Chapter Eighty-One

A little-known fact about Death's Veil was that it was neither hot nor cold. However, the absence of either was perceived by almost every passing soul as being surrounded by freezing temperatures. The absence of heat was cold, but the absence of cold was not hot. It was a strange conundrum that would have puzzled Kaoru if she had been aware of it during her time in the Veil. Fortunately for her, the bubble of life that her fireform had created around them had staved off that foreign and unnatural perception of coldness. Instead of that chill she had felt upon her arrival there, she was constantly insulated by warmth. Whenever they rested together underneath the covering of the green frog slide, his nearness was even nearly blistering.

In turn, when in his absence, she found herself feeling cold simply because she had grown used to the extreme temperature that he produced.

Pushing herself upright in the sand, Kaoru blinked blearily and fought to focus her gaze on the interior underbelly of the frog slide. She was alone, and because time passed strangely in the Veil, she couldn't even be sure for how long. Concerned for her little fireform, she walked herself on her hands and knees to the exit so that she could peek her head outside to find him. What she saw immediately stopped her heart in terror and a strange sense of protectiveness.

The fireform was at the entrance to the little park, and appeared to be talking to Death. Though the barrier of shimmering color created by his bubble of life separated them from Death, he was much too close to the edge of their domain for her comfort. Close enough for the immortal being to snatch him up and make off with him. Scrambling to her feet, unthinking and unconcerned for her own safety, Kaoru fought for sure footing in the loose pebbles and yelled out of pure protective instinct.

"No! Stay away from him!"

Both Death and the little fireform turned to look at her, but her sapphire irises were locked upon the being sometimes known as Jin-e. Challenging him, not because she was not afraid, but because she had no intention of backing down or abandoning her small companion, her blue eyes glowed like cold flames… and the world of the Veil froze.

Snatching up the fireform with her arms around his small waist, she tucked him protectively against her chest and backed hurriedly out of reach. All while maintaining her defiant eye contact. The fireform squirmed in her hold and argued that he was fine, but Death frowned in deep and terrifying fury. Only then, as she watched him struggle to form his expression of displeasure, did she realize that he was the one not moving. Not she. This time, he was the one caught by her. Five seconds later, Death broke her hold and raised a fist to slam against the barrier between them. Tremors rumbled along the shimmering bubble of liquid fire, and the ground under her feet trembled like an earthquake had struck. It was the first time she had ever witnessed him truly angry, and it was terrifying.

"YOU WOULD USE MY OWN POWER AGAINST ME?! ME?! THE REAPER OF SOULS?!"

"Wait! She meant no offense!" The fireform extended his hands outward away from them and towards Death, and his tiny voice seemed frantic. Startled, Kaoru glanced down at the top of his mane of fiery red hair. He was still the size of a small toddler, and his voice echoed that age range, but his words were very mature at times.

"The deal is off! Say your goodbyes, you wretched piece of stardust! When I return, the girl comes with me!" Death fumed as he turned on his heel and marched away, and the little fireform slumped in her grasp as if defeated. Confused by the encounter, and the suggestion that her fireform had struck some sort of deal with Death, Kaoru settled him on the ground and turned him to face her.

"What deal…?"

Before she could question him, or berate him for trying to make a deal that might result in negative consequences for him, the world wavered and Kaoru fell to her knees. Darkness enveloped her sight, and what felt like a large hand grasped her around the middle. Insistent little tugs on her hands accompanied her fireform's worried voice, and she tried to reassure him. His anxiety upset her on a deep level, but despite her attempts, the words lodged painfully in her throat. Fighting whatever was tugging her away, struggling to hold onto to the tiny hands engulfed in hers, Kaoru blacked out while he cried for her to not leave him behind.

Down the street from the fireform's bubble, Death glared up into the sky. A necromancer was stealing his souls again. More than anything, Death did not tolerate being robbed of his collection. Nevertheless, Death was nothing if not patient. Everyone came to him eventually, and he had a special place in the afterlife just for necromancers. This one, however, had made the unfortunate mistake of stealing a soul not even he had been able to yet claim. If he was not careful, this necromancer might truly stoke his ire.

"Such impertinent children. Nobody cheats Death."

