Chapter Seventy-One
Everything was so clear and nearly sharp with detail. The sound of the busy street. People chattering as traffic hummed by. The sun was warm, but not completely overbearing. A light breeze felt wonderful on her bare legs and forearms. Her summer uniform was unbuttoned at the neck, and the usually restrictive bowtie hung loosely against her chest. The smell of freshly baked pastries and bread wafted across her nose from the little bakery up the street, and her stomach tightened with hunger. Ahead of her, the laughter of her best friend echoed in her ears as she skipped on ahead to karaoke.
Both eyes of deep brown stared down at Kaoru's cellphone and the message she was typing out to her mother. Passersby parted as they walked around her stalled form, and a voice in her head whispered of her rudeness. Flashes of pinks, browns, greys, and white from other's clothing created a barrier in her peripheral vision. It was a usual and comfortable atmosphere of the world she knew and loved. Therefore, it was almost startling when red darted across the corner of her eye.
Excitement and shock spiked her heartbeat, and she jerked her head up and around to find that shot of red. For several desperate seconds, it evaded her in the crowd of people. Then she saw it, and her breath caught. Red hair. Impossibly red hair pulled into a short ponytail. The owner of that red hair was walking, like one with a single-minded purpose, up the sidewalk across the road. He was already facing away from her, and she could not see his expression.
Stuffing her phone into her pocket without sending the message, Kaoru sprinted to the intersection. Luckily the light changed quickly, and she was across to the other side just as he turned into an alley. Already smiling, already anticipating the meeting that was sure to happen, Kaoru ducked into that same alley without hesitation or a second thought.
I can't wait to meet you.
"Please, I don't know what you want!"
The strained and pleading yell echoed within the enclosed area of the alleyway, and Kaoru's quickened pace slowed in confusion. Before her, her red-haired target stood with his back to her. He wore a yukata, but it was jet black like one in mourning. In front of him was a taller boy that appeared to be about her age. He was also in a school uniform, and he was slender like one still growing into his physique. She paid little attention to his features, however, and instead gasped when the red-haired boy spewed fire into his hands.
A sword materialized out of that fire, one of such exquisite beauty that it was hard not to instantly recognize its perfection. Its presence meant something, though, and as the daughter of a dojo master, she knew instantly what that something was. As the daughter of the master of Kamiya Kasshin-ryu, she also knew instantly that she could not stand by and watch it happen.
"Wait!"
Her call was drowned out by the taller boy's scream, but her body had already moved on its own. Rage and grief were thick in the air. So thick, that she could recognize it purely from the crackle of energy tingling across her skin.
"Accept your fate, you evil human!"
The voice that rose from the red-haired demon was startling. It broke, like a boy still in the midst of puberty, and her heart ached with it. It was full of fury, but also immense anguish.
"Wait!"
Once more she called for peace, for a pause, for anything to make what was about to happen stop. Again, she was drowned out.
"What are you talking about?!"
The other boy could barely articulate his confusion over his own terror. Ducking into the confrontation, still unnoticed and unheeded, Kaoru pushed the taller boy back and turned to spread her arms wide. For the first time, she saw the red-haired boy's face, but it was only for a moment. Blinded by his rage, and the tears of fire streaming from his golden eyes, the demon screamed and burst into an inferno of savage flames.
Flinching as the sudden light stabbed at her retinas, Kaoru covered her face, but peeked between her fingers when the light faded only a second later. In the place of her red-haired boy was a being of pure fire. The flames swirled and twisted upon themselves in dense colors of red, orange and gold, just like that of the sun. In this form, he was taller, and the blaze of his golden eyes were larger and fierce despite the droplets of lava seeping from their corners. Awe overtook her, and she stared up at him as the heat from his body blasted against her skin. He was the most beautiful being she had ever seen, and she wanted so much to know him.
But he was in so much pain.
Kenshin.
Reaching up, no longer to block him and his actions, but to accept him and his pain, she smiled.
I know that it's you. You're just as beautiful as your father claimed.
The screaming behind her became muffled as her focus zeroed in.
Something happened. Something hurt you. Let me help. Don't surrender to your anger. It will only make things worse.
A frown touched her forehead.
Say it aloud. Say it. Tell him.
