Chapter Sixty-Two
Time passed differently inside of Death's Veil, or rather, it was hard to tell if time was passing at all. Though it was impossible, and completely unnecessary, to sleep, Kaoru found that her awareness faded in and out. Currently lying on her side, she blinked back into consciousness as if awakening from some strange trance.
They were still hiding underneath the green frog slide; her and her fireform companion. The small fireform never strayed far from her, but rarely hid itself fully within the cavity of her chest anymore. Instead, it curled against her bosom and allowed her to cuddle it, almost like a child. The strong attachment it had for her did not feel strange to Kaoru, nor did she question it. Something inside of her was attached to it as well. Fiercely attached. Nothing and no one would harm or take the small flame from her. Not even, or especially, Death.
Unaware of her now sapphire eyes, she pushed herself up with a gasp to find the fireform standing near the entrance to their hiding spot and not by her side. It was growing bolder. Half-hidden behind the plastic walls and peeking outside, her companion did not appear to be looking for their pursuer. Instead, it remained still and transfixed, as if staring at something it might want. Licking her lips, and crawling closer, Kaoru cast her voice to a bare whisper for fear of Death's return.
"Not so close." Her hand reached out when the fireform turned. "What if he comes back?"
With a cute little skip, the fireform danced closer to her outstretched fingers, and its two tiny hands rested atop her palm. From out of the swirling beauty of its flames, she thought it peered up at her, and it seemed quite excited. Unable to help herself, Kaoru smiled.
"What is it? Did you see something you liked?"
Eager little nods jerked its head up and down, and its tiny hands curled around her thumb to pull her towards the entrance.
"B-but… it's not safe, little one."
Again, it nodded, and one hand pointed through the opening to the outside. Taking a breath, Kaoru gave in and peeked outside to see what it was it saw.
To her surprise, it was not just the frog slide they had taken cover underneath that was flush with color. The entire playground was now drenched with life, and appeared out of place within the black and white world of the Veil. Like a barrier, a soft, pearlescent bubble sheltered all of the playground equipment, and even brightened the ground with a light that was more natural than the muted half-glow of the rest of the world.
"Did… did you do this?" Surprised, Kaoru glanced down at the fireform standing safely under the shelter of her body. A rather prideful nod was her answer. "Amazing!"
The little flame puffed up, and she giggled at its reaction. A moment later, and it pulled again on her thumb.
"You want to go out there?" More enthusiastic yanks on her thumb and nods of its head. Chewing her lip, Kaoru inhaled sharply and urged the tiny flame to one side. "Ok, but let me go first. I'll make sure it's safe."
With careful and slightly trembling steps, Kaoru climbed out from under the frog slide and stepped slowly out into the open. Sand and small gravel crunched under her shoes, and even her breathing sounded loud in her anxious ears. Quick glances around her searched for any dangers, but there was nothing near them. No sound or wind or other lifeforms. When she turned to beckon the little fireform, she found it gone, and her heart stopped. She then jumped when its arms wrapped around her calf.
A curse spilled from her mouth before she could stop herself, but she didn't jerk away.
"You scared the crap out of me." It looked up at her with concern, so she bent down to rub her thumb across the side of its face in reassurance. Since its head was only a little larger than her thumb, she made sure her touch was gentle. "I'm sorry. I'm not mad." Switching her tone to excited, she glanced around. "It looks like we've got the whole playground to ourselves. What did you want to do first?"
Instantly, its little arm lifted to point at the swings, and she grinned.
"Good choice! Let's go."
The little flame wasn't big enough to climb onto the swing alone, but with a careful boost, Kaoru settled it square in the middle of the hard plastic seat. It was also much too small to even reach the chains for balance, but instead clung to the front of its seat for safety. Seating herself in the sand just behind the swing, Kaoru ever so gently pushed the plastic seat into slow and smooth oscillations. The fireform did not make a noise, but she could tell that it was really happy.
A couple minutes of giggling later, and the fireform turned to point upwards with one hand.
"You want to go higher?"
A nod agreed.
