A/n Wow! So many great reviews for the last chapter. I hope it wasn't too bad a ending in the last chapter. You've no idea how much I love reading your thoughts and feelings on the situations I put these poor characters through. Thank you for all that Dear Readers. Please excuse any and all typos. On to the story!

Chapter 4

Smothering a gasp, Kaoru yanked herself back behind the tree. Her heart was pounding hard now and she slowly dropped the blade from her captor. She could see an angry red line where her blade had cut into his skin. At once the sword returned to his hand and he reached up and pulled her closer. Kaoru was forced to fall on one knee as they crouched huddled against the tree.

"I only see three." He said in the barest of whispered, hardly more than a movement of his lips. Any louder and the Drow would be alerted to them. They were working, melting resins to help assemble arrows She hoped the sounds of their work would muffled their slight whispering.

"Three for two. I'm fine with that." Kaoru mouthed back. She knew she could take at least one as long as he watched her back with the other two. But his eyes went wide again and he gave his head a firm shake.

"You stay."

"No."

"Too dangerous."

"Scouts not so bad."

"Scouts use arrows."

"So? It's too tight a space for them to use them."

He opened his mouth but bit back the curse that he was about to utter. "Not safe, go." He took her by the shoulder and tried to push her towards the cover of undergrowth, but she resisted him.

"I'll take the smaller one, just watch my back with the other two." She mouthed and then stood. The man scrambled to his feet before she threw herself out there. He grabbed her again, pulling her to look at him.

"Fine, But I go first."

Kaoru didn't even have a chance to acknowledge this, for the red-head rushed around the tree with a war cry that froze her feet to the spot. Kaoru cursed loudly and rushed after him. It was easy to spy the smaller white haired Drow as he jumped up with his bow. He didn't have any time to nock an arrow though, for Kaoru was already upon him. A simple swipe and the razor edge of her dagger cut the bowstring. The wood gave a violent jump as it was released from the tension and flew from the hands of the scout. Kaoru grabbed the youth and spun herself behind him and placed the blade against his throat with the point under his chin, just as she had done to the red-head. Waves of evil and hate washed over her. Quickly she threw up a wall of cleansing water in her mind to block the oily blackness of their life force.

It was only then did Kaoru witness the skill of the stranger. He had already killed the largest Drow. One that must of stood head and shoulders over the rest and weighted at least twice as much. Though the second scout the Fire Fae was working on now was a bit shorter, he was whip thin. His snow-white hair was pulled back tightly and braided. He spat curses at the Fae in their rough dark language as the pair circled each other. Glowing eyes flashed over to Kaoru and the hostage she held.

The Drow reached back and pulled from his belt a dagger that he held along with the thin, short sword in his other hand. His bow was tied to his back and his quiver was empty of arrows. They must have been his arrows they were making. The Fire Fae moved sure footed and with liquid grace. His large eyes were focused, his mouth a thin line in concentration. The two men circled like a pair of fighting cocks, one sizing up the other. One waiting for the other to move, to twitch, to give away one single hint of what they were going to do. Then, in a whirl of motion, the Drow heaved the dagger. It flew past the stranger harmlessly and in a moment of panic, Kaoru saw that it was meant for her.

It was no use doing anything, she couldn't dodge a throw like that in time! But the dagger was not aimed at her, but her hostage. She gasped as the razor edge of the blade bit into the skin of her arm as the blade buried itself up to the hilt into the boy's chest. The Drow youth shuddered and then turned into dead weight in her arms. She let the boy fall to the ground and she looked up to see red and white blurs as the Fire and Dark Fae fought. Metal sang against each other. Her Fire companion moved with the swiftness of an Air Fae but had brute strength and soon he was wearing the Drow down. Kaoru could see the faint red-orange glow of light coming off the Red-head. He was using his powers. It wasn't wise in these Water lands. The clouds hid the sun often. He would deplete his energy quickly at this rate.

