Chapter Seventy-Four

It was still mid-afternoon when Kenshin blinked awake to the single-most pleasant sight he had ever witnessed. Curled towards him on the small bed lay Kaoru, sleeping in soft, naked contentment. Her bare skin glowed faintly from the muted light filtering in from either side of the hanging sheets, and her unbound hair puddled behind her like flawless silk. Slightly tousled bangs fell into her relaxed features and tickled the arm her head rested heavily upon. Both of her hands loosely bracketed his bicep in calloused fingers, and her nose tilted intimately into the crook of his elbow. There was the barest tilt of her lips to confirm exhausted satisfaction, and he had never felt so proud or pleased before in his life.

The irony of how beautiful he found her was not lost on him. After all, not that long ago, humans had frightened him on a deeply traumatic level. He had hated humans and had blamed them for his pain and grief, even before they had actually earned his disdain. As a result, he had helped to commit genocide against them, all the while looking down on them as lesser beings that deserved nothing but his disgust. Although it still stung his heart with regret and shame to think of past wrongdoings, his love for her no longer made him feel guilty. If anything, it made him feel freer. Free of the past and the hatred that had consumed him. Free to live a life of peace.

The arm he had resting between them lifted to reach for her face, but his eyes lowered in distraction when his hand drifted across her bare stomach. The skin she usually kept covered was soft like purest satin, and he savored the sensation in a way his shaky touch hadn't been able to an hour before when freeing her of her clothes. Switching to her elbow, he drew a light line up the back of her arm to her shoulder, and he meant to finally settle on her face when his gaze paused on the scar burned into the middle of her chest.

Her positioning made it difficult to see the scar in its entirety. One arm half covered her chest from view, and the weight scrunched her breasts together. As a result, he was only able to see the outer portions of the scar where it fanned out onto her inner breasts and partially up her sternum. A tremulous inhale upset his resolve, and his heart sank with transient sorrow.

"Kenshin…"

Contentment soaked the sleepy call of his name, and his eyes jerked guiltily up to find her lashes just blinking open. Concluding his hand's short adventure across her body, he threaded his fingers into her hair and used his thumb to brush back the bangs in her eyes. When her pupils focused on him, her cheeks flushed a lazy tint of red and she smiled happily. A hum rubbed against her vocal cords, and she shifted her body closer to push the crown of her skull under his chin.

"You're so warm…"

Huffing in helpless amusement, he wrapped his arm around her back and let go of the dark thoughts threatening his satisfaction.

"You're so soft."

Returning her easy flirting, he felt her giggle though it didn't produce any sound. Unfortunately, their close proximity and the stroke of skin on skin was reminiscent of a more overwhelming and newly engaged in activity. Closing his eyes against the temptation, his stomach clenched briefly with remembered pleasure.

How am I supposed to want to do anything else?

As if reading his thoughts, she sighed.

"I want to stay like this forever."

Something in her voice wasn't just teasing and flippant, however, and her muscles tightened defensively as she said it. Thinking her words over carefully, he increased his external temperature when he felt her skin ripple under his fingers. When he finally responded, his voice was less playful.

"Then stay with me forever."

For a few seconds she didn't move or react, then her hands pushed against his chest and she looked up at him searchingly. His voice remained serious as he tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Stay with me, Miss Kaoru."

Kenshin already knew what he wanted. For a while, he had already known. However, he also knew that she wouldn't yet understand the type of commitment he was willing to make to her. Forever was a pretty word to speak in a romantic sense, but it was rarely used literally. Forever was what he wanted, and it was not a decision she could or should agree to lightly. For now, he would ease her into the idea while making his intentions as clear to her as possible. If he later felt like he had trapped her, it would destroy him.

Licking her lips, she fisted her fingers against his chest and inhaled deeply.

"Forever how? What do I need to do?"

The questions contradicted each other as she both probed him for a deeper understanding of what he had meant, and also accepted his proposal by asking for the details that she needed so she could hold up her own end.

"I can take care of cleaning the apartment and all the chores while you're the only one working."

Without waiting for him to respond, she next jumped straight into what sounded like her attempt to convince him that she was worth that forever promise. Caught with his mouth open on an indrawn breath, Kenshin blinked in confusion but listened without interrupting.

"I'll start looking for a job right away, too, to help with the bills, and then I can buy my own things so you don't have to waste your money. If there's anything else, I'd be glad to do it. Just let me know and I'll help with anything. I want… to do my part, now that we're finally… together."