"Hmm… that's dangerous at your size, little one." Its head tilted, and she tried to explain. "Your hands need to touch these chains before I can push you higher. See?" She pointed at the chains the seat was hanging from, and her companion stared at them in deep contemplation. One of its little hands reached, and she smiled. "See, you can't… reach…"
Except it could, and she blinked as it lifted its other hand to clasp the other side as well. Within the bare space of three breaths, her small flame had grown again in size and was now almost as big as a small toddler.
"Hold up now." Placing her hands around its torso, she leaned forward and to one side. "You can grow at will?" Its head tilted again, as if unsure what she meant. Giving up, Kaoru shrugged. "Well alright. Ready?" Its entire body jiggled with its happy nods.
Repositioning her body into a squat a little further back than she had originally been, Kaoru pushed slightly harder and watched with her heart in her throat as the little fireform swung up and out into an easy arch. Two more pushes helped maintain the momentum, and Kaoru had delightfully forgotten their predicament when she caught sight of something dark and tall at the edge of their playground boundary.
Sapphire eyes swung up to focus on the distant figure, and she gasped sharply in fear to see that Death had returned.
X
The gasp echoed into Kaoru's waking world, and her confused brain required too much time to realize that she had only been dreaming. Swallowing, and wiping her sweat-soaked forehead on her sleeve, she half sat up on bent legs to drop the blanket off her shoulders. A grimace creased her face, and she pressed a hand hard into her sternum. Her chest was on fire! Patches of clammy sweat stuck her shirt to her breasts, stomach, and back, and a strange ache with pressure pounded against the very center of her breastbone. As if something was trying to burst out.
After a time, the cool air of the lab woke her fully, and eased the heat emitting from her body. The pounding in her chest slowly dissipated. Several minutes later, her eyes finally dropped to the floor next to her cot in remembrance that she was not alone. Kenshin had stayed overnight. After his stressful day, Kaoru had insisted that he stay. Seeing him so vulnerable, witnessing him at his weakest, had awoken a much deeper, loving part of her. It was not a love that was purely romantic and flirty, but a secure and protective love that, while less exciting, was full of more purpose. Nothing about his flaws frightened or annoyed her, and she didn't want to let him out of her sight anymore. She worried about him living alone. If he needed her with him, then she wanted to be there. She wanted to take care of him, and not just because she had promised his father that she would. She needed to take care of him. For so many reasons, she had to do everything that she could to be strong for him.
I can't fail again. I won't let rage and anger win. Not in either of us.
Dark lashes squeezed shut, and she ducked her chin into her collarbones. Her hand fisted at her sternum. Steadied, she slipped her legs off the side of her bed, and snuck to the bathroom to rinse off and change.
When she returned, Kaoru realized that Kenshin had fallen asleep hours before while holding her hand. As a result, his body now lay sprawled on his side, and his right arm was outstretched upon the cold floor. Thinking to save him, Kaoru clasped his wrist in her fingers and tucked his arm back against his chest. Unfortunately, the touch revealed that his body had still not regained his healthy levels of heat, or at least it had not regained the levels of heat that she was used to.
Is he sick? Can fire demons get sick?
Worried and anxious, Kaoru fretted over what to do. Tomoe had claimed that he would warm back up after his breathing had returned to normal, but that had been hours before. He wasn't clammy, but she wasn't even sure if he could sweat. Which eliminated that as a symptom. With a sad pout, Kaoru realized that she knew next to nothing about fire demons. Something she was going to have quickly rectify if she was going to take care of him.
Grabbing her blanket from the bed, Kaoru fluffed it over the top of him. From experience, Kaoru knew that Kenshin was a light sleeper, and it was concerning that he had not woken up despite her disturbances. Pulling her pillow from the bed as well, she climbed into the empty space behind him on the futon and shuffled herself flush against his spine to share heat. Though she remained flat on her back, her face warmed despite her best effort. Sharing a blanket felt extremely intimate, especially when they were so close together.
