Disclaimer: 1) Rurouni Kenshin doesn't belong to me, I'm just playing with the characters. 2) I'm horrible at writing action scenes. I apologize in advance. Please let me know what you think!
'They...actually drugged him.' Tomoe thought as she poked the unconscious redhead. He had fallen unconscious shortly after Kaoru and Misao had left to confront their attacker. She could hear Kaoru and the Juppongatana member that had showed up on their doorstep talking. Tomoe let out a breath as she gave one more, strong, poke into Kenshin's side to attempt to wake him up. She raised an eyebrow as all she received in response was a groan.
'She sure did a number on you. Not a surprise though. The Kaoru of then and the Kaoru of now does not take kindly to you overexerting yourself. I can still remember the way she hit you over the head with a bucket when you got heatstroke one time when we were planting the fields. She had told you we could handle it but you refused. I suppose hitting you over the head while sick wasn't the best thing to do.' she thought as she reached out to push his bangs away from his forehead. She smiled as she studied his face.
'I haven't seen you like this since we lost her the first time. I can still remember how you reacted when you finally woke up in the house in Otsu after you'd been unconscious for almost three days.'
Tomoe moved around the front room of the house, she could no longer think of it as a home as Kaoru was no longer with them, as she prepared to boil water to clean Kenshin's wounds. The boy was still unconscious as he lay resting by the fire. She placed the metal container of water over the fire to warm the contents. She let out a soft sigh as she glanced at the shoji screen that hid Kaoru's body from her eyes. It was cold which meant the body's decay was slowed. Tomoe had made sure to keep the windows open in the backroom even if it meant the front room was chillier than normal.
'Oh, Kaoru. What am I supposed to do?' she thought as she closed her eyes to fight back her tears. It had been three days since they returned from the forest and it still felt that as though they were sitting in the snow watching as the last vestiges of Kaoru's life faded from her eyes.
"Nngh." her eyes moved to Kenshin as he groaned. She moved from where she had been sitting by the fire to kneel at his side. He was moving in his sleep indicating it was possible he'd awaken. Tomoe jumped as his eyes snapped open to reveal deep, pained, blue eyes. She felt her heart jump in her throat as he sat up suddenly and stood just as suddenly. She didn't have a chance to stop him as he grabbed his sword and stumbled out of the house.
Tomoe jumped to her feet, slipped on her own shoes, and followed him outside. She was able to spot his red hair as he looked back and forth in a frantic manner. His hair was down and he was dressed only in his sleeping yukata, without any shoes on his feet, that she had changed him into after cleaning his wounds. He had collapsed shortly after they returned to the house. She had been surprised he was able to make the trek without help. Especially since he had insisted on carrying Kaoru's body the entire journey.
"Kenshin, what are you doing? You're hurt. Come back in so I can change your bandages." she told him. It was the first time she had addressed him so casually and she wasn't sure if it was because she wanted to disrespect him or because she felt close enough to talk to him without honorifics.
"I...I have to find...her. She could be in trouble!" he said as he turned towards her. Her brow furrowed, as she wondered briefly who he was talking about, before her eyes widened. She moved to him and barely caught him, preventing him from falling in knee deep snow, as his strength failed him.
"Kenshin...you can't rescue her." she told him as she threw his arm over her shoulders and began to lead him back to the house. Even though the sun was fading from the sky she could see that the bandages on his chest were beginning to darken again indicating it was time for them to be changed. She was surprised when he began to struggle against her, futilely as his strength was non-existent, as she pulled him back towards the house.
"Tomoe, let go. I...I have to...protect her." he told her. She paused before turning enough that he was still leaning on her but she could cup his injured cheek. He looked at her and she smiled at him sadly.
"She's gone, Kenshin." she whispered. She watched as his eyes widened before he began to shake his head. She closed her eyes as she realized he had convinced himself that it had all been a dream and Kaoru was simply captured.
