Chapter Forty-Three

"That's your dad?" Enishi spoke up next to Kenshin incredulously, but Megumi turned and shushed them with an impatient frown. Still staring in shock, Kenshin remained standing and watched almost desperately as pre-teen Kaoru interacted with his adult father over three hundred years prior.

Whatever question his father had asked her had gone straight into the dirt the moment the ball of flame had appeared in his hand. Kenshin could clearly imagine the look of utter awe on her face when the screen leaned forward.

"Wow! How did you do that?!"

Vermillion eyes blinked at her, as if he had expected a different reaction altogether, and the harmless expression he had blanketed his face with melted into contemplation.

"Do you like it?"

The screen bobbed as she nodded her head vigorously.

"Very much! The colors are pretty!"

"You're not frightened?"

"Nope!" Kaoru giggled, as if asking her was a silly thing to do. "It's warm and it looks like it's dancing."

A gentle chuckle escaped his father, and he urged the small ball of flame to hover closer to the center of the structure.

"You are a good judge. This is a happy flame that loves to warm others. It wouldn't do for you to catch a cold."

The heat must have increased, as a small hand was held before the screen and whatever water still layered her skin began to visibly evaporate.

"Whoa." There was a brief pause as the quiet word of awe made the man smile. Her follow up was quick. "Are you a demon, mister? My dad says there're all kinds of demons in the world."

His smile didn't even waiver.

"And what kind of demon would I be?"

"Hmmmmmm… a fire demon, of course!"

His laughter was louder this time, and the legs he had drawn up to his chest relaxed so that he was seated cross-legged in the dry sand bed. It appeared a bit strange, since he was dressed in a full, pin-striped suit.

"You are a very clever little miss."

"But what are you doing here, mister? Are you hurt?"

"Ah… as you can imagine, I don't do very well with water. I was rather unfortunate that this was the closest shelter I could find when it started to rain." Again, he contemplated her. "Would you be worried if I was hurt?"

The screen nodded again. "Of course. Dad says we should always help someone who's hurting."

"But I'm a demon. I'm not human, little miss."

"What does that matter?"

Her matter-of-fact tone almost took the fire demon aback, and his features creased in sad joy. When he spoke, there was emotion in his voice.

"We should all aspire to be like your family, little miss."

A sharp gasp crackled the speakers, and the screen rose so she could bow her head forward.

"Kamiya Kaoru." The image peeked up at him. "I forgot to tell you earlier. Mom says it's polite to introduce yourself immediately."

Red eyebrows lifted, and his smile warmed.

"You are quite right. Forgive me as well, Miss Kamiya. I am Himura Takibi."

Kaoru laughed, "Even your name means fire!"

"So it does." Himura Takibi appeared to be more than amused by his rainy-day companion.

"Can you make other kinds of fire?" The abrupt question was met with enthusiasm.

"I certainly can. There are all types of flames in the world, and I can conjure them all."

Kenshin's expression turned droll and he crossed his arms. "Don't brag or anything."

"Your dad was kind of a child." Enishi snickered at the frown this earned him.

"Can I see?" The crystal-clear memory on the screen continued without pause. However, Takibi apparently decided this question rationalized an adult response.

"This enclosure is pretty small, Miss Kamiya, and fire is dangerous. It is not an element that can be played with."

The words vaguely echoed the lectures Kenshin had received as a child, and a rueful smile tugged at his mouth.

"I-I know that." The defensive reply was slightly petulant.

"This flame, though, isn't dangerous at all." The floating ball of fire between them moved closer to her. "It produces light and heat, but cannot burn a thing."

"Really?" Without hesitation, her hand reached forward and she plunged her fingers into the orb of fire. A moment later, she giggled and jerked her hand back. "It tickles!"

Takibi merely seemed impressed.

"Is there anything you're afraid of, Miss Kamiya?"

Slowly, the memory faded out as Kaoru stared in silence at the man across from her, and Kenshin stepped closer. "What happened?"

"The same thing that's been happening, Ken-sama. She's remembering something else. Now shut up."

"Why didn't you come to Dad's class yesterday?" A few young boys and girls stood inside of a classroom. All of them were facing away from Kaoru, and a few had their arms crossed. Kenshin recognized a couple of the boys as the ones who had chased her down. A girl that was closest to Kaoru stuttered.

"I-I wasn't feeling very well."

