Chapter Forty-Six

The door sealed back closed behind him with a low but heavy bang, and the frown returned to Kenshin's features. He hated everything that door represented, but now it meant something he had not the stomach to tolerate. Kaoru was practically a prisoner. Again.

And you are the one that convinced her to come to this lab.

Tomoe touched his arm, and his muscles twitched.

"It won't be for very long."

She was trying to placate him, to keep him calm, but it wasn't the same. This time the situation was not about him. Being patient and tolerant was easier when it was just him. This time, Kaoru was the one suffering, and a very raw part of him was not having it.

"You're right. I won't allow it to be."

His angry retort strangely made her happy, and a suppressed smile thinned her lips and crinkled her eyes. A moment later, however, and her features softened back into her usual ladylike demeanor. Her head bowed forward graciously.

"The best way to quicken her release is to convince Megumi-sensei that her powers are not an immediate or indiscriminate threat. We know Kaoru wouldn't hurt anyone, but she needs proof. Despite her selfish manner, Megumi-sensei is very protective of her employees and lab."

A low hum thrummed the back of his throat to avoid having to articulate more words than necessary. There was a headache still throbbing in his temples, and it was currently stabbing angrily at the back of his eyes. Briefly, his lashes clenched together. Weakness also still hung about his limbs and frame, and pain from overexertion plagued his muscles and brain. Worse, the chill in the air was beginning to seep into his skin, and his ability to regulate his own internal temperature was waning.

"Before that," Tomoe turned to pick up a stack of clothes on a table behind her, "you really do look awful. There's a bathroom across the hall. Clean yourself up and change. Kaoru-chan would be upset if she saw you like this."

Grateful, Kenshin accepted the clothes with a nod and disappeared into the men's bathroom. Once locked in a stall, the shredded clothes he was wearing were burned to ash by his cleansing fire, and he sighed as he watched the black dust particles flush down the toilet.

I've lost more clothes this way recently than to wear and tear.

Luckily, all of his clothes were from bargain sales, but it meant he would have to buy more soon before he ran out completely.

Uncovered, Kenshin found that the area between his knuckles was not the only place on his body sporting small red scales. Small sections on his sternum, ribs, back and thighs were also covered in a smattering of what looked like red pepper flakes. As a compulsive cleaner, they irritated him as they left him looking dirty at a glance.

As he was pulling a thick hoodie over his head as an added layer of defense against the chill air, he heard someone else enter the restroom to use the facilities. Upon exiting the stall, he found the elderly nine-tailed fox washing his hands.

Genzai had gentle features, and smiled at him kindly in the mirror. There was a soothing aura about the old man. It was a direct contrast to the arrogant and aggressive aura the five-tailed vixen gave off. Kenshin nodded, but paused respectfully when the tenko began to talk.

"It's a strange thing, getting old. I find myself looking for the bathroom even before I really need it." A warm chuckle huffed from his chest, and his nine grey tails brushed together. Drying his hands carefully, he turned and tucked them behind his back. Now his features held something like pride. The type of pride elderly people tended to shower those of the younger generation with.

"You appear to have grown some in the last few hours, young man."

Violet eyes looked down and away, and the tenko's smile softened.

"May I ask why you are fighting it?"

Red brows creased, and his eyes shot back to Genzai in surprise.

"Huh?" Gentle grey eyes blinked at him patiently, but did not elaborate further. "I… didn't know I was." A flush of anxiety shivered in his chest. He had known something was wrong, but not that he had caused it himself. Was the tenko correct? Was he fighting his transition? Why? Why would he do that?

I thought I had accepted this.

Seeing that he was struggling, Genzai continued wisely.

"Answers are sometimes hard to gain, and then easy to discern in hindsight. There's no rush, young man. You have plenty of time."

Holding out a hand in offering, the nine-tailed fox's smile widened until it closed his eyes.

"In the meantime, shall I teach you an old fox trick to hide your appearance?"

Kenshin's shoulders relaxed and his chin lifted.

"You can do that?"

Genzai chuckled again. Helping the young ones was fulfilling and amusing.

"It's not very comfortable at first, is it? Revealing new markers."

A hand scratched at the back of Kenshin's neck in embarrassment.

"It feels like I'm walking around naked."

A louder laugh rumbled out of the older demon's chest.

"It sure can."

Under Genzai's instruction, Kenshin learned that the reason he was having trouble suppressing his new markers was because they were indications of not only a higher level but also a different type of power than his regular fire demon markers. It took more concentration, but he was quickly able to hide the scales and half-claws on his fingers and toes. Unfortunately, the horns stubbornly refused to be suppressed.

