Chapter Eighty-Seven

The insulation of snow was nearly warm as Kaoru squatted with her knees in her chest to conserve, generate, and distribute as much heat as her body could provide to her stiff and painful fingers. Next to her in the snow, the wooden sword Hiko had provided to her lay, temporarily put aside as she dealt with her current predicament. Directly in front of her stood the salamander, his blood-red scales looking very intense and saturated next to the stark white of the snow. Hot air issued from his open mouth like a kerosene heater, and his golden eyes watched intently as her purple fingers slowly returned to a normal color.

Obviously, trying to use her onibi flame in such a concentrated fashion, such as channeling it through wood, had been foolhardy in the current temperature. Kaoru admitted to herself that the fault was her own. What she had told the water dragon had been the truth. She had no intention of training her death flame with anyone but Kenshin, because Kenshin was the only person she knew of and could trust to combat her flame. Therefore, she had felt slightly pressured to master channeling her power through the wooden sword, like Hiko had implied she could, during the brief period of time provided to her while he was gone to check on Kenshin. She had no idea when he would be back, and subsequently rushed herself. It didn't help that he had all but challenged her to do her best by suggesting he would test her when he came back.

Feeling very much like an idiot, as she had forgotten how little it took for her flames to suck the heat straight from her body, she pouted at the salamander even as he managed to look upset at the cause of her purple fingers and not actually with her. Guilt tinged her embarrassment secondarily as she realized the salamander was having to stand in the snow, which she knew he hated, just to take care of her.

"I'm sorry."

Her apology was met with a soft rasp from the salamander's mouth in reply. It was a very non-judgmental expression that still translated into disappointment as he continued to focus on curing her, and her mouth tugged downward even harder. When she noticed her body beginning to involuntarily shiver from the inactivity, his wings spread open to cocoon the heat inward around them both. It was several minutes later, but her fingers finally stopped pulsating and the tips ceased feeling as if they would burst from the cold. Her body, as well, had returned to a normal level of warmth that was nearly comfortable despite the open air.

"You alright, girl?"

Turning to cast her sapphire irises over her shoulder, Kaoru found Hiko coming back down the trail. A slight crease of concern furrowed his brow, and his features frowned down at her balled up form.

"I'm fine. How as Ken…?"

The words were overridden by the sudden and forceful squawks, shrieks, and gruffs that spewed from the salamander. Upon seeing what he had decided was the cause of Kaoru's suffering, the salamander had jumped around her to run through the packed in snow straight at the dragon of the mountain. Looking very much like an angry dog barking at an intruder, he hopped, snapped, and continued to incomprehensively scold Hiko in an attempt to lecture him on the dangers of making Kaoru use her onibi flame. Quite calmly watching the beast's strange antics as it circled him erratically, Hiko glanced at Kaoru as she stood. Immediately, he observed how she rubbed her hands together as one might to stall pain. Grumbling slightly, Hiko waved aside the salamander.

"I get it. Stop buzzing around like a fly."

An offended rasp wisped fire from the salamander's mouth and nostrils, and its golden eyes continued to glare even as it slunk back over to Kaoru. She smiled at him in a much more welcome fashion, and picked him up so that he was out of the snow.

"The boy mentioned your flame was too cold for your body."

"Uh, well yeah." Kaoru agreed with a reluctant laugh of embarrassment. "But only if I use it too close to my body. At least it doesn't pull my soul out, I guess." The flippant observation lightened Hiko's scowling features towards thoughtfulness.

"Can you conjure your flame away from your body?"

"Y-es." Hesitation soaked her answer as she anticipated what he was going to say next.

"Would you mind to show me? I would like to see your flame."

"Well…" Refusing him seemed rude, but agreeing seemed dangerous. "A-as long as it's just one and you're careful."

Hiko smirked, but didn't argue that he was more than capable of drowning her flame if he chose to.

The disrespect of these children is beyond the pale.

Helping the salamander to balance on her shoulders, Kaoru steadied her breathing like Kenshin had taught her and focused on a point directly between herself and the water dragon. The puff of blue flame appeared as if from nowhere and hovered in place like some spirit or true onibi. Maintaining it was no longer hard for Kaoru, and she was able to watch as Hiko studied it intently. Not long after, he stepped abruptly closer, and so did she out of pure panicked instinct. When he stopped just as abruptly, she caught her breath and quietly scolded herself for being skittish when he was a master. Despite her self-assurance, she jumped again not a moment later when one of Hiko's crossed arms lifted to scratch the underside of his chin with the blunt nail of his thumb. Something about him made her nervous of his intentions. His black eyes were focused, almost frighteningly so, upon her flickering blue flame, but he didn't seem concerned about how dangerous the onibi fire was. If anything, he seemed puzzled.

"Is something… wrong?"