Wonderful, flame blue irises lowered, and her words drifted into silence as a deep crimson flush darkened her cheeks. Releasing his breath slowly, Kenshin leaned his forehead into hers and smiled.

"That was a lot to process, Miss Kaoru." She glanced at him sheepishly, and he chuckled under his breath. "Since this is new to us both, why don't we give ourselves a little time before we decide what level of forever we're both willing to commit to."

Looking more confused than ever, Kaoru lifted a brow and frowned.

"What's that mean? I thought forever just meant forever. How could there be levels? I-I really just wanted to know… if you meant something more than just… living together."

"W-well…" Shifting uncomfortably, Kenshin tried to pick his words carefully. "Either way… we should wait to discuss it a little more."

She shrugged slightly, but still seemed a little disappointed.

"Alright."

Stroking a hand down the back of her hair, Kenshin altered the direction of their conversation away from the heavy commitment that he didn't think she was ready or informed enough to make.

"I also don't think it's right for you to ask what you need to do. You don't need to do anything, Miss Kaoru. I am already in love with you." Her eyes glowed, and he kissed the bridge of her nose before continuing. "To be honest, though, I've grown accustomed to living by myself. I don't know what living with someone else should be like."

"Well, it certainly doesn't look like you doing everything by yourself."

He grinned at her wry expression.

"I'm getting that." His brows twitched, and his eyes deepened with worry. "I would prefer, though, that you wait on getting a job until after we figure out how to deal with Sōjirō." He was already concerned about leaving her alone in his apartment while he went to work. Letting her wander about unguarded was more than his stress levels could handle. Her teeth released her bottom lip, and she nodded in reluctant agreement. The frown on his face deepened just a touch on his next thought, and he urged her chin up so that she would look at him.

"Even if I'm the only one making money, I don't believe spending that money on you is a waste." She looked like she was about to argue with him on this point, so he feigned an unfair expression of petulance and sorrow that stalled her retort. "I know I can't spoil you the way I would like, but at least let me spoil you as much as I can."

Sputtering, he knew he had won when her mouth worked soundlessly then closed, and he could see her thinking desperately of a way to disagree without making it sound like she was ungrateful or unhappy about his desire to spoil her. Finally grinning in a more rueful manner, he pulled his head back to narrow his eyes. "I would also prefer that you not take all of my cleaning away from me. I actually enjoy it."

Dark eyebrows shot towards her hairline, and the argument she was trying to develop about spending habits dissolved into surprise. "Huh?! You mean you clean for fun?" She sounded so scandalized by the thought, that he frowned in offense. Covering her mouth with her fingers, she suppressed her giggles under sheepish contrition. "Sorry."

"But…" Eying the laughter in her eyes with mock outrage, he sighed as if giving into a high demand. "If you would like, we can split the cleaning."

"Ok!" She agreed instantly, and was eager to ease his burdens in whatever way that she could. "Do you have anything you don't like to clean? What about the dishes? I'm good at washing dishes."

Washing dishes was probably the only thing he hated doing. Laundry wasn't so bad since he only touched the clothes after they had been cleaned and not during the wash cycle.

"You may have the dishes." She grinned at his amusing allowance. "I don't mind if you want to clean the bath as well. We can figure out the rest while we get used to living together. Does that sound reasonable?"

"Yep."

"Good." Stealing a kiss, he let it linger on the verge of warmth before pulling away. His arms hugged her closer into the crook of his body, and his voice lowered back to intimate. "Are you sure I didn't hurt you?" With their heads pressed together, he watched Kaoru turn bright red and squeeze her eyes shut.

"Not at all." Behind closed eyes, Kaoru was overcome by the memory of how sweet and gentle his love making had been. Still shy about her own reactions to his touches, she covered her face with both hands to hide her flushed skin. "Not even a little."

"Good." The repeated word of satisfaction was low, pleased, and amused. "Was there anything you wanted to do with the rest of our day?"

"I… I think I might want to take a bath early." Though he had contained the heat of his body admirably, she was still covered in sweat from their earlier exertions. There was also an uncomfortably sticky feeling on parts of her.

"Alright." Another kiss pressed onto her forehead. "The washer should be finished. I'll dry your clothes while you take a bath."

