Chapter Ninety-Five

Kaoru dried and dressed quickly in the shelter of the changing hut, but then remembered the bento with the sweets as she pulled on her shoes. Hating to let it go to waste, she brought it back out to the hot spring for the komainu to enjoy. Two cups with the thermos were filled with piping hot tea, and she patted both girls on the head when they thanked her excitedly.

"Be sure to get out if you start to feel dizzy, ok?"

Twin, tan-colored irises looked at each other, and the komainu blushed. As one, they nodded before agreeing happily.

"Ok, Nee-san."

Knowing now why they called Kenshin their big brother, even though he was younger, the similar address they had chosen for her touched her heart. Feeling sentimental, she kissed both of them loudly on the forehead.

"You both are just so cute!"

A peek around the bamboo divider wall revealed Kenshin had indeed fallen asleep on the rocks surrounding the hot spring. One arm covered his face with his nose in the crook of his elbow, and all it would take would be a shift in weight and he would be upended into the water. Leaning cautiously forward, she looked for the water dragon as well, and was relieved to find she could see only the back of his head poking out of the water. With his spine pressed to the rocks, he was comfortably concealed from view.

"E-excuse the intrusion."

Announcing herself first, she quick-stepped over to Kenshin to kneel next to him, but made sure that her back remained to the master. Shaking him awake, she found that his sleep had been deep, as it took more effort than she had expected to rouse him. When he finally shrugged off his arm to allow it to fall above his head, he blinked up at her with a sleepy smile. A second later, he remembered exactly where he was, and his face dropped in surprise. Faster than she could follow, he pushed himself up onto an elbow and shielded her eyes with his hand.

"Kaoru! This is the men's side!"

One short burst of laughter erupted from Hiko.

"Afraid she'll see what a real man looks like?"

Under his flattened hand, her mouth pursed, and her tone was droll.

"Relax. I didn't see anything." Muttering, she crossed her arms. "And I know what a real man looks like."

It was Kenshin's turn to chuckle, though it sputtered with embarrassment at her boldness. He kept his hand in place, though, as he stood them up, and he did not remove it until he had turned her to walk away.

"What are you doing over here anyway?" Yawning cut the question short, and Kaoru poked him gently in the ribs before wrapping her arm around his waist for support.

"Hiko-sama asked me to take you home so you can get some more sleep. I don't think you should be sleeping on those rocks, either."

"What about your wounds?" Kaoru held up her hand for him to see, and he sighed with relief. "Good." Another yawn. "Will you let me cuddle you while I fall asleep?"

Looking over her shoulder as they rounded the changing room, she leaned over to kiss him softly on the cheek.

"Of course."

Something a little warmer entered his drowsy gaze as he peered back at her, and the silence unexpectedly filled her with tense anticipation. Biting her lip, she looked away to berate herself. She knew she needed to be considerate and allow him to rest. What is wrong with me lately?

The trail back to the house was shorter than she remembered it being on the way to the hot spring, possibly because she now knew the way. Most likely, though, it was because Kenshin was walking faster than he had only half an hour prior. Side-eying him curiously, she wondered if his nap had given him more energy than he was letting on, or if he was merely ready to be back in a real bed. At the veranda, he was out of his shoes quicker than her, and even waited for her to enter first so that he could shut the doors behind them. She decided at that point that he was simply eager to be back asleep.

The lighting inside was muted and intimate without a single lamp turned on. The living space was even darker with the windows shuttered, a consideration they had made the last two days to allow him undisturbed sleep. Sitting herself down cross-legged on the futon, she waited for him to join her, and watched affectionately as he closed the sliding doors that separated the kitchen from the living space. Already she had gathered the blanket in hand as he settled onto his knees with her, but her fingers tightened in the soft bedding when his hands slid up either side of her jaw to her ears. Barely a second later, he wasted no time in claiming her mouth with his.

Pent-up and frustrated desire trembled her entire body as her lap flooded with warmth, and her arms had already lifted to fist into his shirt in acceptance and surrender. Before her reason completely disappeared, however, she forcibly lowered her chin to break the pressure of his tempting lips.

"What are you doing?" Breathless and befuddled, she was not able to accurately articulate her confusion with her mind in such a daze. Luckily, he seemed to understand that she had no intention or wish to deny him, and his intense violet eyes were teasing as she stared up at him.

"You said you'd cuddle with me, Miss Kaoru."

Amused, as his definition of cuddle was obviously much different than anyone else's, she could not fight her smile. Her words, however, were still concerned.

"Aren't you too tired?"

Offended indignation was coupled with a mock huff as he pulled away from her, and she giggled when he pushed her down onto the bed.