X

Gentle rocking from the train disturbed Kaoru's slumber, but sleep clung to her heavily like a thick woolen blanket. Slumped against the solid warm body to her left, she stared at the floor of the train car simply because she couldn't find the strength to move her eyes. The sensation wasn't a restful or comfortable one, however. Instead, her mind wrestled fearfully for control back over her body. Something felt wrong, or rather, she could feel nothing at all. Her limbs were dead weights, and she was paralyzed in place. Even her lashes, now that they were open, would not blink or even flutter.

Only her breathing moved her chest and lungs, and her only thought was to call for Kenshin to help her. Words could not be formed through an unmoving mouth, though, and all that her lips could produce was an airy whine interrupted by short, gasping breaths of terror. Luckily, that was all it took. Barely two breaths later, and his hand had cupped her face.

"You're safe, Miss Kaoru."

That single touch seemed to breathe life back into her body, and she twisted at the same time that her arms lifted to fist into his large sweater. Blue eyes were wide in her face, and she stared without blinking up into the glowing features of this man she at once loved and relied upon completely. A slight crease between his brows spoke of concern for her reaction, but his hands were gentle and his voice soothing.

"It's okay. I have you."

Slowly, the tension drained from her muscles, and she tipped her head forward to press it against his sternum.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

Gaining control back over her lungs, Kaoru swallowed but frowned without answering. When he urged her to sit back, she complied without a fight, and offered him an embarrassed smile.

"I… don't remember, but I… think so." Her smile became more genuine, and her tightly balled-up hands relaxed to flatten against his chest. "Whatever it was, I'm glad it was just a dream. I'd rather be here with you."

The slight frown darkening his expression lightened with affection, and her heart fluttered happily.

"I wish I could promise everything will be easy, but… it will be tough for a while."

The reminder of their situation dropped her gaze for a moment, and she sat back in her seat.

"Do you know what's going on? Why was the news claiming that we're terrorists?" Whatever his response could have been, she did not expect what he said next.

"It's the Sky Emperor."

"W-what?!"

"He…" Kenshin debated lying, to ease her fear, but the words felt sour in his stomach. He had no doubt that she would be angry with him for lying when she eventually found out the truth later. Taking her hand as silent reassurance that she would not face anything alone, he broke the truth to her as gently as he could. "He wants you dead. Naming us terrorists was the easiest way to accomplish that goal." She appeared stunned, but mostly confused. "Before you ask, I don't know why. I can speculate, but with my limited information the only conclusions that make any sense are you being human or you being revived. Necromancy is forbidden, and revived souls are… usually dangerous for the living."

Kaoru chewed her lip as she thought over his words.

"How do you know he wants me dead? Why name you a terrorist if it's me he's after? He should just leave you out of it."

She had a way of bombarding him, at times, and her thoughts came out quickly on the heels of one another. Her indignancy for his reputation and safety, however, made him smile.

"Because he obviously knows I won't just let him take you." There was a glint in his violet eyes, and a thrill raced up her spine. "As for how I know about his plans, Yahiko-kun sent a message to warn me."

"Yahiko? I thought he was imprisoned?"

"Yes, at the palace." Kenshin appeared worried, and looked away from her out the window. "I wanted to get him out of there. It's dangerous for him, especially now. If the Emperor discovers that he helped warn us…"

His fingers tightened around hers, and she covered his knuckles with her other hand.

"Don't worry. You said Sozo-san had connections in the palace that were going to help get him out. I'm sure he'll be alright."

Violet irises returned to gaze deep into her eyes, and she could read the sorrow in them even as he agreed.

"You're right. Yahiko-kun is a tough kid."

Clearing her throat, Kaoru decided it was best to change the subject.

"Who was that man earlier? The one that helped us on the train."

"Ah… to be honest, I don't know his name. But, I suspect he was actually one of Sozo's contacts. He mentioned doing a favor for him."

"Really? But he was kind of rude." Kaoru's straightforward observation made Kenshin laugh, but she shook her head seriously. "He's not like Sozo-san at all."

