Chapter Ninety-Six

It was obvious to Kaoru that Kenshin was feeling a lot better. The dullness that had clung to his violet irises had cleared, and they were even more breathtaking than before. At times, his eyes even appeared to sparkle when the light hit them, like pristine gems or embers of color from exploding fireworks. His hair glowed as well, and reminded her of the deep ruddy saturation of her favorite paint when still wet. Physical appearance aside, his very presence was different. She could not quite explain how or why, but she found herself holding her breath around him. Just as she was then.

Releasing the air from her lungs slowly, she barely concealed the way her strained muscles tried to shake in the aftermath of tension. Instead, she smiled quickly at Kenshin when he glanced at her. He gave her an odd look, and took her hand in his under the table. Slowly, comfortingly, his thumb smoothed back and forth across her knuckles. The scrape of his imperceptibly scaled skin made her blush as she thought about how she was the only one who knew that his skin felt that way. Then she pursed her lips and looked away when she realized that she was blushing. Across the table, Hiko was quietly sipping his after-dinner tea.

"Would you like something sweet, Nee-san?" Suzume skipped back to the table, and knelt next to Kaoru. Ayame was already elbow deep in the sink washing dishes. Since coming to the mountain, Kaoru had taken over washing dishes after their morning and mid-day meals, but the komainu had insisted that they take their turn by washing the dishes in the evening. Kenshin had all but taken over the cooking, at his own insistence; except, of course, during the time he had taken to recover.

"I'm pretty full, so I think I'll pass for now." She patted Suzume on the head affectionately.

"Okay! Let us know if you want any after your walk."

"Deal."

On her other side, Kenshin shifted to stand and offered her a hand up.

"Are you ready to go then, Miss Kaoru?"

The flush of red returned to her nose and ears when she tilted her chin to look up at him. He was not a tall man, but his aura seemed to fill the room. Again, she found herself holding her breath in response to the strange sensation of reverence and awe that washed over her as she stared up at him. It was a distinctly different feeling than the love that warmed her heart for him, but despite how intimidating his bearing was, she was not frightened. Though perhaps she did not find him frightening because she was in love with him.

The hand he had extended to her curled slightly when she took too long to respond, and she released the pent-up air with a winded, "Sure."

"Before that." The cup in Hiko's hand lowered to the table, and he pushed himself to his feet. "I need you to show me your markers."

"Now?" One arm wrapped around her waist, and though a crease had formed between Kenshin's brows, his lips smiled. "Can it wait until tomorrow? I promised my time to Miss Kaoru for the rest of the evening."

"She can spare five minutes." The water dragon's deep voice was gruff. "Now that you're fully recovered, I need to see what kind of damage you've done to yourself."

"I'm fine, Hiko-sama." A soft chuckle sounded almost convincing from Kenshin's chest. "You worry more than I expected."

"Don't give me that horseshit, boy." The door to the veranda was parted with a sharp crack of wood on wood, and Hiko watched expectantly with hard eyes. "I heard from Kamiya-san about your appearance. You've pushed your limit, and we need to assess how bad it is."

Shimmering violet eyes glanced sideways at her, and Kaoru frowned outright.

"I can wait, Kenshin. This is more important."

Though reluctant, Kenshin exited the house for the openness of the yard. There was a rigid set to his back and shoulders, but the smile on his face had remained when he turned around. A deep breath pulled into his nose, and Kaoru once more caught her own as his appearance shivered like a mirage in high heat. Through the warped atmosphere, she saw a flash of fire… a hint of his true form… and then it was gone. Instead, they were allowed to see only pieces of his true form in what Kaoru had learned were called markers.

The horns on his head were larger than even five nights before. They curled back down towards his skull almost instantly at their base, and then winged back and up at an angle in two crescent moons. More like a crown than horns. Their texture was not completely solid anymore, and the pulsating blaze of lava that had once shown beneath a hard surface now barely maintained their shape without a barrier to hold it in place. As a result, they dripped onto his shoulders and down his temples like candle wax, matting his hair into thick clumps of wet, crimson locks. As before, scales glowed like hot embers at his brows and jawline, but they were dirty and tainted by smears of soot. An obvious blemish on Kenshin's strictly clean manner, hinting that this could not be the final form he would take when fully transitioned. Black slits where his pupils were meant to be separated his beautiful violet irises like violent gashes or perfect cuts from a blade. Finally, each finger was tipped with cracked and bleeding claws of obsidian glass.