Lowering her hands, Kaoru gazed up at him questioningly. As far as she knew, he didn't own a dryer, and since she was using the bath, the clothes couldn't be hung up to dry until she was done, what with it being wintertime. "How are you…?" Trailing off as realization dawned, her eyebrows lifted even as his own creased on a frown. "Right."

He was a fire demon. Drying clothes was probably fairly simple for him.

Modestly, Kaoru crossed her arms over her chest after he helped her sit up, and it was suddenly a bit awkward putting clothes back on in front of each other. Kaoru solved her bashfulness by turning her back to him, and he meant to do the same to allow her some privacy. However, his eyes once again stalled on the scar that had been left behind by the Kagu-Tsuchi. This time, though, it was the exit wound on her back that captured his attention.

Frowning, he lifted a hand to touch it. He had seen this scar only once before, and then only briefly, after Iizuka had earned his ire. At that time, his impression of the scar had been simply the exiting portion of a stab wound surrounded by burned skin. While what he currently saw was essentially the same, the burn scars no longer conformed to what would be classified as a natural, random spread. Instead, the burned portion of the scar surrounding the exiting stab wound had a shape. A very specific shape. The burns were patterned into the silhouette of a ball of flames, round along the bottom and sides with pointed tongues of fire at the top, and it was approximately the size of what could fit in the palm of his hand.

Sapphire eyes glanced shyly back at him over her shoulder, and he removed his hand jerkily when he realized he was holding her up from dressing.

"Sorry."

Turning his back, he shucked on his underwear and pants, but lunged forward with his shirt in hand when she abruptly hugged him from behind.

"You can… touch me, whenever you want. I-if I can touch you whenever I want."

Smiling like an idiot at the empty side of the loft, he grabbed one of the hands at his waist and kissed her fingers.

"Don't tempt me."

He felt her grin where her cheek was pressed sideways into his shoulder.

"Kenshin?"

"Hmm?"

"I do want to do something." Her declaration was suspiciously playful. Urging himself free of her grasp, he turned to face her while pulling on his shirt. Jerking it over his head quickly, he tipped her chin back with one hand to peck a kiss on her mouth.

"And what would my lady wish to do?"

Now seeing her grin, he knew he was in trouble, but he also sort of didn't care.

"We should test out how comfortable our pajamas are. To make sure we like them."

Closing his eyes to feign most of his resignation, he sighed.

"Movies and food it is."

"And a blanket fort!"

Letting her pull him by the hand towards the stairs, he frowned in confusion.

"What's that?"

"What's that?! It's just the right kind of silly and intimate for our pajama party."

X

Yuna stood nervously on one of the far, back walkways of the Sky Palace. According to Misao, there were a few ways to get out of the palace undetected. Despite the barrier their father kept around their floating and expansive home, it had weak spots built into it that were supposed to be undetectable. These weak points had specific purposes for not only maintaining the barrier, but for allowing the necessary function and running of the palace itself. No one besides the caster was meant to know their location. Misao being the way she was, had found nearly all of them. Most of the weak points still kept intruders out, though, as the weakest point of the strongest demon barrier was still too powerful for normal demons to overcome. This particular weak point, however, was simply too small for anyone to get in and out of… unless they could turn themselves into air.

"All you've got to do is jump off. There's a wind current that will carry you right out the bottom. No one goes back there, so you don't have to worry about being seen. Just make sure you're back by five o'clock sharp. That should give you enough time to get there and look around some. Have fun, sis!"

You can do this. Leaning forward to look over the edge, she glanced at the sprawling city of Neo-Tokyo far below them. A place she had never been to, even though she had lived above it for nearly a century. You can do this. Clutching her hands together at her chest, Yuna took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and stepped off the ledge.

The promised wind current struck her fast, and she spun briefly out of control while she mentally collected herself. Transitioning into her true form, she joined instead of fought against the current, and had to stifle a giggle when she found the rush to be exhilarating.

All night, she had worried and fretted over sneaking out to deliver Yahiko's letter. Up unto that point, Yuna had done only small favors for her sister and the revolution she was trying to instigate. Even for herself, she rarely broke the rules or acted out, and her actions were usually tame enough that her father found them simply amusing. If he heard of her actions at all. Misao had spoken truly, Yuna was good at pretending to be the perfect princess, and she despised herself for it. She wanted freedom, but a part of her also feared rebelling against her father. She feared the outside world that she did not know, but yearned for it at the same time. As a result, she knew doing this would change her forever, and she was both terrified and eager for the outcome.

