off the attack, Enishi ungracefully gained his feet, but the palace lord was unrelenting. Backing him across manicured grass and into the trunk of a tree, the next strike caused him to overbalance and upended him into the small koi pond. Spluttering water from his mouth and nose, he splashed and kicked fruitlessly, trying to place distance between himself and the monster now towering over him. Disgust contorted Kenshin's features, Enishi panicking at his inability to gain control of the uncooperative water. Stepping down into the pond, Kenshin jerked the boy up a second time and tossed him towards the shore.

"Stop thrashing about like an infant. If you thought yourself man enough to take a life then at least act the part." Body catching in the crevice of shore and a roofless walk that spanned the pond, Enishi's fingers reflexively dug into dirt to pull him up. Weapon clattering against the wood, his feet scrabbling for leverage, he finally pulled himself from the water and began to crawl desperately away. "I find your fear sickening."

Stalking after him, Kenshin paced across the garden, his steps slow while the boy finally gained his feet and ran. There was no more pride in his actions, nor any show of aggression. Whatever form of arrogance the child had possessed before was gone now. Hopping up onto the walk after the boy, Kenshin watched him take off across the yard.

There was no other sound within the palace but the crackling of fire. All other battles were done, the bandits subjugated or dead, leaving all eyes focused upon them. Searching for an escape Enishi found himself surrounded by animals of all different kinds, their eyes flat and staring as they watched. No shouts of encouragement echoed in the air, no threats or insults hurled at the murderer of their lady. Not one attacked, but they would not move, pinning him for their master to come and finish.

Whipping back towards the demon, Enishi's heartbeat accelerated alarmingly, his own breathing loud in his ears. So much silence almost drove him to the point of insanity as his own fear found nothing else to focus on but the roaring of his blood. Gripping his katana in both hands, his knees shook but his feet were planted. Swallowing, he charged in his only attempt to be free of the cage of horror this demon lord had locked him in.

Blade streaking upwards in a movement too fast to be seen, Kenshin knocked aside the pitiful attack with ease. Spinning through the air in several quick revolutions, the borrowed katana clattered and banged against the nearest building before sliding off the veranda and disappearing from sight. Right hand and wrist fractured from repeated abuse, Enishi covered his face with his left arm in a miserable attempt to block any further attacks. Cutting his arm to the bone, Kenshin rid himself of the poor barrier, blood spraying from the deep wound and forcing Enishi to cradle the appendage to his chest instinctively. Face successfully open for attack, Kenshin clenched his right hand around the hilt of his katana, reared back his arm, and ground his teeth as he punched the boy square in the jaw.

The wrapping of the hilt bit into his palm, the weight of the sword placing stress on his knuckles and causing them to throb worse than if he had simply dropped the sword first. Uncaring of such a technicality, Kenshin stood over the boy now lying in the dirt. Blood was dying the ground in a dark pool, the lightening eastern sky illuminating the yard in the half-light of false dawn. Katana relaxed at his side, Kenshin merely stared, his denial and rage trembling with the birth of a new emotion; pity for the pathetic wretch at his feet.

"Why her?" Mouth and nose bleeding, Enishi's green eyes swiveled upwards to him. "How could anyone ever think to hurt someone like her?" Golden eyes narrowed. "You hit her first. Is that how you planned to treat her?" Lashing out roughly, he kicked the boy in the stomach, forcing him to wheeze. "Would you have beat and abused her just for speaking her mind?!" Voice rising, Kenshin kicked him again, flipping his body away from him. "You thought to save her from a beast?! How can you claim to be better?!" Switching his grip on the sword, he brought the tip down to pierce his thigh. Crying out in agony, Enishi writhed against the blade, but the movement only tore the tissue deeper.

"Lord Kenshin! I beg you!" Koshijirou was on his feet now, standing in front of Kaoru's lifeless body.

"I've hit nothing vital!" The statement was spat defensively over his shoulder, as if his interference was merely a nuisance he wished to quiet. It was enough to alert Koshijirou to more than Kenshin had wanted, however. Anxiety falling from his face, the sword master stared in shock and abrupt understanding. The lord had not once hit anything vital.