"NOOOO!" she barely managed to keep him upright as he slumped against her. She bit back her own tears as she pulled him into the house. She helped him back onto the futon he'd been resting on earlier before returning to the water she had left on the fire when he'd ran out of the building. Tomoe carefully pulled the pot from the fire and placed it beside him.
Kenshin remained silent as she tended to his wounds. He didn't make any effort to make her job easier but he wasn't turning her away. She sighed as she finished with the wounds on his shoulders and chest. She dipped a clean cloth into the now lukewarm water before reaching out to pull the bandage from his cheek. She felt guilty over the way she had injured him even though she still believed, deep in her heart, that he had deserved it. Her eyes widened when his hand reached up to wrap around her wrist as her fingers brushed the current bandage hiding his old scar and the new cut she had added.
"Don't." he told her.
"It'll get infected. Let me clean it, Kenshin." she responded. He simply shook his head as he pushed her hand away.
"It won't. The cut you gave me will be the reminder of the sins I committed here. The cut from your fiancé will be the reminder of the sin I committed before and the sins I will continue to commit until this war is over." he told her. She sighed as she folded her hands in her lap.
"So you knew. I shouldn't be surprised. You plan on returning to Kyoto?" she asked. He only nodded. She noticed the way his hands fisted at his side while he continued to look at the ceiling.
"I will end this war. I will help bring forth the peace she desired. I will not let anyone else suffer like she has. Like you have." he whispered.
"What about you? You have suffered just as much." she whispered. He turned his head to study her for a moment before shaking his head with such a self-depreciating smile that Tomoe's heart clenched. She watched as he moved his gaze back to the ceiling.
"I took away her happiness. I deserve to suffer." he responded. Tomoe sighed before reaching out to close his yukata over his bandages. She glanced at him when he grabbed her wrist.
"Kenshin?" she asked curiously. She met his eyes as he moved his gaze from the ceiling to her.
"Where is she?" he asked.
"In the back room. I opened the windows so it would be cooler back there. I cleaned all the blood off and have done my best to prepare her for burial. Enishi has already brought my father here. Apparently the both of them were staying in Otsu without our knowledge. Father has agreed to arrange for her burial. I told him Kaoru would want her married name on her stone but he refused. We'll have to find another way to get her a marker. Father said the transportation for the body should be here within the next day or two." Tomoe explained. He remained silent for a moment before sitting up.
"Kenshin, what are you doing? You need to quit moving or you'll widen your wounds!" she told him as she attempted to push him back down. He didn't budge and she had to keep from scowling. It seemed some of his strength had returned in the time she'd treated him.
"Please, Tomoe. I...I want...I want to sit with her for a bit." he whispered. Tomoe studied his eyes for a moment before nodding. She moved so she could help him stand. They carefully went into the other room and she helped him sit down at Kaoru's side. She glanced at the body, covered by a white blanket, before she turned her head as tears welled.
"I'll leave you alone. Just call if you need anything." she told him before leaving the room.
She barely managed to sit down on the floor and lean against the shoji wall separating the front room from the back before the tears finally escaped. She stiffened as a muffled sob penetrated the silent air. She thought for a moment that it had been her sob before realizing, with a sinking heart, that it was Kenshin's sobs she heard. She listened to him as she pulled her knees up and rested her forehead on them. She wasn't sure how long she sat there listening to him. Eventually his sobs stopped and silence reigned throughout the house once more. When she lifted her head from her knees she noticed it was dark and the growling of her stomach told her that breakfast was wearing thin. She started to move, to go get Kenshin and make him eat, before freezing as he spoke.
"I'm so sorry, Kaoru. I'm so sorry. I swore I'd protect your and Tomoe's happiness and I failed. I'm sorry. Don't forgive me. Don't ever forgive me." her eyes widened as she remained frozen in her spot on the floor. She covered her heart as it gave a loud thump. Her eyes slowly moved over to the knife that Kaoru had given her, laying by the fire, and she swallowed.
