a/n Hello my most wonderful reviewers. I know I've been quiet, updating wise, with all of my stories. I think I'm suffering from some sort of tendonitis. And it's really uncomfortable for me to do almost anything with my right arm. Typing included. I'm still writing, just very little as the pain only allows me to type for fifteen minutes or so before I have to stop and let my arm rest. I have a few chapters ready in my other stories, and will slowly be posting them as I get to them.

Anyways! On to the story!

Disclaimer, I do not own Kenshin.

PG-13 for a bit of violence and blood.

Kaoru bathed in the bathhouse, questions churning in her mind. Where had all that blood come from? Did she want to know? Should she even ask? What her master did was his business, but if he was hurt? Kaoru wasn't sure what she should do.

She was surprised to find not a clean Kimono waiting for her, but a training gi and hakama. Pleasantly surprised, Kaoru dressed and made her way back to the house. Large doors had been pushed open and Kaoru could see right into the dojo. It was just as her father had described. Kaoru glanced around as she drew closer. She kicked off her sandals as she walked up the steps to the covered porch and then onto the smooth wood of the dojo. There were mirrors, racks of weapons…and her master.

"Himura-Sama." She said as soon as she saw him and she folded herself into a low bow. She raised up, but kept her eyes downcast. He was in the same cloak, the hood pulled up so that she could not see his face.

"Here." He grunted and something was flying through the air.

Kaoru reached up and caught the wooden training sword. It was heavier than a wooden bokken, polished smooth, and its dark wood shiny. She glanced up at him and bit at her lower lip. Should she bring up the night before?

"This will be your first lesson, that it will." He said, turning away and carefully picking a sword for himself.

Guess not. Kaoru watched his careful movements. A hand reached for a sword, a read sword. Long nails, stained a rusty brown and a two deep scratches marred the discolored skin of his hand. Kaoru quickly looked away before he caught her watching him too closely. He turned back to her.

"We'll start with the basics. Until I can see what level of swordsmanship you have." He said matter-of-fact. "Battojutsu."

Kaoru blinked. "I know Battojusu. But I need a read sword to do it properly."

"Hardly." Was all he said as he held his sword to his side and fell into stance. Instantly he went from limping, nearly harmless looking figure to one of death.

Kaoru took a step back, but she only had enough time to put half her foot down. He lunged, unsheathing his sword with such speed that Kaoru couldn't see the movement at all. A gust of wind hit her and a few threads from the shoulder of her gi popped. He took a step with his other foot, bringing his other hand forward as his sword fell back. Kaoru shut her eyes, seeing the sheath of the sword coming at her and knowing she would never be able to move away in time.

But nothing happened. Kaoru opened to eyes to find the sheath only a hair's breadth from her cheek.

Himura-Sama instantly fell back, sheathing the sword.

"W-what was that?" Kaoru had hardly seen the moves at all.

"Double Battoujutsu." Was all he said as he set the sword back on the wall. "Mimic my motions for Battoujutsu. Then you will get a real sword." He said, turning to sink into the shadows to watch her.

Kaoru swallowed and fell into stance. It had been awhile since she practiced such a move. It was basic, but her Master made it look like an art form. He had perfected it in every way. A battoujutsu no one could doge and if by some miracle they did…he had the double battoujutsu to fall back on. Kaoru checked her stance, held her wooden sword as if it were in a sheath at her side and drew it across her body as he had done so as she lunged forward.

"Again!" He barked.

Kaoru repeated the move.

"Again! Faster!"

"Again! Watch your stance."

"Don't get sloppy, do it again!"

He never got angry, but kept the same firm tone and never gave Kaoru an inch to slack off. After what felt like fifty swings and countless corrections later; Kaoru thought for sure her arms were going to fall off. It wasn't hard to swing a sword, but it was hard to swing a sword in such perfect control as he demanded. Himura-sama must have noticed that she was slowing down, he ended the lesson.

"You are not swinging a stick Kaoru-san." He said as he firmly took the wooden sword from her hands and set it back on the wall. "Perfect, precise control." He enunciated.

"Yes Himura-Sama." Kaoru said as she struggled for breath. She bowed her head.

