Chapter Thirty-Six

"When you say 'bad', are you suggesting what they bring with them is inherently evil?"

The question came from Sōzō who was still standing at attention behind Genzai's empty chair. Kenshin was glad for his input. All of the information they were being given was starting to look like too much for Kaoru, and he hugged her gently into his side when her face turned into his ribs. He wanted to know everything they knew and had kept from him, but also did not wish to upset her.

"Hmm. Not necessarily." The vial in Megumi's hand lowered. "To clarify, when I said they bring something with them, it's more like their soul has been… infected, I suppose is the closest word to describe the process. Infected with unnatural abilities."

The nine-tailed fox nodded slowly, and expanded further on Megumi's explanation. His gentle voice did little to ease the dreadfulness of what he spoke of.

"Historically, those touched by the veil separating life from death have posed a catastrophic threat to the living. A few thousand years ago, one such soul brought back from the dead was said to have killed hundreds of thousands of people by summoning poison rain. Another nearly ended the humans single-handedly by biting them and turning their corpses into gluttonous undead that ate their own. Luckily, she was set loose on a small island, and the demons of that time were able to purge the population before it spread."

"Those abilities… sound terrifying." Enishi's deep voice was solemn. A soft hum of agreement issued from the tenko's throat.

"To bring us back to an early point, these powers are also part of the reason why the reproductive parts are removed from the host of the revived soul. Hence why Kaoru-san would not have had a uterus even if her body wasn't artificial. It is a rule the necromancers created on their own. The reason is unclear, but I found a theory that they feared a child born of once dead parents would literally be Death incarnate."

The extra information was slightly chilling to contemplate, and everyone faltered as the subject of the conversation veered off course. A soft breath interrupted the quiet, and Tomoe finally spoke up from the other side of Kaoru.

"So… these powers manifest differently in each soul. Do you know if it is something the necromancer can pre-determine, or is it chance?"

"We don't know for certain, but I believe it is chance."

"And Kaoru's tears. You think that's what she received from the veil?"

Megumi answered, and her hip cocked to one side as she shifted her weight.

"I think it's connected. As you discovered during your study of it, it is made of a substance that is unnatural to our world. I doubt this is the extent of what she received, though. I mean, she's certainly not much a threat if she has to cry on someone to make it work, and I doubt that piss-ant shadow demon would find a power like that worth his time."

"It also seems unlikely that he doesn't know what power she brought back with her. Which means he's made her use it already." The stone golem's voice was reasonable and troubled at the same time. "Why then, has she not manifested anything over this last year? Even if she can't remember anything, I have trouble believing she wouldn't have used it unconsciously at least once."

In Kenshin's arms, Kaoru trembled, and he rubbed her shoulder comfortably.

"In a way, she has." Once more the vial was waved in the air. "However, you're right. This is less like a full-blown example and more like it leaking out of her. Which is why I think he sealed the power she got from the veil with this."

The projection changed back to the full body diagram, and Megumi pointed her arm through the 3-D image to indicate the disintegrating seal on her chest.

"He sealed the power before Kaoru escaped him, which means he's afraid of it." Megumi crossed her arms and grinned. "I wouldn't have thought so before today, but after seeing the damage that girl did to Iizuka, I wonder if she tried to use it on Sōjirō at one point. As the castor of this seal, he would have been able to remove and reapply the seal at will in order to keep her under control. As we now know, he loosened it after sneaking into the lab last year. I believe he did so thinking she might use it on us. It's still a possibility, but…"

"Kaoru would never do that."

Tomoe and Enishi spoke at the same time Kenshin did to deny Megumi's claim, and the fox closed her mouth to frown at them. Genzai chuckled, and even Sōzō's serious features lightened. Akira's dark eyes continued to be drawn to the coal demon, and his expression warmed to see her defend her friend so passionately. It had not escaped the tengu's notice that she was sitting separately from the stone golem.

"But…" Megumi continued sternly. "I don't think he counted on her becoming attached to you three the way she has. She's also quite willful, which doesn't make for a very reliable puppet."

"Puppet?" Kenshin finally spoke up again, because he did not like what Megumi was insinuating.

"That's right. Did you really think a necromancer wouldn't make sure he has a way to control the soul he's brought back from the dead?"

"Here, Himura-san." The tenko pointed towards the projection once more. "These four seals on her limbs are actually runes. Because he used such a combination of Eastern and Western techniques, and because it did not appear that her body was being enhanced in any way, we initially assumed these to be seals. However, we now know that they serve a dual purpose. The first, as you have probably already guessed, are for control. Sōjirō is able to use these four runes to control Kaoru-san's body and force her to obey his will. Unfortunately, we cannot remove them to sever that control."