"It appears your horns are even stronger than my nine-tails, but that is to be expected." A mischievous wink accompanied the tenko's smile, and it seemed a more natural expression for his fox origins. "You will need to ask a dragon for help with those, I imagine."

"R-right." A sudden thought occurred to him, and he reached back to pull up the hood of his sweatshirt. It wasn't perfect, but it did at least hide them from view. Genzai merely grinned, and Kenshin smiled harmlessly in return.

"Shall we go back? I am most interested to hear what you know of those blue flames."

For some reason, Kenshin did not believe the tenko. In fact, it sounded like he already knew more about the origin of Kaoru's power than anyone there.

Re-entrance into the other room found that Sōzō had joined them as well. Kenshin assumed he had been escorting the tenko. Enishi and Akira had both returned, and the daitengu glanced at him nervously multiple times. It was a little unnerving, but Kenshin ignored the attention to lean against one of the tables. Unfortunately, Megumi seemed unhurried now that everyone was together. As his violet eyes roved over the monitor that still displayed Kaoru sleeping within the cell, his patience ran out.

"It's called onibi."

All eyes looked at him curiously, and the tengu actually sat board straight in what looked like excitement. Megumi swiveled her chair around slowly, and rested her chin against her knuckles.

"I only know what my father told me about it, and what Hiko-sama elaborated. Onibi is a cold flame, and is the only flame that cannot be used by a fire demon." He paused to stuff his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "Technically, no one alive can use it. I don't know the details of how it works, but the onibi is a flame that will pull the soul out of any living being it touches."

"Interesting." A hum vibrated Megumi's throat. "You said it would kill us instantly if it touched us, but sucking out a soul is an entirely different thing."

"I suppose, but the result is the same."

"Anything else you can tell us?"

Kenshin struggled for a moment, because convincing the fox with this little information was not going to happen. While Megumi waited for him to answer, Akira raised his hand.

"I think I might know something."

The crow demon's shoulders stiffened when every eye turned on him, but he swallowed and held his chin level.

"Well… go on." Megumi waved a hand, and he sucked in a shaky breath.

"I wasn't sure I heard you correctly, in all the c-chaos." Dark eyes glanced Kenshin's way. "Onibi isn't just the name of a flame. It's actually a natural phenomenon."

Genzai was smiling when violet eyes darted to him, and confirmed that he had indeed been aware of something about Kaoru that the rest of them had not.

"How is that possible? Only someone… dead can use the onibi." The sad way his voice hesitated over the word dampened the already heavy aura of the room.

"That's correct. But it's a bit more specific than that. Onibi are natural, but extremely rare. Honestly speaking, they're closer to spirits and ghosts than to demons." Akira's hands had started to move as he became more comfortable talking about something he was familiar with. "There are very few documented sightings of an onibi, and so very little information. However, I've read just about all there is available about them."

"Then by all means. Elaborate." The vixen's voice was getting bored, and Akira's demeanor shrunk slightly. Before he could pull his mask back down over his face, though, Tomoe's hand reached out to touch the back of his. The smile she offered gave him all the confidence he needed.

"T-they generally appear as a ball of blue light or flame, and are believed to be spirits born from the corpses of humans and animals. But it's even rarer that one is born from an animal corpse. Some researchers believe they've gone extinct with the humans, since one has not been seen in a very long time."

Kenshin frowned. Something about what Akira was describing sounded familiar.

"I am reminded of a light I once saw, hundreds of years ago now."

His master's voice echoed in his ears.

"… it hovered out in the woods. Just there. It sang to me for a time. Then left."

Violet eyes once more darted to Kaoru, and his voice was thoughtful.

"Do onibi… sing?"

The daitengu blinked and shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm not sure. I haven't read anything like that. Ah, but… they do have a reputation for leading travelers astray, and many missing or lost people were blamed on onibi. I assumed it was because they were generally sighted on rainy days or days with low visibility. Their light would be deceptive for someone trying to find their way towards civilization. I suppose it is conceivable for an onibi to use song as a lure and not just their light."

"Are you saying they are inherently malevolent?"

The suggestion hinted they were straying further away from convincing Megumi that Kaoru was safe. Before Kenshin could say anything, Genzai chuckled.

"Most documentation and legends about any demon type in this room have suggestions of inherent malevolence. Not the least of which are foxes."