Despite how outright his markers altered his appearance, it was the plainly visible cross-shaped wound on his cheek that captured and held Kaoru's gaze. It seemed to pulsate, and was a darker red than even his hair. Dark red, like the blood at his core. Thankfully, it was not currently bleeding.

After several long seconds, Kenshin shifted his weight. He was clearly uncomfortable, even as he adopted an air of indifference. When he opened his mouth to speak, lava leaked down his chin, and he had to spit it to one side to clear out his throat. It hit the snow and sizzled like a dormant geyser.

"Satisfied?"

Hiko waved a hand, and Kenshin suppressed his markers instantly. The leftover mess of lava that had dripped from his horns was subsequently burnt clean from his skin and hair. The globs of already hardening lava on his shoulders were brushed aside with his fingers.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow, boy." Displeasure was apparent in Hiko's deep voice and the pull of his face as he turned away. Briefly he paused to nod his head at Kaoru. "Enjoy your walk."

The snap of the doors closing left them alone in the quiet of early night. Still standing on the veranda, Kaoru watched Kenshin walk closer, his features serene as he studied her expression. Stopping before her, he lifted his hand again, this time up towards her elevated position, and her chest constricted to briefly cut off her air.

"Ready?"

Swallowing, Kaoru nodded, her eyes glued to his in a moment that was eerily reminiscent of the way he usually stared at her, with open fascination and awe. Silence continued to shroud them as they walked off into the tree line, but little balls of muted fire came into life around their feet to light their path. Periodically, she stole glances at him, drawn to the change she felt about his presence. Whenever she looked away, she would miss the way his eyes would flicker over; confused and curious of her furtive actions.

"Is something bothering you, Miss Kaoru?"

Startled, she shook her head.

"No." But with her eyes locked on his again, her captivation gave her away as her tensed muscles loosened and she blushed. A rather bemused expression morphed his worried features, and he stopped them to cup her face in his free hand.

"What is it? You can tell me." Licking her chapped lips, she blinked in a half-daze.

"You've… changed somehow."

He chuckled at her breathless observation, which brightened his appearance even more.

"Not in a bad way, I hope."

Another shake of her head.

"No. It… is a little overwhelming, though."

One red eyebrow lifted.

"Oh? What if I did this?"

He leaned forward, and she held her breath as she closed her eyes, expecting a kiss. Taking advantage of her vulnerability, he bypassed her offered lips to instead snuffle his way down her neck. Abrupt giggles and squirms disrupted the imagined distance she had built between them, and the spell of his aura broke under the normalcy of their playful love for one another.

"Kenshin!" Admonishing him without any real weight behind her cry, she continued to giggle when he stood up straight, as if the moment had never happened.

"Yes, Miss Kaoru?" The arm that had snaked around her waist urged her forward as they continued with their walk, and he looked perfectly respectable. With the exception of the tiny smirk pulling at his mouth.

"You're a mess!" Leaning over, she smacked a quick kiss on his cheekbone to soften even further her laughing accusation.

"I am not." The offense in his response was only half-feigned, and she imagined his tendency towards being spotless in all aspects of his life could not even tolerate being teased with uncleanliness in any form. Which, of course, tickled her amusement more.

After a time, Kaoru tilted her head back to stare upward, trusting him to lead them safely through the trees. High overhead, the sky sparkled with thousands of tiny stars, and the cold winter air made them appear even sharper than normal. It was beautiful, and just the way Kenshin had shown her with his sparks of fire that last summer. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she dropped her eyes back to their path and thought on his newly developed markers.

It was obvious Hiko was concerned about Kenshin's growth, and Kaoru understood that it had everything to do with the damage he had suffered to his core. A part of her felt unworthy of talking about it with him, knowing where and how he had been injured. Most specifically by who. Remembering the fear in his eyes as he had tried to tell her about how he had suffered in the Arctic Lab still tore at her heart. Clearly, she could see the scars on his body, but also the way he had trembled like a child in front of her just trying to explain them. Humans had terrified him, and for good reason. Honestly, she wondered if humans still terrified him. Just because he loved her, just because he felt comfortable with her, she was not naïve enough to assume that he had forgiven or was fine with the rest of the long-since extinct humanity.