A long breath inhaled into his nose, but he didn't look away from the flame. Slowly, the breath released.

"No. There isn't." The comforting words freed the tension from her body, perhaps as he had meant for them to. As a result, she did not react fast enough when he plunged his hand directly into the heart of her onibi flame.

"NO!"

An involuntary shout tore from her throat, but instead of recalling the flame as the faster option, she shoved him backwards away from it. Even as she knew it was too late. Kenshin had warned her, one touch of the onibi flame was all it would require. That was what made it so dangerous. One single touch would pull the soul out of any living thing, and Hiko had submerged his entire hand into it.

Strangely, eerily, the dragon of the mountain was still very much alive.

Hiko stumbled from the force of her push, but caught himself easily. Straightening his spine, his eyes lowered to the hand that had been subjected to Kaoru's cold flame. Lifting it to eye level between them, his hand clenched and fisted three times, and he smirked as ice crystals cracked and fell away from his skin like thousands of tiny diamonds.

"As I suspected."

"W-wha…? How are you still alive?!"

The human girl stood before him, looking distressed and relieved all at once. Smiling a little more warmly, he patted her gently on the head. The salamander, however, huffed at him and swatted his hand away, as if disappointed his soul hadn't been sucked out.

"I told you, Kamiya-san. I have met many onibi in my lifetime. Your flame is slightly lighter in color than theirs."

Her mouth dropped open in mortified shock.

"THAT'S all you based your decision on?! What if you were wrong?! What if the snow just made it look lighter?!"

"I do not doubt my observations. And as you see, I was correct." His deep voice was a touch offended. Distracted by his words versus his tone, every angry muscle in Kaoru's body loosened slowly as the gravity of what he had discovered sank in.

"But… what does that mean? Did I never have onibi flames?" A frown of deep thought furrowed her forehead, and a moment later, she shook her head. Her eyes lowered in shame and anger as she confessed what Sōjirō's curse had made her do almost three years prior. "That's not right. I… I was made to use it once… before. I… killed a little one with it. A little dark creature with sharp teeth and scared eyes."

The point at the end of the salamander's nose lightly pushed against her cheek, and a soft humming sound rumbled against his throat. A second later, Hiko's large hand once more rested atop her head.

"You were made to kill it? Was it someone else's intention that you kill that creature?"

She nodded, but continued sadly.

"That doesn't change the fact that I killed it."

"But it was not an accident."

"No."

"Hmm." His hand withdrew, and Kaoru glanced up at him.

"If I had to guess, it appears intention plays a large part in your powers, Kamiya-san. Just like with your singing, you have changed the onibi flame with your intention alone."

"Meaning?"

"From a young age, your father drilled into you not only the physical prowess of his non-killing technique, but the intention and principle behind such an idea. As a result, you have unconsciously found a way to suppress your flames, thereby removing what was deadly from them. They're still dangerous, just like a wooden sword can be dangerous, but they will not kill. Not unless you intend for them to."

"I… didn't know that was possible." Surprisingly, she didn't appear to be as happy or excited by the knowledge as Hiko had expected she would be.

"Onibi don't typically try to suppress their natural desire to take life. Just because it has never been done, does not mean it is impossible."

"So, what you're saying is my flames lack a killing desire? But that could… change, if I wanted to kill someone?"

Hiko's mouth firmed into a thin line as he studied her.

"Is there someone you want to kill?"

Her head shook desperately, but her eyes averted to one side.

"No. It's just… sometimes… my power is overwhelming and I feel like I… or it might want to."

A soft sigh left Hiko's mouth, and he nodded as if to agree and express understanding at the same time. His words tried to be kind as he explained.

"That is because you were revived using necromancy. Souls are not meant to pass back through Death's Veil. It is not just a divider between the world of the living and the realm of the dead. It is a net. It collects destructive and evil energy so that the pure world of the dead will not be defiled by living grudges. When a soul is pulled back through that net, they inevitably find themselves tainted by that negative energy. It is how they acquire what is known as Death Powers, but it is also what intensifies and distorts a revived soul's final living emotion or desire, ultimately driving them mad."

There was something like pity in his eyes as he looked at her, and she swallowed.

"Why?" Lightly, he frowned, but she continued over the crack in her voice. "Do you think they go mad because the desire is negative or… is it because they can't fulfill that desire?"

"…Perhaps you should tell me."

She thought on the dilemma for a time, remembering and comparing her own experience. Finally, a trembling smile pulled at her lips, and her deep eyes of warm ocean blue slowly drifted to the right of his shoulder. Behind him, he could feel Kenshin's presence as the boy came down the mountain trail.