Trying to dismiss her father's voice, Kenshin ripped the blade back out. "You didn't deserve her! She was far beyond your reach! She was far beyond anyone's…!" Lungs betraying him, Kenshin gasped, the action shaky. Tilting his head in a well worn motion of concealment, his bangs covered the torment in his eyes. "She didn't deserve to die. It should have been me." Red lashes slid shut and within the darkness he could see the soft pink barrier of protection she had cast around him. No such barrier had protected her. Kaoru had saved his life without thought of her own. Golden eyes snapped open and he slammed a foot down on Enishi's wounded thigh before screaming down at his agonized form. "It should have been me! Not her! Me! Why couldn't you just kill me?! I've given you more than enough chances!"

Jade green irises were as wide as they would open, the pain shooting through him a vague reminder that he was not in good shape. Above him the demon lord was shouting hysterically at him, the words harsh and unrelenting like his sword play, his voice deep and full of habitual power. What held him in shock, however, was not the words he was speaking or how, but the liquid that was dripping unnoticed down his face. The monster was crying; tears of rage, pain, and desperation. This creature loved Kaoru. Tilting his chin to the side, Enishi settled his tormented gaze upon Kaoru's dead body.

"You've done nothing but scurry about like a frightened child! I could have killed you with my first strike!" Trembling as the boy turned his face away as if to hide, Kenshin fisted long claws into dark hair and ripped his attention back. "Don't look away from me you spineless coward! If you were half the man you claimed yourself to be you would have killed me, too!"

"That's enough, Lord Kenshin! You're not thinking clearly!" Koshijirou was now beside the lord, trying to pry him off of the boy with his one good arm. There was a struggle, but it was clear that Kenshin was not truly putting up a fight. Shrugging off his intrusion at first, Kenshin jerked on the handful of hair he still held, yanking Enishi to a sitting position.

"I am merely teaching this child a lesson!"

"What you are speaking of is suicide!" Golden eyes had not left Enishi to look at him, but Koshijirou could tell his words had gotten through. Still tense, Kenshin stood perfectly still, his hand still gripping the boy's scalp. "It is natural to be upset. Someone you love is now gone. However, it is disrespectful to act in such ways and speak of such things when my daughter sacrificed her own life just to save yours. Do not dishonor her memory like this." Beside him Kenshin trembled, looking decidedly uncertain and lost. The red hairs from his low ponytail had worked loose and were shielding his face from view, but his stance hinted at his feelings. Placing a hand lightly on his shoulder, Koshijirou spoke in a more compassionate tone. "Lord Kenshin… son… you must let it go."

Tortured violet eyes had already replaced harsh gold by the time Kenshin looked at Koshijirou. Not even his own father had ever addressed him in such a fond way. How could this man even think to do so when Kenshin was responsible for his daughter's death? Tears still unchecked and unnoticed, his head finally shook in reply to Koshijirou's beseeching remark. "I can't let her go."

"Not your love for my daughter. You need to let go of your anger. Towards this boy… and towards yourself."

"He killed her. He took her away from me."

"But his death would never make it right. Neither would yours."

Violet eyes clenched shut, fighting fruitlessly against his reasoning. "Death can never be made right by more death. I know this, but…" Strong fingers convulsed against Enishi's scalp, causing him to wince. "I have lived far too long Kamiya-dono. I am so very tired of it. If she must be gone then… I want to go with her. I never had any desire to kill this boy." Fingers loosening, Enishi was finally able to slip free. "But I will not forgive him. You cannot ask that of me."

"Forgiveness is…"

"I never wanted to hurt her." Koshijirou cut off as Enishi spoke over him, afraid and astonished by his input. After finally talking the master down, Enishi's voice had every possibility of reigniting his anger.

Blue and violet eyes swung as one to study his kneeling form, but green irises were steady on Kaoru. "I wouldn't have let anyone else hurt her. I just wanted her to acknowledge me too. I saw the way she looked at you. It was only once, but that's all it took. She loved you." Glancing finally up at the lord, Enishi looked quickly away before he lost his nerve again. "I didn't like it and I lost my temper. I didn't mean to hit her. I only… I wanted her to look at me like that and no one else." The shaking and fractured fingers of his right hand came up to cover his mouth. "Now she'll never look at anyone like that… because I killed her." A few seconds of silence let the words hang heavily in the air, and then everything sank in. Pain and guilt mixed sickeningly and Enishi dropped his broken hand to the ground to brace him as he vomited.