"Too tired?! I'll never be too tired for this." The deep promise was spoken against her mouth, and while she was thrilled by his dominance and boastfulness, she could not help but point out his falsehood.

"You were the other day." Speaking sweetly, she blinked up at him with as much innocence as she could muster. The smile melted from his face and transitioned smoothly into the narrowing of his eyes.

"Alright. That's it."

Laughter burst from her mouth as his hands dropped to tickle her stomach and ribs in rapid and unrelenting succession. Twitching and squealing, he continued the punishment until it sounded like she was having trouble breathing. As soon as his hands slowed, she took advantage of the opportunity to push herself upright and distract him from his playful ire with a kiss. Allowing her to think she had won, he leaned into the contact, and smiled when she dropped back onto the futon to catch her breath.

"Had enough?"

Grinning wickedly, she shook her head.

"Not nearly."

X

Lying beneath a blanket was stifling for Kenshin. He felt constricted under one, similar to the way suffocating a candle with a lid put out the flame. It was not so extreme that he would die from sleeping under a blanket, but he did usually end up kicking it off because of how uncomfortable it made him feel. Sleeping with Kaoru under a blanket, he had discovered, was a little more tolerable. He still was not fond of the blanket, but the trade off was getting to hold his favorite person for hours without interruption. Admittedly, it was better when they were naked, but since they were expecting the others to come back at some point, they had been forced to put their clothes back on.

Sighing contentedly, he kissed the space behind her ear in multiple lazy, semi-circular nuzzles. The spoon of her body fit comfortably into the curl of his own, and the hand he had wrapped over her had found its way to rest between her breasts, just over the extensive burn scar covering her sternum. Whether it was conscious or unconscious, he still wished that he could take that part of their history away and burn it into oblivion.

Beneath his fingers, her chest was warm, but he assumed it was because of their love-making. Both of her hands were wrapped around the wrist of the arm she was using as her pillow. Every so often, her fingers would tighten and then slowly release when she found that he was still there. Her entire body would tense in the interim, and he sighed again, though softer.

"Kaoru… do you want to talk about it?" There was a pause before her quiet voice responded with feigned ignorance.

"About what?"

Pulling her a little tighter back into his body, he settled the side of his nose just above her ear. "About what happened with that man in bandages." The silence was much longer this time, but Kenshin did not push her to talk. When she was ready, her words whispered back to him.

"Did you see… what I did?"

"I saw."

Her swallow was loud enough for him to hear.

"Do you… think it was the right thing to do?"

Kenshin knew how he felt about that man, and he had no pity or sorrow for his ultimate demise. This, however, was not about him.

"…Do you?"

"He… wanted to die." Again, her hands clenched around his wrist, and she turned her face into his arm. "It was the last desire he had while still living. I couldn't understand why he felt that way. But then… you explained today what happens to anyone who kills a dragon."

A gentle hum rubbed his throat. "He must have been in immense pain before he died. Enough so that he wished for death."

Sadly, Kaoru nodded. "All he wanted was to be with Death. So, I offered to guide him back there… and he took it. It feels like I came to the decision so fast. I'm a little worried that what I did was wrong, but…" She trailed off, and then a long inhale lifted her ribs. "All my life, I was taught that killing for any reason is wrong. Even if he had already died once, it wasn't his fault he was brought back." Abrupt shuffling turned her over so that she was facing him, and her eyes were steady as she gazed into his. "I'm sorry, Kenshin. I know what he did to your father, and I don't want you to think I feel sorry for him or I'm taking his side. He deserved to be punished for all of the awful things he did to others."

Settling his hand on the side of her face, he nodded. "I know what you're saying, Kaoru. You don't have to apologize."

A tremulous smile touched her mouth, and her forehead creased. "I'm confused. Even after questioning and debating myself, I… what I did doesn't feel wrong. It doesn't feel like I killed him. I'm a little afraid there might be something wrong with me."

"I don't think so." The ghosting touch of scaled fingers brushed back her bangs. "I think what you did was a mercy."

"How so?" Sapphire irises of deep flame blue stared at him without blinking, as if she needed to hear what he thought. Leaning his forehead into hers, he inhaled slowly.

"I had every intention of killing him to get you back." Though she appeared upset by his confession, his voice remained serious. "I saw, Kaoru. He was still alive with that sword in his chest. Whatever was done to him to make him that invulnerable, it would have forced me to do awful things just to kill him. He would have suffered greatly… and perhaps, so would have I." She bit her lip, and some of the distress melted from her expression, It was replaced by uncertain relief that she had saved him from such an outcome. "Unless you think he would have given you up without a fight."