Kaoru flipped her small dagger so she held it by the blade and waited. Her eyes closed, pulling from her gifts. She was not a violent person, she didn't like killing. But the Drow were not ones to pity. Never once would one stop to think about not killing someone. Their bodies, like all living things, were mostly water, she could feel the energy from this water pulling at her powers. Two swift moving blurs, one boiling hot, the other inky black. Kaoru cocked her arm back and locked onto that inky black motion, it slowed, no longer a blur. Kaoru opened her eyes to see the world moving quite slowly around her. Already her arm swung forward, her fingers releasing the dagger. The dagger tumbled end over end through the air, like a magnet it was drawn to the evil.

The world returned to full speed and Kaoru blinked, only to see the Drow swivel and with his sword, slash at her dagger, cleaving it in two. The blade fell one way, the handle another.

She failed.

But the distraction was enough that the red-head lunged forward, slashing across his body, catching the Drow across the middle. Blood sprayed like a fine mist and Kaoru had to shut her eyes lest she get blood in them. When she opened them again, the Drow was convulsing on the forest floor, spraying more blood as his body refused to die. The Fire Fae took his sword in both hands and rammed it right though his neck, with a twist there was a 'pop' and the Drow was finally silent.

The red-head looked over at Kaoru, his face was grim but he nodded. "Good throw." He complimented.

Kaoru used the sleeve of her tunic to rub the fine layer of blood from her face. "Thanks. It didn't work though." She slowly dropped her mental shield of water, visualizing it slowly pulling any taint of evil from her life force as it seeped into the Earth.

"Not so." He shook his head. "You gave me an opening."

Kaoru tried to smile, but her stomach was churning. It wasn't often Kaoru was faced with this kind of violence. She had never been this close before and it was the first time she watched someone die a drawn-out and painful death. With a hand pressed to her stomach, Kaoru wandered over to the youth she had taken, a prayer to the Goddess Sedna on her lips. "It's too bad he killed the boy. We could have got information out of him." She heard her companion step up beside her. He was cleaning his sword with a rag the Drow were using to clean theirs.

"That was probably the reason he killed the boy. He knew he would give up information. Better to silence him."

Kaoru stole a sidelong glance at the stranger. He was calm, despite the sudden battle. Kaoru couldn't seem to make her heart stop racing. She felt jittery, her hands were shaking, her legs were trembling and her stomach ache was growing. "You were very good. What kind of training have you had?" She blinked a few times as her vision swam.

… . . …

Kenshin sheathed his sword and glanced over to see the female sway. He frowned slightly. "I was in the military." Kenshin answered, turning to face the Water Fae. "Are you well?"

She placed a shaking hand over her eyes. "I-I'm not sure." She said, swaying dangerously.

"Whoa." Kenshin reached out to steady her. His hand rested on her upper arm and he could feel how her body twitched and trembled. Seeing the glassy look in her blue eyes suddenly made his heart stop. "Did you get wounded?!"

"Just a scratch." Her words were slurred.

"Let me see!" he demanded. She held out one hand and Kenshin grabbed it, pulling up the sleeve of her tunic. There on her arm just above the wrist was a small scratch. "When did you get this?" the scratch was not red, but black, and thin dark lines like spider's web were already spreading across the pale skin.

"When he killed the boy…the blade nicked me."

"Poison!" Kenshin realized. "That black resin! It was to poison their weapons!"

Poison? Kaoru blinked, confused as disoriented thoughts rushed at her. She was too far away for help from the Keep or the Mountains. She didn't know what the black resin was or how to counter it. A dull pain was growing in her arm and her hand was starting to tingle.

But the Fire Fae was moving quickly. He pulled Kaoru away from the camp and back to the large tree where she had ambushed him. "I've seen many men die from this poison." He said in a grim tone, catching Kaoru's eyes. "But I've also seen many survive. You must trust me."

"What choice do I have now?" Kaoru muttered as her body started going weak. Through blurred vision she watched the Fae pull a small knife from his belt. He took her scratched arm and before she could fight him, sliced across the scratch with the knife.