'No, Kenshin, you weren't the one that failed. It was me.' she thought as she stood up. She swallowed as she moved toward the knife. She picked it up and took a deep breath as she realized what she had to do. "Kenshin, I'm going to go get some water to boil for the rice for dinner. I'll be right back."
'Please forgive me. I am not as strong as you. I cannot face the sadness and despair in your eyes any longer.'
"What did you say your name was, little girl?" Kaoru scowled at the person in front of her. The man, though she could only assume it from his voice and facial structure as he certainly wasn't dressed as a man but instead in a flowery kimono, was grinning at her. She felt worry gather in her stomach as she realized a normal person would not be grinning after being hit in the gut with a wooden sword. She knew her attack had served no purpose other than to amuse her enemy.
"If you want my name again, give me yours first." she demanded. The man's eyes narrowed before he started to laugh. Kaoru felt her eyebrow twitch in annoyance.
"Fine. I'm only doing this out of respect since you managed to surprise me by landing a blow. Not that it did any harm. I'm Honjo Kamatari. I'm better known as the Great Scythe." he introduced. Kaoru raised an eyebrow as she studied the weapon in his eyes.
"That's not a very creative nickname." she told him. She swallowed at the smirk he suddenly gave her.
"Perhaps. However, I didn't get that name because of my type of weapon. Let me show you...the true meaning behind it!" Kaoru attempted to dodge the chain attached to Kamatari's weapon came flying at her only to cry out as it managed to catch her around her knee. She groaned as she was slammed into the ground. She lifted her face up from the ground to glare at the man.
"You're not nearly as mouthy now." he said. Kaoru scowled as she attempted to stand up only to cry out as he pulled on the chain again causing her to slam back into the ground. She lifted her face again and flinched when the man knelt down in front of her. He was scowling at her and she winced as he grabbed her hair and lifted her so they were on eye-level.
"I don't get it. Why is Shishio-sama so interested in you? You're not even strong. Hell, Yumi-san is stronger than you because of her powers. Yet, you still managed to beat her up. Who the hell are you?" he asked. Kaoru scowled as her hand fisted around the handle of her wooden sword that she had managed to hold onto as he slammed her into the ground.
"Let go!" she growled as she swung her sword upwards. She felt it connect with his chin with a satisfying crack. She let out a soft breath as he jumped away from her. She stood up and looked down to see that the chain that had been wrapped around her knee was no longer there. She moved her gaze back to Kamatari as he rubbed his chin where she had connected with her sword.
"It's time to get serious. I have orders to take you back to Shishio-sama." he said. Kaoru watched with wide eyes as he lifted the weapon above his head and began to spin it. She winced as the wind created by the movement started to push her back.
'Damn. He's strong. Really strong. I think I may be in over my head.' she thought. She groaned as she was slammed into the wall of a store across from the Aoiya.
"Shishio-sama simply said to bring you back alive. I will make it impossible for you to run away again, little girl!" Kaoru watched, wide-eyed, as the chained ball flew towards her. She barely dodged only to stare as the ball embedded itself into the wall she had been leaning against.
'He's attached a giant steel ball to that chain he used to take me down earlier! How did I miss him doing that? If that thing hits me I'm going to be in serious trouble!' she thought as she watched him start to spin his weapon again. She swallowed as she knew, before he even told her, that he was going to attack again.
"Here I come again!" Kaoru barely managed to dodge as the ball once again flew at her. "You're faster than I thought."
Kaoru barely managed to dodge the next attack. She continued to dodge the attacks but it was quickly becoming clear it would be over if the ball collided with any part of her body. The only problem was her stamina was beginning to fade. Her knee was going numb from where Kamatari had wrapped the chain previously and her breathing was becoming labored. She dodged another attack only to cry out as her knee gave out causing her to stumble. She screamed as the heavy ball managed to collide with her stomach and slam her against a wall. She let out a soft groan as the ball fell from her abdominal area and landed on the ground. Her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground.
