skenshingumi Thank you so much for all your reviews!

I STILL NEED A BETA!

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine...

"And everything burns to ashes pt.1"

April, 1864

That had been a hectic morning. The people of Kyoto knew of the upcoming coronation of the blue-eyed seer as the official Miko of the Inari shrine - in addition to a visit from one of the factions of the shogun's court - and were therefore preparing in their own way for such a big event.

There was an air of excitement and happiness in the air. Many sought to prepare themselves spiritually to commune with Kamisama during the event, even if they could not be part of the main ceremony. So it came as a great surprise that the people of Kyoto found access to the shrine closed.

"How come we can't get in?"questioned one of the residents "it's absurd!"

"We are very sorry" said one of the administrators, "but it is necessary to prepare the sanctuary for the visit of the shogun's court."

Many of these answers were given to all who asked, even more so upon discovering that several samurai entered the main courtyard and were not stopped on their way.

"Are they ronin?" -questioned several in the crowd.

"And why not the Shinsengumi?" Others murmured.

"Don't be stupid, the Shinsengumi only serves to suppress those who are against the Tokugawa regime."

Perhaps out of fear or intimidation, people stopped pressing when they saw the samurai enter the sanctuary, because there were too many to be just a protection escort but, since the way up was quite long, people began to justify the number of men.

Okita Soji was thinking the same thing, as he watched from the shadows. Being that a part of the shogun's designs, he could not intervene, but that did not mean that he agreed. His sense of duty pressed him to go against what he saw.

"It will be better to inform Saito," he said. "It is a trap, without a doubt."

He was correct, as always. A move that, if in coalition with the clergy, presaged an internal tragedy, which would begin with a betrayal...

It was a pity that -with the shinsengumi headquarters being on the other side of the city- by the time they reached the shrine, it was already being consumed in flames.

Kaoru

She was in the middle of a snow storm.

Strong blizzards battered her body incessantly, ruffling her clothes and hair. The tips of her nose and the tips of her fingers were numb and cold. The zori (traditional and elegant shoe with a flat-low sole) sank into the fluffy snow every time the strong wind forced her to stop.

Kaoru looked up with difficulty, trying to see between her lashes and the shelter her hands created over her face.

Ahead of her walked a hunched figure, his steps slow and heavy, his clothes fluffy and bloody.

"Kenshin…" she murmured, recognizing him.

And the next moment, she was already running after him.

"Kenshin!"

He seemed to hear her, for he stopped almost abruptly; he turned his face towards her.

"Ah!"

And Kaoru had to hold back the feeling that tightened in her chest.

There on Kenshin's left cheek, two scars marked his face with an X still glowing red blood. Only then did she take a close look at him. His worn image evidenced that he had been involved not in one but in several fights. His right hand was still dragging the bloody katana.

Karou was about to run to hug him; she had a strong need to comfort him, to whisper to him that everything would be fine, that she would make sure he was okay.

'It's not time yet.'

A distant voice made her stop. Suddenly she was caught in the immobilization charm, lots of invisible threads clung to her body preventing her from moving.

The Kenshin in her vision seemed unable to see her; after no longer listening to her voice, he turned again and advanced in the direction of the echoes of battle that were heard in the distance.

The apprentice's heart broke.

"Are you telling me that he must suffer even more?!" She asked crying. "What is the point of all this?"

The voice remained silent for a moment, for the same amount of time it took the young woman to contain her tears.

'You know it well.' The being spoke again. 'A catharsis is necessary to achieve a change; a growth is necessary in the flow of this story.'

Kaoru knew. She understood it.

After all, she herself had undergone a change two days ago when the gift of blood had made itself present. When Fuu had said that spring had finally come for her; and she had only been able to think of Kenshin and the injustice of not being able to unite her life with his.

She had made a decision then, and she planned to stick to it.

"Why should he suffer?" She questioned, not without some annoyance, watching the image of Kenshin get lost in the snow.

'Each creature has a call, each one has the freedom to decide to respond to it or not. But others…'

A strong blizzard blew again, taking with it the image of that landscape and painting a new one. When Kaoru opened her eyes again, she was greeted by a field of war with the echo of cannons and shotguns, of war cries and crying in the face of death, with the crash of metal against metal. And among all these, she found the image of her friend, moving like a cold demon, devoid of emotion, snuffing out lives in its wake.

'Your response is necessary for the story to move forward.'

