Let me begin by apologising for the lack of updates on this story. This story hasn't been updated in four years and yet I keep getting messages from readers who have read and enjoyed this story and who would like to see it to its fruition. I can't begin to explain how uplifting your support has been. The RK Fandom has truly the kindest, most loving readers out there. Nowhere else have I had so much encouragement and positive criticism and feedback given to me. I thank you all and hope this update meets all your expectations. I am returning to writing after a long time. Please excuse any awkwardness. I have tried to keep the story flowing as naturally as possible. And I hope you all enjoy this latest installment of Dance of the Firefly. Thank you all.

The Dance of the Firefly

Chapter 9: Changing Directions

Kaoru sighed in contentment. Her body was cocooned in warmth and her mind was just shaking itself loose of the comfort brought about by deep slumber. Instinctively, she fought against consciousness and struggled to once again sink into sleep. She shut her eyes tightly, but felt her muscles shift as something behind her moved.

Her body seemed to freeze even as her mind woke and recalled the events of the previous night. Not daring to look up lest she catch the prisoner's eye, she chose to sit up straight, still enclosed within the loose circle of his arms. She held her body stiffly, trying not to touch him, steadily ignoring the liberties she'd already allowed him during her sleep.

"Finally awake?" He asked softly.

She froze, and not trusting herself to respond appropriately, nodded slowly.

He shifted once more, this time he pushed himself away from her and stood. Walking towards the extinguished fire, he poked the ashes with his fingers, sighing when nothing but cold, crumbly ash met his fingers.

Kaoru watched curiously. She looked up at the tiny square allowing light inside the hut. The sky had begun to lighten, even though the sun would not rise for close to an hour. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her body. Glancing at the prisoner, she felt her cheeks heat up. She had fallen asleep in his arms. As she'd woken, she had rested her cheek against his chest. She shut her eyes and pursed her lips to quell to tremors racing through her body. She should feel disgusted, with herself and with him. She should not be feeling conflicted about it. Sighing, she reached towards the discarded futon she'd wrapped around her body the previous night to shield herself from the prisoner.

X

Awkwardness hung in the air, perpetuating the tense silence materialising out of Kaoru's obvious discomfort with the way she'd woken. He had intended to slip away some time during the night to nurse the dying fire back to health. But Kaoru had been so cold, he hadn't moved away from her even to save the only source of heat they'd had. He had wanted to bring the fire to a blaze once more, so she would wake near the fire, under the futon, threadbare as it was. But then, she nestled against him and all thoughts about rolling her forward and covering her up with the futon escaped. Her breath came in small puffs against his neck, sending his nerves tingling.

He watched the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest coupled with the slight parting of her lips as she mumbled nonsense in her sleep. Her lips would brush against his skin from time to time and she snuggled closer against him, shivering from the cold. He let his fingers trail over the rough cotton of her bindings, pressing the pads of his fingers into the coarsely spun cloth, not daring to allow his imagination to wander; not letting his mind speculate about the treasures he could unearth, if only she had been less innocent and he had been more of a scoundrel. So he had sat and watched over her, shutting his eyes even as he cursed her ability to fall asleep wherever and her utter disdain for his mental state by shoving her naiveté in his face.

He rolled his eyes and brushed the ash off his fingers. Slipping his gi over his body, he swept his sword from off the floor and secured it to his hip. Picking up the dry kimono from the floor, he flung it behind him towards Kaoru.

"Hurry up and dress. We have to leave before the people at the inn wake."

Kaoru stared at his back when he spoke in his raspy, callow tone once more. Her heart sunk. Gone was the man who told her a whimsical story about a man in a dark dungeon. This was not him. This was the desperate prisoner who escaped from the garrison, the fabled assassin of the rebels.

He reached the door in two strides. Hesitating, he turned his head slightly, "I will be outside. Just hurry."