"It felt like I was going mad, after I woke up in this world. There was something wrong. Something was so terribly wrong, inside of me. Like my mind was caught in a constant state of panic. Every one of my muscles twitched anxiously at all hours of the day, and I felt violently unstable. But that all went away." Tenderly, her hand lifted to rest flat against her sternum, as if to protect what was there, and Hiko's eyes lowered to watch the unconscious motion. Underneath her fingers, that mysterious golden glow in her chest radiated warmly; pure and untouched by any negative energy. "Everything just… disappeared, the first time Kenshin looked at me. When he finally looked at me." Sapphire irises lifted, and her pained smile closed her eyes a second later. "It frightens me. If he ever stopped looking at me, I'm afraid… of what I might become."

Why would her final desire be for Kenshin to look at her?

Dark eyes lightened to the color of sea-foam, and Hiko lifted his chin. On her shoulder, the salamander tucked its head back next to her ponytail in a show of remorse and shame.

The answer was obvious.

"Miss Kaoru, is everything alright?" Kenshin's voice was openly concerned as he jogged the remainder of the distance between them. "You're trembling." His hands reached for hers and Hiko tilted his head away when the boy's output of heat all but slammed into his face. Stepping to the side, Hiko watched as Kenshin stepped easily into the spot he had just vacated so that he was now directly in front of Kaoru.

"I'm fine, Kenshin." A blush dusted her cheeks and nose, and her pained smile warmed into affection. "I may or may not have overused my flames a little, but Mister Man here warmed my hands up directly afterwards."

"Miss Kaoru." Despite her reassurance, he set to work rubbing her fingers a bit aggressively. Deciding that wasn't good enough, he lifted her hands to personally blow hot air on them instead. "You need to be careful using them, especially in these temperatures. No one here could reverse frostbite."

"Ok, ok." She was still grinning, and Hiko huffed uncomfortably as he watched them flirt as if he wasn't there. Walking away to pick up her forgotten wooden sword, he offered it to her before reaching out to pat her on the head one last time.

"From what I've seen, Kamiya-san, you have nothing to worry about."

Her eyebrows lifted, and then her blush deepened as she caught onto his meaning. Biting her lip, she glanced at Kenshin's confused frown and grinned.

"Yeah, I know."

"Are you worried, Miss Kaoru? About what?"

"Nothing." Maddeningly, she giggled again, as if sharing a secret with the water dragon. "What are you doing here? Are you okay? Are you done with training?"

Brushing back her bangs, he continued to frown.

"I'm alright. It's going to start getting dark soon, and I figured you would be hungry. You've only had one meal today, haven't you?" He had also worried about the quick way Hiko had left him on the mountaintop after mentioning her flame tended to drain her body temperature, but he wasn't going to admit to cutting his own training short just because he was worried about hers. "Skipping one meal to sleep in is fine, but I won't agree to skipping another meal just to continue training."

Kaoru giggled, this time lovingly, and stuck her arm through the bend in Kenshin's elbow.

"I'm pretty sure I'd be fat by now if I didn't train every day, the way you feed me." She was willingly following him back to the cottage, though, which meant she wasn't going to argue with being fed.

"Anything's better than that skeleton you were when I found you." Muttering under his breath, he looked sideways at Hiko when the dragon shook his head.

"I'll go check on the komainu." His voice was gruff and uncomfortable, as if ready to be anywhere but near the two love birds visiting his mountain.

"Okay! We're sparring some more tomorrow, right?" Kaoru's eager input put Kenshin on edge, but he had already resigned himself and so refrained from commenting. She appeared to be unhurt and unbruised, so he was minutely reassured. When Hiko waved a hand over his shoulder, Kaoru finally turned her full attention onto him and he was more than willing to bask in it.

"You'll never believe what we found out, Kenshin. My flames don't…" Unfortunately, now that her entire attention was on him, her eyes had finally wandered upwards to find that a part of his anatomy was missing. "Your horns are gone!"

Laughing as she instantly threaded her one free hand into his hair where his right horn used to be, he wrapped her wrist in his fingers. He had meant to pull her away, but instead lightly held her there to instead lean forward and kiss her on the bridge where nose met brow.

"They're not gone. Hiko-sama showed me how to suppress them. They are part of my true form now. It… leaves me feeling kind of vulnerable, walking around with them out in the open." It was also a bit arrogant to leave them on display.

Pouting in full force, she slumped her shoulders and exhaled unhappily.

"Do I still get to see them? When… when we're alone?"

A slow smirk pulled at one side of his mouth, and he let go of her wrist to instead rest his hands at her waist.

"If that is what you like, Miss Kaoru." She blushed crimson but nodded her head in agreement. The admission forced him to close his eyes over the heat in his gaze. "How long do you think we have before they make it back?"

"W-we couldn't do that!" Her voice was a scandalized whisper, but her hand dropped to fist in his sweater as he pulled them closer together. "I-I'd be scared the whole time that they'd walk in." Despite her words of denial, she seemed physically willing to throw all caution to the wind as long as he was willing.