It was that wound in his core that was holding him back now. Worse, it was putting him in danger. If not for that wound, would he have transitioned into a dragon earlier, as the komainu had insinuated? Would he have been the youngest dragon in history? It was pointless, she knew, to think on what ifs, but his potential was just as amazing as his current power. At the same time, it was frightening, because… what if…

"Kenshin." Low and slightly sad, his name broke the quiet.

"…Hmm?"

The silence drug on longer as she struggled to say what was lodged in her throat.

"I don't want you to die."

His paced slowed to a stop, and she lifted her chin to meet his frowning gaze. Soundlessly, his mouth opened, and then closed so he could swallow.

"That wasn't my plan."

Gently, her lips tilted upwards.

"Then we agree." Turning to face him fully, she took hold of his other hand and squeezed. "We're going to live… a long, long time. Together." The smile on her face twitched, and a mistiness filled her eyes. "I… I don't think I could live without you here. Not right. It… it wouldn't be right." Thinking of Shishio and the way his desire had warped him, she feared becoming that way, too, without Kenshin there to look at her. A more grounded part, the part of her soul that was whole and conscious, hated to even think about life without him there. Out of love, out of fear, out of desperation and loneliness. Life without him felt empty and without purpose. "You promised me forever, and that's what I want."

"I did." Leaning his forehead into hers, his eyes clenched shut. Even then, as he appeared vulnerable in the midst of their confessions, she found herself holding her breath. "I did." He repeated the concession, as if to remind himself. Finally, red lashes parted, and his eyes, so intense and deep, stared into her own. "And that is what I will give you."

Flame-blue irises glowed in the dark of the forest, their light like a guiding lamp leading him towards safety. Unaware of their effect on him, unaware of the mesmerizing effect she caused without even having to use her power, she smiled beautifully. His lips twitched in return, but his expression was suddenly hard to read as his brows convulsed inward.

"Miss Kaoru…"

There was a tightness about his words, as if his throat were constricting, and she found it hard to breathe again. This time for a different reason. The air was heavy, the atmosphere expectant, and she could tell that he meant to say something important to her. But…

"I…" His head shook slightly as if to correct himself. "I mean, will."

As if forced, the air strained from high in the back of her throat to drag across the roof of her mouth, and her skin was suddenly flushed with uncomfortable warmth. Whatever he had planned to say was taking too long.

"Will you…?"

Sweat was starting to bead on her forehead, and she laughed nervously while waving a hand towards her face.

"Sorry, but it's a bit too hot, Kenshin. Could you reel it in a bit?"

Letting her go so she could step back, Kenshin frowned as the moment shifted without warning.

"It shouldn't be." It had become second nature to warm her with his own body heat, but he never put out more than would be comfortable for her human frame. Honestly, he thought it was much too little, but he also tried not to affect the surrounding nature too much with his presence. Failing to cool herself off by fanning her face, Kaoru walked away from him and began tugging at the chest of her jacket.

"It's downright boiling." Distress entered her tone, and she leaned into a tree trunk as her breathing started to labor. "Kenshin…" Sapphire eyes looked to him for help. "It's… getting hard to breathe."

"Kaoru." Catching her, his hand went instantly to her sternum as he recognized the source of her discomfort. Under his palm, the fire in her chest was an inferno.

No matter how hard he tried to suppress it, this time it fought him tooth and nail.

Forcing his power over it, compelled to take a heavy-handed approach, the warring flames caused Kaoru to cry out in pain and she doubled over to vomit molten liquid all over the nearby tree. The substance ate through the bark and wood almost instantly, and Kenshin was forced to jump them out of the way of the falling pine. In his arms, Kaoru gasped desperately for air, her hands grasping at him like someone drowning. Even to him, her entire body felt like it was on fire. His power was not helping her, and if she did not cool down, he knew exactly what would happen. He had seen it too many times during the war.

Taking off at full sprint, he went for the only other person he thought would be of help.