This seemed enough for him. "Enough for today. I don't want to wear you out. Clean the dojo." He turned and vanished in the shadows of the hall leading into the house.

Clean the dojo? Kaoru glanced around. She had only practiced for maybe a half hour; she was only just starting to sweat. The dojo was immaculate. She didn't argue though, he was the master after all and cleaning the dojo could be part of her training. Kaoru was not surprised to find a small bucket of water and a soft cloth waiting for her in the doorway of the dojo.

Kaoru ran up and down the dojo, bent over double, wiping the dojo down with the damp cloth. The floor was just as clean and shiny as when she started. But it only took a moment and Kaoru didn't mind. Once done, she stood and placed one hand on the small of her back and leaned back slightly to stretch the muscles there. With a sigh she tossed the cloth back into the bucket of water. She wasn't sure what it was going to be like being Himura-sama's student, but she loved sword fighting, and her Master had obvious skills. If he was willing to teach her, then Kaoru could count herself more than lucky.

… . . …

The day was hot and muggy, the wet season was well underway it seemed. A week had passed since that first day of lessons. Himura-sama was just as strict a week later, as he had been on that first day. Her arms ached from endless swings that never seemed good enough for her master. But finally he seemed satisfied with her draw, and was willing to advance. The day was still early yet the heat was oppressive. Kaoru sat at the table in the dining room and gazed down at her breakfast. Her arms hurt so much she didn't want to move them to eat. With a sigh she slowly reached across the table and took up a bowl of bright strawberries and her glass of juice and stood from the table.

It was nicer outside; at least there would be a breeze. Kaoru sat out on the porch, set her bowl and glass down and took the fan from the folds of her pale pink kimono. The painted paper unfurled with an explosion of cherry blossoms. Kaoru smiled as she gently fanned her face. Himura-sama had gifted her the fan the day before. He seemed almost shy, mumbling as he held the fan out to her. Kaoru took it in both hands, bowing her head over the gift in thanks. He waved her gracious thanks away, but he sounded pleased.

Kaoru leaned against the thick wooden pillar and gazed across the garden and she bit down into a tart strawberry. Across the pebbled pathway, Kaoru could see the limping figure of her master making his way to the bathhouse. A frown found her face as she took a sip of her juice. He had to be hot under that thick cloak with the hood always drawn around his face so. She had been here almost two whole weeks now, didn't he feel comfortable letting the hood down, just a little…at least in respite of the hot weather?

Was he truly a beast as her father had said? She had seen the claws, flashing glowing eyes, discolored skin on his hands…perhaps it was true. Maybe he had some kind of disease? Must not be too catching, for he never kept his distance when jerking her in the right position in her lessons. And he always took his bath after her, which was strange for the master of the house to do. After his bath, he would want to start today's lesson. She was pleased to have the distraction though. She could only explore the gardens so many times before it got boring.

She was debating whether or not to get up and change into her training gi or to sit in the shade and finish what breakfast her appetite would allow when Kaoru suddenly heard a noise that was so strange and out of place, she froze, her strawberry at her lips and strained to listen. It was a slight banging noise, a creak of wood. What on earth?

"I'm telling you, there has to be someone here." Said a voice on the other side of the Dojo.

People! Kaoru jerked up, her master said nothing about other people here.

"We'll just see where we are, maybe take a look around, seems a grand place to be out in the middle of damn nowhere." Said the same voice.

They were lost, Kaoru realized. What should she do? Should she alert her Master? But he was in the middle of his bath. Would he greet them the same way he had greeted her father? Unsure Kaoru jumped up, upsetting her bowl of berries and hurried down the steps and into her sandals before racing as fast as her Kimono would let her to the front side of the estate. When she rounded the corner, she came to a sudden stop. In the center of the path two men stood with mouths open as they looked around. One was tall and lean, the other a bit shorter and well built. They must be travelers Kaoru figured, as they were dirty and had large packs strapped to their backs. The tall one spotted Kaoru and gave his companion a slap on the shoulder, the shorter man turned surprised to see her.

