A/n Hi everyone! Thanks for the reviews for the last chapters. I got a few ideas for Saitou's character so hopefully I can figure something good out for the story. I apologize in advance for how short this chapter is. I've been busy with Endure and my other stories. I've been trying to keep updates coming in a timely manner by updating one of my stories once a week. It seems to be working well for me. I don't get writer's block as much because I switch stories so often. So I'm going to keep updating this way. Okay enough of my chatter and on to the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin

"Kaoru! Come inside, it's getting dark, dinner is ready!" Megumi called out the window.

Kaoru waited outside, pacing in the yard by the gate. Megumi stepped out the door, wiping her hands with a small tea towel. "Come on Kaoru."

"Tou-san should be here." She called over her shoulder. His group of horses and men had arrived with their goods hours ago. They said that their father had fallen behind, but they don't think he was too far behind. Obviously, he had been a bit more behind then they thought. It was already starting to get late.

"He's just late Kaoru. Come on." Megumi insisted.

Sighing, Kaoru turned and walked back to the house. Weren't Megumi and Misao nervous at all? Or were they just excited that the mountain of bundles that were now sitting in the Dojo had something hidden just for them? Kaoru had just reached the door with Megumi when they both heard something strange. It sounded like the rumbling of thunder that grew louder and louder. Both girls turned and gazed down the dirt road. The thunder was now a rhythmic rumbling that caused the ground under them to vibrate.

"Hey you two, what is that?" Misao said as she rushed as fast as her kimono would let her. The middle child joined them just as a dark shape loomed out of the twilight.

"I don't know." Megumi said slowly as the ringing of chains joined the deep rumbling. The three of them couldn't make out the dark shape until it was almost upon them.

Snorting horses with thundering hooves and wheels and chains. "It's a carriage!" Kaoru called, darting back out into the yard.

"Kaoru wait!" Megumi lunged after Kaoru and Misao lifted the hem of her Kimono and followed.

The horses slowed and made a sharp right turn before stopping. The abruptness almost caused the carriage to flip on its side. It had just rocked back upon its four wheels when the carriage door popped open and a figure was flung out onto the street.

"Tou-san!" Kaoru reached the gate in time to see the door slam shut and the horses leap back into a thunderous gallop back the way they came. Kaoru all but ripped the gate from its hinges, her sisters close behind. They reached their father just as the old man was struggling to get to his feet. "Tou-san, are you alright?" Kaoru asked as she and her sisters reached out to help their father.

"Those animals are the devil's mounts." Gensai muttered, cursing under his breath as his daughters carried on franticly at his side. "Yes, yes children, I'm alright."

"What happened?" Megumi asked, eager to get their father inside so she could search for wounds and injuries. His face had bruising on one side.

"What was that? A carriage?" Misao asked.

"Hai, one from Hell." The old Doctor said as he shuffled on sore legs towards the house. Both Kaoru and Megumi helped to hold him up.

"What do you mean Tou-san?" Kaoru asked. "Who's carriage was that?"

Gensai waved his daughter's questions away. "I will answer all your questions in time; so for now let me rest my bones inside." The girls hurried their father inside, and he ignored their startled questions when they saw the bruises on his face and the limp when he walked.

Once inside, Kaoru helped remove his shoes and traveling over clothes. Megumi fussed about all the newly exposed blue-black markings on his body while Misao served him a bowl of hot broth to sip.

After the broth was finished and salve was rubbed into the bruises, the old man settled into the den. The girls rushed to pile a few cylinder shaped pillows to give their father as much comfort as they could. Then they settled eagerly, kneeling at his side. Misao handed Gensai his pipe before she took her spot by her sisters.

"Alright Tou-san." Megumi started. "What happened? Did you fall off your horse?" She folded her arms in front of herself, clearly a bit cross at the state of her father.

"No." Doctor Gnesai sighed as he puffed on his pipe. The sweet, aromatic smoke twirled about his head before drifting away. "But let's not talk about that right now." His mood shifting just slightly and a smile twitched at his lips. "I brought gifts for all of you." He could see that the girls where hardly satisfied and Megumi looked ready to argue. However, like all children, they perked up at the thought of gifts, even Megumi. He sent Kaoru off to the dojo to bring him certain paper wrapped packages.

He took the largest and heaviest one. "For my eldest." He said reverently as he handed Megumi her gift. Inside was a black leather bag and in the bag were brand new medical tools. Megumi gasped, her eyes shimmering more and more as she pulled the instruments out one at a time.

"Thank you Tou-san." She whispered. "I'll do many great things with these, I'll make you proud." She bowed low, almost touching her forehead to the ground.