Koshijirou darted a side look at Kenshin but there was no anger left on his face. Instead his brows were curled in anguished understanding. "You loved her." The truth of the statement made everything focus sharply. Kenshin was dealing with the knowledge that Kaoru had saved him from death only to die herself. Enishi, however, was dealing with the knowledge that he had killed her by his own hand. Briefly touching a hand to the scar on his left cheek, Kenshin's heart grew heavy. What an unbearable burden. Watching as the boy wiped at his mouth, his legs shaky as he struggled to sit back, Kenshin stepped forward away from Koshijirou.

As his arm moved he heard the sword master try to protest, but the action was complete before he could say anything intelligible or before Enishi could even flinch. Bright and fresh in the light of dawn, blood marked the path of his sword tip in a deep X on the boy's left cheek. "Now we share this pain." Pulling back his bangs to show his own crossed scar, Kenshin waited for green eyes to study it. "It is a heavy burden, but you can never forget it. This scar will not allow you to. Just as it has never allowed me to forget my sins.

"Now I must ask you to leave. I will not take your life in vengeance, but I do not wish to look upon you either. Nor can I grant you forgiveness. Kaoru's death is still too fresh. So I will ask that you leave my palace and my lands." Enishi looked confused and Kenshin jerked his hand irritably. "In my father's day he ruled over everything west of the mountain line. I will give you three days to make the other side, and… do not ever come back."

"I-I understand." Struggling to his feet, Enishi swayed, his thigh and arm throbbing. Shame kept him from looking the lord or Kaoru's father in the eye again, and he bowed his head low instead. Casting one last anguished look towards Kaoru, he turned and limped away.

Without looking Kenshin could feel Soujirou's presence at his side, the tension in his body palpable. "Can you be satisfied with this decision, Soujirou? I know you loved my lady as well." For a long time the cheetah did nothing except follow the retreating boy with his eyes. After there was a considerable distance between him and the boy he let one controlled breath leave his lungs and his head bowed in deference.

"I will be satisfied with my lord's decision." Shivering against the lingering taste of his own anger, Soujirou reluctantly let it go as well. "The lady would not have wished for any more violence."

Sighing, Kenshin's chest constricted, recognizing finality in the way Kaoru was being referred to in past tense. Eyes closing he tried to block out that truth, as well as the disappearing vision of a boy he now felt empathy and compassion for. As the realization formed, a presence abruptly appeared within the darkness, slender arms wrapping around his ribs from behind to hug him tight. There was happiness in the action, and soft words of love and praise to accompany it.

"I'm so glad, Kenshin. I love you."

"Now you are free."

Gasping, Kenshin spun to look behind him, but the presence vanished the moment his eyes snapped open. There was no one there except for Kaoru's lifeless body several paces away. Kaoru. Taking one step, his wounds throbbing in agony, something sharp stabbed through his sternum, stealing his breath. Ignoring the pain, he took a second step, his katana dropping from his hand. A third step brought blinding hot torment to his entire being and he dropped to his knees with a cry. Vaguely he could hear similar cries all around him, as well as Koshijirou's distress and confusion. Curling as every one of his muscles tensed in agony, he fisted a hand into his kimono, forcing himself to breathe.

The torture was nearly unbearable, and within his pain dazed mind Kenshin wondered if this was not the death he had wished for. Desperately trying to focus, he leveled violet eyes on Kaoru. She was lying so peacefully only a few meters away, the knife gone from her stomach, her hands folded neatly on her chest. If he truly was leaving this world, he wanted to be near her so that it would be easier to find her in the afterlife. Extending one violently shaky hand, he began to crawl, his arms and legs fighting him. Two small arm lengths were all he managed before it felt as if a blade was speared through his middle and he dropped to his stomach with a muffled scream.