Kaoru slowed to a walk and the men turned off the path to meet her. She smiled softly and bowed low. She was unsure what she was expected to do with visitors. But it didn't hurt to be polite. "Welcome." She said. The looked up in time to see the two share a sidelong glance at each other. Kaoru instantly was on guard.

"My friend and I thought we'd shave a week off our travels by cutting though this forest, we've been lost all day." He thumbed over his shoulder to his friend who nodded. "Where are we?" he looked at the grand front doors of the dojo.

Kaoru politely bowed her head, her hands clasped before her. "This is the home of my master. Himura-Sama."

"May we speak with him?" The man seemed intent on watching the pattern of branches painted on her Kimono. His eyes crawled from hem to her hip where the white and pink striped Obi was wrapped tightly about her middle.

Kaoru fought to keep from snapping at him to staring. This wasn't her home, and she didn't want to anger Himura-sama by being rude to guests. She had no way of knowing who was important to her master or not. Being that these men seemed to have never seen the dojo, Kaoru doubted Himura-sama knew of them. But it was still better to be safe than sorry, so she let him rake her with his eyes as much as he wanted. "I'm sorry." She said. "But he is busy at the moment having his bath. We can wait for him inside if you wish."

"Yes." The taller one said. "It's damned hot out today."

The smaller one nodded; apparently he was the leader of the duo. "Yes, that would be fine."

Kaoru bowed her head and turned back onto the path to the large front doors. They didn't swing open as they had when she arrived, in fact it was a struggle to open them, as if someone on the other side was trying to pull them closed. But Kaoru was able to pull the door open.

Seeing her struggle for those few moments, the shorter man said; "Are there no other servants here to help you? This is such a large estate."

Invisible hands? Kaoru couldn't say that. "Just my master and myself." At once Kaoru wanted to slap herself. What a stupid and foolish thing to say in front of stranger. Looking over as she welcomed them in and seeing a second sidelong glance only confirmed her thoughts. She was a stupid girl. "If you would wait right here, I'll go make us some tea and I'll fetch my master." She didn't wait for an answer and she quickly turned and rushed down the hall to the kitchen.

She took a deep breath once she was there. She had never played hostess before, as she had told Himura-sama, she wasn't sure of what to do or how to act. Even less sure of the rules Himura-sama would have on hosting strangers. She willed her hands to not shake as she set the water on for the tea, she reached for the teacups but hands grabbed at her obi and she felt herself yanked backwards.

Kaoru let out a yelp of surprise, seeing the faces of the two men, the smaller one with the back of her obi still in his fists. She filled her lungs, ready to scream for her master when the taller one stepped forward and slapped her across the face. The force was such that Kaoru lost her breath and white spots danced in front of her. She staggered and would have fallen if the smaller man was not holding on to her obi. Though he was the smaller of the two, the man was still a head taller than Kaoru, and he must have weighed at least twice as much from the hard muscles of his body. He jerked her along with him as she tried to blink back the spots in her vision and regain the voice that had been knocked from her. They were out of the kitchen and back into the hall. A strip of cloth was tied about her mouth, gagging her.

"I'll tie her up, let's take her to the forest and leave her. Then well come back to deal with her master." The smaller one said as he took her by both hands and pulled them behind her back. "There must be a fortune here, just from what we've seen so far." He said, waving his hand at the rugs and statues.

"We're gonna keep her right?" the taller man asked.

"Course, she'll need a new master once we rid her of her old one. Won't you sweetheart?" he jerked at the tie over her mouth and yanked her head closer to his. Kaoru growled, eyes narrowing. She pivoted on her heal and stomped on the top of his foot. Roaring a curse he shoved Kaoru away. She found her footing only to lose it again at the top of the front steps. She had no idea she was that close to them. Down she fell, jabbing her knee on the middle step and imbedding the small white pebbles of the path in her palms as she reached out to break her fall.

Damn kimono she thought as she struggled to get back to her feet. But she only had the time to take two steps before the men caught her again. They grabbed for her arms, but she fought them, twisting and pulling. She threw her head forward and used her captured hand to rip the gag from her mouth she then bit down on whoever held that same hand.