The Emperor's banner was then raised among the ranks; echoes of victory were heard across the field. Enemies fled, others committed seppuku, and others more fell under enemy blades.

Kenshin raised and stuck his sword on the ground of dirt, snow and blood. Dropping the sword, he turned and walked away from the battlefield.

Kaoru's heart sank.

'Have faith, little one. In the end, you will always be there for him.'

Kaoru's tears seemed to have no end, even more so when she saw him walk in her direction; she saw how little by little the edge of his gaze faded to give way to tired and sad eyes.

'You are his salvation.'

"Kenshin…"

He heard her again, and this time he was able to see her, bewilderment painted on his face.

"Kaoru dono…"

'Be brave.'

The young woman ran towards him without thinking about it, wrapped him in a hug that he reciprocated. Her body fitting into her partner's, as every time they had linked in the same way, clinging, squeezing the fabric of the clothes in her hands...

The dream around her faded into intense light, and suddenly she was back in the retreat house at the onsen.

"Kaoru dono?"

The aforementioned blinked once and twice, shaking off the echoes of that vision. Because it had been a vision, she reflected, though she had not expected to receive one here in the engawa, where she had fallen asleep at noon.

It was already late afternoon.

"Bad dream?" Fuu questioned, concern marked on her face...

It was easy for Fuu to understand that what was upsetting her friend was Kenshin's departure, having finally understood that both could not continue sharing the same path. If she only knew the apprentice's plans, she would have understood that her anxiety was due more to the answer that the redhead could give her. Although she knew he wouldn't reject her, Kaoru was still worried about that possible scenario, even more now with the vision she had received.

"It's nothing serious," she assured, shaking her head, "it's just a lack of sleep."

Fuu was about to say something when Kago ran in like hell, followed by Sato.

"We have problems!" he cried, a look of horror transfiguring his face.

"What's going on?" Yuta asked, coming out of the house followed by Hikari.

"They have closed the sanctuary!" Sato warned.

Chiaki joined the group as she came out of the hot spring baths, having listened to her companions and rushing out.

"Well, it's normal if we consider that the shogun's faction will witness the Kuchiyose -she said- considering that they are basically nobles, it must be a security measure."

"It would be if it were the shogun's guard, or at least the Shinsengumi," Kago refuted desperately.

"Wait -Fuu spoke- do you mean they are ronin?"

Both Sato and Kago nodded, Fuu paled. The others looked at them confused.

"I don't understand -Kaoru said- Why is it bad that they are ronin? Isn't it good that all those people who were left nameless are taken into account?"

Fuu cut her.

"Kaoru dono, we are in the middle of a political coup, on the verge of a revolution -she explained- it is no secret that the Maekkai recently met with the Chosu rebels, while at the same time they held meetings with the shogunate."

Kaoru's heart felt heavy in her chest.

"You mean this is a trap?"

"More like a purge," Yuta pointed out.

"What do we do?" Hikari asked, though to no one in particular.

"We have to go back to the sanctuary and warn the others -Kago pressed- Yumi sama will know what to do."

That made sense. They were halfway up the mountain, much closer to the Tori than to the shrine offices, it would certainly be convenient to get to the chapel, even more so if the ronin were at the bottom of the steps.

"How did they find out?" Chiaki questioned suddenly.

Both Kago and Sota turned pale, as they averted their gaze.

"It doesn't matter," Kago said, "what matters now is getting out of here."

Hikari, who had always known Kago, was able to understand what her partner was hiding.

"The servants of this retirement home came down the mountain early in the morning," She said.

Kago looked at her with a plea in his eyes.

"Hikari, no. Please no. Let's just go."

"You went down to find them at the altar by the lake…" she continued.

"It's better if we don't think about this now," Sato begged, going into the house to rummage through their things.

The others understood.

"How did you escape?" Kaoru questioned.

Kago, resigned, told them what had happened hours ago.

He told them how they had been surprised by a band of ronin, who had been making camp near the lake. The two servants-instructed in the art of war-had served as a distraction, but it was clear they would not have survived. Sato and Kago had managed to get the upper hand and take a direct shortcut to the retirement home; but they were sure that that crew would have figured out where they were moving by now.

"We have to flee as soon as possible," Chiaki urged, also running to get dressed in the uniform.

The others joined in, taking the weapons available on that house. They had to leave, before that group reached them. The apprentice, for her part, couldn't help but think of Kenshin.