Every inch of his skin felt hot enough to melt, his fingers and toes burning like steel digging at the nails. His skull felt as if it might split, his back muscles as if they were being cut open, and his spine almost contorted. Every moment of physical pain he had ever endured since birth seemed to coalesce at once, and just when he thought he could take no more, it stopped.

Panting and feeling as if he had never known true relief until that very moment, Kenshin lay where he was, unable to move for several moments. Starting small, he focused on his eyelids, willing them to open and analyze his current state. At first he was unwilling to believe what he saw, but his surprise only served to solidify the truth when the hand laying flat before him twitched in reaction. Telling his own hand to shift, he watched the one in front of him roll onto its side; its pale skin, short nails and hard calluses clearly visible in the morning light.

"No." The alien hand came forward to cover his face, touching smooth skin and fisting in the same red hair. "This isn't fair." Releasing him, the hand pushed against the ground and he was lifted to his hands and knees. "Was that all it took?" Two normal hands were spread on the ground below him and he trembled as he remembered. "This curse can only be broken by you and you alone. All that you must do is understand. You must understand the pain you have given to your victims; all that they have felt and experienced because of you. This curse will remain until the day you understand; when you understand exactly what it means to deal with these drowning emotions I feel towards you."

"I'm so sorry Kaoru. You shouldn't have had to die for something like that." Tired muscles took him the rest of the way to her side, his touch hesitant on her face. Without a thick layer of skin and a hard shell of scales to shield him from her anymore she felt softer than goose down… and yet colder than ice. "I hope you can forgive me for not understanding before."

"You should never fear scorn from my daughter. She would be proud of you." Kenshin looked up to find Koshijirou kneeling opposite him, his still dazed violet eyes weary. Behind the sword master stood his three disciples, looking bruised and tired and dismayed by what they were seeing. "Just as I am proud of you." Pain darkened violet irises just before they closed. "I am sure you are aware now how much harder it is not to take a life than it is to kill."

Nodding, Kenshin turned his face away and tucked his nose against her neck, his arm weakly wrapping around her shoulder. The reflected heat of his own breath warmed her skin and his cheeks, the faint smell of jasmine and blood warring for dominance. Quivering, on the verge of an emotional coalescence that threatened to break him, his breath shuddered once… then stuck in his throat as he recognized the rhythmic beating in his ear as a heartbeat that was not his own. Eyes snapping open he jerked away and stared down at the limp body in his arms. Nothing stirred; not an eyelash or a nostril. Frown twitching on his brow, his muscles overcompensating for scales that were no longer present, he lowered his face once more. Not a second later and he heard it again.

Steady, healthy and real the unmistakably sound of a heartbeat resounded in his eardrum. It was not his own, because his own was now racing in fear and hope. There was a problem, however. Kaoru was not breathing, nor could he find a pulse when he searched for the vein on her neck. Koshijirou and the boys were worried about his suddenly frantic actions, but he ignored them as he tried to make sense of the phenomenon. Upon closer inspection, he began to realize that the heartbeat he was hearing was not coming from her chest. It was, in fact, coming from her hands.

Violet eyes widened and he carefully pried her fingers open, revealing the hot, pulsating glass petal of her necklace. It was perfectly in sync with the heartbeat he heard and Kenshin understood without needing to rationalize what it meant. Jerking his head up, Koshijirou still questioning and confused, the father trailed off and Kenshin knew he was startled by the wonder that was surely showing on his face. Glancing at the boys, his lips barely curved at the nod of encouragement from the youngest. The other two were apparently not party to this knowledge.

Scooping her into his arms, he tried to stand, his legs wobbly underneath him. His arms felt like leaden weights, but he would not drop her. Ignoring the tender skin of his bare feet and the many eyes of his subjects as he walked between their sprawled forms, he set his sights on the shrine across the yard. Kaoru's father and the boys followed, his curiosity and their mysterious nature keeping them all quiet. Stumbling and awkward, Kenshin finally made it to the steps, his knees giving out at the last second and dropping him on the third step up. Careful of the empty shell Kaoru's body had turned into, he adjusted her weight and cradled her to his chest.