The old man smiled, though it hurt his face to do so. "You already do, my child." He then took up a flat square paper-wrapped package and held it out to Misao. Misao took it in both hands and bowed her head low. "For my middle child." He said as she took it. "May she be beautiful." He whispered almost to himself as Misao tore at the paper and opened the wooden box. Inside was the most beautiful, brightly colored wedding Kimono the girls had ever seen. Misao took one look at the folded silk and burst into tears.

"Oh, Tou-san, it's wonderful." She sobbed.

"Misao-chan, you haven't even taken it out of the box." Kaoru said with a smile. Her eyes growing teary. She was happy for her sister.

"I don't have too…I already know…it's beautiful." Misao said in-between sobs. Finally the girl had calmed down enough to carefully unfold the garment, her crying growing as more and more of the painted and beaded silk was exposed.

Finally Misao had calmed and the kimono was folded and safely tucked back in its wooden box. There wasn't a third package but Kaoru sat quietly and eagerly at her father's side.

Gensai turned his loving eyes to her. "For my precious youngest. Finding a gift for you was difficult." He opened his mouth to say more but he shut it with a shake of his head and pulled something wrapped in cloth from his belt. Kaoru took it with both hands and bowed.

"Thank you Tou-san." She said as she un-wound the cloth, exposing the glittering hardwood sword. All three girls held their breath in a stunned silence as the lantern light made the gold glow with warmth and the many facets of the stones to sparkle.

"A sword." Megumi said. "That is the perfect gift for her, Tou-san." Though she hardly approved, she had hopped her father would have thought of something more appropriate for the young woman. Something to get her mind off swordsmanship.

But Dr. Gensai didn't hear Megumi, he was watching Kaoru closely. "Do you like it child?"

"Of course." Kaoru tried not to cry like her sisters had, but she was moved by the magnitude of the gift. Her eyes burned with tears regardless.

"How much did that thing cost?" Megumi asked, her lips pulled into her familiar frown.

"Megumi-chan, that's not polite." Misao hissed.

But their father took a deep breath and leveled his shoulders. "It cost me my life."

…. . . …

"It what?" Kaoru glanced at the sword in her hands then back to her father.

"I found that sword on an estate I stumbled upon when I became lost; offering to buy that sword was a grave mistake." Gensai said softly.

"Father, what are you talking about?" Megumi demanded.

"I insulted the lord of the estate somehow and he said that I could have the sword in exchange for my life. I have to return to him in three days." The old man said calmly and matter-of-fact. He glanced around as his three daughters watched him in stunned silence.

"Are you serious?" Megumi climbed to her feet. "If this is a joke Tou-san, it's a horrible one."

"No, no I'm being very serious. In the morning I need to tie up a few lose ends, and pay of all my debts. We're rich now so you can live in relative comfort by splitting the inheritance between the three of you." Again his daughters watched him with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"I don't want it then." Kaoru shoved the sword back to her father. "Take it back."

"I can't." Dr. Gensai's eyes suddenly turned sad. "I tried to give the sword back, but the damage had been done."

"Don't go back there." Misao pleaded, her sobs returning.

"I have to, Misao-chan. This creature knows where I live now, he told me that if I don't return in three days, he will come here and slaughter us all."

"We'll run away." Misao clutched at her father's clothes and the old man gently petted her hair.

"I cannot break my word, child." He glanced up at Kaoru. She looked ill and her hands gripped the sword as if she were trying to shatter the hard wood into splinters.

"Is there nothing we can do?" Kaoru said and she watched her knuckles turn white as her fingers clenched the sword.

Gensai looked at each of them for a moment. He would make this sacrifice to save one of his daughters. "No, there is nothing we can do. I have to go."

… . ...

It took hours before the girls finally calmed down enough to fall asleep. Misao wept so much that she made herself sick and Dr. Gensai made a draught of herbs and honey to make the girl drowsy enough for sleep to take hold. Now the house lay silent and shocked. Kaoru hardly slept, she only lay and gazed at the wall of her room from her sleeping mat. What was supposed to be a day of great joy, turned out to be one of despair. The cursed sword sat, leaning against the wall, it seemed to glitter and glow even in the darkness of her room. It was all because of the sword that her family had to suffer so, that her father had to die. For her stupid gift…Kaoru felt massive guilt. It didn't seem fair.

Why should her father have to suffer because of something that was her fault?