Now that she had taken the plunge, however, all of her fear blew away with the wind, and she felt freer than she ever had in her life. The thrill of defying her father fluttered inside of her like millions of butterflies dancing in the wind, and she wondered giddily why she had not done this sooner. Twirling with the air current, losing herself in the wonderfully open expanse of the sky, she slipped easily without even noticing through the edge of the barrier and found herself floating high above the city with nothing holding her back.

For the first time in Yuna's life, she was outside of the palace.

As Misao had said, the air current deposited her on the roof of a tall building. She would have to remember the building, or so she had been told, as she would have to return to the palace from the same place. Resuming her everyday form, she folded her hands at her waist primly and looked around. Though her limbs feigned composure, her lungs still heaved with excitement and unspent energy.

"How do I… get down?"

Walking to the ledge, she peered over the side and wondered if she was meant to drift down to the road far below. A sharp clunk-screech to her left made her jump, and she turned just in time to find someone standing in an open doorway.

"Hey! You can't be up here!"

Startled, she waved her hand involuntarily, and the demon dressed as a security guard slumped into the door before falling to the hard ground asleep.

"Oh, no." Twisting her fingers together, she came closer to make sure he was unhurt. "I'm so very sorry." Her soft voice was a little distressed by the encounter, and she bowed to his unconscious form before stepping over him to descend the stairs. A door at the bottom let her out into a hallway, and she walked around until she was spotted by a couple others dressed in business attire. They were stepping into what looked like a closet, and the male of the two stopped the automatic sliding doors from closing when he caught sight of her.

"Going down?"

Oh.

"Yes, please."

Hurrying forward, she ducked into the small room with them.

"What floor?"

The lady of the two looked at her expectantly, but Yuna had no clue what she meant by the question.

"Where are you going, Miss?"

Helpfully, the man spoke up, and she glanced between them.

"T-the exit, please."

A button was depressed on an entire panel of buttons, and then the two ignored her to converse quietly. The small room they were in dropped, and she felt her stomach lurch with the transition. Soon after, the doors opened again and they exited. Yuna briefly worried if she was meant to follow them, but unfortunately waited too long. The doors closed back on her before she could come to a decision, and she stood alone and nervous inside the moving metal box. When the doors once more slid aside, she found herself overwhelmed by a larger open room full of people hurrying about. As she stared, she was nearly trapped inside the elevator by six others trying to get on, and she came to herself with a start before squeezing herself out for fear of suffocating. Collecting herself and adjusting her clothes, she looked around and finally spotted the outside.

Bright light filtered through the front lobby windows, and the revolving doors spun in soft circles like a pinwheel pushing people in and out of the building. Awed and slightly mesmerized, Yuna slowly made her way closer, and mimicked others passing through the moving doors. Outside on the street, the sidewalk was flush with all types and sizes of demons rushing to get where they needed to be. Uncertain and suddenly a bit frightened by the press of bodies, Yuna flattened herself against the outside of the glass windows, and gaped at the world around her. The bustle of life was intense, the sounds of the city foreign and robust, and she found it exciting. Next to the quiet of the palace, which seemed so much like a mausoleum and not a home, the city was so much more interesting and alive.

"Here's some directions. Don't lose them. You might be able to ask someone for directions, but I'm afraid you're too quiet for that."

"That's right." Speaking quietly to herself, Yuna slipped a hand up the sleeve of her kimono and pulled out a small, wrinkled piece of paper. Misao's handwriting was atrocious, and Yuna had to squint to decipher it. "I guess this means this way?" Turning left, though unsure, she chose her direction and pressed on.

Several blocks and turns later, and Yuna feared she was incredibly lost. Although, she could not be sure if it was Misao's horrible directions or her own distracted wonder of this foreign landscape that had gotten her to where she was. Stretching up on her toes and craning her neck, she tried hard to gather her bearings. Slowing to a stop in the middle of a crosswalk, she realized fretfully that she had already been there before.

How did I get turned around?

Someone shouldered by her, and she lurched forward.

"Get out of the way!"

A horn blared at her, and she looked up to find herself caught in traffic. Backing up from the vehicle lunging at her, she recognized that she was stuck, and anxiously wondered if she should use her wind abilities to escape.