"Y-yeah, me neither."

"But I saw you both at the convenience store." Kaoru's young voice was confused.

"So? They said they were sick, so butt out of their business." One of the snotty boys that had thrown rocks at her stepped closer.

"But you didn't come, either. Nobody did."

"Duh! Because your dad's a liar. Don't you watch the news? That guy that killed all those people, he did it with a sword. Your dad trained him, right? That's what they're saying all over the internet. So much for his 'swords that give life' nonsense. Your dad's just a con man, and since he trained a murderer, he might as well have killed those people himself." The kid spoke like he was mimicking the words of another. Most likely his parents.

"T-that's not true."

"Oh, are you going to cry? What happened to the kendo princess, huh? You're just a puny little girl after all."

"Shut up! It's not true!"

"It's not true." The boy repeated her claims in a whiny, mocking voice, and then laughed. The other girls in the class had moved away from them, and a few of the boys laughed nervously along. "You're such a loser. Just like your old man."

"Take that back! My dad's not a loser!"

"Is too! And now he's a murderer!"

"Take it back!"

The screen launched across the desk between them, and everyone inside the lab pulled back as one. Cursing, kicking, punching, and even biting ensued in the chaos. When a teacher was finally found to break up the fight, the boy had a bloody nose and a swollen lip. The memory was fuzzy about the aftermath and barely visible, but solidified when her father came to the school to pick her up. The boy's mother and father had come as well, and started yelling at him the moment he arrived.

The insults were ugly, and Kaoru began to cry as she watched her father bow his head in apology for her actions. They too called him a murderer, and thought it no wonder that such a man was raising his daughter to be so violent. The boy snickered at her from around his mother's leg, but pretended to be hurt once his parents looked at him. When they finally left, Kaoru's father picked her up and carried her home. The walk was long and silent, and the atmosphere inside the lab darkened as they were forced to listen to her harsh hiccups and painful tears.

At their home, Kaoru was sat on the porch, and her father sat next to her. The image stared down at her feet. One knee was bruised almost black.

"I'm disappointed in you, Kaoru. Why would you attack that boy?" Her father's voice was stern.

"He…" A hiccup jerked the screen, and her hand appeared to wipe her face. "He said bad things about you, and…" A gasp of air. "I got so mad."

"That doesn't give you the right to hit him."

"But… he's a liar."

"You must never try to hurt someone just because they upset you or you were mad at them. Do you understand? It disrespects everything I have taught you."

Her tears increased, and the screen blurred. "I didn't like what he said!"

"That's no excuse! You hurt that boy. Is that how you plan to use what I taught you? Is this how you would use the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu? Will you hurt others just because you didn't like what they said?"

Kaoru's face was tilted up towards her father, and his hand rested below the edge of the screen on her chin. Though his voice was stern, his face was pained.

"Do you like the way this feels, Kaoru? Did you enjoy hurting your friend?"

Sharp shaking disagreed, and her voice trembled with heartbreak.

"N-n-n-ooo-o-o."

"It hurts, doesn't it?"

"Y-yes." Her sniffles stuttered on her uneven breathing, and she reached up for her father to comfort her. "I'm sorry, Daddy!"

"I know, sweet pea." His arms wrapped around her, and she was pressed to his shirt. "It's going to hurt for a while."

The tear distorted image cleared and the crying cut short. Once more, they were back inside that frog slide structure, and the rain continued to beat down outside. The ball of flame half-lit the shadowed interior, and Kenshin's father was smiling at her.

"Is there anything you're afraid of, Miss Kamiya?"

There was a pause, and the smile on Takibi's face melted as he witnessed whatever expression had formed on Kaoru's.

"Anger… and hate." The words whispered from the speakers, and Kaoru sounded ashamed.

"…Why is that?" Takibi's voice was soft and kind.

"Because… they make people do things… bad things, that they wouldn't do otherwise. I… I hurt someone because I was mad, and it just made everything worse. I… I wish I could take it back. I wish… things were different."

"I see… I think you are very wise to understand that at your age. Many others never learn that lesson."

A soft sniffle, and the screen peeked up.

"Are you afraid of anything?"

Takibi smiled, but his eyes closed to hide his true expression. "A great many things."

"Like the rain?" Kaoru's voice regained some of her childish enthusiasm, and Takibi chuckled.