"Um…" Stuttering but quick to correct, Akira broke in. "While it is true that natural onibi were said to be resentful spirits, it should be noted that Kamiya-san is not a natural onibi. Her spirit was not resentful enough to create a natural onibi upon her death. Instead, she received her onibi powers when she was forcefully pulled back through the veil of death and returned to the living plane."

"It is also true, Kiyosato-san, that revived souls focus heavily upon the last emotion or desire they felt immediately before their death. Now that she has her memories back, I will not be convinced she is safe to be around until she manifests that desire." Megumi argued back, and her logic was hard to dispute.

Taking a deep breath, Kenshin clenched the fists hidden inside his hoodie pocket.

"I already know what it is."

It was hard to admit out loud, and even as his hesitant words turned the attention of the room towards him, Kenshin stared down at the floor. He had hoped to keep it to himself. Not only was it personal for Kaoru, and he had no wish to share her personal thoughts and feelings with others, it was also personal for him. That desire felt special to him, and he wanted to keep it for himself.

"LOOK AT ME!"

He wanted to believe it was only him she wanted that from. Saying it aloud, giving it form, meant opening up his belief to criticism and the possibility of it being discredited. A part of him already realized how tenuous his argument was. Why would her very last desire before death be for him to look at her? Especially when they had never met in her other lifetime. He knew that meant she had wanted someone else to look at her, and the thought birthed unreasonable jealousy.

"Please… look at me."

At the least, he knew it was not a resentful desire. Though this was the first time she had said it in her own voice, her actions had hinted at her wish for his eyes on her many times before that day. Not once had the desire felt resentful. Rather, it was… complicated.

"You heard it as well, Megumi-san. She just… wants to be seen."

Red-orange tipped ears perked up on top of Megumi's dark head.

"You're right. 'Look at me.' She all but screamed that at us earlier. Hell, it's the first thing she said since regaining her voice." A twist of her mouth spoke of reluctant acceptance. "I don't suppose I would call that look on her face anger, either."

"No. She was desperate."

Tomoe's dark eyes tilted sadly downward as she caught a crease of pain on Kenshin's features. Tightening her clasped hands, she swallowed.

"Do you think that means her death was accidental?" Her gentle voice interrupted the silence, and Megumi sighed loudly.

"It sounds like it. How boring. I was certain the reason that piss ant brought her back had something to do with the way she died."

"She could have accidentally been killed by a demon." The helpful input from Enishi was full of a shame the rest of them uncomfortably echoed.

Megumi attempted to brush it off with a flick of one of her many tails. "Hopefully that girl can actually remember when she wakes up. I have a feeling knowing her cause of death is going to be important to anticipating that bastard's plans."

With the conversation winding down, Kenshin stood straight. Once more his eyes wandered over to check on Kaoru, alone in the cell.

"Can we move her back now, or do I have to remove her myself?"

"Ken-sama, while I appreciate your rather extreme desire to protect your little human fireball, you need to learn some patience. With as dangerous as her flames are, I cannot make a decision until she has fully regained consciousness and can demonstrate she is in control of them. You should know better than most why that's important."

"I better than most know exactly how extreme your methods are. I won't allow you to do the same to her." The tension in the room thickened and became heavy like dense and powerful flames.

A haughty toss of the vixen's hair accompanied her lifted nose and lowered lashes. "You better than most know that I did nothing you did not deserve."

A frown caught between confusion and self-deprecating acceptance furrowed Kenshin's brow. It was true he had committed many sins in his life. However, this was the first time it had felt like Megumi's malice was… personal.

"It was also the only method that worked on you. Besides," her voice lightened, "what could I possibly do with her. This is your responsibility, Ken-sama. If someone's going to teach her about controlling fire, it's going to be you."

Sharply pointed canines flashed at him, and her tone turned teasing.

"Make sure you do a good job, or all of those sweet moments you're looking forward to will be on camera for all to see." The vixen chortled when his features froze, and Kenshin wondered how much it would cost him if he melted the entire building's electronic system.

X

The light pouring through the opening was getting dimmer as Kaoru huddled underneath the solid structure of the frog slide of her childhood. An ominous darkness was closing in on her, but she stayed where she was and muffled her sniffles into her knees. There was a bite in the air as well, and the chill rippled across her exposed arms and legs uncomfortably. The less formal attire of her high school summer uniform did little to combat the deathly cold. She didn't know how long she had been there, or even how she had arrived there. It felt like an eternity since that fire demon's flames had burnt her to ash.

"I wish I could have met you."