Pressure and a sensation like ice spread through her chest. The hands she had half-lifted towards him became suddenly limp, and they dropped to hang uselessly at her sides. Like the strings on a doll being cut. Opening her mouth, she struggled, but could produce no sound. Slowly, her eyes lowered to seek out the cause. Curiously, her gaze slid down the hand, golden-wrapped hilt, and blade of the katana without truly understanding what it meant. Blankly, she stared at where the blade disappeared into the cavity of her chest, and still she wondered how it was now shorter than before.
The screaming was higher pitched now. It was the cry of someone dying. Someone burning. It was not her cry, though. Gradually, the blade inched deeper into her chest, and the sensation of ice turned bitter cold and numbed her down to her fingertips.
Oh.
Realization dawned, and a small gurgle escaped her lips. A drop of blood fell from her lip and plopped onto the hilt. The guard of the katana finally pressed into her sternum, and her blink felt like a million moments slammed together.
The screaming finally stopped.
Tilting her head back, she watched the river of molten tears continue to run down the fire demon's face. He was in pain. He was in rage. He was not in control. It hurt to witness his grief, and she was overwhelmed by empathy and sorrow. She wanted to help, to protect him like she had promised, but she was dying.
But… I finally got to meet you.
Except, those beautiful golden eyes never once looked at her. They were staring over her head, fixated upon his true target.
No. Look at me.
He didn't even know she was there.
Please! Look at me!
Pieces of her body were crumbling away, and tears welled in her eyes but dried instantly in the heat produced by his true form.
Just once… notice me…
X
The inside of the lab was deathly silent. No one moved. No one dared to breathe. Akira and Tomoe were both seated before the monitors and keyboards that stretched along the glass wall looking into the observation room. Inside that observation room, Kaoru was asleep and hooked up with the bare minimum for monitoring her vitals. Standing with her arms hanging loosely at her sides, Megumi's cinnamon-colored irises were wide, and for once, she was dumbstruck.
Late that evening, just as Kaoru was getting ready for bed, Megumi had sent Tomoe down with something to 'help' the girl sleep. It was not a true anesthetic, and would not prevent her from dreaming. However, it would keep her unconscious for a short time, thereby allowing them to move her without the risk of waking her. Since Megumi suspected that Kaoru had purposefully suppressed her memory of her death, it was imperative that she not know what they were up to.
The equipment Akira had fixed, which was originally the device Genzai had leant to them to view Kaoru's memories, had been brought back into the small host lab. Per Megumi's suggestions, new features had been added to the prototype, and it was slightly more compact than before. One such feature allowed them to record, rewind, or pause what they were seeing in real-time. Three of the monitors had been hooked up to take advantage of this feature. While one of the monitors streamed Kaoru's dreams without interruption, the other two would allow them to pause on details they might find interesting. One of the two extra monitors was currently frozen on the face of the fire demon responsible for her death. The other had been paused on the moment Kaoru's eyes had lowered to find the sword buried in her chest.
"Oh no…" Tomoe's soft exclamation of grief came a mere moment before the dream abruptly ended.
Inside the observation room, Kaoru came back into consciousness with a gasp and jerk of her body. At first, she did not appear to realize where she was, and both of her hands came up to cover her face as she worked to slow her breathing. After a particularly hard swallow, however, her hands lifted slightly away from her, and her head tilted to look at the IV in her arm. Shocked, she pushed herself upright, and her fingers touched then yanked on the electrodes attached to her scalp.
Almost immediately, she appeared to understand what was going on, and the three demons monitoring the clandestine experiment leaned away when her glowing blue eyes wrenched towards the still newly repaired glass wall. A fistful of electrodes bunched between her curled fingers, and her features scowled in a way no one had seen before.
"What are you doing?! I didn't agree to this!"
Her legs swung over the side of the hospital bed, and she tore the IV from her arm when it caught under the railing. Blood ran down her forearm and dripped onto the floor, but she either ignored it or didn't notice it as she marched to the door. No one had thought to lock it, but no one had thought it necessary.
Tomoe stood as Kaoru rounded the corner, but though her mouth opened, nothing came out. It was hard to know what to do with the knowledge that they had uncovered, or how to go about confronting or even comforting those involved. Hearing her raised voice and feeling her distress, the salamander came running from where it had been left lying dormant in the bedroom. It skidded to a stop just within the doorway, and its large golden eyes were fierce with protective intentions. As soon as Kaoru's gaze landed on the still images on the monitor, though, her angry features dropped and all the color drained from her skin.