A memory from over a year before decided to blossom at the front of her mind, and she slapped a hand over her face. After his more literal meltdown, and before his journey to the mountains, Kaoru had slept near his then unconscious form lying on the couch. Upon waking in the middle of the night, she had found him finally alert, but regretful and upset. Though at the time she had only meant to comfort him, she had unthinkingly lifted her blanket for him to join her.
How did I offer to let him sleep with me without even blinking?! We barely knew each other then! Idiot!
Beside her, Kenshin suddenly pushed up onto his elbow, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. His neck stretched to peer over the edge of the cot.
"Kaoru?" The question was confused and seeking, and her heartstrings thrummed.
"H-here."
He turned onto his stomach to blink at her, and his half-asleep expression was adorable.
"What are you doing?" The words were slurred and lazy, but warm instead of reproachful. When he had fully adjusted himself so that he was facing her way, she gasped and shifted to accommodate the arms he wrapped around her. He didn't elaborate his question further, and left it up to her to continue.
"You were cold." Both hands came up hesitantly to touch the arm now draped over her chest. Then his knees pushed up and under her own until they were flush against the backside of her thighs. Her feet ended up tucked between the hook of his legs. Struggling now to breathe, and completely cocooned within his embrace, Kaoru stared at the dark, faraway ceiling. "I-I was afraid you were sick."
Hot breath pushed from his nose and down the backside of her ear. Then the muscles in his shoulders and arms involuntarily clenched and trembled. The action pulled her closer into the curve of his body, and a hum vibrated his chest and throat.
"I'm fine." There was a more than obvious smile in his reassurance. Gently, his nose nuzzled her hair. "You're… really warm."
A smile trembled onto her mouth.
"Yeah?" Natural, giddy goofiness pushed aside any shyness or caution, and her body wriggled with happiness. "Then I'll keep you warm this time, okay?"
Another affectionate hum, and she felt his body slowly relax. Just when she thought he would fall back asleep, his arms weakly hugged her tighter, and his chin lifted to tuck her against his neck.
"Don't disappear." The painful plea was soft in the still room, and her heart ached. "Please. Stay with me."
Kaoru's bottom lip trembled, and she had to catch her breath before she could respond.
"Don't worry, Kenshin. You're stuck with me. Yeah?"
"Yay…" The soft way he echoed her own silly responses made her smile around the pained crease of her expression. She didn't know what specifically had made him fear her absence, but felt his desperation all the same.
I'll protect him this time. I swear I will.
X
When fuzzy violet eyes blinked open in the early morning hours, Kenshin found his body to be heavy with relaxation. Soothing heat insulated him in blessed comfort, and the soft smell of flowery soap wafted inside of his nostrils. A slight shift brushed soft skin against his lips, and his breath hitched gently. Stiff muscles trembled with disuse, and they stretched then clenched to banish leftover fatigue. His brain, however, remained enamored with the nebulous realm of half-sleep, and refused to give up the wonderful sensation blanketing his senses. Everything was as it should be, and he had no reason to fight sleep for the real world.
After all, Kaoru was there. Red lashes flickered to stay open, and the barest twitch of his nose rubbed the tip against her earlobe. A pleased hum rumbled deep in his chest, and he pushed closer to leave a kiss just behind her ear. A second pressed against her jaw. Feeling a touch greedy, he left another just at her cheekbone, but could not reach her temple when he tried. The comfortable and relaxed embrace of his arms shifted naturally, and his hand spread warmly over the opposite side of her face. Leveraged, he was able to turn her into his touch where his neck could not stretch, and he continued his loving worship with slow and gentle kisses along her profile.
No other motives had found space within his currently narrowed world, and he would have continued on with the innocent adoration if his actions had not woken the object of his affection. No jerk or gasp broke the bubble of his passion, though, nor brought him into the reality of their dangerous predicament. Instead, her sapphire eyes fluttered open almost perfectly opposite of his own, and she appeared as relaxed and ensnared by the moment as he was. Muted joy gazed back at him, and he could almost hear her happy voice rewarding him for looking at her. Without any visual rejection of his actions, he kissed her again, this time closer to the corner of her mouth. It was quite natural for his next kiss to be mutual.