"Ah!" Kaoru yelped, yanking at her arm but the red Fae held fast.

"Don't struggle." He demanded in a tone that showed he was used to being obeyed. At once blood started to drip from the wound and he applied pressure down her arm, trying to force the poison out.

Kaoru froze, she leaned heavily against the trunk of the tree as her body grew weaker.

"It's not enough." She heard him say and she swung her glazed eyes over to see him set his jaw in determination. He turned her arm, stepped closer and ducked his head. Kaoru gasped at the feel of his mouth pressing tight over the wound. A new burst of pain made her suck in her breath as he pulled her blood into his mouth. He pulled away only long enough to spit the blood out before returning to the task.

But it seemed of no use, for Kaoru felt the world slipping away. Her legs gave out and she slowly slid down the tree as the forest grew darker and further away.

"Hey. No stay with me." She heard a faraway voice say. But she just couldn't struggle and she let the darkness swallow her up.

… . . …

It seemed as if only a moment had past, but to her body it felt like a lifetime. Kaoru woke, groggy and heavy, wanting nothing more than to slip back into deep sleep. But her will to stay alive forced her to stay awake. She gazed up at the underside of the forest canopy a dark, black sky loomed overhead. The trees and leaves danced in shadow from the light of a rather large fire a few feet away from her right. Turning her head slightly to the left she could see a lean-to had been constructed around her.

Jumbled memories returned as Kaoru struggled to sit up. She was lying on a bed of fresh pine bough, and a surprisingly warm blanket was tucked around her. Now sitting up, Kaoru slowly pulled her arm out from under the blanket, wincing as the skin pulled at the wound. It had been wrapped. Kaoru gazed down at the pristine white bandages as if confused as to their purpose.

Then suddenly he was there. The Fire Fae she had encountered.

He kneeled beside her and with one hand on her shoulder and the other at her side, slowly pressed her down until she was on her back once more. "You need to rest." He said kindly, giving her an apologetic smile as he pulled the blanket back over her.

"How long have I been resting already?" Kaoru's words flowed in the same jerky rhythm as an extremely drunk man.

"The rest of the day. Night has just now come." He turned and Kaoru felt him sit something large just behind her head. "I found your pack."

"Thanks." She whispered, closing her eyes. Her walking staff was lost, she was sure. No bother, it was part of the forest and it only returned to it's rightful home.

She heard the Fae move away and return. She forced her eyes to open as he dipped in close to her body and slipped an arm under her shoulders and pulled her upward only slightly.

"Rest against me." He said and with her lack of strength, Kaoru had no choice but to sag against his supporting arm. An earthenware cup was pressed to her lips and Kaoru felt the cool touch of water. With the greed of a small child, Kaoru noisily drank down every drop. The liquid flowed, seeping into every cell. Her Water energy was severely low. Only time and water could restore it until she got to the Keep. The Fire Fae smiled warmly. "Is that better?"

"Much." Kaoru admitted once she caught her breath. "Can I have more?"

Warm purple eyes danced as he chuckled softly as he carefully lowered her back down. "Of course you can. Or, if you want, I made dinner if you feel up to it?"

Kaoru glanced over at the large fire to see a small pot sitting beside some glowing coals he had pulled away from the fire. The idea of food made Kaoru's empty stomach cramp and she was suddenly sure she could eat a whole deer to herself. "I'm starving." Again the red head smiled and Kaoru's heart gave a soft flutter.

"Dinner is served, that it is." He said, moving quickly to his own pack and pulling a bowl from it. He ladled some of the soup in the bowl and returned. This time he allowed Kaoru to sit up completely but he still had her lean against him to save her strength. Kaoru felt strange letting herself lean against his chest as he wrapped his arm around her side and helped her hold the bowl with the other. He was warm though, the heat of him seeped into her stiff body. The soup was rabbit he must have caught, with a half dozen wild edibles thrown in. Onion, some garlic, thin wild carrots and tubers of some kind mingled with the meat, as well as a few more greens. Kaoru ate slowly only because she lacked the strength or coordination to wolf it down like she wanted to. She drank water like a greedy child, much to his amusement.

