Just a thought, though. I am currently watching "Sakura Wars". Don’t you think Sakura looks a helluva lot like Kaoru? Hmmm…looks like Kaoru, fights like Kenshin. Interesting…she could be their kid, ne? Well, maybe that goes in my next fic.

Standard disclaimers apply. "Rurouni Kenshin" (c) Watsuki Nobuhiro, Shuiesha, Shounen Jump, and Sony. I do not own RK, pray as I might, every night, it just wouldn't happen that way. No matter how many candles I light, no matter how many chickens I decapitate…

"Shishou!" Kaoru growled angrily as her eyes flew open.

She found Kenshin staring at her from his side of the futon, blinking in surprise. "Umm…why are you so mad at Hiko?" He asked, his surprise turning into an amused smile.

Kaoru gaped at him, then she laughed, shifting in her place to lean her head against his chest.

It was early morning, and she had just been with her Shishou in one of their training sessions. "It wasn’t Hiko-san, beloved. It’s a different master."

Kenshin chuckled and pulled her closer. "I’m not sure I like you dreaming about other men, if I may be frank."

A giggle escaped Kaoru and she kissed Kenshin’s neck affectionately. "My Shishou is a woman, Keshin. Don’t worry."

He chuckled and kissed her on the lips, then he reluctantly pulled away. "No," he told himself. "We’ve had enough fun. It’s time to work and start the day."

"Hmmm…work?" she drawled, planting kisses on his chest.

Kenshin smiled at her. "Stop that, Kaoru," he said gently.

"Purrrr…."

"No," he said again, another chuckle escaping him. "I will be strong because there are things that need to be done. I have responsibilities."

He pulled away and she pouted momentarily before breaking out in a smile.

"Can I help?" She asked, seeing the perfect opportunity to make her revelations to him.

"Of course," he replied, getting dressed. "Just promise to behave," he said with a grin.

"I’ll behave," she said, tilting her head to the side playfully.

He kissed her forehead and headed out of the room. "Give me twenty minutes."

Kaoru didn’t even have to ask him for what. He would probably take a quick bath, then have her tub ready for her to bathe in. He was such a dear that way. She’d be even more surprised and alarmed if she didn’t have a tub full of warm water in the morning.

An hour later, bathed and ready for the day, Kaoru and Kenshin put things in order. Kaoru was partly thankful that Yahiko had not arrived yet to see the mess of her kimono and obi outside her room, knowing he would tease her scandalously, or else complain loudly, which could be a lot worse.

Having tidied up the house, they made their way to the kitchen.

Kenshin filled a pot with water and put it over the stove. He tossed some logs into the furnace and was about to light it when Kaoru placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let me," she said, crouching down beside him.

Gracefully, she bent her face to the wood and simply blew.

A fire ignited, slowly setting the fuel and coals ablaze.

Kenshin stared wide-eyed, speechless at the spectacle. She…how did she…? So it had been her all along! But HOW? "Oro! How did you…?"

She merely smiled at him, letting him absorb the scene before she said anything. She pulled a stalk of celery from their supply basket and began her placid chopping.

He stood up, gaping at her, still uncertain at what he had witnessed. "The stove yesterday…and the lamps. It was you…how?"

She gave a miniscule smile, turning to him. "Have you ever heard about Mages, Kenshin?"

"The dragon churns. I can feel it. We move now, Desuke," Yasanari told her ghoul.

Desuke smiled and bowed to his master. "Yes, Yasanari-sama. I can’t wait."

"Mages?" Kenshin asked, totally at a loss.

Kaoru nodded. "Ma…" Her words suddenly trailed off, her eyes falling to the threshold of the kitchen.

A mist was creeping into the room, building into a thick haze. And with it, she felt a horrible presence. It was familiar. Nay, she knew it well. That dark ki that had assaulted her senses, both in waking and in sleep. Human, yet unmistakably inhuman. Fear knotted in her belly, and her face took on an ashen seeming.

Kenshin noticed her going pale and he followed her eyes. Sensing her terror. He saw the fog, and out of sheer instinct, his hand went to the hilt of his sakabatou.

"Battousai!" Came a wail from outside. "I want your dragon!"

That voice! She recognized its arrogance. She had played it in her head a countless number of times these past few days. She trembled, and she had to summon all of her courage to stay on her feet.