Sighing, Kaoru sat up from her bed roll and reached across the space to snatch the sword from where it rested. She ran her hands over the smooth gilded wooden hilt, tracing over the gems that blinked up at her as if life glowed within them. It was a wonderful sword, fit for a master, but it was not worth her father's life. Tears flowed unchecked to drip down her face. She didn't think she had any tears left to cry, but they dripped from her chin to her nose only to land on her lap and on the sword. She couldn't think of living her life without her father. How would her and her sisters survive? Who did she have to plead to, to beg to, to make her wake up from this nightmare?

Almost as if to answer her silent cries, a rumbling not unlike before slowly grew outside. Had this…creature her father told her about returned to find him? Maybe if she begged him he would have mercy. Jumping to her feet, she clutched the sword to her breast as she ran through the house, the rumbling growing louder and louder. It had to work, everyone had a price, she would do anything, give anything, if only to keep her father alive. She burst out the front door. She heard her father and Megumi call after her as they too bolted from their rooms. Kaoru kept her eyes on the front gate. It was not a carriage, but a rider-less horse thundering down the dirt path at a terrible speed.

Kaoru paused at the front gate, noticing that the morning sun was already starting to chase the stars from the night sky and turn the sky grey. Had that many hours past already? The black horse reared up in front of the gate and Kaoru jumped back, fearing the horse would kick the gate to splinters. A scroll was thrown at her feet and instantly the horse turned and bolted back the way it came. Kaoru scooped up the scroll and pulled it open.

Two more sunrises before you or one of your daughters returns to me.

Kaoru blinked and turned as her father ran up to her. "Child are you alright?" He took the scroll of paper from her. "What's this?" He read the paper and paled slightly in the very early morning light.

"I'm fine Tou-san." She watched her father talk softly to Megumi for a moment, her mind turning with thoughts. "Tou-san. The note said that you or one of your daughters has to return. You didn't say one of us could take your place."

Gensai turned to Kaoru, his face morphing into something hard. Megumi took the scroll and read it for herself before glancing back up at them. "Because one of my daughters will not take my place. I refuse to send one of you to your death."

"But Tou-san, how can you ask us to send you to your death?" Kaoru protested. Her father turned and stalked back into the house and Kaoru followed.

"I'm an old man, my children are grown and my life has been lived." He said in a harsh tone. He lit a lantern in the kitchen and stoked the glowing embers in the iron stove, adding a few pieces of wood to get the heat going again. He filled the tea pot and set it on the stove to heat.

"But you still have to train Megumi." Kaoru protested. "And what about Misao's wedding, you have to be there or it may not take place without an older male kin."

Gensai turned to his daughter as she sank to her knees and set the sword on the table. The gold and gems glowed in the lantern light. "What are you asking Kaoru-chan? That I send you to your death in place of me?"

"Yes Tou-san." Kaoru blurted. Did she really want to? She glanced at the sword then back to her father and then to Megumi sitting silently on the other side. It was because of her foolish wish that brought this curse on her father. It would ruin not only Megumi's dreams of becoming a doctor, but also Misao's wedding. The groom's family may refuse if there was no male kin to make the dowry. His sudden disappearance would raise questions and it would be suspicious to them. "It's my fault all this happened in the first place."

"Kaoru, it's not your fault I stumbled on a mad-man."

Kaoru glared down at the sword. "You never would have been in this circumstance if you didn't ask to by this sword if I hadn't asked for one. Megumi and Misao have so much going for them right now, and you must be here for it to happen. I…" Kaoru swallowed. "I have nothing; I want to be a teacher in swordsmanship. I don't want to be married or anything of the sort. Nothing that would better the world."

"No Kaoru. I will not send my child to her death."

"Tou-san you're not sending me to my death…I'm deciding to go in your place. This is my choice. No one is forcing me. I am damning myself to this fate, if you go, you will damn your three daughters. One or three Tou-san." Kaoru bit her bottom lip, hating how harsh she was sounding. Across the table Megumi sat in shocked silence, her lips slightly parted. Surely she had never seen her sister act in such a way to their father.

Gensai looked and felt as if he had aged a whole decade in the span of a few minutes. He slowly set the tea pot on the table. "I won't allow it..." He said slowly as he added the tea and carefully sat beside his daughter. "But…I know you won't listen to me." The old man lowered his eyes to the table then glancing up at his youngest child. "I won't send you to your death, but if you will send yourself to your death in my place, who am I to stop you." Tears welled up in his aged eyes.

"Oh Tou-san." Kaoru wrapped her arms around her father. "Please don't cry. This is what I want."

"You always think of your family." her father muttered against her hair.

A/n I always felt a little bad for the old man Gensai in this chapter. He really struggles in this chapter as does Kaoru. Thanks for reading! Reviews are loved!