…

They left through the back of the Onsen, through a small access in the wooden wall that bordered it, pending the path they were leaving behind. The sun had begun to wane, it was imperative to get to the sanctuary as soon as possible. At a good pace they would arrive in less than twenty minutes -considering the detour to avoid a direct encounter-.

Kago and Sato went to the front together with Fuu; Kaoru, Hikari, and Chiaki were in the middle, and Yuta was at the end. There was a general uncertainty about what would happen.

"Shouldn't the Maekkai be in charge of cleaning the altars on the stairway?" Hikari asked suddenly, remembering the purification and cleaning preparations that had to be completed before the Kuchiyose.

Fuu nodded ahead of her.

"Momiji sama, Kaede sama, Guji sama, and some chokkai."

Hikari smirked.

"They are all defense experts, maybe we have a point in our favor," she said.

"Or perhaps the bad luck that the ronin finish them off by taking them by surprise -Yuta intervened-, and thus we lost a great force."

Chiaki snarled and gave him a repressive look.

"Don't be pessimistic, you are a Chokkai, you must have faith."

"Don't blame me for being realistic," he refuted, "worse things have happened before the gods."

Kaoru trembled internally, she had seen the visions; she knew that Yuta was right, but she didn't say anything.

"Yes, but none at the shrines," Hikari defended.

"More out of respect for men," Yuta replied.

"Yuta, enough," Fuu scolded him.

Then Sato and Kago screeched to a stop, forcing the others to stop with them.

"Ssshh," Sato silenced them.

They stood still, listening... There was the murmur of voices ahead, down a small slope made of tree roots that they stood on. Everyone then understood that there was a group behind the edge. Kago crawled along the ground silent as a snake, hiding between the trunks whose roots supported the slope they were on, he looked between them and the dry leaves.

His eyes went from man to man, counting them.

"There are twelve of them," he reported in a whisper. Sato then positioned himself at his side.

"They are all ronin," the latter said, noticing the katanas and wakizashi (small katana) tied to their hakamas.

The others gathered close to the two, but at a safe distance.

"Do you think they are all?" Fuu questioned.

Both boys denied it.

"Looks like a straggler group," Kago said.

"But what do they do in this area?" Hikari questioned desperately.

"Either they were hiding until now to besiege the sanctuary -Kaoru reasoned- or they are out here looking for something, or someone."

"Either of the two options forces us to act," Koga declared.

One by one, they agreed; understanding what they would have to do if they wished to survive.

They would all have to kill.

"They are more than us -said Sato- we must set up a trap, we can't beat them any other way. We only have sais and wakizashi, none of us has a real katana.

"I have the spines," Chiaki said, holding the tubular instrument in her hands.

Yuta stopped her.

"Yes, but even so, it will be enough for you to kill one for the others to go into turmoil."

"Mauri (spell) then" Fuu concluded.

Kago nodded.

"Can you hold it?" he asked, more out of fear than concern.

They were tense seconds of a silent conversation between both chokkais, in the end, Fuu nodded.

"I have to -She said- I do not have any other option."

"Let's go then."

It was clear that they were looking for the least bloody method by all means, thus avoiding a direct confrontation that they would not effectively win. But also that they were looking -Kago, Fuu, and Sota- to prevent the little ones from staining their hands, Kaoru realized.

In her entire life, she had never had a confrontation outside of her father's dojo or the shrine's training room. And she knew that the situation was similar for her companions, so she tried to maintain her self-control despite the fear she felt.

Fuu clasped her hands then, holding a rosary-like jingle bracelet in her hands, and began the incantation. Her companions added their prayers to those of her companion. The air became denser. The trance began.

"Now," Kago said.

Fuu responded by holding out her hands in front, jingling the bells, the strings tightening around the bodies of the men.

"What is this?" -questioned one of them as he felt the muscles of his body being imprisoned.

"I can not move! cried another desperately."

"Now!" Kago yelled.

Sato and Yuta jumped together with their partner, daggers drawn, slashing straight for the jugular of every man they passed.

"Insolent brats!" -Yelled another who managed to free himself from Fuu's spell.

The young woman felt a pang of pain at the loss, and her grip on those left standing loosened for an instant. Two more men broke free. One went after Kago who was closest. Fuu tried to hold them back but only managed to encourage their movements. Kago barely managed to escape by jumping back and rolling on the ground. One of the men was about to throw a dagger in Yuta's direction, but one of Chiaki's thorns struck him right in the neck. The man froze for an instant before falling unconscious to the ground. Sato and Kago took advantage of the distraction to finish off the remaining ronin.