Sighing when he realized it was up to him to be responsible, Kenshin stepped back and took her by the hand. Her eagerness was at once gratifying and torturous, especially when he was just as new to being intimate as she was. Deciding she needed just a little bit of punishment for tempting him so recklessly, he blinked at her innocently.

"I was just trying to judge how much time I have to cook supper." Casting her a suddenly wicked look, he tossed the long red braid over her shoulder from where the salamander had elected to abandon the conversation. "What were you imagining, Miss Kaoru?"

Mortified, she turned her face into her opposite shoulder and shook her head when she couldn't respond intelligibly. Half a second later, however, and she dug the hilt of her wooden sword into his side in embarrassment.

"Don't tease me, idiot!"

Satisfied and amused, though now a bit sore in his ribs, he kissed her knuckles and led her back towards the cottage.

X

Fighting a yawn, Tomoe reached for what had to be the most disgusting coffee she had ever tasted in her life. It, unfortunately, was all that was available, and Sōjirō had brought her no food. At least the swill filled her stomach. In front of her on the desk, the computer buzzed like old machinery, and the monitor crackled at times with static. It was distracting and made it difficult to view the images Sōjirō had collected of Kaoru's anatomy. Certainly, his equipment was nothing as crystal clear and high-end as the computers Megumi had in her lab. Though she had only been there a few hours, she was already developing a headache from trying to adapt to the lower resolution.

From what she could tell, whatever Kaoru had residing in her chest appeared to corroborate Kenshin's previous concern that she had something flame-related inside of her causing her to cough up soot and ashes. Tomoe was still uncertain why it had not showed up on the imaging they had taken at the lab. Whatever imaging Sōjirō had performed displayed the fire-based orb unquestionably.

Is this what caught the MRI machine on fire?

Tapping her nails against the mouse pad, Tomoe frowned in concentration.

I need to figure out what it's made of and if there's any degradation between the scans. At least he took regular images of it during the time she was imprisoned here.

The thought tinged her mind briefly with anger, and she had to close her eyes. Anger would get here nowhere. What she needed was a clear mind for calm reasoning. Several minutes of study later, her phone rang. A quick glance at the screen made her smile.

"Hello, sweet girl." Standing to stretch her legs, Tomoe walked around the desk as she spoke.

"Tomoe-nee-san." Kaoru's voice sounded cheerful and pleased, and it warmed the coal demon's heart.

"Are you somewhere safe? Did you pack enough warm clothes?"

"We're safe. Don't worry. And even if I didn't pack enough winter clothes, Kenshin'd keep me warm if I had to wear a t-shirt. He's like a furnace." Kaoru giggled, and Tomoe's smile softened.

"That's good, but don't let Himura-san get too comfortable with keeping you warm. Make sure he remains a gentleman."

More sweet giggles echoed over the phone, but the smile melted from Tomoe's face. By chance, she had glanced up, and found the vermillion eyes of Himura Takibi had moved to focus directly on her.

"Enough about us. Are you okay, Nee-san? Are you with Akira-kun? I can't get Nishi-nii to respond to my texts."

Distracted, Tomoe walked back towards the desk and frowned when those vermillion eyes did not follow her. Instead, they remained where she had been, and nothing about his expression changed. Was it only a coincidence?

"I'm just fine, sweet girl. And I'm sure Enishi forgot to charge his phone, otherwise he would have responded to you immediately." Struggling on an inhale, Tomoe did all that she could to reassure her. "Akira-kun has invited us to the Tengu Clan village. You don't need to worry."

"Really? That's great. I'm so glad you're all safe. I… was worried you might be in trouble, too, because of the broadcast. I'm sorry I didn't call sooner."

"That's alright. I'm sure you've had a very eventful time since yesterday. Thank you for calling me now. I'm so happy to hear your voice."

Keeping coal black eyes on Himura Takibi's face, Tomoe carefully spoke her next words.

"Make sure Himura-san takes care of you properly."

Almost instantly, the red gaze of Kenshin's revived father snapped over to her. His expression was blank, and his body remained in place as if it belonged only to a doll, but his eyes pierced into her. It wasn't a coincidence. The doll of Himura Takibi was reacting to the mention of his son.

"I will. Love you, Nee-san."

"I love you, too, sweet girl."

Clasping the phone in her hand, Tomoe carefully walked closer to the dragon doll and stared up into its vacant features. Once again, its gaze remained locked where she had been and did not follow where she was now, directly in front of him.

"Your son is alive and well." The words whispered, and she licked her lips nervously when he didn't move or respond. "Himura Kenshin has survived." The lurch of his eyes was unnerving so close up, but it removed any doubt from her mind that he was responding to Kenshin's name. "Should I tell you about him, while I'm here?"

X

Love Song #4

Akira: Classic - MKTO