"I agree." Glancing over his shoulder, Kenshin looked at the back of the military guard still stationed at the door to their train car. "I don't think he's untrustworthy, but I still think it'll be wise to leave unnoticed when we arrive in Neo-Kyoto. His motivation wasn't necessarily in line with helping us." Taking hold of the loose scarf around her neck, Kenshin began wrapping her up again. "We should be there soon." The tone of his voice lowered to speak his next question, and it was tinged with displeasure. "How does your chest feel?"

"Better." She bit her lip and looked appropriately ashamed.

"How long were you hiding it from me this time?" Now there was a slight rumble in his chest.

"I…" Ducking her chin, she grabbed him by the wrist to stall his actions. "I threw up… the day before yesterday, and then again at… at Arai Knives."

"You what?" As far as Kenshin knew, Kaoru's episodes had not escalated to vomiting before. "Have you been feeling sick?"

Her head shook slowly before she explained.

"It was all… ash and soot. I didn't start coughing until earlier. I… was afraid you'd… make me go back to the lab, if I told you." Her fingers trembled, and he had to look away to gather control of his emotions.

"But I would never have left you there. Kaoru," his hand forced her to look at him, "does our relationship mean nothing to you at all?"

Flame-blue irises widened incredulously.

"W-why would you say that?"

"Because you act as if my opinion and feelings on the matter mean nothing." She balked, but he continued angrily. "You didn't even trust me to help you. Worse, we don't even know what's happening. What if it's life-threatening? What if…?" Something choked in his voice, and he hid behind the curtain of his bangs. "What if I lose you, too?"

"I… I-I'm sorry. I didn't…" The crushing reality of his fear tore at her heart in anguished sympathy, and she finally realized how much she had been hurting him inadvertently. Some part of her had grown used to the pain and misfortunes she had suffered since being revived. That part of her accepted instead of questioned, and had long since decided that enjoying every moment she was allowed to have on the living plain was more important than trying to extend that time. Kaoru had no illusions or expectations about how long she would be allowed to stay. Pain only confirmed she was alive, and Death was only an old friend. Not for Kenshin, though. For him, Death was an enemy to be fought. One that had already taken and still threatened to take more of those that he loved. For the first time, and only because of him, Kaoru finally wondered if Death could actually be cheated.

Ever since their relationship had escalated, even since he had hinted of his intentions to keep her permanently, a much deeper part of her, one that she had pushed away, had begun to grow. If at all possible, if there was even a chance, she wanted to stay with him, forever like he had told her she could. Not just for whatever vague time that she had, but for as long as he had instead. Megumi had speculated that she could live in this fake body for a couple thousand years, but Kaoru knew that wasn't right. Somehow, she knew her time was limited, and she had accepted it. Until now. A thick swallow worked against the hand still holding her loosely by the chin, and she lifted shaky fingers to brush back his hair. One eye of beautiful shimmering violet stared back at her, and her voice was soft.

"What should we do? We… we can't go to the lab now."

Red lashes squeezed shut.

"No. We can't." The hand at her face lowered to press flat against her sternum. There was nothing there now, no flickering flame or hint of smoldering heat, and he was reassured. "From now on, you have to tell me immediately." She nodded in agreement, but he frowned at her in distrust. "I'm serious, Kaoru. As soon as you feel off, I have to know." Even more eager nods worked to convince him that she wouldn't hide it from him going forward. "Somehow, I seem to be able to… calm whatever's happening. Once we're on the mountain, I'll try to contact Megumi-san to see if she has any suggestions."

"Okay."

"Do you… really not know how this happened?"

The train rocked, and Kenshin glanced towards the window. The dark scenery of the countryside had been replaced by the lights of the city. It wouldn't be long now. In his peripheral vision, Kaoru was shaking her head.

"No. I don't know what it is. I… think there were a few times when I felt like I was running a fever, when… when I was with Sōjirō. Nothing like what's happening now, though. I'm not even sure if those times are related or not. He put the seal on my chest fairly early after he… brought me back." Kaoru frowned as she recalled how cold she had felt after the seal had been placed. Cold like Death. In fact, that chill had clung to her until the seal had been removed. Only then did she start feeling hot again.