"Kiyosato-dono!" Shuffling and groaning could be heard behind him, everyone in the yard witness to his shouting. The name was known to many of them, if not all, and it was not a name they had ever thought to hear again. "Kiyosato-dono I need you! I know you are still here!" Slowly the door to the shrine slid open with a soft scrape of wood on wood, the dark interior no longer broken by light of any kind.

"If you know, Lord Himura, than I would beg you to tell me why, for I can see that my curse is no longer holding you or this palace in its grasp."

"I think it will be apparent to you, Kiyosato-dono, when you come closer."

"You of all people know that I cannot leave this shrine."

"Only because your magic has kept you in there. Now the last of your magic is elsewhere, is it not?"

A short pause stood between them before Tomoe attempted a tentative step out onto the step. Nothing detained her. "How can this be? When the curse broke it should have consumed all of my magic and released my soul to death."

"Perhaps it took far less than you thought and you have some magic left." There was hope in every syllable of the sentence, forcing Tomoe to look at him in disbelief.

"That's not possible."

"But it has happened." The breathless state of his voice caught her attention, worrying her. The lord was starting to sound hysterical.

"You wish for me to cast a spell."

"I do." Realization of his intentions startled Kaoru's father. "Kiyosato-dono, Kaoru's death did not break your curse. The loss of her life was in vain. I want you to give it back."

Taken aback by such knowledge, Tomoe took a step back into the darkness. "What did you say?" Refusing to believe that the calculations she had made about her own curse were wrong, Tomoe frowned. "Then what did break the curse if not her death?"

"Compassion did, Kiyosato-dono." Taking in a shaky breath, Kenshin's features contorted with a mixture of pain and regret. "For a child barely old enough to understand what his actions have caused and the pain he has given to himself. It was not suffering you wished upon me, sorceress. You wanted me to understand all of the emotions you felt. Compassion and pity for an enemy is not easy to accept when they have done you a grievous wrong. I know this now, and I am terribly sorry." Bracing his right hand against the edge of the next step up, Kenshin bowed his head low over Kaoru's body. As black eyes stared at his contrite posture, they widened in shock as the multitude of people fanning out across the yard behind him dropped to their knees as well. The master was humbling himself in front her, his words echoing across the unnaturally still palace, and they would follow his lead to show their support of his actions.

"I have long since forgiven you, Lord Himura. You should no longer feel you have to apologize when I have made you suffer so much in return. Also… I'm afraid I cannot do as you ask. If Kaoru is gone, then there is no way to bring her back."

Red hair jerked as his head shot up, his features fiercely denying her claim. "Yes there is. You will bring her back. You have to."

"Son…"

Kenshin's hand shot to the side, stilling whatever placation Koshijirou was going to speak. "Just stay quiet, Kamiya-dono. I will get your daughter back. I promise."

"Lord Himura…" Gentle and compassionate Tomoe's voice lowered in sorrow, her figure folding onto her knees to bring them closer. "If I could bring someone back from the dead, do you not think I would have done so for my husband?" Agony touched his eyes, his head dropping to look down on Kaoru. "I'm sorry. I would love nothing more than to give her back to you. I never wished for her to be hurt, but… there is nothing that I can do. If her soul is gone to the afterlife, there is no chance of retrieval."

Despair clutched his heart like a vice, his eyes blinking as he tried to think; tried to reason another way. Tears were threatening the corners of his eyes, burning and impeding his sight. Below the curtain of his red hair, its weight slipping to the side and almost hidden by the mesh of clothes between their bodies, the necklace was still pulsating. Caressing it gently, it flared to life under his touch and his thoughts went back to that same wondering conclusion as before. This necklace was magic… and it was Kaoru.

"What if her soul is still present?"

"Lord Himura?"

Swallowing, he cupped the necklace in his palm, the chain tugging against her neck. "What if she has not crossed the boundary into the afterlife? What if she is bound to this world just like you were bound to that tree for so many years?"

"But that cannot be possible, Lord Himura. Such a thing takes a lot of preparation and magic. Besides which, I am not even sure how to reinsert a soul back into its body, and even if I did I would not have enough magic to perform such a feat."

"You will use this." Breaking the chain from her neck, Kenshin held the necklace up between them, its bright presence a fierce glow in the growing light of day.