Open hands clasped loosely at the bicep he had wrapped over her shoulders, and her body arched every-so-slightly along his torso. A lingering shift, a small break apart for air, and Kenshin rolled so that she was more under him. What had started as innocent was turning quickly to passionate, but neither was willing to stop.
An upset and shrill screech cut directly through the heat clouding their minds, and Kenshin jerked away with a gasp when something sharp and heavy landed on their tangled legs. Using one arm as a brace, he turned quickly to face their attacker, but found only a visually distressed salamander.
"Dammit! What the hell do you want?!"
The frustrated curse was more openly upset than he had meant for it to be, and he heard a sudden and shuddering inhale suck into Kaoru's lungs. At nearly the same time, both of her hands smacked over her face in embarrassment, and she curled onto her side away from them both. The salamander, however, was not affected in the slightest by his outburst, and proceeded to glare at him while at the same time forcing himself between them as a barrier of protection. More, smaller shrieks punctuated by angry squawks lectured him on decency, but regret only softened Kenshin's annoyance when his eyes drug over Kaoru's back. Though only somewhat. Letting himself drop onto his backside, Kenshin raked a hand back through the hair between his horns, and rested his elbow on one upraised knee.
"Ok, we get it." Resigned, Kenshin ordered the menace to stop. "Calm down."
A satisfied rasp said the salamander was pleased with his success, and he flopped himself down against Kaoru's spine. One wing spread out to cover her. Through the link, Kenshin continued his beratement in order to keep his next words from Kaoru.
"If you do that again, I won't be responsible if you disappear."
Golden eyes turned on him, and were serious and unfazed. A small twinge of disconnected anxiety forced Kenshin's eyes to remain averted.
"You are not good enough yet."
Kenshin made a face in disbelief, and curled his arm closer around his skull. His hand fisted into his hair angrily.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
The salamander full-on sighed, like he was having to explain something rudimentary.
"You hurt her when you kiss her."
Kenshin's face dropped with his arm.
Shit.
"Learn better restraint."
He's right.
Swallowing harshly, Kenshin dropped his leg to twist his body back towards Kaoru and the salamander now sitting between them.
"K-Kaoru." Her back was shaking, and his anxiety spiked. Touching a hand to her shoulder, he urged her to look at him. "Are you alright? Did I…?"
Suppressed giggles cut off his concern, and once the laughter had escaped, it was like she gave up trying to muffle it. Kenshin's spine snapped straight as the laughter bit at his pride, and his features frowned a bit petulantly. The laughter was getting louder. When she finally rolled onto her back, her hands were still trying to cover her face, but he could see where her skin was red from a mixture of shyness and mirth.
"I'm sorry." The words gasped out between bursts of hilarity. "I'm not laughing at you. I swear. It's just…" To replace her hands, her arm shifted to use her elbow as cover instead. With her one free hand, she dropped it onto the salamander's head and ruffled it despite his lack of fur. "…you two are so ridiculous."
Sighing, Kenshin glanced at the ceiling for patience, but then started to chuckle as the ludicrous scenario tickled his own amusement. Glad that she was at least not upset, he lowered his eyes a little less urgently to analyze any damage he might have done through his attentions. While he ignored the regal and alert presence of the blood-red beast physically blocking his ability to be near Kaoru, his gaze studied the lower portion of Kaoru's face that wasn't hidden by her arm. Frowning now for a different reason, Kenshin reached out to touch her soft and still moist lips.
She's… fine?
Not a crack or flake of dry skin marred her features or mouth. With his mind now clear and focused, he realized that her kiss had remained slightly wet as well before the salamander had interfered. Otherwise, he was certain he would have stopped them. However, he was also certain that they had shared contact for at least the same amount of time as the two times before, if not longer, when his fire nature had caused her harm. What was so different about this time? Why was she fine only this time?
His touch drew her hand to his wrist, and she peeked at him shyly from out of the crevice of her elbow. The look of wonder and surprise on his face creased her own expression with concern, and she sat up on the futon to face him.
"Is everything alright, Kenshin?" Both hands encircled his wrist now, and she swallowed. "You're still a little cold. Are you sure you're not sick?"