"Thank you Fuu, Chiaki" Yuta said.

Then his companions came down. Fuu looked tired, almost out of breath just like the boys did.

They were about to take a moment to assimilate what they would do at that moment, when a voice was heard in the distance, coming from the path from which they had come.

"I found them!" he yelled, bringing the sound of hurried footsteps from behind him.

The chokkai began to run.

"An ambush?" Kaoru questioned.

"No," Kago replied at her side, "this was the group that stayed behind, the rest were the ones that followed us to the house."

They continued running, taking advantage of knowing the terrain, they went into the foliage, managing to hide among the roots; they let the group overtake them.

The young chokkais hid as best they could with the back of their hand pressing on their necks, under the jaw, thereby preventing any sound from coming out of it. As still as the very roots among which they hid. They remained like that for minutes even after the new group had passed.

"Kaoru dono" Fuu suddenly spoke to her, who was sitting next to her in the shadows. The aforementioned looked at her startled after that silence. "We must do the mauri (protection spell) together, we don't have the power of a priestess yet."

A protection charm might bless them with a diversion, something that would force their pursuers to veer from the path they were following. Or just not look back. The apprentice understood it then, they would follow the group behind them. Kaoru knew she didn't have the same spiritual power as Yumi or Kaede, let alone Momiji, but the power of her vision was a blessing in itself, and she would have to have faith that it would work.

"Let's do it," she said.

"I catch them!"

"Yuta!" Everyone shouted.

One of the ronin had purposely stayed behind, discovering the group's hideout, his katana didn't wait to plunge into the roots, stabbing Yuta in the left side of the abdomen.

"Do not lose concentration, do the spell!" Kago pressed, leaping out of hiding and lunging at the ronin.

Fuu and Kaoru hurried to continue praying, even though the latter wanted to go out and fight just like her partner.

The ronin was two heads taller than Koga, a grown man wearing ancient red armor. He released his sword to stop the chokkai, managing to stop the attack. Hikari ran to help Yuta, trying to stop the bleeding from the wound.

"Hold on," she begged.

Sato jumped together with Koga and attacked from a different front, but the ronin was a true ex-samurai, it would be a matter of time before he defeated them, it would be enough to tire them out to finish them off with a blow. Aware of this, Chiaki hastened to put poison on new spikes, ready to launch them at the first opportunity, but afraid of accidentally hurting one of her companions she stood still waiting for an opportunity.

"I need an opening," she said desperately, seeing that that window was not available.

Kaoru heard the bells then, they rumbled in echoes of three; the trance was already done; when her eyes opened there was a resonance in the forest.

And then, an infinity of cats began to gather around them. An echo of meows that created a symphony in the air.

"Cats…" Fuu whispered in admiration.

"What is this?" the ronin growled, noticing that the cats were concentrating on surrounding him.

Kago and Sato stood still, shivering as some of the cats rubbed against their legs, internally praying that they do not see them as a threat.

"It's ridiculous," the ronin growled, though there was a hint of a tremor in his voice. He began to wave his sword, managing to hit one or another feline with it.

A serious mistake.

The cats, with their fluid movements, moved as one and leaped into time. Hissing and scratching, snapping without compunction. And each time they were more of them.

It wasn't long before the man lost his sword, his desperate attacks made him falter his steps, Chiaki then took the opportunity to throw one of his thorns, it stuck in one of the ronin's cheeks, the man was barely able to remove it before falling to the ground -weak-, where more cats took the opportunity to receive their prey.

The chokkai stood still, stunned looking at the scene before their eyes. The cats for their part continued with their banquet.

"It worked," Kaoru whispered, still in a trance, her gaze dull.

Her voice was enough to wake the others, however.

"For now," Kago finished.

"More are coming, we must go," Sato warned, trying to keep his eyes off the ronin as he moved closer to Hikari. "I'll carry him," he told her.

"I made him an improvised bandage -she said- but I don't think it will last long, he needs medical attention."

Kago helped as well as the rest to carefully put Yuta on Sato's back, using straps to keep him as fixed as possible -without hurting him- to avoid a possible fall.

Fuu lifted Kaoru up, and held her, patient as she recovered from the trance she had plunged into during the incantation. She took one last look at the group of cats behind her, shivering as she did so. She bowed slightly, thanking the gods who had responded to her call, and then walked away with her companions.