"The rain most of all!" The fire demon sighed dramatically. "What shall I do?! My son is going to be most upset with me when he notices I forgot my umbrella at home!"

Violet eyes widened, and it felt like his heart stopped.

"Y-your son? What's he like? Does he look like you?"

A similar line of questioning replayed in Kenshin's mind, of Kaoru asking him about his father.

"What's your dad like? Can I meet him? …Did he look like you?"

A sly expression turned Takibi's face slightly to one side. "Are you interested?"

The screen dipped up and down excitedly.

"How old is he? Does he have red hair like you?"

"Hmm… I guess it's more accurate to say I have red hair like him."

Vermillion eyes suddenly squeezed shut as his thoughts turned to his son, and the fully grown, adult fire demon actually squealed.

"My son is such a cutie-pie, and the sweetest boy you'll ever meet! He's shy, like a faraway star, but he's also a kind little gentleman. Like a perfect little candle you can hold in your hands. If you ever met him, you'd want to just keep him all for yourself. Sometimes, I get so worried someone will try to kidnap him. He's just so adorable."

Kenshin covered his face in mortification, and Enishi's deep laughter echoed inside the room.

"He's still pretty young and requires a lot of care and gentle handling, but one day he's going to be the strongest fire demon there ever was and protect the world."

Tomoe turned in her chair and smiled at him. "Your dad thought pretty highly of you, Himura-san."

Kenshin closed his eyes on a long exhale.

"Is he still a baby?" Kaoru seemed a bit confused by the doting father's outburst, but there was disappointment in her voice as well.

"No. He's close to your age. Nine?"

"I'm ten." Suddenly, she was excited again.

"Ah, then he's a few years younger. He turned seven this year." The red eyes of the fire demon studied her. "If you ever meet him, would you be kind, like you have been to me?"

"Uh-huh!" The screen jerked almost violently this time in agreement. "Do… do you think he'd be my friend?"

"Would you like that?"

"Very much!"

A sobering thought lowered her voice, and the screen looked away to the exit and the rain.

"I… don't have any friends now. No one will even look at me."

Then it jerked back to Kenshin's father in earnest.

"Since he's younger, I'll take really good care of him. I promise. I won't let anyone kidnap him."

Deep chuckles filled the structure.

"I believe you would take good care of him."

Smiling eyes watched her for a few seconds, and then he bowed his head to her respectfully.

"Miss Kamiya, I would like it very much if you would be his friend, and I will hold you to your promise. He really is just too cute!"

Kaoru giggled, and Kenshin's face burned slightly red.

"Since you would be his very first friend, how about I trust you with something extremely special that only I know about him? But you have to promise to keep it secret and never tell anyone for as long as you live. Can I trust you to do that?"

"May I die a thousand deaths." The solemn, child response almost produced more laughter from Takibi.

Kenshin was not sure he liked where this was going.

"Turn off the sound."

"Oh really, Ken-sama. He's already spent a good minute talking about how cute you are. What do you have to be embarrassed about now?"

"Very well, Miss Kamiya. Now, when a child is born to my family line, they are given two names."

It was suddenly not funny, and Kenshin fought panic.

"I said turn it off!"

"What's this?" The vixen, however, was intrigued.

"One name is what the world knows them by. The other name is their true name. Our true name holds power, and is only shared with those we are closest to and trust implicitly."

"Dammit! Turn it off!"

"Be quiet. It's just a name."

Tomoe swallowed as she watched Megumi shrug off Kenshin's concerns, and she turned to Akira.

"Kiyosato-san. Please turn off the sound."

"R-right."

"To know our true name is to know our heart. Can you promise me again that you will never share this name I am about to tell you?"

"What's taking so long?!" The color had drained completely from Kenshin's face, and his heart raced painfully in his chest.

"I-I'm trying!" Nervous and now flustered, Akira's hands trembled against the keyboard.

"I'll never tell a soul for as long as I live." Kaoru's words echoed like a vow over the speakers.

"His name…"

The screen turned to static, and the sound crackled and broke with unchecked white noise. Kenshin blinked at the monitor, and his tense muscles relaxed.

"Thank you, Kiyosato-san."

"… It wasn't me." The daitengu's arms relaxed, and he stared at the computer monitor in front of him in confusion.

Genzai chuckled from his seat next to Akira, and turned to smile at Kenshin kindly. "I believe the young lady kept her promise."