Kenshin frowned as he contemplated her words. Did that mean whatever was causing her episodes was already there when she was resurrected? A voice came over the intercom to announce their imminent arrival at the Neo-Kyoto station, and he was forced to push it away for later debate.

"Let's talk about it more later." She agreed, and he handed her winter hat to her. "I had to get rid of your face mask, but your scarf should be enough to cover your face for the rest of our trip. Can you handle your luggage?"

I have a bad feeling this leg of the journey isn't going to be as straightforward.

"Yes. How much farther do we need to go?"

"Master Hiko's mountain is outside of town. We'll have to walk the rest of the way."

"Alright."

"Be vigilant. We won't be safe until we're there."

"Right." Her head nodded seriously and with no fear. Facing the physical threat of an attacker seemed to faze her very little, which was to be expected of the daughter of a dojo master. "Let's do this."

The station in Neo-Kyoto was practically empty, which posed a problem as there were still security guards looking for them. At this point, Kenshin could simply go through them, but even if he used barely a fraction of his power, he had no desire to cause them harm when they were simply doing their job. Since they were at the back of the train, Kenshin decided it best to climb down onto the tracks, backtrack down the line, and come up outside of the station when they were clear. Unfortunately, Kenshin's assumption that the Emperor would send something worse than police after them had been correct.

The assassin went directly for Kaoru, and Kenshin would not have known he was even there if not for the extreme pressure of malice his intentions radiated. Forced to react quickly, and still aware of a need to be silent themselves, Kenshin thrust his empty fist towards the assassin and a moment later the Kagu-tsuchi appeared inside of the scorpion's torso. The long, barbed tail at the assassin's back sagged limply towards the ground, and his features were forever frozen in shock as he disintegrated into ashes almost instantly.

A second later, Kaoru grabbed him by the arm, and he jerked his eyes to her to find horror written plainly on her face.

"No! What are you doing?!"

At first, he was confused by her reaction. Why would she care that this assassin, who had been sent to kill her, was now dead? Then realization sighed from his mouth slowly. Right.

"I'm sorry, Miss Kaoru. This isn't a sparring match. These people were sent to kill you, and they will, without hesitation."

Her fingers tightened in the arm of his sweater until her knuckles turned white.

"I get that… I do, but that doesn't mean I want them to die!"

Her heart was so soft. In comparison, Kenshin felt shamefully numb to what had just transpired. A part of him was even angry and bitter towards those that would wish her harm. Turning away to hide from her innocence, Kenshin's jaw locked together. Was he fooling himself by believing that they were well-suited for one another? Obviously, he had forgotten how tainted and corrupted he had been by the war and the genocide of her people. No matter how he thought about it, he knew that he would kill anyone that threatened to kill her. She, however, wished to save them in spite of their intentions.

"I'm sorry." The rough placation was all he could offer, and she wilted next to him. They had no more time to debate her principles, and he recalled the Kagu-tsuchi back to its dormant state so that he could grab her hand and force her to follow. "We have to go."

The second assassin came at them with as little warning as the first, but this time Kenshin hesitated. If he kept killing in front of her, would she eventually despise him? The thought caused his heart to falter, and that split second of indecision nearly cost him everything. Even as the burst of flames sliced through the air instead of through the assassin, and he cut off their attacker's advance, it allowed three kunai to slip through. They were meant for her center mass, and would have been the end if not for the reinforcement of his hair charm.

With a slap of the salamander's tail, the kunai ricocheted off the metal rail of the train tracks, and the blood-red beast perched atop Kaoru's shoulders with wings spread wide in intimidation. Angry, with himself most of all for allowing his indecision to nearly cost Kaoru her life, Kenshin leaped towards the wasp assassin with the clear intention to exterminate. The salamander's golden eyes followed the stealthy movements of the wasp demon cautiously, and, without even a signal, he roared fire to keep the assassin from escaping Kenshin's reach.

"Wait!" Kaoru's voice echoed in his ears, and instead of burning the wasp to ash with his bare hands, fire scorched the assassin's iridescent wings and left him grounded. He rolled when he hit the ground, and disappeared down the track behind them. In the air, five more wasp demons appeared to buzz in open threat. Landing back down onto the tracks, Kenshin grabbed Kaoru by the wrist and urged her to run in front of him.