"No matter what you do, don't use any ability that will give away what type of demon you are. Got it?"

Without warning, a large hand slammed down on the hood of the car trying to coerce her out of the way, and she looked up, and up, at the tall demon suddenly standing next to her.

"Back off! We're moving!" Pale stone-colored hair ruffled in the breeze, and when he turned to look at her, his emerald green eyes were more amiable than his angry voice would have suggested. "You alright? The light changes fast sometimes."

"O-oh… yes." Mesmerized, Yuna stared a little too hard, and his expression shifted when one of his eyebrows arched questioningly.

"We should probably get out of the way." His arm lifted to suggest she go first, and she nodded her head without responding or blinking. Under his casual clothes, it was easy to tell he was solid and strong, and her chest hurt from how tight it felt. As they walked, he blocked her from traffic, and though sheltered and taken care of for her entire life, his protection made her actually feel special instead of just a responsibility.

"Alright then. Keep an eye on the crosswalks." He smiled with only one side of his mouth and winked at her, and her heart skipped.

He's just my type.

Her tall savior turned to leave, and her hand reached out without willing it to snag gently in the back of his shirt with just her thumb and forefinger. Despite his size, the light tug was all it took, and he stopped as if used to sensing and interpreting the smallest disturbances.

He's been through some type of intense training as well!

A curious glance over his shoulder brought her back to her senses, and she let go with a blush.

"Forgive me, sir. You did not allow me to thank you properly." Bowing low at her waist, she executed the move flawlessly and with obvious grace. "I am very grateful for your assistance."

"No problem."

Even his deep, cavernous voice was perfect. When she straightened, she was happy to see he was facing her again. His attention, however, had strayed as if he were already distracted.

"W-would you be able to give me directions?" Taking a half step closer, she flipped up the piece of paper in her palm. "I'm looking for a restaurant called the Akabeko. Have you heard of it?"

He nodded his head, and her spirits lifted into flight.

"Sure. I'm actually headed to somewhere near there. If you want, I could show you the way."

"Yes, please!" Her features lit up, and he chuckled.

"Alright. This way, Miss…?"

"Yuna." She spoke her real name without thought, and wondered only afterwards if giving it out was a good idea. Luckily, he didn't push her for a surname, as she would have no idea how to lie about not having one.

"Yuna. Nice to meet you. Enishi." He nodded his head at her in greeting, even as he turned to start walking in the correct direction. His long gait slowed to accommodate her modest steps almost naturally, and he automatically positioned himself on the roadside of the sidewalk.

"It's very nice to meet you, Enishi-san."

He's such a gentleman, too!

"Are you meeting up with someone there?"

The small talk caught her slightly off-guard, and she transitioned back into her cautious princess mode.

"Yes. Are you… on your way to meet someone as well?"

Please say no. Please say no. Please say no.

"Yeah, sort of. My little sis."

Thank the stars.

"Do you spend a lot of time with your sister?"

"Well… I guess I have been this last year. She needed a lot of care while she recovered, but she's doing better now, so I only check in on her every few days. She probably won't need me looking out for her here pretty soon." Something sad entered his voice, and the tightness in her shoulders relaxed slowly with empathy. His face twisted, as if he hadn't meant to say so much.

"I see." They walked in silence for a little while, and it was strained awkwardly with his sad confession and the pressure she felt to respond. When she could handle it no longer, she piped up timidly. "I… only have older sisters, and we've never been close." Glancing up at him with a small smile, she curled one hand over the other in front of her hips. "If I had an older brother like you, I'd probably be very happy if you were still looking out for me, even if I didn't need you to."

He cocked a melancholy grin at her, but didn't respond. It was several quiet blocks later when he stopped in front of a restaurant.

"Well, here we are." He waved a hand at the doors. "I hope your date goes well."

"M-my what?" Startled, she lifted a hand to her chest and her soft voice was clearly distressed with his assumption. "Why would you think I was coming here for a date?"

Ready to leave and already half-way turned away, Enishi frowned.

"You said you were meeting someone here, and you're dressed in a fancy kimono. Anyone would think you're going on a date."

Yuna looked down at herself then back up quickly. She had purposefully chosen to wear the plainest kimono that she owned so that she wouldn't stand out.

"But…"

A ringing phone was pulled from his pocket, and he nodded his head in a quick and respectful farewell.

"Well, whatever you got going on, I hope it goes well."