Don’t be afraid, Kamiya! She ordered herself. Yasanari is with him. It is her that I must prepare for. It is HER who can harm me. I trained for her. I must keep my presence of mind. It was a mantra, and she could not let Desuke distract her.

Kenshin saw her momentary panic, and he glared at the rising mist. He knew who his challenger was, by Kaoru’s reaction if not by the baritone of the voice.

Desuke…The name rang in his mind. Rage began to build even before he could see his enemy’s face.

"It churns," Yasanari whispered in anticipation. Fuel the anger…taunt him. Provoke him. His soul is unsettled, always has been. Never quite at peace, never quite steady. It will be their downfall, and my salvation.

She muttered a spell, malice coating her every word. The string of power wove around her fingertips, then she let it loose.

Images slammed into Kenshin’s head, and he shut his eyes in the hopes of blocking it, but it stirred, blanketing his thoughts, and remembered dreams of pain, horror, suffering suffused his memories. His torment…and hers.

Kenshin fell to his hands and knees, eyes wide, staring at the floor but not acknowledging the existence of his surroundings. "S-STOP!" He shrieked.

Kaoru jerked from her place, her head swerving towards his crumpled form. "Kenshin!" She exclaimed, crouching to his side and putting her arms around him. Oh God! What is she doing to him? What is she…?

He did not respond to her. He couldn’t. He was seeing something else, and nothing could stop it. Blood of the slain…calling me in voices filled with hate and fear…blood on my hands…never washes off…Tomoe’s…Kaoru! Oh, Kaoru!

"Kenshin, please! Look at me!" Kaoru pleaded, placing her palms to his face and coaxing his eyes to meet with hers.

His gaze, purple and battling with gold, resembled a blind stare. Seeing, but not reality. They were animated, but it was a dance of darkness.

Kaoru began to shed tears, trying to shake him back to his sanity. "Kenshin! Can you hear me? Please listen!" She sobbed, her hands quivering against his cheeks.

Kenshin couldn’t listen, wouldn’t. He was seeing her, beaten, scarred and broken. So broken…she couldn’t even walk…she wouldn’t look at me. She can’t. She is ashamed of herself. Pain. She’s in so much pain. Body, heart, soul…broken. Desuke…

And then it was amber, glimmering in its coldness, yet burning at the core. "Kaoru…" He growled.

Kaoru gasped at his malevolent tone. "Kenshin?" She asked, hoping she could get him back.

His sprung to his feet with the agility of the Hitokiri.

Kaoru stared at him in horror, knowing yet refusing to give in. "W-Wait! Don’t!"

"Stay here," Battousai said, flashing out of the kitchen in a blink of an eye.

Kaoru shook off her terror and gathered her senses. She disobeyed him and followed. "Kenshin! Kenshin no!" She cried, rushing out after him. He had been so fast. She didn’t even know exactly where he had gone.

She reached the yard, and the fog that covered it cleared.

Bushio Desuke came into view, brandishing a sword clumsily, Mitsumo Yasanari behind him in her black kimono. Kenshin was no where in sight.

Kaoru took a deep breath, trying to calm her frantically beating heart.

"He is hiding in the shadows like the assassin he is," Yasanari told her from across the yard. "But he’ll be coming out soon enough."

Kaoru glared at her, mustering her will to speak without fear. "Yasanari, you don’t know what you are doing…"

"Don’t I?" Yasanari asked, cocking a smile. She turned to her ghoul. "Desuke, why don’t you have another go at Kaoru over there."

Kaoru stiffened.

Desuke gave an evil smirk and chuckled. "With pleasure, Yasanari-sama," he said, moving right for Kaoru in slow, deliberate steps.

Kaoru could not, for the life of her, stay still. Though she knew, though he had not ravished her, she had felt his hand. That had been real, and even if the rape had been false, he could make it as true as any reality. She stepped back involuntarily as he came towards her, her breath catching in her throat.

"Stop," came an icy voice from the shadows.

All of them froze, and their gazes swerving to the sound.

The eyes of the Hitokiri peered at them with an amber shimmer from the darkness they did not even know was there. They could see his form, imposing even in its vagueness, but he did not move into the light. "Bastard," he said to Desuke. "We finally meet again."