Near the end of her meal she felt the Fire Fae press his forehead to the back of her head and sigh.

Kaoru froze. "Is everything alright?" she asked. He must be just as tired as she was.

"It was close, that it was." Was all he said at first. A long silence stretched out and Kaoru thought he would say no more. But then slowly, softly, he continued. "You are brave and strong. You caught me off guard and you joined me in battle against those scouts." He took a deep breath. "I almost lost you." He said softly. "I got much of that poison out, but there was no way for me to get rid of it all." He sighed then, the arm at her side tightened, pulling her tighter against him. "You stopped breathing twice. I had to give you my breath to bring you back."

The kiss of life. Kaoru touched her tongue to her lips, the idea of being so near death made the soup sit heavy in her stomach. But this man had saved her. He didn't even know who she was, she even attacked him.

"T-thank you. For saving my life." She said softly, her chin going to her chest.

"I had to." He said simply, his tone uplifting. "I never had a Fae sneak up on me before."

… . . …

She felt weak in his arms but Kenshin was certain that she would be fine. Her hair felt damp and cool against his forehead and smelled of clean sweat from the brief yet terrifying bout of fever she had battled while unconscious. He remembered praying to the God Tohi. The God of fire and creation. Although his prayer was more like demands than requests in-between gasps of air as he breathed life back into the water fae. He only now wondered if the Fire Deity would help one from the wet clans. His arm tightened around her yet again and she lifted her head slightly. He had seen the blue light of her Water life force expand around her and slowly fade away as it tried to help her body heal. He was afraid too much of that power was gone now. She would need to replenish it soon if she was to get well.

"You're being overly sentimental about this." She said lightly.

Kenshin smiled to himself, a sad upturn of lips. "I feel responsible for you being wounded. I swore I would do right by you."

The Water Fae huffed. "I wanted to help you, remember. I'm not your responsibility."

Kenshin pulled away slightly so she could turn and face him. "Even so, allowing you to help me was a promise that I would protect you."

His words made her huff even more. Blue eyes flashed with emotion in a fascinating display.

"I don't need your protection." She insisted. "I've been trained since childhood. I caught you if you remember."

Oh, Kenshin remembered. His heart nearly stopped when he felt the cold bite of a blade against his throat. He thought a Drow had snuck up from behind him. Imagine his surprise to see a female Water Fae at the end of that knife.

Kenshin was not prejudice. A woman could do the same amount of harm as a man. If anything they could use their gender to strike a fatal blow. And in his younger years he might have thought himself stronger than a Water Fae, but as he grew older he soon learned that each element had their own power. Still…he was surprised.

He watched the anger flood her eyes and bring them to life. He was glad, for he had seen those same eyes faded in death and twice he had brought her back. "Yes, yes. I remember" he said softly.

"Thank you though." She said softly. "For saving my life." She repeated.

Kenshin couldn't help but hold her tightly. "Think nothing of it." He said as she drifted off.

… . . …

A soft sigh broke the early morning silence as Kaoru let her eyes flutter open. Directly before her the large fire had died down to a few glowing coals in the middle of a black circle. A thin trail of smoke weaved its way up from the embers. The sun was just starting to peek up from the horizon and sending golden shafts of light to weave around the trunks of trees. Quickly she recited her morning prayer.