"We made ourselves too noticeable." The words were an annoyed growl, and Kaoru's heart shivered. This was not a side of Kenshin that she knew. He was colder and sharp, and his flames were deadly.

"I-I'm sorry." His annoyance was even more foreign to her, and she felt off-balance by how it was directed, even slightly, at her. Guilt soured her chest uncomfortably, but it was accompanied by a rising annoyance of her own.

What do I do? I don't want him to have to kill anyone. I don't want to watch him kill anyone else, either, but he's not listening to me!

"Just run."

A wave of flames fanned the air behind them as they took off in the opposite direction, and it provided enough cover for them to escape off the narrow tracks. The crush of buildings provided better camouflage, but their path was limited by other assailants and regular police either patrolling the streets or casing the rooftops. Uneasy, but distracted by Kaoru's safety, Kenshin hurried them along what appeared to be the safest back-streets and alleyways. His haste allowed no time to pause or deliberate what should have been obvious deception. It wasn't long before they discovered that they had been led into a trap.

What looked like a plague of wasps and locusts filled the sky. On the ground, or hovering just above it, every type of insect Kaoru had ever heard of surrounded them and cut off their escape. One large centipede-looking creature stood itself up so that it overshadowed those nearest it. It was the size of a city bus, and when it spoke, its legs clattered together in the most unnerving way. Disgust slithered across Kaoru's skin, and, for a very small moment, she wondered if killing bugs actually counted as murder.

"The Insect Clan greets you, fire demon." The centipede bowed in mock respect. "And welcomes you to your demise."

"Is this the best the Emperor has to offer?" Tossing his bag to the ground, Kenshin tilted his chin back in open disrespect. "He's made this too easy."

Sitting her own luggage upright on its rollers, Kaoru had turned her back to Kenshin's so that she could take care of any attacker coming at them from behind. The sudden rise of his body temperature, however, forced her to step away instinctively, and she turned towards him in sudden understanding of what he meant to do. Fire crackled and popped into existence over his upraised palms, and the salamander created a cocoon of large wings before wrapping it around her in preparation.

"No!"

The angry shout was drowned out as the fire roared into being, and swirling flames of red, orange, and violet threatened the life of every insect on land and sky. Finally losing her temper, with him and herself for not figuring out what to do earlier, Kaoru swept the salamander's wing out of her way and she punched Kenshin as hard as she could in the back.

"Dammit! STOP!"

An echo of the demand reverberated through the air, and the dangerous inferno that was to be vanished as if a vacuum had torn it out of existence. On her back, the salamander slumped against her shoulders. In front of her, Kenshin fell onto his side from the force of her blow. The sudden clearance of her vision gave her a perfect view of the whole the Insect Clan, and she blinked as the world grew quiet for one long second. Somehow, the hundreds of insect demons surrounding them appeared frozen in place.

"Whoa…"

A loud thump that sounded nauseatingly like a splat caused her to jump, and she had only enough time to twist her head to her left and find that one of the flying wasps had fallen from the sky, before the rest followed. They smashed and rolled off the rooftops, slammed hard into the asphalt, and lay unmoving and unresponsive in sporadic heaps around them. Kaoru winced and hoped that it didn't mean they were dead.

Silence descended again as the final locust slid from the roof of a smashed-in car, and Kaoru turned a full circle before she was convinced that she had somehow stopped not just Kenshin, but everyone within a block radius. Unfortunately, there was no telling for how long, and it would probably be best if they slipped away while they had the chance. Leaning forward, she slid the stiff salamander into her waiting arms and watched as her touch broke whatever stranglehold she had inflicted on everyone around her. His golden eyes blinked up at her rapidly, but his tense muscle didn't relax as he appeared confused about what had just happened. Good, I can undo it, too. Now for Kenshin. Turning her attention to Kenshin, Kaoru knelt quickly next to him and shook him by the shoulder to break him from her spell.

Violet eyes stared dead ahead across the hard ground, and then he gasped in a desperate breath when she pulled him out of the deadlock of her power. Still in combat mode, his adrenaline sat him straight up. "What happened?" Without even looking at her, his eyes darted around and searched for any imminent danger or coming attacks. Someone had gotten to him from behind, which should have meant they got to Kaoru. Strangely, time seemed to have stopped, or at least everyone around them had.