"Bitch!" it was the taller man and Kaoru felt a blow to the same side of her face as before, not a slap this time, but a fist. Kaoru tripped, dragging the pair of struggling men down with her. Her head was ringing, her vision blurred and spinning, but she didn't stop fighting. They held her, grabbed at her. Somewhere she could hear the ripping of fabric and the soft pressure of her obi wrap disappeared and she felt her Kimono slipping open.

Then suddenly there was a hiss as one of the men sucked in a breath, the three of them froze. There was the sound of walking and Kaoru struggled to look around the massive body before her. Then in a flash the men abandoned her and were gone. The world spun again and Kaoru found herself lying in the grass with the yards of fabric from her obi wrapped around her legs. One sleeve of her Kimono was torn, and the garment hung loose, exposing bare skin. The steps were growing closer and she found herself staring at a pair of sandaled feet. Her gaze traveled upward, up legs clad in hakama pants, a sword in its sheath held in one clawed hand. A flash of naked skin from the hips upward was all she saw before a cloak moved to block her view. The image was blurry to Kaoru, who couldn't help but see two fuzzy images of everything. But she knew the sound of a sword being drawn and she looked up further to see a flash of damp hair the color of fresh blood and eyes glowing and golden in the shadow of the hood.

"Look away." The images said. And in that gentle yet firm tone that startled Kaoru into realizing it was in fact her master she was gazing at like a fool.

At once she swung her eyes away, only to make the world tip violently. She failed out, her hands digging into the ground, feeling as if she would be flung out into the sky if she didn't hold on.

"Hold still." He demanded in a softer tone as she felt his hand on the top of her head, tipping her to the side, then the sudden shock of cold metal as he slid his sword between her neck and the gag that she had pulled from her mouth that had wrapped around her throat. The fabric fell away, cut easily by the razor edge of the sword.

"H-Himura-sama?" What could she say? Every apology that came to her felt woefully insufficient. He kneeled and bent over her body. She could smell the scent of sandalwood soap on him, at the metallic tang of blood. Her legs were released from the tangle her obi had created and he climbed back to his feet and started to walk away. She noticed almost at once how his limp disappeared, he moved with the fluid smoothness of a predator.

"Get inside." He called over his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" she called after him and she wrapped her kimono tightly around her and struggled to stand.

He turned, and she caught sight of his glowing yellow eyes.

"To kill them."

… . . …

Rage.

Rage the likes he hadn't felt in years. He almost forgot the feel of ager so great his body threatened to explode. He kept his body still as he cut the offending gag from Kaoru's throat, he kept his hands steady as he untied her from her bonds, but now that he was out under her blue gaze, it was all he could do to hold his body together. He picked up the trail with ease, in their rush, they didn't bother to hide their tracks, and they were already lost to begin with.

Though pain was radiating from every part of his body, he forced himself to move silently and swiftly. Already he could feel their ki and smell them. He moved, jumping, running from one tree to the next.

There they were.

They stopped running, but moved quickly. Seeing the men brought the shock of what he saw back to his mind.

Delicate silk struggling, torn, removed. Glimpses of pale skin not meant for unworthy eyes, not even his own. Her frightened eyes, unfocused in disorientation. And hurt.

The greatest insult to him. It took all he had not to bellow out his wrath. The red marking on her gentle face, at once he wanted to remove it, but knew he could not. She would suffer the pain. And for that they would suffer.

One was dragging behind; his heavy pack weighed him down. He knew this, for as he looked over his shoulder, flashing the white's of his frightened eyes, he shrugged his shoulders dropping the pack. It helped, but not enough.

With a growl and sword raised, the demon jumped, closing the distance between them. He brought his sword across his body, catching the male across the back. Metal cut through flesh, through the bones of ribs and spine. The male cried out, hands reaching back, but he was already dying. There was no reason to give him anymore attention.

As he dashed after the second man, pain blossomed from his back. He stumbled as the bones in his spine radiated such pain that for a moment his legs wouldn't work. The demon dug his sword into the forest ground and leaned on it. Yellow eyes scanned the forest, finding the shorter man vanishing in the maze of trees, but he would not get away.