She swallowed and nodded quickly even though he'd already slipped out the door. The cold suddenly pressed forward, pushing against her skin. Her fingers shook as she dressed and pulled her hair into a clumsy knot at the crown of her head.

He was watching the inn when she stepped out. Trusting her to follow, he turned and began to walk deeper into the forest, away from the inn. He stopped short as he stared down the trail.

About fifteen paces further on the trail, artfully camouflaged by a dense bamboo grove, stood the woman who had hidden them the previous night.

Kaoru watched as the prisoner clenched his fingers around the hilt of his sword. The skin over his knuckles was stretched taut for a moment before he forced himself into action and began to walk briskly towards her. She scrambled after him as fast as she was able.

Up close and wiped clean of paint, the woman was nothing special to behold. Her features were plain and she was dressed modestly in a plain blue kimono. Kaoru watched her curiously wondering why she was standing here, in their path.

"You must not have expected me here so early." She remarked, watching carefully as Kenshin continued to look around.

"I could say I was surprised, but I'm not accustomed to lying." He replied curtly, scowling as the woman laughed softly at his surly expression. "What do you want?"

"Help from a man of honour."

Kenshin stared at her for a moment before laughing bitterly. "Those are hard to come by these days."

"This is why I have been standing here since the past hour." She stepped forward. "You must help me."

"You seem to have mistaken me for someone else. I can do nothing for you." He swept past her.

She caught his sleeve. "Please. I need help."

Kenshin jerked his hand away. "I don't have time for this." He sighed. "You seek a man of honour, not a man like me. Why do you follow me for help when you have a company of Shinsengumi sitting at your inn?"

The woman stared back at him. "The Shinsengumi will not help a whore. Their honour would be besmirched if I so much as asked them. You know how it is."

"You hesitate to ask them but you would ask me?" He replied with mounting disbelief.

The woman glanced at Kaoru who had been watching the exchange with great fascination. "This girl is not related to you, nor is she your wife. She spent the night with you and yet I do not doubt she is unspoilt. I made you an offer last night, an offer you refused. I don't need further proof of your character." She clasped his hand in desperation. "Please, you must help me."

X

"This is a stupid idea." Kaoru grumbled as she struggled to tie the strings of an apron behind her back.

"I will be back soon enough and the innkeeper promised to keep you safe." Kenshin replied, taking the strings from her fumbling fingers and tying them expertly instead. His breath tickled the back of her neck.

Kaoru squirmed and froze as he brushed a few strands of hair away from her neck. His mouth hovered close. "Kaoru." He whispered.

As she moved to turn, he stopped her by holding her arms steady. His lips teased the gentle slope of her neck. "Promise me you'll stay here till I return."

"I…"

"Promise you won't run away."

She sighed. "Kenshin, I…"

"I need to hear you say it."

Kaoru stared down at her feet, conscious of the way her stomach flipped and her pulse raced as he waited for her to reply.

"I promise. I won't run."

He sighed and rubbed his hand against his eyes wearily. "It shouldn't take long. According to the innkeeper, the rebels have declared a lockdown on her ancestral village, but I don't think they will stop me from bringing her son back."

Kaoru held her breath. "And if they do?"

Kenshin raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

Kaoru shrugged. "I mean, you're a rebel yourself. You probably know their methods better than I do. I'm not questioning this. I'm just curious. If they have imposed a curfew on the village and you show up from nowhere and demand to take one child out, what about the others? What of the other children and families who need to leave but can't because they have nobody to fight for them?"

Kenshin frowned.

Kaoru grimaced. "It's one thing to talk about the oppression of the shogun but a completely different one to impose arbitrary rules on people like this. They're villagers. They just want to live their lives in peace. What is the point of a rebellion if all we're doing is exchanging one master for another?"

Kenshin stared at her.

Kaoru looked down. "But this is just what I think. I may be wrong." She stepped around him and walked towards the kitchens where the innkeeper awaited her.