"Are you alright?" Finally, he looked at her, and the fierce glow of her blue eyes captured him instantly. This time, however, it did not freeze him but only mesmerized, and he knew exactly what had happened. "Kaoru… is this you?" His hand touched her cheek gently. From her arms, the salamander crowed up at them in what sounded like awe.

"I… think so." She chewed her lip, and a blush of happiness dusted her nose. "Now you don't have to kill anyone." A second later, her eyes darted up and over his right shoulder, and she dumped the salamander into his lap before delivering a perfect roundhouse kick over his head. The wasp he had burned the wings off of before had come back. Ducked and trying to stay low, he had come at them through the bodies of his fallen comrades, but had miscalculated where he might be attacked from. Glancing over his shoulder, Kenshin watched the would-be assassin drop unconscious with his friends.

"I guess it didn't get everyone, though." Kaoru sounded sheepish, but Kenshin was purely stunned by the new reach of her powers. This wasn't just one person she had achieved control over, but hundreds. Gaining his feet, he spotted a few dozen others that had also escaped her stopping power, but he suddenly felt much less threatened by them. He had sparred and trained with Kaoru multiple times, but never had they fought alongside one another. To be honest, it was never something he had wanted, but shouldering the entire burden of keeping them safe had weighed on him more than he had thought. It seemed a touch silly to be so worried now in the aftermath of what she was capable of. Setting the salamander back onto her shoulders, he dusted off his sweater and rolled his shoulder.

"Did you punch me?"

"Um… maybe?" She giggled at him while leaning into the salamander's nose when he rubbed their faces together with a happy rasp of warm fire. Then she placed her hands flat together. "I didn't get to show you this new trick I learned. Wanna see?" Without waiting for his response, she turned toward three of the insect assassins coming at her then placed the knuckles of each thumb against her lips and blew. From out the other side of her flattened hands, crystal dust particles spewed into the air like a frost cover. In the ensuing confusion, she swept up a spear from one of the unconscious wasp demons, broke off the tip, and proceeded to clean house. The salamander ducked down on her shoulders, and then launched himself at one of the three to help.

Half-distracted, Kenshin dispatched a few attackers of his own, and smiled when Kaoru grinned at him while leaning her weight on the spear. Springing up from the ground, the salamander climbed back up to its favored perch, and placed one clawed foot on the tip of the spear so that he was higher than her head. It afforded him a better vantage point as he kept watch.

"Neat, right? I was trying to do that thing you did, by creating the little stars, but it came out like this instead. Nishi-nii said it'd be good in a fight."

Kenshin nodded agreeably. "I like it." Again, the salamander rasped as well, as if offering his own excited agreement.

Kaoru's grin widened so far it showed teeth, and the last of Kenshin's desperation and anxiety disappeared. Only a few seconds later, however, chaos could be heard from far off down one of the streets, and Kenshin waved Kaoru to him just to be safe. As the sound grew louder, his eyes caught sight of someone small and fast bouncing off the building walls. Below, someone else had decided to physically clear a path through the unmoving crowd.

With an audible crack and rumble, the small komainu landed feet in front of them, and Ayame instantly jumped forward to hug herself to Kenshin's waist.

"Ken-nii! It is you!"

X

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter last week. I wasn't feeling it for some reason, but I wanted to deliver something over nothing. I hope this chapter makes up for it some, even though I have once again not fully made it to Hiko's mountain. We are just there, though, so yay for the next chapter! This chapter had a lot of information and great interactions between Kenshin and Kaoru. I was very happy to get to some of these. The more I write, the more I realize that there is still a lot of stuff I need to write about. Will this story ever end? Maybe… lol. I promise there is an ending, but I planned so much stuff for once they actually get to Hiko, that I'm wondering about these chapters. I do want to make them longer, but I don't think I'll have enough time each week to make them much longer than I have been. Let's keep the love alive! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, if you want to. Next chapter, Kaoru finally meets the dragon on the mountain. See you next weekend! And Happy Thanksgiving! I am very thankful for my readers.