…

Kago then remembered that there was a rest house on a path parallel to the main stairway. It was a detour they had to make if they wanted to avoid another confrontation, no matter how long it would delay them.

They were close to arriving, when Kaoru -now free from the trance- realized that they were near the bamboo forest, the area where the deviation to the hut where Kenshin lived with his teacher was located. Her heart pounded in her chest.

'If I go in that direction…' She thought, they were both samurai, and if Kenshin was formidable, his master would undoubtedly be a genius. If she went for them... But what if they weren't there... 'No.' She recriminated herself. 'I would risk losing them.' And she couldn't afford to abandon her companions.

"Kaoru dono" Fuu called her suddenly, the girl looked at her instantly "You are the one who is in the most danger."

"Me?"

"You are a symbol, Kaoru dono." It was Chiaki who spoke now.

Despite being the most recent apprentice, she was a noble from Edo, the imperial palace had been her home, and therefore she knew what was whispered between the halls of imperial Shintoism. Kaoru looked from one to the other in dismay.

Fuu nodded.

"If this is a purge, there are two options: to become a sacrifice or to become a banner. -She told Kaoru with total seriousness-. And whether it's one or the other, both groups will be after you. Do you know what I mean?"

Kaoru swallowed hard.

"I must separate myself from the group and, if necessary, surrender myself."

"No." Her companions growled loudly, startling her.

"That would be if we wanted to make you a martyr. And how could we?" Fuu demanded. "You are our partner. What I'm trying to say is that we must protect you. If the worst were to happen, you must abandon us and run. You get it, right?"

Running was the last thing she wanted to do. How couldsheI? But she had experienced so much during the last two years, that she understood Fuu's reasons; she knew what honor dictated her to do.

"Hai…" she nodded resignedly.

Making it to the rest house -on the alternate path in the bamboo forest-, the chokkai laid Yuta down on the wooden floor. The property was empty of people besides them, but it had what was necessary so that they could be treated.

"How is Yuta doing?" Kago asked.

Chiaki hadn't left his side.

"He has fallen asleep," she said.

"Isn't that bad?" Hikari questioned.

Kago denied.

"As long as he doesn't exert himself, it's better he rests."

"I'll take care of him" Fuu said, in her hand she carried one of the first-aid kits that were in that hut.

The others made room for her.

As she cut through the cloth to clean the wound, Kaoru held back the spasm she felt. It was more serious than they had anticipated, even though the cut appeared to have been clean. Chiaki and Hikari assisted Fuu as she worked on cleaning, disinfecting, and stitching the wound. A whole hour passed, until Fuu had finished.

"Someone has to go ahead," Kago said as soon as Fuu finished.

"Kago," Hikari scolded, still too scared.

"I am the eldest and the one with the most command of the land," he pointed out. "I will go to the shrine and warn them. I will find help for Yuta."

"You can't go alone!" Hikari demanded.

"Yuta needs to stay and rest," he pressed. "The wound is not deep, but we cannot leave him alone or in poor company or else it would be suicide."

"The same in your case" refuted the minor.

Kaoru stood up then.

"I'll go with him."

Hikari looked at her shocked.

"Kaoru dono…!"

Outside, the sun had begun to hide.

"I am also familiar with the terrain. -Said the apprentice-. And out of everyone here, I'm the only one who knows how to swing a sword."

Kago looked at her for a moment, sizing her up.

"Good." He finally said. "Let's go then. Consider an hour for our return -he told the others- beyond that time, it will mean that you will be alone."

The others agreed.

Hikari was going to refute, but Sato held her back. He gave her a look, shaking his head, and finally the young girl relented.

...

They left the house knowing that the group that had pursued them would have reached the sanctuary by now, praying that the clergy there had had the strength to confront them. They hurried up what was left of the stairway, resuming the main path at one of the points where the two intersected.

"We're close" they both thought with some relief, but when they were close to the Tori they saw the group of ronin and priests in conflict.

"Damn," Kago growled, stopping Kaoru from behind him. He forced himself to hide with her. They ran back over the second stair, sticking to the bamboo trees. "We were late. But if we can make it to the entrance..."

"Kago kun…"

There was no way the two of them could cross together. Kago seemed to come to the same conclusion as her, but seemed to have already devised a plan.

"I have greater spiritual mastery than you." He said looking at her at last. "And my hands are already stained with blood." He pointed sadly. "Run to the shrine, Kaoru dono. I got this."