"Master!" The shout echoed in the still clearing around the mountain cottage, and the urgency in his tone must have been enough. Not a moment later, the veranda doors slammed apart. "Master, please!" Sliding into the raised wooden porch, he fell to his knees in the snow and offered Kaoru's unconscious form. "You have to cool her down."

Under the observant eyes of the dragon on the mountain, the golden glow in Kaoru's chest appeared like a lighthouse beacon; bright and undeniable. Taking her from the fledgling fire dragon, his skin steamed under her spiked temperature in a telling sign of imminent danger.

X

Eyes of onibi blue parted wide, and the adrenaline in her veins slowed time to a brief standstill. What felt like minutes passed in but a moment as her disordered brain tried to make sense of her situation. She was supposed to be walking in the forest with Kenshin. The darkness and shadowed trees with moonlight pouring overhead had been peaceful and comfortable. The beauty of the setting almost fragile in its fleeting essence. That was not the world that greeted her, though. What greeted her was a world of warmth and brightness, of vivid life and saturated colors. Above her, high overhead in the impossibly blue sky, was a sun so large it encompassed most of the heavens. It touched three quarters of the horizon, and it was hard to tell if it was rising or setting, or really moving at all. It had a heathy golden glow that did not hurt her eyes to look upon, and was detailed enough that she could discern the individual swirls in the gaseous sphere and even the plasma of coronal loops springing outward from the surface.

Drawn from the moment like a tick from flesh, her struggle to breathe around the compression of her lungs ripped her back into desperation. What felt like a boulder sat on her chest; a hot lump of volcanic rock slowly eating its way through her ribs while stealing her ability to suck in air. Every muscle in her body convulsed, bringing her chin almost violently into the valley between her clavicles, and her world stopped for a second time.

Laying on her chest was her fireform. Her beautiful, red-headed fireform. He was curled into a half-ball against her, as if trying to climb back into the warm place behind her sternum where he had used to hide from Death. A ringing in her ears that she had so far ignored cleared abruptly away, and her heart pinched as sobs shook his little body and disrupted the serenity of their shared world. Tears of molten lava dripped from his hidden eyes and onto her chest, burning her through, but the pain was nothing to her in the face of his fear and sadness. He was more precious to her than her own life. More precious than all life.

Lifting heavy arms, she wrapped him comfortingly in her embrace. It did no good, though, to remain as they were if she could not speak or breathe. Especially when he was much too upset to react to her touch. Rolling onto her side, his head carefully cradled into her bosom, she finally caught enough of her breath to coo to him softly.

"Don't… be afraid… little one." Gasping roughly, her lungs burnt and her throat raw, she trembled even as she hugged him harder. "I'm right h…"

Darkness yanked her through the grass-covered dirt and dumped her into endless, freezing water. Flailing, her mind in a panic as she lost her hold on the fireform, she twisted and fought, her arms searching for what had been taken away from her. Large hands grabbed her by the shoulders, holding her still, and she turned to kicking as her only way of escape. Angry words, muffled and incoherent through the density of water, shouted something, and then Kaoru was drawn upwards to a surface she had not been aware was there in her distorted perception.

Gasping and coughing like one brought back from the brink of drowning, Kaoru clung to the edge of the bathtub for fear of falling back into what could have only been the middle of the ocean. The room was filled from floor to ceiling with steam so thick it was hard to see through. Strangely, the water clinging to her skin sizzled and evaporated to join the opaque mass. Directly next to her stood Hiko, his clothed form dripping wet, but his features were stern as he knelt to look her directly in the eye. A hand flattened over her forehead as she weakly gazed back, and his shoulders loosened on a sigh.

"What… happened?" Like grinding stone, her voice did not sound like her own, but shredded and painful. Creases pinched the water dragon's brow line, but his concern projected as gruff indignation when he spoke.

"Your insides nearly turned to mush."

"How is she?!" Kenshin's concerned question came from outside of the room, and tired blue eyes swung towards the sound even though she could not see the door.

"She survived." Hiko stood and helped her out of the bubbling water of the bathtub. Though it boiled around her, the water directly closest to her skin felt freezing cold. Miserable and soaked through her coat and shoes, Kaoru's legs felt weak underneath her. "Now… I will need an explanation."