"That…" Amazed, Tomoe reached out a hand, but hesitated to touch it. "It's so much stronger than the last time I saw it. Much too strong. This… this magic is not my own."

"It is Kaoru." Black eyes shot to him, her brows curling. "Kaoru performed some type of spell just moments before she died. I don't know how… but it was beautiful. Somehow… she used magic. It had to be because of this." Twitching his hand, he urged her to take it. "I think her soul is bound to it. Please." When she still hesitated, Kenshin's voice became gruff in desperation. "At least examine it to tell me if I only imagined her heartbeat!"

"Heartbeat?" Curious now, Tomoe bridged the remaining gap and wrapped her fingers lightly around the hot metal wires and the surprisingly cool glass of the petal. Connected by both, the petal burned bright like a star and shot from their hands, startling the sorceress into jumping back. Clutching Kaoru tighter, Kenshin ducked, the posture protective, even though the body he held was no longer living.

Stopping barely a short distance away, the necklace dimmed, revealing its revolving form. Slowing its circulations, it finally hung in midair, the broken chain melding back together and spreading apart as if an invisible person now wore the piece of jewelry. Glowing, lighter this time, a form suddenly appeared on the steps between the sorceress and the lord.

From the extravagant court kimono and the figure barely discernable underneath, it was obviously a woman, but a veil covered her face. The design and style of the kimono suggested she had just stepped out of the emperor's court, her posture a direct result of noble upbringing, or association. A soft, dainty hand lifted after a moment, gripping the edge of the veil, and without fanfare it disappeared into nothingness. Features now free, the woman blinked as if adjusting to the abrupt change of light, and then focused on Kenshin as the first person who spoke.

"Kaoru?"

A warm smile curved her face, one that was not unlike Kaoru's, but was not as breathtaking. Not a second after he questioned, Kenshin knew his hope was unfounded. The eyes this woman had focused on him were black, not sapphire.

"No, Lord Himura. I am not your beloved Kaoru." Glancing past Kenshin to the man kneeling directly behind him, she smiled at him next, her head already shaking though he had not spoken. "Nor am I your beloved Sayoko, Kamiya-san." Stepping forward, her head swiveled gracefully to look at the sorceress kneeling across the door jam.

"My name is Kana. Only child of Kiyosato Akira and his wife, Sorceress Tomoe."

X

A/N: I realize this fight scene was not as thrilling, but it had to be more emotional than action-packed. I hope you understood it well. I hope you also understood why I said I was being inconsistent with the curse. I really wanted to emphasis the fact that people are not perfect, and that just because we think we have something figured out does not necessarily mean that we do. Most times we never know what the answer is until it happens. Not to mention, the requirements that Tomoe set on Kenshin were frightfully specific. I made sure she said this at one point before in the story, but I'm sure you have all forgotten since it has been such a long time. I think I still need to work on how big I can make my clues. I'm so afraid of giving too much away, I tend not to give anything away at all.

Anyway, I liked my little scene between Kenshin and Kaoru's father. I think I've really wanted to give Kenshin that little piece of pride that comes from being praised by a father. And since Kenshin never received any praise from his own, I thought it might be good for both Kenshin and Koshijirou to share a moment like that; Koshijirou basically accepting Kenshin as family, even though his daughter was never officially married to him; and Kenshin gaining the respect and affection of a father figure like he was denied his entire life. It will not be something he will ever forget, I imagine.

So back to the curse, Kenshin realizing that it wasn't just the pain that Tomoe wanted him to understand, but the compassion as well was shocking to her because it was not an emotion she could admit feeling at the time of the cursing. That Kenshin was able to recognize it only means that he is a thousand years older than she was when she had to deal with such a conflicting emotion. He already feels regret for his actions, compassion is not that far off. However… I will shut up and you will see in the next chapter.

So, I hope you like what I'm doing. I hope no one will be upset, and by this point I'm sure you've guessed what's going on, but please stick with me for one more chapter. (Oh and an epilogue.) I have really enjoyed going through all of this with all of you. It was a very thrilling, and helpful experience. Please leave a review, and in the next chapter we finally have the grand finale.