I'm cold? But… I don't really feel cold.
Red brows lifted towards his hairline, and he focused inward to double-check his internal temperature. Overheating was a problem, but it also wasn't safe for his core to drop below a certain level. Strangely, his core was the same extreme temperature as always. It was only his surface temperature that was below normal.
How did that even happen?
With everything that had transpired the day before, Kenshin wasn't able to pinpoint exactly when or how his internal and external temperatures had become so far removed from one another. While he generally kept his external temperature lower, just so he wouldn't be a menace to others nearby, he had learned that what he found comfortable was still fairly high compared to everyone else. Especially compared to the normal temperature of a human.
Wait… so if I match her external temperature, does that mean I can kiss her all I want?
An unwitting smile slowly melted the frown off his face, and Kaoru chewed her lip bashfully under his intense study.
"What is it?" Releasing his wrist to once more cover herself, she berated him for staring. "Stop it." But her words were thick with the smile she couldn't contain.
Caressing her chin, he tilted his head to one side to watch her in fascination.
"Miss Kaoru, how would you like to spend the day out with me on Saturday?"
Sapphire eyes peeked through parted fingers and sparkled with excitement.
"The entire day?!"
Smiling softly, he nodded.
"The whole day. I want to take you somewhere special."
Dropping her hands and hugging the salamander, she squeezed her eyes shut happily.
"Let's do it!"
Chuckling, but glancing at the clock, Kenshin stood.
"The cafeteria should be open by now. I'll go get us some breakfast."
"Okay!"
As Kenshin gathered some clothes to change into, his eyes locked briefly with the golden irises of the salamander. It was a passing glance, but those eyes still made him uneasy. He knew why. They were a direct reminder now. Many times in the past, others had told him that his own eyes had appeared golden. Mostly while enraged. Mostly while not in control of himself. Mostly while killing humans. His eyes flicked upward to Kaoru's back, and then quickly away as he fled from the room. The affectionate and loving atmosphere had inadvertently burst like a bubble for him, and he did not want his internal thoughts to affect her as well. Not now that he knew she was struggling with them, too.
I still need to figure out how to deal with this. Otherwise, we'll never truly be comfortable with one another.
On his way to the elevator, he noticed several missed calls from Sōzō from the day before. Thinking of the favor he had asked of him, Kenshin returned the call immediately for fear something dire might have happened. Sōzō answered on the second ring.
"You're up early, Himura-san."
"Is everything alright?" His concern caused Sōzō to pause, but when he spoke again, his voice was teasing.
"I didn't realize you cared about me so much." Kenshin grumbled, and Sōzō laughed. "Everything's fine. In fact, I found your lost puppy."
The 'puppy' Sōzō referred to meant Yahiko. It also meant that it wasn't safe to name him over the phone.
"Is he safe and unharmed?"
"Well… he's unharmed. Unfortunately, he turned up exactly where we suspected he might."
Then the Emperor really does have him.
The elevator door dinged, and Kenshin stepped off into another hallway. The cafeteria was further in on the current floor, but Kenshin remained in the hallway to finish their conversation.
"How difficult will it be to get him back?"
When Sōzō responded, Kenshin was surprised by how pleased he sounded.
"Don't fret, Himura-san. I told you already, I have very good connections. We're working on a way to get him out as we speak. Although," Now his voice dropped seriously. "the people helping my connections have a few conditions."
"What kind of conditions?" Sōzō's tone was a dead giveaway that whatever the conditions were, Kenshin wasn't going to like them.
"They want to talk to you directly. Which is to say, they want to meet with you."
"What could they possibly want from me? They do realize that I'm… not well-liked." Kenshin already knew that the Sky Emperor held him in very low esteem. Fire demons were hated by most.
"I believe that may be one of the reasons they want to talk." Sōzō paused. "To be honest, I told them it wasn't an option when the request was first passed along. They didn't give up, but they did back off until yesterday. I was made to believe that their request has become more urgent now. They wouldn't give me any details, and will apparently only speak with you."
Kenshin leaned his back against the wall, and looked up and down the empty hallway.