"Earth below, sky above,
Morning Sun bringing love,
Oh gracious Goddess,
Oh gracious God
I ask you to stay with me this day.
Be in my thoughts and heart,
In all I do and all I say.
Mother of all,
Help me be the best I can be
So people will know the wonder of you.
Oh gracious God,
Keep me safe and whole
And face each day with hope and joy."…

The ritual words flowed with ease from memory and continued on for a few more long moments. Normally she spoke the prayer out loud, but the wonderful sound of morning birds and rustling leaves were too wonderful for her to interrupt. And at the end, she thank the Goddesses and Gods for the Fire who healed her. Shifting her eyes and moving to sit up, she found her unexpected companion leaning against the trunk of a tree beside her lean-to. His chin was to his chest and his mane of red hair acted as a curtain to hide his face. One hand rested on his knee while the other was gripping his sword. Even in sleep he didn't allow himself to relax.

Odd how much had happened in the span of a day. She spoke to the Snow Lady, ambushed a Fire, attacked a camp of Drow and then nearly died. Oh how her father must be rolling in his grave.

But what an adventure.

Kaoru couldn't help but smile at the sleeping red-head that had saved her life. He didn't have to save her life after she had attacked him. But he had, he had fought hard to keep her alive.

Feeling odd about her new experience, she slowly climbed up to her feet and reached for her pack.

"Careful."

Kaoru turned at the sound of his voice. She found the Fire standing, looking as if he wasn't asleep a moment ago. He looked calm and in control, but there was something in his eyes. It was just a flash, a moment of worry and concern. It was just enough for Kaoru to catch and she felt a sudden rush of emotion. It caused her eyes to burn and her throat closed up.

"I'm alright." She said around the lump in her throat.

He could hear the catch in her voice and his eyes seemed to pierce right into her. "Are you sure? You can rest longer…I'll take care of you, that I will."

That was it. Kaoru swung back down to her pack to hide the surge of tears from him. Why couldn't she hold it together? She struggled as she sorted through her pack, not seeing anything inside. Was it because after all this time someone finally seemed to care? After her father passed over a year ago, she had felt little of that warm caring. Sure her friends loved her and her most loyal people cared for her, but this was different. This was a stranger, someone from the outside that had only known her for a few hours and really seemed to worry about her. And then, it was her condition she had to think about. Her powers were nearly drained, she was weak. She needed a bed-mate to help restore her. But no, that was out of the question. She gave her head a mental shake.

Finally her hands landed on a soft pack of cloth-like seaweed from the now tropical waters around the Keep. "I'll be right back." She was surprised at how controlled her voice was. She risked looking over her shoulder and flashed the stranger a smile. "Gotta take care of nature."

Her bout of silence had worried him, and his expression hardly changed. "Oh. Alright. Don't go far, call me if you need help."

Kaoru gave a soft laugh. "I'm sure I can manage." She said as she moved away from the clearing to a thick overgrowth of sapling trees.

"Yes, but you are still extremely weak, that you are."

He had taken a step, as if he wanted to follow her, but finally paused and let her wander off to her privacy.

Kaoru, finally alone had to steady herself and breathe deep. She missed her father, and the feeling of safety …the feeling of being cared for by someone. It suddenly rushed her and she allowed herself a moment to weep at the feelings this stranger had suddenly pulled to the surface. If she had died, would anyone really care?

… . . …

Kenshin had seen her crumble. It took all he had not to follow after her. With a sigh he paced the clearing. He would allow her her privacy but it was difficult to witness the change in her. The warrior Water fae that had fought so bravely beside him deflated before his eyes. Even while poisoned and dying, she was brave and stubborn. Something had happened; it was as if she suddenly lost her will.

It was hard, he realized. Kenshin was stunned to recognize that he was as attached to the Water as much as he was. He wasn't much fond of them, truthfully; after his forced marriage. Yet this woman had the passion of a Fire.

Finally she returned and her red eyes gave away the fact that tears had fallen. Even though she flashed him a breathtaking smile, it was hard to see those jewel-like eyes red and puffy. Kenshin didn't inquire, if she wanted to express her emotions out of eyesight then he could respect that.

"How are you feeling?" He pushed.

"A bit weak. But considering I was dying hours ago I guess I'm doing pretty well." She said as she folded his blanket.