"You've managed to surprise me yet again. Very few have been able to dodge my attack. Of those few, none have been able to dodge my ball and chain attack for so long. Or lived after taking a direct hit." Kamatari said. Kaoru raised her head with a groan. The pain engulfing her body was causing her vision to blur as she watched Kamatari approach.
"Although I'm sure you won't be able to escape again, it would be best to make sure you don't have anything to return to. I know your friends are hurt as they hide in that dump. I hope you've said good-bye to them. Burn it down!" Kamatari ordered. Kaoru straightened as she watched as more of Kamatari's subordinates seemed to appear out of nowhere. Her heart dropped when she saw they were holding flaming torches.
"Wait! What are you doing?! Stop!" Misao cried from where she was standing in the doorway.
"Sorry. I forgot to mention something. Your Oniwanbanshuu that took out my first wave of subordinates have been...well...let's just say they won't be able to help you out this time. Or ever again." Kamatari told them.
Kaoru felt her eyes widen as she managed to push herself to her feet. She groaned as her muscles protested causing her to hunch over. She watched as Kamatari's subordinates got closer to the Aoiya with their torches. Misao was attempting to stop them and Kaoru's eyes widened even more as one of them hit the girl across the temple and knocked her to the ground. Misao didn't get up.
'No. No. I can't let this happen. NO! I HAVE TO STOP THIS!'
'Awaken.'
"What is going on out there?" Tomoe whispered. She climbed to her feet from where she had been kneeling beside Kenshin's unconscious form. She moved towards the window and slid it open. Her eyes widened at the damage of the street. It had almost been obliterated. Her eyes widened even more when she saw Kaoru standing across the street in a hole in the wall. She was hunched over and Tomoe could tell she was favoring her left leg.
'Kaoru's been really hurt! I have...to get down there!' Tomoe thought before something flickered in the corner of her eye. Her eyes widened when she realized that there were people approaching the Aoiya with torches in their hands. 'They plan to burn the Aoiya down with us in it!'
"We won't have time to escape!" she gasped. She began to move away from the window only to freeze as something caused a shiver to go down her spine. She moved her gaze back to Kaoru only for her eyes to widen. The girl was glowing a bright blue. Her head was bent so Tomoe couldn't see her expression but something told the older woman that something was wrong. Seriously wrong.
"Your opponent is me, Kamatari." Tomoe's eyes widened at the voice that seemed to come from Kaoru.
'What is going on? That doesn't sound anything like Kaoru. Why is she glowing like that? This can't be good. Indeed, this could be bad. Very bad.' Tomoe thought as she swallowed. Her eyes widened as Kaoru looked up and the girl's eyes were also glowing. However, what truly caused Tomoe's shock was the blank look on her friend's face. It was almost as though Kaoru did not realize what was going on.
"Oh? You can still stand. That's amazing. It would be best if you just stayed down. Burn it, boys!" Kamatari ordered. Tomoe's attention turned back to the torches. She winced as the flames got closer and closer to the structure she was currently in. She glanced upwards when thunder suddenly echoed through the air. Her brows furrowed at the sudden appearance of the dark clouds in the sky. She was sure the sun had been shining, no clouds in the sky, only a few moments ago.
"I said your opponent is me, Kamatari." Tomoe turned her gaze back to Kaoru. She swallowed at the fact that Kaoru still had that blank look on her face. Indeed, her expression did not match the tone of her voice. Tomoe jumped as it thundered once more and the clouds opened up.
"It's...it's pouring the rain!" Tomoe whispered in surprise. She looked over at where she had been watching the torches approach the building. She found she wasn't surprised when she saw the torches had been extinguished. 'Did Kaoru do that? But how? Are...are her powers awakening? But Tokio said that was almost impossible!'
"You really want to die, don't you?" Kamatari growled. Tomoe felt her eyes widen as the leader raised his giant scythe over his head. "Very well! I'm sure Shishio-sama can find something to do with your corpse!"