"Why not?"

"If we do, it could permanently disable her body." Genzai's voice was patient in the face of Kenshin's challenging demand.

"Slick bastard." It was hard to tell whether the vixen was annoyed or impressed.

"The other purpose for these runes seems to be keeping her body functional. While her body was created using live tissue, Gein is not one to simply… leave a doll the way it is. To be fair, her body is the closest to natural I have ever seen one of his creations to be; however, these runes do provide enhancements. Not in strength or even healing. To put it simply, as long as these runes remain on her body… she'll never die."

"Never?" Tomoe's voice was soft with shock.

"Don't misunderstand. She can die, if the seal in her brain is destroyed. But her body would still be alive, even if that happened. Which is also why we cannot risk removing the runes, even knowing Sōjirō could use them to control her. We just cannot be certain her body would remain alive after their removal. If that happened, it would in reverse. Her soul would be trapped inside of an inanimate body, and the best we could do for her would be to destroy the seal."

Unconsciously, Kenshin's arms tightened around Kaoru's back. Any suggestion that they might have to kill her, even out of mercy, frightened him.

"Don't forget, the runes will eventually fade, so it's not like she's immortal." Next to Genzai's soft voice, Megumi's was slightly grating. "They're so well done, though, that it's impressive. If I had to hazard a guess… they'll probably last two… maybe three millennia. I'm including the seal on her brain in that estimation. By the way, that's twice the life span of an elemental demon, Ken-sama." Two fingers were held up demonstratively, and she winked at him.

Kenshin frowned at her briefly for being snide, but then glanced down at Kaoru. Blue eyes had finally peeked up at him, and her eyes were slightly wide in wonder.

She'll… live longer than me?

"Which brings us to our last topic of discussion." The projection was zoomed in on the seal now inside Kaoru's throat. "You'll be pleased to know we are now ready to remove this."

Kaoru sat up instantly, and Kenshin blinked at the excitement on her face. Then he smiled in relief.

"That's right, you won't be a mute for very much longer, and maybe you'll actually answer some of my damn questions."

Pink lips pursed as Kaoru mock glared at the vixen. Though amused, Kenshin' smile faded, and his violet eyes lowered after a moment.

"It seems rather convenient that you suddenly know how to remove it now."

"Himura-san." Tomoe tried to scold him, but Megumi held up a hand.

"No. He's right. I actually figured out this seal pretty early after removing the pin in her mouth. However, I knew removing it would tip Sōjirō off, and I wanted more time to come up with a counter move. It's lucky that I did, because Iizuka ended up showing me something that I had missed, and since he was being fed information directly from Sōjirō, I knew I had to take it into consideration as well."

With both hands, Megumi pulled the image of the seal into pieces. While the untrained eye would have no clue what they were looking at, she pointed to the trouble section immediately.

"This here is actually connected directly to the seal on her brain."

Tomoe gasped. "If you removed the seal without knowing… you could have damaged her soul seal."

Slowly, the excitement drained from Kaoru's face, and she looked briefly distracted. As if recalling something she hadn't before.

"Yes, but not in a way that would have killed her. Instead, it would have permanently damaged her memories. I believe Sōjirō did that on purpose, though I don't know for whom. Since he initially tried to hunt her down, we can assume it was not part of his original plan for her to escape. It could have just been a general safety measure, but it works perfectly. Anyone trying to forcefully remove the seal keeping her from speaking would lose any chance of learning what she knows. As for us, though he probably didn't expect us to become attached to her, permanently damaging her in such a way is… immoral. Since he only wants her powers, having her memory intact is likely a non-issue for him."

Instead of a nail, Kaoru stuck the entire tip of her thumb into her mouth, and chewed on it distractedly.

"But… you've figured out how to remove it safely now?" Tomoe was too wrapped up in what Megumi was saying to notice.

"I have, and… Genzai-sensei has agreed to assist. We should have everything ready the day after tomorrow."

Kaoru wanted the seal gone. She wanted to be able to speak, to sing, to say Kenshin's name, but some niggling notion of danger was warning her to slow down.

"Aren't you excited, Kaoru-san?" Tomoe's hand touched Kaoru's shoulder, and Kaoru turned to smile at Tomoe. She was excited. Maybe she was just being paranoid, because she didn't trust Sōjirō. Maybe it would be okay. Megumi seemed to be well-prepared. Maybe she could trust them.