Legs steady, he yanked his sword from the earth and was off again, somewhat slower this time as his legs refused to move the way he wanted them to. But he ate up the ground because all he could see was his Kaoru struggling, abused, being taken from him. And no one took anything from him, ever. He didn't know what had changed or when, but if the men had come to take his treasures, he wouldn't have cared. But no, they went after the one thing that was worth more than even his very life. And for that, death was the only punishment.

He was close now; he could feel the panic in the man ahead of him. The erratic way he scrambled over the forest. His sword flashed, catching the man across the wrist.

Both man and demon screamed as blood fell from them. The man stumbled and the demon reached out and caught him by his ruined wrist and gave a hard yank, causing him to rotate and he hit the forest floor on his back. At once the demon took his sword in both hands, planted his foot on the chest of the intruder and plunged the sword point into his throat and into the forest floor on the other side. The man tried to gasp, reached for the sword, but had no strength to remove it, blood welled up in his mouth and in and instant he was gone.

The demon staggered back, coughing on the blood that threatened to flow into his lungs, more and more until he feared he would finally bleed to death, but he didn't….he never did. No matter how many wounds reflected back to him, how many death blows marked his body, he would never bleed out. But he would feel the pain, the weakness, but never die.

With his revenge finished, the demon made the slow walk back. His legs still wouldn't listen to him, and he cleaned his sword on his cloak, sheathed it and used it as a walking cane. His hand went to the wound on his neck. The injury was already healing, but the splash of blood was still sticky on his skin. He would need to take another bath. But what he wanted most was to see Kaoru…to know she was safe, to show her that he would keep her and protect her. The fresh wave of new pain made him grit his teeth.

What seemed like moments later he was back at the large gates of his estate. He paused; turning to push the gate closed and secured it.

"Himura-sama!" he heard Kaoru call behind him from the steps of the dojo. His hood was in place and he slipped his bloodied hand under the cover of his cloak. He turned at the sound of her running steps. She was in her gi now, wooden sword clutched tightly in her hand. She had been ready for their return. Her eyes, though adverted obediently, showed fear and worry. "Are you alright? Are they gone?"

He leaned heavily on his sword, his eyes under the cover of shadow took in the sight of her. "They are gone." He said. Her head snapped up, eyes still lowered but the shock on her face was obvious. He cursed himself, the wound on his throat may be closed, but the trauma would remain for a while. His voice was raw, raspy, like the growling voice of an animal. He tried to ignore the burning in his throat. "Are you hurt?" he asked, unable to stop his hand from reaching out to touch the red mark on her face which was already starting to turn an ugly blueish-purple.

… . . …

He was being gentle with her, but that didn't distract Kaoru from the flash of rust red. Blood. "You're hurt!" she cried, snatching his hand at the arm before he could yank away from her. He tried though, but he didn't pull hard.

"It's nothing." He snapped. She thought he would be upset, pull away, but he didn't.

"Don't lie." She snapped back, eyes narrowed. "I see how you're leaning on your sword even though you think I don't notice. You've been hurt. Let me help." She reached out, stepped closer. His ki washed over her as she invaded his space, one hand holding his arm tightly while the other reached for his body. As soon as her fingertips pushed past the folds of the cloak and brushed against heated skin, he dropped his sword and pushed her back.

"Stay away." He rasped, a growl issuing from his throat.

Kaoru stumbled but caught her balance quickly and turned back, blue eyes blazing. "Stop being stubborn, I'm going to help you and I don't care if you like it or not." She was breathing hard and she tried to control it. A week ago she was sure he would have lopped her head off for talking to him so, but now, she could see him watching her from the shadow of his hood. Eyes wide, surprised, glowing a dark, warm amber. Her eyes dropped and she lifted her hand. "Come on, it's too hot to stand out here all day."

His head tipped slightly as he looked down at her offered hand. Then, with a struggling sigh, he bent, retrieved his sword to took her hand, grabbing it harshly to show he was not happy.

But Kaoru only smiled sweetly and led her master back to their home.

… . . …

He seemed more comfortable within the darkness the kitchen seemed to offer. Windows and doors were closed tightly to block the light. And though the room became stuffy and warm, her master refused treatment until all light had been blocked. Tiny beans of golden sun filtered in from a crack in the shuttered here and there. It wasn't much, but just enough to see by.