Tomoe watched, heart in her throat, as the ball attached to the chain which was attached to the scythe flew at Kaoru. Her eyes went wide as the ball stopped in midair in front of Kaoru. She swallowed as Kaoru's hand raised and she made a shooing motion with her hand. She watched as the ball turned and flew straight towards Kamatari. The man barely dodged as it embedded in the ground where he had been standing.
"What the hell? I won't miss again!" Tomoe watched as Kamatari attempted to use the same attack again. She let out a cry as the ball collided with Kaoru causing the ground around her to explode.
'She was hit. There's no way she would have been able to dodge that attack.' she thought. She swallowed as the dust settled only to gasp when she saw the ball had once again stopped in midair but much closer to Kaoru. It was almost touching the girl. Kaoru placed a hand on the ball as it continued to seemingly float in front of her.
"It's over." she said. Tomoe watched as Kaoru pushed the ball into the ground causing the chain attached to it to break.
"I don't think so! Your friend is up there watching us! I'll kill her first!" Tomoe watched as something, it looked like a dagger, flew towards her. She found she couldn't move and was therefore surprised when something tackled her to the ground. She blinked up at the ceiling in surprise before turning her head to see that the dagger had embedded into the spot where Kenshin had been resting. She turned her gaze to the man who had tackled her out of the way who was still on top of her.
"You okay?" he asked. She scowled before sighing.
'Paralyze him, huh? That obviously didn't work, Misao.'
"NOOOOOOO!" Tomoe blinked at Kaoru's voice. With Kenshin's help she stood back up and attempted to move back to the window. A large boom of thunder shook the room and nearly knocked them off their feet.
"What in the world?" Kenshin whispered. Tomoe felt her eyes widen before running to the window.
"Oh, no! It's Kaoru!" Tomoe whispered. The girl's aura had grown much larger and seemed to be acting erratically. Tomoe groaned as another large rumble of thunder caused the ground to shake. 'She's doing this, isn't she?'
"What is going on?" Kenshin demanded. She glanced at him where he was leaning against the window sill beside her.
"I...I think Kaoru's lost control of her powers." she whispered. She watched as Kenshin's eyes widened before he looked back at where Kaoru was standing.
"This is not good." he responded.
"Yeah, you could say that." she whispered as she turned her attention back to the fight.
"You have gone too far!" Kaoru cried. Tomoe gasped as her breath was knocked out of her as Kaoru's full energy hit her. She found she had to lean on the window sill to keep herself upright.
"No, Kaoru! Stop!" Tomoe blinked as Kenshin jumped through the window and slid down the roof of the porch to land on the ground. She scowled before following him and landing next to him. She felt her eyes widened when she saw that Kamatari was on the ground looking much worse than he had only a few moments ago.
Tomoe watched as the scythe floated above the man looking ready to drop at any moment. Her gaze turned to Kaoru only for her heart to freeze as she saw that the blank look previously on the girl's face was now gone only to be replaced by a scowl and tears. Her eyes widened as Kaoru's hand, the one undoubtedly allowing the scythe to stay afloat, made a downward motion. Her gaze turned to the scythe only to cry out as the sharp end of the blade began to move towards Kamatari who Tomoe realized was unconscious.
"Kaoru! Stop!" she looked back at Kaoru only for her jaw to drop open when Kenshin sunk his fist into Kaoru's stomach. The girl's expression went blank for a moment before the glow she had been emitting faded away. Her eyes closed and she slumped against Kenshin. Tomoe's gaze turned back to Kamatari only to sigh in relief when she saw that the scythe had fallen harmlessly at his side. He was still very much alive. Kenshin had managed to stop Kaoru in time.
'That could have been bad. Kaoru would have never forgiven herself if she had killed somebody.' Tomoe thought relieved. She scowled as one of the subordinates picked the unconscious man up and disappeared without a trace. She sighed before moving towards Kenshin where he was standing with Kaoru in his arms.