"What will you do?"

"I will use Yumi sama's technique."

Her eyes widened in surprise, Yumi's technique could be taught, but it wasn't as powerful as when she was the one who used it, after all it was her gift...

"Can you do it?"

Kago snorted.

"Not entirely, but it will have to be enough," he smiled ruefully.

With a trembling heart, Kaoru nodded. There was no other way, Yuta needed help and wouldn't resist going down to the city.

"Be careful," she told him placing her hand on his arm, granting him a vision.

It was the second time Kaoru applied her gift in reverse, and she hoped it would be enough to help him. His friend's eyes sparkled for an instant before returning to normal.

"Arigatou," he told her.

Kaoru broke into a run, moving between the bodies of the combatants-ronin and priests alike-noting when her companions recognized her. She managed to reach the Torii, though she was unable to be surprised by the chaos that greeted her on the esplanade; she forced herself to look at them as actors in a play with a plot that did not interest her. She looked this way and that, looking for the best route to the chapel or the building of rooms. With the latter she would still stand.

Noticing the abandoned space to her left, she decided that it would be the chapel then, and she started running again.

Then the earth shook at her feet.

"Ah!" She cried.

She fell face first to the ground, as did many others in the sanctuary.

"What was that?" She wondered internally, still facing the ground.

Her ears were ringing, and her body ached. Her head throbbedm and she wanted to vomit. She held on with arms and legs until she managed to regain her balance. It was hot, she noted. A lot.

Then she raised her face.

"No…" she sobbed.

The main building was on fire. What she had felt and heard had been an explosion.

She could not identify when she had stood up, just as she was not aware of where her feet were moving her in the middle of that hell. But she was on a slope now; in the distance, as if her subconscious was preparing her to run in the opposite direction.

"Kaoru dono!"

It was all echoes underwater.

"Kaoru dono!"

The apprentice was barely aware of the presence of the miko at her side -Kaede-, not even when she shook her shoulders.

"Kaoru dono, we must go back in the direction you came from. -The older one told him-. The sanctuary can defend itself. Yumi-sama is in charge."

"Yumi-sama…"

That name brought her to the surface.

"I have, I have to go, I-"

"Sshh," Kaede silenced her, putting two fingers to her lips. "You serve us more alive than dead, Kaoru dono -She emphasized with a sweet voice, the black-haired girl cried even more when listening to her mentor- Let's go."

Kaoru nodded, wiping away her tears, when ahead of her she saw a group of ronin going to attack them "Kaede sama!"

But that group did not arrive. They were pierced by naginatas (katana-bladed spears), much to the astonishment of the apprentice. The Arui Miko stood dignified dressed in uniform and carrying spears, had killed them.

Kaoru remembered each one of them. Strong women who had become her friends over the last year, who had originally been there as refugees. Her heart sank as she considered how many of them she would never see again.

The women bowed, before dashing back into the fray. Two of them stayed to guard them. Their names were Midori and Kodashi, of Kaede's age, and among the first to have arrived at the shrine.

Kago came running then.

"Kaoru dono! Kaede sama!"

He was wounded and limping, he had blood on his face, but the wound came from his head, his left eye remained semi-closed due to this.

"We can't go there," he informed, referring to the Torii entrance. "The others came after me, the retirement home collapsed."

Kaoru's heart sank.

"You mean, they were also attacked?"

Kago frowned in anguish.

"I heard the cannons behind me -lamented this one- there is no doubt that they were the target."

"We must go to the other side of the mountain - Kaede informed them - there are other ways to reach the city."

"The city?" Kaoru questioned, shocked. "What will happen to the sanctuary?"

Kaede tried to calm her down, but it was Kodashi who composed her.

"It can defend itself -she assured- even in this chaos you see, we outnumber them; we have already asked for reinforcements as well. I assure you that now the priority is to put out the fire."

"Then why leave?" She refuted.

"Because one carelessness is enough," she told her, fixing her gaze on her, "a single piece could tip the balance."

They hadn't won yet, after all.

"You also think they're coming for me," she concluded.

"Is there another possibility?" she asked sincerely.

Kaoru denied, resigned.

…

They went back on the same path, the arui miko and Kaede were in charge of opening the way for them between adversaries. Kaoru regretted not having the strength to fight and defend them, scared as she was, feeling useless weighed more heavily on her.