"Or she forgot it." Megumi's sour voice earned a side look from Tomoe before she turned back to monitoring Kaoru's vitals. When the signal was restored, Takibi had pulled the orb of fire back to the palm of his hand.

"The rain is letting up. You should run home now, Miss Kamiya, before your parents begin to worry about you."

"Ok. Will I get to see you again?" Kaoru stood and knocked the sand from her clothes.

Takibi smiled.

"If you're friends with my son, I imagine I'll see you often."

"When can I meet him?"

The fire demon parent seemed to think it over.

"Do you come to this park often?"

"I walk by every day on my way home!"

"Then I'll bring him here to meet you. Remember, though, you must only address him as 'Kenshin'."

"'Kay! I can't wait!" Kaoru bounced and her hand waved in front of the image. "Bye!"

"Good-bye, Miss Kamiya."

The last vision Kaoru had of his father was of him seated cross-legged in the sand. Other memories began to play randomly and briefly across the screen: birthday parties; entrance ceremonies; talking to the teenage girl for the first time and becoming friends. Faithfully, Kaoru walked past that child playground, and though it was always uneventful, the repetitive nature made those moments important in her mind.

A new memory that was just as clear as her meeting with his father came into focus on the monitor. It appeared to be a typical day at first. The sun was shining, the streets were busy, and she was skipping down the sidewalk with her best, and what Kenshin assumed was her only, friend.

"Studying for entrance exams are the worst! Let's forget all that stuff and play today!" Her friend offered the distraction, and Kaoru readily agreed.

"Yeah! Dad gave me my allowance today. Karaoke here we come!"

"Let's eat while we're there? Sound good?"

"Does to me! I'll text Mom and let her know." Kaoru stopped on the sidewalk to pull out her phone.

"I'll go ahead and reserve us a room!" The other girl skipped onward.

"OK!"

As the screen of the phone lit up, something caught Kaoru's attention, and she jerked her head up and to one side. The image scanned the street, as if she were looking for something in particular, and Megumi frowned.

"What was it? Did anyone see anything?"

Kenshin's brows creased, because he had missed it as well. Everyone else provided their denials.

The forgotten phone slowly vanished from the image, and Kaoru jogged to a cross-walk. Once on the opposite side of the road, they all watched in earnest as she hurried to a corner and turned into the dim lighting between two tall buildings. Blinding light emitted from the monitor, and they all covered their eyes until the screen went black. Distantly, Kenshin thought he heard someone screaming.

"What the fuck just happened?!"

"I…" Tomoe stood. "I think she just… died."

The room went quiet under the gravity of Tomoe's suggestion, and then Akira spoke up.

"W-what's that sound?"

"…Ribbon… Green…"

The five-tailed fox frowned and her ears flicked. "If she just died, is this her first memory after they brought her back?"

"…Rainbow… Light… Fall…"

"It does not sound like a typical ritual chant." Genzai was skeptical.

"Seems pretty random." Enishi agreed.

"…Table… Lemon…"

"Turn it off!" The abrupt and unexpected shout came from Megumi, and everyone jumped.

"Why?"

"Just do it!" The vixen rushed forward and started banging randomly on the keys.

"…Hunger… Darkness… Moon…"

"It's a fucking trigger!"

"For what?"

The lab went quiet as the voice finally stopped, and only Megumi's heavy breathing filled the silence. Abrupt movement from the observation room drew all eyes to Kaoru as one, and they watched her body sit straight up on the hospital bed. The unbound hair resting on her shoulders lifted into the air and fluttered, as if carried by a gentle updraft. It extended and grew in length, and then flickered with blue light. Slowly, Kaoru's head turned toward the glass, and the full width of her eyes were jet black and devoid of life.

X

A/N: Holy Toledo, I'm excited for this! This is another one of those things that I've been daydreaming about for a long time in this story. Also, so much stuff was brought into the plot these last two chapters. What am I doing to myself?! I hope I can work this out right! I had a lot of fun reading everyone's reviews about their concerns and speculations for Kaoru's meeting with Kenshin's dad. I didn't want it to be a fateful encounter, but at the same time it does hold a lot of importance for Kaoru and her story. Now to finally bring back in the villains. I feel like I've ignored them a bit. Next chapter, Kaoru's power reveals itself in full force. See you next week!