"I suppose Kaoru wasn't lying when she said it would be bad if she lost control of her powers. She told me, however, that her powers were currently sealed. How did this happen?" he asked. Tomoe sighed before looking up as the rain continued to fall on them.
"I'm not sure. It seemed to manifest quickly when they started to threaten our lives. I'm not sure how much you heard but they were attempting to burn the Aoiya down. Which would have only done considerable damage to us but it would have killed the rest of the Oniwanbanshuu that don't have our special...quirks. I think the thought of innocents dying because of our personal war made something in her snap." Tomoe said. She sighed before looking back at Kenshin. He was studying Kaoru's face as her head rested against his shoulder.
"What are you doing?! Get inside!" Tomoe blinked as Megumi seemed to appear out of nowhere and ushered them inside. Another member of the Oniwanbanshuu had already taken the injured Misao into the building.
"Wait, how did you two get out there?!" Yahiko asked as he ran to meet them in the entry way.
"We jumped out of Kenshin's window. Listen, Yahiko, I need you to go to Tokio's shop two streets over. Misao said they had been under attack as well. Go find them and tell Tokio we need her help. Tell her...tell her that Kaoru has awoken." she told him. The boy studied her for a moment before nodding as he ran away. Tomoe sighed as she watched the door close behind him.
"Take her to her room, Kenshin. I'll be up in a minute to check her wounds and bandage them." Megumi ordered. Tomoe watched as Kenshin disappeared up the stairs to the rooms before looking at Megumi when the doctor cleared her throat.
"That power I felt when I was running here from the clinic was overpowering. It was Kaoru, wasn't it?" the doctor asked. Tomoe nodded as she crossed her arms.
"Yeah. I've crossed paths enough with Yumi and Tokio to understand what that power should feel like but it's never been this strong or big. If you compare Yumi and Tokio, two natural witches unlike me, to Kaoru...well, there's no comparison really. She seems to be on a whole different level." Tomoe told her. Megumi sighed as she also crossed her arms.
"That might be true, Tomoe, but there's one other thing you should probably know. Her power certainly did a number on the street but I could tell, just by looking at her, it also did a number on her spirit." Megumi told her. Tomoe felt her eyes widen in surprise.
"Her spirit? Is she going to be okay?" she demanded. Megumi shrugged her shoulders as she allowed her arms to fall to her sides.
"I won't be able to make that determination until I'm able to examine her. I didn't sense anything horribly wrong but I also don't know what I should be sensing. Her energy is different than ours as well as that of a normal human's. I can only hope Tokio will be able to help me pinpoint if anything is seriously wrong." Megumi told her. Tomoe sighed before nodding in agreement. She knew Megumi wouldn't be able to make a correct diagnosis unless she knew what she was looking for.
"I'll wait for Tokio to get here. Why don't you head on up and sit with Kenshin and Kaoru? I'm sure he could use the company." Megumi told her.
"You're probably right. Thank you, Megumi. How is Aoshi?" she asked. Megumi shrugged her shoulders.
"Stubborn. We brought Misao in and I swear he turned into a mother duck. I wish they'd go ahead and confess. I'm all for watching romantic dramas but this one is getting old. It's been almost a hundred years. At the rate they're going we'll have colonies on the moon before they confess." she told her. Tomoe covered her mouth as she gave a soft laugh.
"I see. Well, I'm glad they're okay. I'll do as you suggested and go wait with Kenshin for Tokio to come. I have the feeling the rumor of the attack on their home was just that. A rumor. They knew Kenshin was hurt and they didn't want Saitou here." Tomoe said. Megumi nodded before furrowing her brow.
"That means they knew Sano and I weren't here. They must have known Aoshi was here. What would they have done if he hadn't been injured by the initial blast that hurt you and him?" the doctor inquired. Tomoe thought for a moment before shaking her head.