The longing seemed to manifest from her thoughts, but was not spoken from her lips. The unfulfilled desire haunted her now that it was impossible to achieve. Despite covering her ears, the sound echoed in her mind.

"I bet we could have been friends."

The dead could not make friends with the living.

"Were you ever lonely?"

The icy cold was getting stronger. It beckoned her to follow it, like exhaustion or starving hunger.

"Did you wish to meet me?"

Her bottom lip trembled as the freezing veil of death settled over her shoulders, and she closed her eyes to succumb to its embrace.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise."

In abrupt contrast to the frigid cold, searing heat speared violently through her chest. It was intense inside her numbed body, and she coughed and doubled over onto her hands and knees as a line of sweat beaded along her forehead. The veil jerked away as if stung, and the interior of the structure warmed to blistering levels. Tugging at the unbuttoned collar of her shirt, she gasped in air, but also searched for the cause. Glowing, hot and red, a scar burned itself into the skin between her breasts. It hurt, but the pain eased immediately. Slowly, the radiant color that flushed the scarred tissue withdrew, until it appeared to illuminate her ribcage, like a fire from within her chest.

It pulsed in the same fashion as fireflies in the dark, and her hand covered it in wonder. It was not of her. There was something much too fearful and mysterious about it to be human. In fact, it felt too powerful for her soul to contain, but she could tell that it was restraining itself. It was trying desperately to restrain itself. Like a lover might… or a frightened child.

X

Warm light glowed in the darkness of the room as Kaoru attempted to untangle herself from the thoughts of her half-asleep brain. The transition was slow, and strange, but her heated body and relaxed muscles only enhanced her unhurried escape from the land of dreams. As her mind finally focused, her eyes blinked and steadied on the source of the soft illumination. Near her collarbone, a red snout rested on her chest, and deep in its twin nostrils was the flicker of contained fire. Each soft breath that issued against her neck was hot, but she knew inherently that it would never hurt her.

A moment later, and one golden eye peeked open, either to check on her or to see why its resting spot had shifted. Upon finding her awake, both of its eyes blinked, and the salamander lifted its head excitedly.

"Hello."

A smile lit her face as her mouth formed the word, and her greeting was soft and hesitant in the quiet room. Though simple, it was met with great anticipation and joy. Huffing and rumbling in delight, the salamander snuffled her chin with such zeal, she could not help the natural giggle that escaped her.

"Silly thing."

Struggling to free her left hand from the blanket, she braced a hand on its side to calm it down. Gauze and restrictive tape shielded her skin from its scales, but she could still feel the ridges on them along the surface its body. Suddenly, it pulled its face away, and then wrestled its weight on to its side in order to push its spine into the crook of her still pinned right arm. The outstretched wing it had resting over her torso flopped behind it into the wall, where the other was only half-extended. Its legs bent into relaxed hooks against her ribs and in the air. Now belly up and exposed, it nudged her with his upside-down head expectantly, but also quite demandingly.

Another, slightly louder laugh, and Kaoru happily rubbed its stomach.

"You are just the cutest, aren't you? Yes, you are. Just the best salamander there is."

Without warning, a ball of fire burst into life not far from the bed, and sapphire eyes jerked to her left in shock. It was not a harsh light, but instead gentle, like the flames smoldering within the salamander's snout. Beneath the light, his hair tousled from sleep, Kenshin stared at her with a searching gaze full of concern. Their eyes connected, and the air in her lungs seized. Intense emotions twisted tightly inside her chest, and her first embarrassingly childish instinct was to snatch up the edge of the blanket and pull it all the way up over her head.

X

A/N: It feels like so much stuff has been happening in each chapter that I kinda need a break from this serious stuff, lol. I'm really just looking forward to some love and silliness! So many things and details are coming together, I almost don't even know what to talk about. I do like how my plan to use the onibi as a reference for Kaoru has transformed into what it is now. I, of course, took a lot of liberty with the original folktale of the onibi, so please forgive me. It's not really complicated, but I wanted Kaoru to have more than just the one power. I will try my best to nurture and grow them into something interesting and useful for my story. I really just liked how the onibi is so contrary to Kaoru's character, but also fitting for this story at the same time. I'm am starting to get an idea for how she can train herself with the blue flames, and I hope you will find it appropriate and exciting to read. (Thanks for the suggestions!) Did I say how much I love the salamander? Maybe it's because I get to write about the silly little ways that my cat used to show me her love. Boy, did she have attitude though, which I love to write as well. Next chapter, Kaoru talks to Kenshin for the first time. Hope to see you for Christmas!