"No."
"Kaoru…" The coal demon meant to take a step towards her.
"NO!"
The flickering and dangerous blue of onibi flames burst into life around Kaoru's form, and Akira's hand pulled Tomoe back.
"STOP IT! YOU CAN'T!"
Both hands came up to fist in her hair, and she bent forward like someone in great pain. Then she turned to run into the rec room. The salamander jumped out of her way, skidded on the smooth concrete floor, and suddenly it too caught sight of what the monitors revealed. Its tense body released, and it stared in transfixed horror. A loud crash and bang from the other room spoke of rushed destruction, and then Kaoru returned with her wooden practice sword in hand. Openly threatening, she came directly at them, and Tomoe backed hurriedly away with Akira to the furthest corner. Even Megumi took two steps back, but remained in front of her subordinates to erect a barrier between them and the enraged onibi. She had no way of knowing whether it would work, but something was better than nothing.
With rather sloppy form, the sword was raised over Kaoru's head, and she slammed it hard into the screen of the first monitor. The blue flames sprouting from her body, like bouquets of formless flowers, prevented anyone from stopping her. They spread easily to the electronic equipment but did not burn them. Instead, the cold flames froze the plastic and metal and made them brittle. Over and over again, she struck the electronic equipment with all her strength until it busted and scattered about the floor. Flattened into shamed submission, the salamander covered its face with one clawed foot and did nothing to assist or stop her. Only half of the last screen still clung to the mount suspending it from the ceiling when the scene was finally interrupted.
"What the hell is going on?!"
Fiery sapphire eyes turned sharply towards the doorway where Kenshin now stood, and the moment froze. Instantly, the onibi flames emerging from her body disappeared, and the wooden practice sword dropped from her fingers like lead where it crashed and clattered onto the floor. Stumbling over the sword and nearly falling on her face, Kaoru clumsily regained her balance as she rushed Kenshin before anyone else could say anything.
"I want to go." Both of her hands lifted, and her fingers were fisted. All but the pinky finger on each hand. Shoving her balled-up fists flat against his chest, she stared up at him with a look of pleading desperation. "Please. I want to leave. I don't want to stay here anymore."
Keeping his eyes trained on her, Kenshin studied the look on her face and found fear. But not of him. The fact that she was never scared of him sliced like a knife through his heart. Lifting his hands slowly, he gently clasped her wrists and ran his thumbs along the extended pinky fingers pressed against him. One hand was slick with droplets of blood. She waited impatiently, her eyes full of unshed tears and her weight shifting back and forth. Out of his peripheral vision, he took in the situation quickly and understood. A small, sad smile curled his lips, and he touched her cheek with one hand to burn away the smoky blue tears that had escaped her left eye.
"Go change your clothes, and put on your coat. It's cold outside."
The relief that washed over her was just as desperate as her fear, and she gasped in an inhale as she fought to smile through her tears. Grasping him by the arm, she pulled him in an attempt to make him follow her. It was clearly her intention to not let him out of her sight, but he politely declined.
"It's alright, Miss Kaoru. I'll wait here."
For a moment, she appeared ready to argue, but then she dropped her eyes to nod in acceptance.
"I'll be quick." Dark lashes clenched shut, and when she spoke again, it was louder, nearly threatening, and not meant for him. "I'll be quick!"
Kenshin watched her hurry out of the room until she disappeared from view. Then he slowly lowered his eyes to his left hand and the blood it had collected from her fingers. Unseen fire burned the blood away, and he dropped his hand back to his side.
"Ken-sama…" Megumi's voice was serious, and there was something in her tone that warned he would not like what she was about to say. The shock had finally worn off of her, and her brain was working through the problem at a pace not conducive to their emotions on the matter.
"Did you ask?" The words were firm but low, and his red lashes briefly closed.
"Wha…?" She didn't appear to understand.
"Did you ask?" He repeated the question, this time louder and while meeting her gaze, and his expression scowled with anger. "Or was this done against her will?"