"Shishio is a planner. He planned to hurt myself and Aoshi. He very rarely miscalculates. You know that. He knew what he was doing when he told that Kamatari fellow what to do to catch us off-guard. I don't think he planned on Kaoru taking charge. None of planned this. He's going to be a much more interested in her than he once was. I think this may have made things worse. Much worse." Tomoe said. Megumi nodded with a small frown on her face.
"You're probably right. Aoshi wasn't hurt badly so he should be back on his feet by tonight. Kenshin should be cleared by tomorrow. I would clear him sooner but I want to observe him for a little longer. I trust in Kaoru's power after seeing that his wounds were almost completely closed. I'm just controlling when it comes to my patients." she told her. Tomoe smiled before turning towards the stairs.
"Keep me updated." Tomoe told her before walking up the stairs. It only took her a moment to enter the room she and Kenshin had jumped from to stop Kaoru from killing Kamatari. She paused outside the door before taking a deep breath. She knew she would be intruding but she also knew that Kenshin would not want to be alone with an unresponsive Kaoru.
Tomoe opened the door to the room. She swallowed at the sight that met her eyes. Kenshin was standing at the window with his back turned on Kaoru where she was laying where he had been laying previously. Tomoe could tell he had his arms crossed even though his back was also turned towards him. Her suspicions were confirmed when he turned to her when he heard the door open.
"Megumi will bring Tokio up to check on Kaoru when she arrives. Megumi said she would feel more comfortable with he here. Has Kaoru stirred at all?" she asked. Kenshin studied her for a moment before shaking his head.
"Not really. She's been murmuring but I haven't been able to make anything out. She doesn't seem to be in pain." he told her. Tomoe nodded before kneeling beside her unconscious friend. She reached out and felt her forehead. She let out a soft breath of relief when she realized the girl wasn't running a fever.
'Not that I'm sure if she would be running a fever if the problem is with her soul.' she thought as she and Kenshin continued to sit in silence. She could tell, simply by looking at him, that he would not make a great conversationalist at the current moment. She wasn't sure how long they sat in the silence before the door opened to admit Megumi and Tokio.
"I came as quickly as I could. What happened?" Tokio asked as she took a seat next to Tomoe and Megumi sat across from them on the other side of Kaoru. Tomoe quickly explained what had happened and swallowed at the way Tokio's eyes widened.
Tomoe watched as the older woman turned her attention to the unconscious girl. Tokio reached out and let her hands hover over Kaoru. She began to move her hands in a circular motion up and down Kaoru's torso before stopping above her heart. Tomoe swallowed as Tokio lowered her hands until the resting on top of Kaoru's chest. She glanced at Tokio as the woman cleared her throat.
"It's not as bad as I thought. She has managed, somehow, to tear to shreds the seal I had once sensed. That means the seal is still on her powers but it is very limited in what it is sealing. However, I don't think she's unleashed the full strength of her power. I'm not sure that's a good thing since one of Shishio's men witnessed this particular event. Thankfully, however, she should be fine if she gets some rest. She'll be out for at least a day or two. She's a lucky girl." Tokio observed as she moved her hands to rest in her lap.
"I guess that's the best we can hope for. Thank you so much for coming, Tokio. I'm not sure I would have been able to give these two worry-warts the same comfort you just have." Megumi told her. Tokio nodded before letting out a soft breath.
"Of course. However, I must implore you all to be on your guard. Once her powers completely awaken she will go through a change. It is up to her on whether or not it will be a good change or a bad change." Tokio told them.
"What do you mean?" Kenshin demanded from where he was still standing by the window.
"I mean that is very possible Kaoru could become our enemy if she fully awakens her power. It becomes addictive and seductive. Yumi lost that battle when it was time for her trial. I didn't. I have faith Kaoru won't either but it must be a consideration. You need to be prepared." Tokio told them.
"Kaoru wouldn't betray us. She wouldn't." Tomoe whispered.
"Not as she is now. This power can change a person. I didn't think Yumi would change." was the response.
"How do you know Yumi?" Kenshin asked.
"She was my sister and my best friend. Until she came into her own power and strength."
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