Oh how she was facing that fact. Kenshin was no fool. He had been in countless battles. He had seen hardened warriors come back from the brink of death and fall to bits for days. It was hard for a person to suddenly face the fragile thread that their mortality had become. This woman was no different. He could see that she had cried, he could see the tremor in her hands as she struggled with the blanket and the forced calmness she was trying to show.

He could almost feel the cry from her body, the need for intimacy. It was strange, the nature of the Water Fae, but not strange to Kenshin. He knew and fought alongside many Earth fae and they liked nothing more than to spend their times in the arms of lovers. It was how they tapped into their power. How they survived. Water were nearly the same, he had learned. For Fire, however, the act of lovers was strictly forbidden other than between a man and his wife. He tossed those vows out long ago. But the laws still meandered in his mind. And his lost love meandered in his heart.

Without a word, and before he could think better of it, he set his sword against the lean-to and approached her. He took the blanket from her shaking hands and dropped it back on the forest floor. She glanced up at him in question. Her mouth just opened to speak but he took her in his arms and held her tightly against him.

"What..?" She started, moving to push away. But she was weak and Kenshin held tight.

"Cry." He demanded.

"I beg your pardon?" She moved her head so she was eye to eye with him. She was startled, frozen, like a deer the moment its been spotted.

"I want you to cry, that I do." He continued.

"I…I don't want to cry." She suddenly sounded angry and there was a flash in her eyes, but it quickly fizzled away.

"You need to. You're facing your mortality, the fact that you about died and what that would mean to the people in your life. You're a fragile creature, and your story almost ended yesterday. I know what that can do to a man. I know you need to express it or it will weigh heavy on your heart for far too long. And I don't want to see your beautiful spirit crushed by this, that I don't."

Shocked by this, she looked up at him. Her mouth open, eyes wide but her voice silent. Then as if in slow motion he watched as she fell to pieces. Tears flowed from those impossibly large eyes and she fell against him as her legs gave out. Kenshin bore her weight and rested his chin on top of her head as she sobbed into his chest.

"There…that's better." He whispered. He ran his hand through her blue-black hair as he softly encouraged her. There was fear and pain flowing out of her body as the tears flowed from her eyes. He supported her the whole time.

After a few minutes her sobbing quieted but the tears still flowed. Her arms had wrapped around him and she held him just as tightly as he was holding her.

"I had never felt lonelier in my life." She finally said around the hiccups and slowing tears.

Surprised, Kenshin tipped his head to look at her. Her hair was a mess, her face far more red and puffy than before, but she was still just as lovely. "Lonely? How would a woman like you possibly be lonely?" He meant it as a bit of a joke, to lighten the mood and get her to see that she wasn't as lonely as she thought. Yet she buried her face back against his damp clothes and gave a shuddering sigh.

"I have no close family. I have friends, yes. Some of them very close…but no one would really miss me if I passed on." She fell so silent and still after that and Kenshin held her extra tight.

"I had a moment…" her voice stuck.

"A moment..?" Kenshin pressed. But she shook her head silently. "Tell me, it will only eat at your soul if you don't."

"I had a moment, that I wished I had died, so I could join my family. But I have too much responsibility to go now." She added quickly, "I'm not a coward; I won't run away from what I have to do." She pulled away to look up at him. "It was only a moment of feeling, but it's gone now."

Kenshin gave her a soft smile. "And do you feel better after a good cry?"

She nodded. "It was nice…to have someone there while I cried. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He was about to finally start to pull away but she held him tightly and suddenly placed her lips against his. It was just a fluttering kiss, a nervous, unsure touching of the lips. Yet it froze Kenshin to the spot. She pulled away slightly, eyes large as if surprised by her actions. Then seeing that he didn't pull away, tipped her head and kissed him again.

A/n Ooooo They still don't know who the other is!
For some reason I feel this chapter was a bit confusing, not sure why. If you have questions Please ask!
This is going to make for a very intresting reunion once they do realize? Oooo can't wait, can't wait.
Thank you for reading! reviews are loved!