"Kago kun! Kaoru dono!"

It didn't take long for them to reunite with their companions. They looked scruffy and their clothes were torn and dirty just like their faces, but they looked good; except that someone was missed.

"Where is Yuta?" Kaede asked.

The others turned pale, they looked down in contriteness, Chiaki was a sea of tears. It was Fuu who answered.

"He didn't survive the explosion..."

The miko held her breath for a moment, controlling her emotions.

"I see."

"Momiji-sama?" Hikari asked.

Kaede shook her head.

"I'm afraid they were the first to fall," she confessed, keeping quiet about the fact that she had been the one who had abandoned them at the instruction of her superior.

And then an arrow pierced through Kaede's chest.

"Kaede sama!" they all shouted.

Midori held her up, and Kodachi positioned herself at the front of the group. Finally, the crew they had left behind, the one that had blown up the rest house Yuta had been entombed in, had caught up with them.

With difficulty and, using Midori as a support, Kaede ripped off the arrow that luckily had not penetrated far enough -stabbing into the bone-, although the blood that stained her clothes seemed to indicate otherwise.

Kaoru knew for sure at that moment, that the shrine would lose that battle. It was not convenient to return to the esplanade, and in front of them, they were surrounded by about a dozen men.

"We can still fight," Kodashi murmured.

Both Kaede and Midori nodded.

"We must first knock down the one with the bow -the miko pointed out -I'll create a distraction."

The sky rumbled then, lighting up with each flash of lightning.

'Thank goodness,' Kaoru thought, the rain could put out the flames, that was something.

The ronin with the bow drew a second.

"Be ready," Midori ordered.

The chokkai knew what they had to do.

The arrow was released and the group of miko leaped out of range, the chokkai scattering as well. Sato and Kago clinging to their small katanas; Midori and Kodachi with their spears. Trembling, Chiaki moved away trying to find a suitable point from which to launch her spines. Fuu and Hikari with their sai (trident spears). Kaoru still had the dagger concealed in her obi, but she clung to the blade of the wakizashi. Although it wasn't strictly a katana, and it caused her the problem of having to fight more closely, it was less heavy and therefore she could move it just like his usual bamboo blade.

Midori and Kodashi concentrated on reaching the ronin with the bow, only stopping when they couldn't avoid the attack of any of the other ronin in their path. Unfortunately, this led to the arrows reaching the chokkai, managing to injure Kago in the shoulder and Fuu in the right leg. Sato shielded Kago, and Kaoru protected Fuu by parrying their opponents' blades, managing to get far enough away to dodge a second attack. Kaede carried her naginata as well as a wakizashi, brandishing one in each hand, she managed to face two ronin and stay on her feet, managing to seriously injure both.

Chiaki managed to throw several thorns in the direction of the bow ronin, but two ronin crossed each other, one evading it with the sword and the other falling under the control of the thorn's poison. The young woman hurried to search among her clothes for more thorns, finding only two more. For a moment she stared at them hopelessly, hands shaking, then she remembered Yuta, and forced herself to resist the wave of emotions she was drowning under.

She filled the tip of each spine with venom and risked getting closer to find her target. She was the only one who didn't have a blade, so she had to trust that her companions would defend her. They had the ronin who had escaped from her earlier attack running towards her, but she didn't stop. Midori was in front of her then, receiving the katana fully in her body and taking advantage of the force she held onto her's hand, taking out the dagger hidden in her sleeve pierced the man's neck... all while Chiaki slipped eluding them both and launched herself against his target, he blew hard, throwing the thorn, managing to hit his target, at the same time that his arrow sank into the center of her chest.

"Chiaki!" Kaede yelled, under the emotion of her rage she got the necessary strength to pierce the belly of one of her two opponents.

The apprentice fell to the ground. Kaede ran to her. Midori then fell along with the ronin who had killed her.

The rain came loose then, in a mighty torrent.

Kodashi took advantage of that moment of distraction to kill her opponent, who had turned to face the ronin with the fallen bow. Then Kodashi too was stabbed in the back.

They were losing, Kaoru realized, noticing her fallen companions, and hearing in the distance the arrival of more ronin.

Kaede began to pray then, casting the incantation to immobilize them. But the remaining men broke the spell after a struggle. Sato barely managed to finish off one, before the others broke free.

"Your tricks won't work." The one who seemed to be the leader growled, he advanced towards Kaede, who looked tired and small, the front of her haori was stained with blood and her breath was ragged. The man lifted her, holding her by the hair.