X

Even with the door closed, screams could be heard echoing up the staircase from below. They were guttural screams, tortured screams, the kind of screams that only a soul leaving the world made. That or a soul coming back into the world. It was hard to discern if the voices were male or female. They seemed to be both at the same time. The intertwined cacophony only worsened the gut-wrenching reaction each piercing shriek caused in Tomoe's stomach. It was uncomfortably similar to the overwhelming desire to flee she had experienced in that alley Sōjirō had taken her to. The one where Kaoru had previously died. Where there was now a doorway, no matter how small, to Death's Veil.

Worn and tired, as the screams had kept Tomoe from getting any meaningful sleep for the last few days, the coal demon smothered a yawn behind a modestly lifted hand. Kneeling within a cleared section of the room, she glanced at the fire dragon doll standing across from her and lifted that same hand to signal she was ready. Between them, she had set up a small furnace filled with coals created by her own power. On her summons, fire burst into life within the furnace, heating the coals to blistering levels of red. The fire itself was a mysterious color of black on the inside with deep shades of cherry red around the edges. From what she had learned from Kenshin, all fire demons were different, making their signature flames different. Kenshin's had settled into a hot shade of violet, whereas his father's had a strange tint of black and vermillion red.

Himura Takibi's was a dense flame. It was heavy and slightly corrosive in nature, but it was perfect for what Tomoe needed it for. While what she had set up appeared to be the experiment she had convinced Sōjirō she needed to conduct, she had already learned all that she could about what resided inside of Kaoru. What she needed to do now was find a way to stop it. Which, in turn, had reminded her of what Akira had said about her body being pure carbon. If she could progress her powers into a different direction, then perhaps she could be the one to do something about it. After all, her body was already perfectly suited to absorbing high-levels of heat. There was the small matter of her shoulder-to-hip defect, a leftover impairment from taking in too much heat from Kenshin's meltdown almost two years prior, as well as Megumi's warning that she could never be so reckless again. However, the wound itself also opened up an opportunity for her that she would not have had otherwise.

Holding her hand forward, palm out to the furnace, Tomoe closed her eyes and focused on the heat and the pressure. From head to toe, her body turned the deep, endless black of freshly mined coal. She had progressed, she could feel that she had already succeeded in a way, but it was not enough. Teetering on the brink of a realization was frustrating, as with any scientific study just on the verge of a breakthrough. This was no less maddening. It just was not enough to accomplish what she wished.

Dropping her hand back to her lap, Tomoe opened her eyes and frowned at the still burning furnace. Several long minutes later, she leaned forward to pull open the small, glass door. Instant pressure bore down on her body, creaking her joints and straining her delicate frame. The heat itself was nothing special, but the weight of the dragon flames nearly flattened her to the floor. Struggling to maintain the level of her chin, she plunged both hands directly into the black flames.

The screams from downstairs continued to echo, covering Tomoe's own muffled cries of pain and determination. Ten minutes later, she reached the limit of her tolerance and pulled away. From out of the furnace, her once hard, coal hands glittered like perfectly sculpted gems. They were milky, as if unpolished, but were harder than even steel. Each of her long fingernails came to an elegant curve, as was her preference when manicured, but they accidentally cut into the glass of the furnace door when she closed it.

"It worked. I actually turned coal into diamonds." Smiling affectionately, she vowed to thank Akira later, for his words of faith and encouragement. Easing out of the pressure, she exhaled slowly and watched the milky gemstone of her hands fade back into her usual human façade. "Good." Satisfied that she could hide it as well, coal black eyes lifted to Takibi.

His vermillion irises stared ever ahead; unblinking and unreactive. Gaining her feet, Tomoe walked around the furnace and smiled up at him.

"Your flames are much heavier than your son's." Eyes as red and black as the flames he produced lowered to look at her. He had started to respond to the word 'son' as well as to Kenshin's name, and Tomoe's smile softened. "It's surprising. I had assumed your power would be as light as I heard your personality was. But perhaps your personality was light to counterbalance how heavy your burden was instead. Either way, I am grateful. Your flames work perfectly for what I need. It is impolite and improper of me to use you, but we must continue if I am to save my sweet girl. Now." Taking one step back, Tomoe pointed to her middle. "Again, but here this time."

X

Love Song # 13

Yūtarō: That's What I Like – Bruno Mars