Oh.

Her face fell again as she remembered something else, and she twisted in her seat to face Kenshin.

That's right.

"What's wrong, Miss Kaoru?"

"We're going to the summer festival the day after tomorrow."

Surely that was what was bothering her.

"Uh…" All eyes turned on Kenshin, and he blinked.

"We're still going, right?" The bottom portion of her lip pouted, as if afraid he would say no. One of his hands reached out to take hers.

"We don't have to go, Miss Kaoru. This is more important than that."

The pout became more pronounced, and her large sapphire irises shimmered with tears. It was the single most unfair and dangerous look he had ever seen.

"It may be best to let her have this, Himura-san." Genzai chuckled softly. "We can push our operation back one day to accommodate."

Megumi sighed in disgust before turning away. "Yeah, fine. Whatever."

"I'm sorry, sweet girl. I forgot all about your date. I know how much you've been looking forward to it." Tomoe tucked one side of Kaoru's loose hair behind her ear, but Kaoru was still looking at him.

"Alright, Miss Kaoru. I did promise to take you."

Finally, she smiled again.

X

For the next hour, they discussed details related to the seal's removal. By that time, Kenshin was nearly asleep in his chair. When everyone stood as the meeting finally adjourned, Kenshin stretched and yawned while thinking longingly of a good night's sleep. Before he could sneak away to the couch, Enishi grabbed him by the arm and jerked his head in demand towards the hallway. Kaoru was preoccupied with Tomoe, who was discussing wardrobe choices. Since he seemed pretty serious, Kenshin followed without question, thinking he had something to share about Iizuka. Unfortunately for him, once they were safely outside of the host lab and where no one could see or hear them, Enishi turned and punched him as hard as he could without warning. The stone golem's fist was like a boulder attempting to flatten him into the ground.

Slamming into the wall first and then falling heavily to his knees, Kenshin watched the room spin as his brain attempted to process what had just happened. Then a hand appeared in front of his face, and he jerked his dazed eyes up to Enishi in honest bewilderment. He waited a couple seconds, mostly for his stomach to settle, and then accepted the help up. Enishi did not let him go immediately.

"Don't ever walk out on Kaoru like that again, or I'll steal her away from you."

Red lashes widened, and the intensity in emerald eyes said they would stay in that hallway until Enishi received a response he was satisfied with.

"I understand." Kenshin's reply was slow.

"Good."

A nod, and then the hard expression on the younger demon's face became slightly uncomfortable. He turned away for the door quickly, and Kenshin's hand fisted as he stared at Enishi's retreating back. Sharing Kaoru's attention with Tomoe and Enishi had become routine, but this wasn't the same thing. This made him self-conscious of just how important it was to put in more effort when it came to the relationship he wanted to have with Kaoru. His voice was much clearer and more confident when he spoke again, and he bowed at the golem's back.

"I'm going to take care of her properly from now on."

Enishi paused with his hand on the doorknob, and his deep voice was low when he responded.

"…Good."

Explaining the swollen portion of his face when they both returned was played off by claiming he had accidentally misjudged the door. While Tomoe accepted the explanation, it was clear she did not buy it. Kaoru fussed about what to do, since it seemed putting ice on it would be impossible and not something Kenshin would allow anyway. In the end, Megumi tossed him an ointment, before escorting their guests to her office. They would be sticking around for the remainder of the week. A fact that seemed to agree with Akira.

Slowly, the lab emptied as evening drew closer, and Tomoe mentioned returning to her own apartment in order to refresh the limited clothes and supplies she had left at the lab for overnight stays. Though Enishi was not happy about leaving Kenshin alone with Kaoru, it was a moot point since they had already spent several nights alone together without incident. It certainly proved Kenshin was quite trustworthy. While Kenshin did have more to say to Kaoru, and being alone was the perfect time to express those emotions to her, he was much too exhausted to try that evening. And she seemed to be just as worn out.

There's no rush, I suppose. Now that I've had a little more time to think it through, maybe I should play it up some. I really don't like the idea of confessing in this damn lab, either.

The cameras certainly made privacy an issue.

When all was said and done, Kenshin was even too tired to argue with Kaoru laying out the extra futon for him inside her room instead of in the rec room, as was usual. Since the salamander decided to make an appearance to lay with Kaoru in her bed, Kenshin's tired brain figured the situation was properly handled. Though he missed the irony of assuming a piece of himself would be the best chaperone against himself. They were both fast asleep before he could finish saying good-night, anyway.