Kenshin took a deep breath as he watched her disappear inside the house. He scowled as he berated himself for not understanding something so simple. If he hadn't been so focussed upon just getting to Kyoto, he would have realized something was wrong himself. Who were these rebels? Were they part of a different faction perhaps? As far as he knew, Katsura-san would never condone something of this nature. There was something sinister afoot here. He would have to find out what was happening for certain before he reached Kyoto. If a faction within the Ishin Shishi had decided to manipulate the turmoil of the war for their ends, it was definitely worth investigating.

He sighed. It seemed he'd be taking the long road back to Kyoto after all.

X

Saitou scowled as Okita waved him ahead, claiming he needed a few more minutes before he was ready to breakfast. Rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath about the lack of discipline amongst the younger member of the force, he began to descend the stairs to the dining hall. As he crossed the hall, he narrowly missed getting doused with the morning's meal.

He glared at the slender girl who muttered a quick apology before kneeling to mop up the mess. As she stood, he was arrested by the sight of wide eyes, her breathless countenance and the fact she had absolutely no idea how to stack bowls so they wouldn't sway and fall helter-skelter on the floor a second time. His lip curled with amusement as he observed her path to the kitchen.

She didn't dare lift her feet, instead, she slid one foot in front of the other even as she clutched the ceramic bowls close to her chest as though handing on to dear life.

He laughed sardonically as the tell-tale crash of pottery was heard from deep within the bowels of the inn.

"It's good to see you in a hearty mood Sensei." Okita's jovial voice brought a scowl to his face once more.

Saitou smirked. "You've deigned to grace us with your presence. How very kind of you Okita."

Okita smiled amiably. "It's no trouble Sensei." He blinked as he realized his commanding officer's attention was monopolized elsewhere. Okita turned nonchalantly. His eyebrows shot up as the object of his companion's scrutiny passed into view.

She held a tray laden with bowls of steaming soba and noodles. Carefully balancing the tray on her left arm, she knelt beside their table and slowly set two bowls down in front of them.

"This isn't what I wanted." Saitou said with some asperity.

The girl was startled. She glanced down at the bowl, then at him and finally towards the door. "Um, I'm sorry but this is what the cook gave me for you."

"Is the cook to tell me what I want or do I decide it for myself?" He sneered unpleasantly.

Okita frowned in confusion. Why was Sensei being so difficult? Replacing a dish was a simple matter. He didn't have to be churlish about it.

The girl quickly lifted the bowl back into her tray and stood. "I'll ask the cook."

Okita waited till the girl was out of earshot before leaning forward and whispering, "Sensei! You always have soba for breakfast."

"I know Okita."

"Then why did you send it away?"

"Because Okita, we are being made fools, and I for one, do not appreciate it." Saitou replied shortly. He stood and left the dining hall, swiftly making his way to kitchen where predictably, the cook stood yelling at the innkeeper and the unfortunate girl who'd brought breakfast to two Shinsengumi captains.

The innkeeper froze at the unexpected arrivals in her kitchen and promptly tried to make the best of a bad situation by shoving the cook back inside and ushering the girl towards the stairs.

"Stop." Saitou pointed at the girl. "Who are you?"

The innkeeper stepped forward with a beaming smile on her face. Her face was painted once more and she had swapped her modest yukata for a flashy kimono wrapped low on her shoulders. "She's just a maid." She turned to Kaoru. "What are you doing here? Go tend the garden." She waved her hand in her face dismissively.

Kaoru bent her head and was about to slip away when Saitou spoke again. "I didn't see you yesterday."

The innkeeper smiled widely. "She was sick. She had a fever." She leaned towards Saitou and whispered conspiratorially. "Went delirious."

"Indeed." Saitou pursed his lips. Glaring at Kaoru one more time, he turned on his heel and walked away.

Okita followed him upstairs. He watched as Saitou methodically perused a map of the adjoining counties. "What bothers you about the girl?"

Saitou smirked. "She is not what she seems."