"Kadee-sama!" the chokkai shouted.

The man then pierced her neck with his sword, to the horror of the others. Kaede's body fell to the ground with a thud.

The rain was getting worse.

The boys got closer to each other, forming a kind of barrier that they knew wouldn't really protect them.

"They are too weak, barely chokkai."

"And I bet they've exhausted their spiritual reserves by now," another murmured, licking the blade of his katana.

Fuu took out her jingle bracelet again, in an attempt to make another incantation.

"I told you no more tricks will do," Kaede's assassin growled.

"How about mine then?"

The sound of multiple bells resounded in the environment. The threads tightened and the men remained fixed on the ground.

"Yumi-sama!" Kago yelled in relief.

"Kago, pierce them now," the woman ordered, holding the spell.

The dark-haired man regained control of himself, and adjusted the blade in his hand, he jumped determinedly the moment after, Sato followed him.

The ronin did try to undo that binding, but their ki barely allowed them to move a bit. Five men remained. Kago jumped on the first slashing his throat, he fell backwards, and headed for the next. Sato had taken the other path and did the same with those who remained.

For a long moment there was silence. Only the rain could be heard. The boys found it hard to believe that they were safe for the moment.

"We must move," Yumi urged. "It's a long way back to the entrance."

"Chiaki," Hikari murmured, Yumi stopped her from advancing towards her friend.

"Chiaki fought bravely, don't stain her sacrifice by staying here crying, we must go and live."

The aforementioned nodded, still trembling.

"We have lost the sanctuary, haven't we?" Sato inquired, looking defeated.

Yumi didn't answer. It was Fuu who stood tall as always.

"The sanctuary is not the building," she said, "as long as we're still alive, we can rebuild it once this is over, we can…"

A bullet pierced her head then.

…

"Fuu!"

…

Water.

Kaoru was submerged in water.

Sunk in a deep and crushing ocean.

"Run!"

Between the echos of voices...

"Yumi-sama!"

"Ah!"

"Kaoru dono!"

...

They had been surrounded again; this time by ronin carrying both firearms and katanas.

"Kill the men, leave the women for a while," one mocked.

The rain had begun to subside. The fire in the main building had already been almost completely extinguished. Yumi had been taken to a different place, apart from the group.

All of it had happened as if it were a dream, a nightmare worse than a vision, because she lived it without being able to control it, without getting answers.

"Hikari-chan!"

They were on the esplanade, with every member of the sanctuary still alive, all bowed or collapsed to the ground, subjected to bowing to the ronin.

Some ronin had taken to the task of having fun with the maidens. Hikari was about to be subdued by one of the men.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Kago yelled, getting enough strength to throw himself at the ronin. The chokkai launched himself to bite his neck.

The man tried to take him off, but even as the chokkai was struck and pierced by several katanas, his bite only tightened until he killed the ronin.

The two fell to the ground.

"Kago kun…" Hikari sobbed through her tears.

Something clicked in Kaoru's mind then. Just when another ronin was preparing to take her companion.

She remembered the judo moves that Koishijiro had been trying to integrate into his sword style. She knew, being a samurai, the small moments of distraction that she could use to her advantage... And that was how she used her body to push the ronin next to her, grab his katana, and run against the ronin holding Hikari.

He looked at her and tried to stop her, releasing his companion instantly and thrusting in the black-haired direction, but she was able to predict the movement and slide across the floor, ducking at the last moment, turning and bringing the weapon down on the man's hand getting to cut it.

"Aaah!" Cried the man.

Kaoru lifted Hikari up, urging her to run back; her small act had caused the reaction of the other priests who also tried to break free.

"Damn bitch!" the ronin growled, holding onto the arm that had been left without a hand.

Another one managed to disarm Kaoru with a blow, pulling her by the hair and hitting her face, and when she wanted to brandish the katana, the man stopped her with one hand and, with the other, hit her belly, making her fall to the ground.

The apprentice could barely breathe.

"This won't work. I don't care the orders, it's better to kill her now," said her attacker.

Kaoru looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She saw his sly smile and how he prepared to attack her. "Get up" she ordered herself, and made an effort to try to stand up. But she herself knew that it would be useless.

In her last moments, the image of that dream she had tried to achieve was painted behind her eyes.

"Kenshin" She thought.

Silence filled her ears.

A/N: The angst is coming!