X

The heat surrounding him was thick and nearly tangible. As a fire demon, it was the most comfortable sensation he had ever experienced. Adrift and content, he gazed around him without truly comprehending what it was he was witnessing. He seemed to be inside of a bubble comprised of red, gold, and orange walls. The colors swirled together, like the surface of the sun, and it was large enough to fit his entire apartment inside of. Directly at the center of that large bubble, was the Kagu-tsuchi.

The sword was magnificent, and just like the first time he had seen it, his lungs stalled. It was a powerful weapon, and was older than the Earth itself. Though Kenshin claimed to have mastered it, he knew the truth. The sword had accepted him. It did not bow to anyone.

A strange noise creased his features, and Kenshin shook his head to rid himself of the distraction.

Liquid fire poured from out of the sword. It filled the bubble with life and strength. All around him, Kenshin could feel the power that was the Kagu-tsuchi, and before all else, it made him think of his father. It was the same calm intensity his father had carried around with him. One day, Kenshin hoped he could achieve the same level of dignity and control.

The noise was getting louder, and more insistent. Full on frowning now, Kenshin swung his gaze upward to the top of the bubble. Only then did he notice the sphere was scarred. Behind and slightly above him, two large serrated gashes marred the splendor of the bubble he was within. They crossed one another, and threatened the integrity of the enclosure housing the Kagu-tsuchi's fire. A strange thought occurred to him. If left unchecked, such damage could result in the full collapse of the bubble. Which then would result in the entire might of the sword unleashing upon… everything.

W-wait… what am I seeing? What is this place?

Now the noise was so loud it shook his eardrums. Covering both ears with his hands, Kenshin jerked his head around desperately to find the source of such an obnoxious racket. It was then that he realized there was an external space outside of his bubble. A space he could actually see because of the translucent surface of the golden sphere.

"W-what the hell?"

Something gigantic was wrapped around the outside of the sphere. Something covered in flames… but also feathers. Two large wings curled tight around the sides of the bubble. A dark, red underbelly sat squarely over the crossed slashes. Below him, hanging in the open, were dangerously sharp talons of pure black that scissored together at the end of each orange leg. The noise, that was coming from the very top. Like a chainsaw, it rumbled the entire structure, and was the single most annoying snore Kenshin had ever heard. Draped over the apex of the sphere, the beast's large head slept hard. Its long neck was fully extended, and its chin was cocked to one side, leaving its gigantic beak slightly open.

What is that thing? And why is it here?

Trying to press his hands even harder over his ears, Kenshin caught movement out of the corner of his eye. Violet eyes darted to his right in an attempt to catch the newest culprit. Between the beast's feathers, something long and dark was circling them. A moment of trepidation filled Kenshin's heart, and he watched it circumnavigate over the top of the feathered beast until it had made an entire circuit of the sphere. Like a snake wrapping around prey. It was then that he realized this new presence was large enough that it had already encircled them five times with the length of its shadowed body.

What was its intentions? Did it mean harm to the other beast? Dropping his hands, Kenshin jogged to one side, trying to follow what he had decerned as the head. On the side furthest from the other beast's main body, the sphere was exposed and vulnerable. It was there that the second beast struck.

Though it would have done little, Kenshin instinctively jumped back when the head came at him. Instead of attacking, however, it stopped just on the other side of the bubble. Large, golden eyes stared into his own; challenging him; intimidating him. Deep, blood red scales covered its skin in hardened defense. Twin horns sprouted from the top crest of its head. They curled once back in on themselves, then in one large half moon towards each other, before ending in another curl. The horns glowed red and black and orange, like molten lava fresh from the bowels of the planet.

A… dragon…

It huffed at him, and fire issued from its nostrils. Twin spikes jutted straight up from the tip of its nose. When it spoke, its voice echoed inside of his head like draining sunlight.

"I NEED TO BE BETTER."

X

A/N: Whew. Finally got all that talky stuff out of the way. Yippee! So much more stuff in this chapter. I had a harder time writing it than I would have liked, but it had a bit to do with sleeping on my neck wrong, and now I can't get the muscle to stretch out, lol. Old people problems. Ugh. I was quite excited when this new aspect to Kenshin's character came to me. It's making everything come together so neatly. Loving this dragon journey he's on. Side note, I always think of comments for this part, and then forget them when I actually get here, lol. I had this funny "hold my beer" moment when I wrote about Kenshin destroying the seal Iizuka put on the charm. Oh well. Coming up, some moments in the dark, and some young men who haven't been seen in a while. Thank you so much for sticking it out with me!