"Is there no other way to extract him?"
"Not without inside help."
A long sigh pushed from his lungs.
"Even if they only want to talk, they will more than likely leverage… the 'puppy' if I refuse their request." The phone buzzed, and then Sōzō's dry, raspy voice offered a compromise.
"If it helps, my connection doesn't have anything bad to say about them. He's not really one to heap praise on anyone, but he doesn't generally appreciate being lied to. That being said, I understand your hesitancy. If I can get them to release your puppy first, will you agree to at least talk to them afterwards?"
It was probably the best option they had.
"As long as he's not involved anymore, I have no problem listening to what they have to say. But the extraction comes first."
"I will relay your decision."
Violet eyes had lifted as they spoke, and narrowed in thought upon a small security camera wedged into the corner above him. Megumi kept strict security measures in her building, but most businesses did. Swallowing over a sudden and thick layer of bile, Kenshin rushed to keep Sōzō on the phone. The camera had sparked an idea on how he could obtain the proof he needed.
"Wait. I… need to ask another favor. If you have time."
Sōzō laughed, but agreed without delay.
"You're going to owe me big when this is all over."
"Of course."
The serious and quick agreement dulled Sōzō's amusement.
"What else do you need?"
"Do you… have access to the classified archives?"
"Depends. Which ones are we talking about?"
"… Human CCTV cameras… from about three hundred years ago."
Dead silence hung between them. After a while, Sōzō's voice lowered to a soft scratchy whisper.
"You're going to have to be a little more specific than that."
The exact date and time was relayed to him, and the other man's voice strengthened in surprise.
"Isn't that the day you…?"
Violet eyes closed.
"Yes. I need the security footage from either entrance of the alleyway. Do you know where?"
Sōzō cleared his throat.
"I do. Anything in particular you're looking for?"
"You'll…" His voice finally choked, and Kenshin exhaled shakily. "You'll know it when you see it. I just… need to confirm."
"Alright. Anything else?" Sōzō tried to project a more jovial pitch to his voice, but it fell flat. Kenshin's more defeated and sorrowful tone was evidence of his inability to lighten the air.
"Yeah… why didn't you tell me that Megumi-san was Sano's wife?"
It was Sōzō's turn to sigh.
"…You had more than enough going on. Telling you that wouldn't have done you any good."
"It might have." The argument was forceful and clipped, but Sōzō did not respond to his frustration.
"Well… maybe you're right, but… I just couldn't bring myself to do it." The hiderigami sounded sad over the phone, and Kenshin's chest tightened with guilt. "I'll let you know when we've gotten your puppy back, and I'll set up the meeting. I won't let them contact you directly. You have others now who depend on your protection. Make sure you take care of her."
"I will. Thank you, Sagara-san."
X
A/N: Poor Kenshin. His hair charm is a bit too protective at times, lol. (TMI: my cat was an absolute creeper about watching. We had to keep the door shut.) As promised, I'm trying to stick to more love and comfort for this story. For now, Kenshin has learned to deal with his internal thoughts a little more internally, to keep from upsetting Kaoru unnecessarily. Kaoru as well, has her own issues that she's trying to deal with without upsetting him. Hopefully, at some point, they can learn how to deal with them together. Sheesh. They'll find out eventually that wanting the other to rely on them is a two-way street, not a one-way. It's not easy, but such revelations tend to make you feel silly when you realize how relieving it actually is.
I was getting a little concerned about how much stuff there is that I don't want to forget to put in my chapters, and it was overwhelming me. However! I found some time to sit down and create a half-way detailed timeline to help me out, at least for the next several chapters. I will, hopefully, keep adding onto it as we progress towards the end (though, we're not really close at this point). I feel more at east now, which also makes me uneasy, because I'm afraid I've still forgotten something and don't want to get too comfortable, lol. Oh, the anxiety!
Thanks to my loyal readers, and my even more loyal reviewers! Thank you for taking the time to go on this journey with me, and for taking the time to comment. Even if you don't comment, I hope you enjoy the story all the same, and that it brightens your day, no matter how briefly. Next chapter, Sojiro returns!