Thinking back on Shishio's words and actions, Kaoru shook her head in resignation. "No. He wanted you to kill him. He would have used me to make you. I… knew that, too. It was part of the reason why I did what I did. I didn't want him to hurt you, or anyone else. His soul was so lost, and it needed care and direction to send it back to where it belonged. That's what I had to do, and why I still think what I did was right." A smile finally touched her eyes, and she hugged herself into his chest. "Thanks, Kenshin. Thanks for listening to me, and talking me through it."

"Hmm…" Humming, his eyes fluttered shut as his fatigue caught back up to him. "Anytime. I am yours, after all." She giggled warmly, and he smiled. "I was going to ask the other day if you would like to start taking a walk with me after supper."

"Really? Just us?"

"Just us."

"Every evening?"

"Mmhmm." Brief indignation infected his voice as he bared some of his selfish feelings on the matter. "I've been sharing you too much recently."

"Silly." She sounded much too happy about his jealousy. "Let's start after you're rested, though."

"Just don't let me… sleep too long." He was out as he finished the sentence, and he was not even that upset about the confining blanket covering him. As long as Kaoru was there, too.

X

Tomoe jumped awake to the feel of someone watching her, and she lifted her head from the desk in anxious alarm. The computer monitor buzzed and flickered, and she looked first at the straight-backed form of Himura Takibi. He, as ever, was staring straight ahead and not at her. Coal black eyes then jerked to her right immediately after, and there she found the smiling visage of Sōjirō standing beside her. It was then that her nose was assaulted by the beautiful tang of hot food.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty. I've brought you breakfast. I do hope that you like it."

It had been four days since she had last eaten anything, and she nearly salivated from the smell alone. Sitting up properly, she tucked her hands into her lap, and smiled at him graciously.

"Thank you very much." She did not reach for the food until he had turned to walk away, but even when he did, he oddly did not leave the room. Untying the bag he had left, she was surprised to find he had brought her five different entrees. She would have to make sure to save any that she did not finish in case he 'forgot' to bring her food again.

Sōjirō walked to a nearby metal operating table as she partook of her breakfast, and she watched him in silent curiosity. The shadow under his feet extended up and out to cover the table, and then appeared to melt away, leaving behind the broken and dead body of some man wrapped in bandages. From out of his chest cavity, the hilt of a katana protruded in what appeared to be his method of expiration. The aroma in the room turned to one of rot, and she nearly lost her appetite as she gagged. Covering her food quickly to keep it from becoming contaminated, she switched to breathing through her mouth.

For several long seconds, the shadow demon stood next to the body with his back to her. It was hard to determine his feelings, or if he felt anything at all. After a few moments, his hand extended and he withdrew the katana from the body's chest. As he did, the body began to melt, like candle wax, or, more appropriately, like congealed gravy. The rotten flesh fell to the floor in puddles and splattered the legs of the table, but Sōjirō stood, clean and unaffected with the katana raised vertically in his hand. Then, he sighed.

"It is a shame, Master Shishio. I wanted you to see the fruition of my plans. I thought you would be the only one who would appreciate my goals." Without moving, his free hand lifted, and Himura Takibi marched across the room to stop at his side. "Burn this clean, won't you?"

Fire scorched the table and concrete floor, and the rotten puddles disintegrated into nothingness. The order had been followed without hesitation or question, and Tomoe's heart sank a little. It truly appeared that Himura Takibi was nothing more than a doll, and she worried she was wasting her time by talking to him about Kenshin. He never reacted to what she was saying, only to Kenshin's name and then only to look at her with such intensity. Once the flames died away, the air smelled cleaner than it had even before Sōjirō had arrived, and Tomoe was at least grateful for that much. A slight smile pulled at her mouth, and she realized that she had grown fond of the smell of fire. Most likely because of all the time she had spent with Kenshin.

"I will have you carry this now." The sword was sheathed and offered over to the fire dragon doll, and for the first time, he did not instantly react. In fact, Tomoe was surprised by how Sōjirō had to force the katana into Takibi's hand. "Are you averse to carrying it?" A thoughtful hum rubbed his throat. "I wonder if it is because the blade has absorbed your blood."

Takibi's fingers tightened around the metal sheath Sōjirō had placed it within, and with vacant eyes, he turned to march back to his post at the door.

"Or not."

Sōjirō's smiling features turned back to her, and she knew it was now her turn to entertain his undivided attention.

"Have you finished eating already? Good. What have you learned about Kaoru-chan?"

Lifting her chin, Tomoe ignored her surroundings the same way she had done for her entire stay there, and instead focused on what she had come there to do. Speaking in the same way she would when reporting to Megumi-sensei, she explained her findings.

"The anomaly in her chest is fire-based."

"I see. How did you come to this conclusion?"