Cinnamon irises looked away. Not down, just away, and it was telling that she did not feel bad about what she had done, just upset that he was calling her out on it.
"She was uncooperative. We didn't have a choice."
Her response, so logical and cold, boiled his blood, and he had to refrain from responding.
"Did you know, Himura-san?" Tomoe's interjection cut through his anger, and her soft, bruised question felt more natural. Lowering violet irises to the salamander, he held its tortured gaze.
"I only worked it out recently." Its already depressed form seemed to melt into the floor, and it tucked its nose up under one wing.
"This is important information, Ken-sama." Now the vixen meant to explain her actions. There was no remorse in her at all for what she had done to Kaoru. "Not just your part in it, but that sword. You killed her with the Kagu-tsuchi, didn't you?"
Kenshin's face creased.
"There's no telling what it actually did to her. It's supposed to have power over life and death, according to what I've learned. If you just let me study it…"
"Stop."
The single word hissed like a whisper, but hit Megumi like a shout of rage. The atmosphere in the room felt abruptly tight, and boiling hot. Intense pressure slammed into her hard enough to force her back a step, and cold sweat collected along her skin as the threat was recognized inside of her on a deeply primitive level. Violet eyes appeared to shimmer, like a mirage in high heat, but at the same time darkened behind the curtain of his red hair. Underneath the stocking cap covering his head, his horns glowed.
"Not another word." A huff lifted his chest. "Do you really think I don't know what your true intentions are? Do you really believe I never knew what you were trying to do to me while I was here?" Each word was quiet but echoed with power, like two beings speaking at once. "I trust you meant what you said, about your promise to Sano, but in the end, you treated me just like the humans did. Like nothing. A means to an end. You wanted what they wanted, but just like them, you will never have it. If there is only one thing I will do right in this life, it will be to keep safe what I was entrusted by a lineage older than any other in this world."
His eyes closed, and the pressure lifted. His voice, however, still growled. "I won't allow you to continue to treat Miss Kaoru the same way you treated me. I'm grateful for everything you've done for her, but she will not be coming back."
All five of Megumi's tails hooked as she fought against the lingering strength of his presence. Her voice struggled to be haughty. "I didn't do it for free. My fees will cripple you."
"Megumi-sensei…" Tomoe whispered a quiet reprimand, but the fox merely studied her fingernails.
"I'll waive them, completely, if you just let me run some tests on that sword."
Kenshin glared and his response was flat.
"Send me a bill."
The slap of hard soles foreshadowed Kaoru's quick return, and a gentler smile softened the expression on his face as he watched her run back into the room. She barely stopped herself next to him, and half-jostled his shoulder in her haste. Both hands curled into his sweatshirt, and she stared up at him like nothing else in the world mattered.
"I-I'm ready."
"Okay." Glancing over at Tomoe, Kenshin nodded his head. "I'll collect her things later."
Tomoe smiled sadly in return.
"I'll make sure they're packed and ready." A low bow of respect and gratitude folded her gracefully at the waist. "Please take care of her, Himura-san."
Small tugs pulled against his arm, and he returned his gaze to Kaoru. The salamander had been picked up and resided now in her embrace. Its chin lay limply on her shoulder like a sad and defeated creature. Once his eyes reconnected with hers, she instantly calmed.
"Look at me."
The desperate demand echoed in his mind, and his heart twisted and his stomach dropped at the same time. Turning slowly, he placed a hand gently between her shoulder blades and aimed her towards the exit, all while maintaining eye contact.
"Let's go home."
She smiled up at him, and it was a mixture of deep sorrow and honest delight. It was nearly too painful to look at, but he forced himself to. Whatever she needed, he would give to her, until she was comfortable enough, until she trusted him enough, to discuss the only thing left standing between them. Because he had no intention of ever letting her go again. Not to Sōjirō. Not to Megumi. Not even to Death, where he had already sent her once.
X
A/N: I feel like not many people liked the last chapter for various reasons, lol. I hope this chapter has made up for it some. It does appear that I've been torturing Kenshin a lot lately. I believe it is time to move on from that and let them both enjoy the happiness they deserve. I don't particularly like making him miserable, either, and am overjoyed to finally get to this point in the story where most of the surprises going forward will be good ones. Yay for the warm fuzzies to come. See you in a week!