"Wait…" The strong width of his shoulders disappeared up the sidewalk, and she sighed despondently. "Goodbye."

A slight sting shot through her heart, and she closed her eyes. Meeting her tall savior had been better than all of her angsty romance novels combined. Sighing happily, she was suddenly quite glad that Misao had made her go.

Painting on her perfect princess smile, she pushed her way into the restaurant. A cute young dog demon greeted her at the door, but before the young lady could question her further, or Yuna could ask about who she was there to find, the door behind her burst open. Twitching and glancing over her shoulder at the same time, she found Enishi standing just within the doorway. His features were scowling, but his eyes were not focused on her. Darting her gaze back to the dog demon, she found the hostess to be quite nervous to be on the receiving end of his attention.

"Can I help you… sir?" Her voice trembled, and Yuna took a step back out of the way when Enishi advanced.

"Is Himura working today?"

Himura?

Perking up, Yuna blinked up at the tall stone golem curiously. The fire demon's surname was Himura. Was it a coincidence, or was he talking about the same person? A passing server stopped by the front podium, and Yuna's quiet demeanor faded into the background as she spectated unnoticed. The new demon was small and gentle in appearance, with a beautiful peony in her hair.

"Do you know Himura-san?" She had a sweet voice, like the tinkling of bluebells, but despite her soft exterior, she did not flinch away from Enishi's imposing figure.

Even when he's angry he's beautiful.

"Yeah, he's dating my sister. Is he here?"

"You're Kaoru's brother?" The girl smiled, but Yuna's breath caught. Clearly, it was no coincidence. Which also meant this young lady was most likely who she was there to find. "Someone else covered his shifts yesterday and today. I was worried he might be sick."

Enishi grunted, but Yuna ignored what he said next as unimportant to instead lean over and question the hostess.

"Excuse me, Miss."

"Y-yes?"

"Is that young lady Tsubame?"

"Oh, yes, she is. Were you looking for her?"

"I was. Thank you." Smiling and bowing gracefully, she moved closer to the other two to insert herself into the conversation. Emerald green eyes looked twice at her before staying, and a slight frown won his expression. The young floral demon openly blinked at her in confusion for being so audacious.

"Tsubame-chan, may I have a minute of your time?"

"Oh, well…" Dark eyes, like the center of poppies, darted up to the stone golem, but he merely waved his hand dismissively.

"It's fine. If he's home, I'll just go there."

"Please wait." Once more tugging lightly on Enishi's shirt to stop him, Yuna turned her soft smile up to his impatient features. "I have a question. Is Kaoru-san your real sister?"

Now his frown turned dangerous.

"What do you know about her?" He was so very quick, and her heart skipped and raced happily. He truly was just her type.

Folding her hands in front of her, she let her expression drop from demur and cordial to serious. The softness of her lady's voice whistled like ominous wind.

"Would you side with her and Himura-san, if the world turned against them?"

Tsubame balled her hands into her chest.

"Who are you?"

"Please answer the question." Pressing him, she maintained eye-contact until he answered.

"I would." The promise growled, and Yuna could tell he meant it. Bowing, the low formal bow of great respect, she made the decision to trust him with what she knew. After all, the more people on their side, the better.

"Then please, join us. You may be interested in what I have to say."

X

A/N: The first half of this chapter was actually meant to be part of the last chapter, but I, again, ran short of time, and I didn't want to mess it up by rushing it. I almost left it out completely, but in addition to the other things I've previously mentioned, I also promised myself that I would include all the details and silly moments that I've dreamed up for this story. This isn't a hard promise, obviously, as some things end up being left out if they don't fit, but I don't want to leave anything out just for the sake of speeding up the plot, either. It's tempting, but much more rewarding when I keep all the parts that I want in there, even when they seem unimportant or frivolous. This story is definitely a slow burn, but I love it so. Since I had some extra time this week, I was able to make the chapter long enough for everything. Yay! I'm enjoying Yuna's little outing, and look forward to concluding it in the next chapter. She's making Misao proud in this one, lol. Coming up, the threat from the Emperor is revealed, Kenshin makes a decision on how to handle it, and an unexpected alley to the coup makes themselves known. Hope I still have people reading and interested in seeing this through. I recently realized… I might actually make it to one hundred chapters after all… oh my. I'm really getting scared everyone will get tired of reading this, lol. Love you for sticking it out this far!