With much arguing from her, and violent, threatening curses from him, Kaoru was able to slowly pull away the cloak that covered the naked half of his body. He wouldn't let her remove it from his shoulders, but the fact that she could pull it away was a small enough victory for Kaoru. She kneeled beside him and took his arm and rested it on the kitchen table. He huffed, agitated, But Kaoru ignored him. With clean water and a cloth, Kaoru washed the blood away, stunned to see very little in the way of a wound. She thought for sure there would be at least a gash, but it was just a scratch. "Huh?" she swallowed all her questions and fished cleaning the blood from his hand and wrist. She ignored the sharp claw-like nails that jutted out from his fingertips. She did notices though that his skin seemed mottled, rough as if with very dry, discolored skin. She chose to ignore this as well.

Then, with that finished, Kaoru inched closer. Her master leaned away just slight, growing as she pressed closer to his left side. She took the heavy cloth of his cloak and pulled it up and over the other shoulder. Kaoru would have gasped if the shock didn't close her throat. Even in the dim room, Kaoru could see the darkness of blood, so much of it running up his spine and across his side.

"Himura-sama." She nearly whimpered, tears springing to her eyes.

"Don't weep in front of me woman." He growled.

Kaoru tried to swallow the sob that rose; she quickly scrubbed the moisture from her eyes.

"I figure you would be happy." Glowing acid yellow eyes turned to her.

"H-Happy?" Kaoru's temper rose but she bit down on her bottom lip and counted to ten before settling back down. "Why would I be happy, Battousai-san?" she said in a clipped voice. She turned to reach for the pink stained bowl of water.

"That I'm wounded, if I should die you could return to your fami-"

"You won't die! Shut up, don't talk that way!" she slammed the bowl down.

He recoiled, as if her wrath burned and frightened him. But his narrowing eyes showed that he was anything but. He regarded her for a long moment, while she struggled to keep her eyes averted, yet still project her anger.

He laughed.

Kaoru huffed. At least his laugh sounded a little more normal, not a hacking, raspy noise. It sounded nice. Kaoru's anger collapsed at once and she was left trembling.

"Battousai-san?" He repeated, the master turning to look back at her.

Kaoru blushed slightly. She turned to repeatedly dip and ring out the cloth to clean it of blood as a way to keep from looking at him. "I've been able to tell the difference." She said simply.

"The difference? Explain." When he saw her hesitate he added. "Please?'

Kaoru ground her teeth together. How could she deny him now? "When you're mean, scary…with bright yellow eyes, I know it's Battousai-san. Someone I know, but don't see very often, like an old friend."

He was silent. "And when you call me Himura-sama?"

"You're nicer, kinder, with warm amber eyes." She said softly, turning back to the wound. She set the warm cloth on his skin and he instantly stiffened up and hissed but didn't move away or tell her to stop. "I would not be glad to see you hurt." She said when the silence started to stretch. "I don't like to see people hurt, and I'm upset because the only reason you're hurt is because of me."

"Because of those men, not you, Kaoru." He corrected.

"Still." Kaoru muttered and they fell silent again. She could not tell how deep the wound on his back was in the darkened room, but at least it was clean now. She noticed the wound on his neck. It was small in comparison with the last wound. But its location was alarming. But Himura-sama wouldn't let her scoot any closer than she already was. He already had an arm out to constantly stop her from getting too close a look. With a stubborn frown, Kaoru accepted that a dab from the wash cloth nearly arm's length away was as good as it was going to get. She quickly stole a look up at him; his hair blocked most of his profile. "Thank you, for helping me." She said suddenly.

He turned his head to her, just slightly, his gaze lowered. "You're welcome."

A/N Aww…leave it on a warm note there. Scary moment for Kaoru finding out other people can wander into the estate. And a scary moment for Himura-sama seeing his companion almost get dragged away. Kaoru never did get a chance to ask him about the blood from the night before. I think at this point she's forgot all about it. This has changed everything…I don't think Kaoru nor Himura-sama can see each other the same after this. Thanks for reading! Reviews are loved!