"I have studied a fire demon for most of my career. There are similarities in the patterns and way that it moves, the way that it affects the surrounding tissue and bone, and even the light that it produces. Electric light, for example, has a cold tone and is sharper. Light from fire is warm and tends to glow and move as if it were alive. The images that you obtained from Kaoru are never consistent. I deduced that the glow in her chest is constantly moving, and never in a set pattern. The way fire does. Though I would have to study Kaoru personally to confirm, I have also theorized that its power is flame-based due to the rate and pattern of deterioration shown between each image."

Excitement brightened Sōjirō's face, and he folded his hands behind his back.

"Can you tell how much destruction it will cause, or how long she has?"

"I…" Ever-so-slightly, her eyes darted to her left. "I need some more time to confirm how long, but… I've narrowed it down to within the next few months." Weeks. She has weeks, not months. She kept the knowledge to herself, because there was something else she needed to do first. Namely, figure out how to stop it. "In order to narrow the timeframe down further, I will need some assistance."

"Oh? Are you not the right person for this job?" The implication and threat behind his question made her swallow, but she held in her fear admirably.

"I am the only person for this job. I assure you." Standing slowly to her feet, she stepped around the desk. "I am the only one capable of deciphering these images and confirming the information that you seek. Because I am the only one able to withstand the flames of a fire demon long enough to determine the outcome." Waving her hand at Himura Takibi, she confirmed her request. "I will need the assistance of this… doll and its flames. By studying his flames, I will be able to determine not only our timeframe but also the radius of destruction that we can expect."

A protracted silence lowered her hand back to her side, and her muscles began to twitch as she worried he might see through her half-truths. With still closed eyes, the shadow demon nodded, his cheerful smile fake and unreadable.

"Very well. You will have his full cooperation. Of course, I must remind you that he will kill you if you try to escape."

Smiling cooly, Tomoe bowed her head gracefully.

"Of course."

I will have to work fast. Not only is the deadline approaching soon… the destruction will be on a level not seen before on this planet.

"You are pleasantly agreeable." Sōjirō's closed-eye smile widened before he turned away. "I do hope that you won't need any additional assistance, though. I will be unreachable for the next few days." Walking for the door, Sōjirō spoke over his shoulder, but did not once turn to confirm her attention. "If you hear screams from below, please ignore them. I have two new bodies for souls, thanks to my… old associate."

X

Alone in his rooms at the very crest of the Sky Palace, the Sky Emperor paced. Each pass across the open doors to the balcony earned a sideways glance out into the fading orange blush of the sunset. Though he was not one to appreciate the beauty of a sunset, his features scowled at the way rising smoke marred his once clear view. Uprisings had sprung up in the locked down city of Neo-Tokyo, and unrest was turning the people against him and his heavy-handed policies. Even the Prime Minister was speaking openly against him during discussions, and had threatened at the last meeting that he would start speaking his views publicly if nothing were to change.

Wretched traitor. I backed his position. I can easily take my support away.

Something needed to be done to sway public opinion back into his favor. With Himura's disappearance up the hermit dragon's mountain, he had effectively vanished from the public eye. What was out of sight was out of mind, and the masses only cared for what they were consistently shown. If they did not feel threatened by the fire demon, then they had no common enemy to focus their attention upon. It also meant that they were less likely to submit to control.

It was a bigger concern that the hermit dragon had taken the fire demon in. Did he as well wish to obtain the power of the Kagu-tsuchi? Did he have designs to overthrow him as emperor and take his place? The hermit dragon had resided on that mountain for centuries without leaving it, but the Sky Emperor had always been wary of him. Anyone who earned the title of dragon did so with the intention of becoming stronger. The very essence of being a dragon elevated them above everyone else. It was unfathomable that anyone would obtain the title of dragon only to hide away and achieve nothing, or to live in a simple hut with the bare minimum of modern amenities. There had to be some hidden motive in the water dragon's decision to remain there. In the Sky Emperor's experience, hidden motives were more dangerous than open ones.

Stopping before the open doors, the Emperor lifted his nose and stared into the empty sky.

I will have to kill two birds with one stone.

"Tamono!"

The door to his room cracked open instantly.

"Yesss, Your Grassse?"

"I need you to start a fire for me."

"O-of courssse." Confusion soaked the hissing lisp of his words. "…Are you cold, Your Grassse? Ssshould I also clossse the balcony?"

"No, you idiot!" The snake demon ducked into the floor, but the Emperor's smile was sinister as he explained. "I need you to set fire to Neo-Kyoto."

X

A/N: Thanks for reading! Coming up next, Aoshi and Misao intercept the Emperor's plans, Kenshin and Kaoru learn why Hiko never leaves the mountain, and Kaoru remembers the truth about her fireform.

Love Song # 12

Tsubame: Better Together – Jack Johnson