Desperate, uncertain, Kaoru whimpered. "No, Kenshin!" She pleaded. "It was a mistake! He didn’t rape me, he…" Anything. Anything to get back even a particle of lucid thought. She was groping, but she had to do something!

Kenshin was apparently in no mood to believe her. "Kaoru, step away," he said in his Battousai drawl.

Yasanari finally let out a derisive laugh.

"It will be a pity to waste your whore when we’re through with you, Battousai," Desuke said mockingly. "I really enjoyed her."

Kenshin’s ki began to glow, emanating a dark-blue tinge around him. He emerged, and they could see that his face was monstrously angry. "Shut up! You will die for what you did!"

Kaoru’s tears continued to flow and she gave a frustrated moan. For a moment, Kenshin looked at her, slightly moved by her lamentation. "Don’t believe him, Kenshin! He didn’t have me! He made me take something…it wasn’t real!"

"Ah! So you know the truth!" Yasanari said, grinning. "I did a pretty good job on that False Memory, didn’t I?"

Kenshin glared at Yasanari. She is behind all this. False memory, she said? What is she talking about? "You. I don’t know who you are, but I know you had something to do with this, and you will die with this bastard," he growled, pointing to Desuke.

Yasanari chuckled, unfazed by the threat. "Your lady speaks true. She wasn’t raped. I only made her believe she was, through magic, but do you remember the dream you had the other night?"

Kenshin did nothing but stare at her with building hate. He refused to remember, but the images were too vivid to keep at bay. Kaoru, being beaten to the ground, her blood spraying from the force of the blows…his ki darkened.

"Yes…" Yasanari drawled in approval. "You remember. What you saw, that had been true. That was how Desuke hurt her, crushing every sorry bone in her body. And he did enjoy himself, didn’t you Desuke?"

"Absolutely," Desuke replied with a smile worthy of a serpent. "The thrill of hitting a woman never loses its charm."

Kenshin stepped forward, clutching into a fighting stance. "You first, bastard. Then I’ll slice your bitch in half."

Kaoru gasped, shaking her head from side to side. He must not! Not for her, not for anybody! "Stop!" She cried in despair.

Desuke did not lower his gaze from Kenshin’s. "Draw it, Yasanari-sama," he muttered from the corner of his mouth. "You know I cannot fight him."

Yasanari nodded and stepped forward herself, chanting her spell.

Something flashed before Kenshin’s eyes. A light, or rather the blinding glare of obsidian. Reflections of a dream appeared to him, a mirror of what was already imprinted in his mind magnified a thousand fold.

The scene in the shanty played right before him. Shadows and phantoms of Kaoru and Desuke were reenacting every detail of brutality. The blood, the cries, and the pain, her pain…

Kenshin’s ki exploded around him, his wrath clear by the gleam in his eyes.

I have been to this place before…his thoughts thrummed. A place where hate and bloodlust reign supreme. It fills me with power, clouding my mind like a drug. It overcomes me, and if I give in to the demands of this old world, there is no turning back, probably no salvation…but for her…Kaoru, for you…

Rage raced through his veins, consuming him. Kenshin screamed.

Yasanari yanked her hand into a fist and she let out a spellbound wail, piercing their ears like millions of needles.

Kaoru, Desuke and Kenshin clutched at their heads, agony lacing through all of them, but that was not the worst of it.

It happened, cloaking the yard in a mass of energy. A dragon spirit, nine headed, blue and fiery, tore its way out of Kenshin’s body.

Kenshin screamed again, but this time, it was filled with torment. The spirit shot out of him and hovered in the air tentatively as Kenshin collapsed on the ground. The dragon stirred, the tiny flames from its nostrils enlarging as it breathed.

"Kenshin!" Kaoru cried, wanting to go to him but fearing her presence would hurt him even more.

Desuke recovered from his own pain and managed to laugh through the ringing in his head. Kenshin had apparently weakened, no doubt from the separation of his soul from the spirit of the Hiten Mitsurugi.

"Come!" Yasanari commanded the dragon.

The dragon gave a deafening shriek of protest, but it was pulled by an unseen force, taking its place above Yasanari’s head.

Kaoru finally decided to go to Kenshin, skidding to her knees beside him and enveloping him in a protective embrace.

"Give it back, Yasanari!" Kaoru demanded as Kenshin struggled to gather his strength.

Yasanari smiled defiantly and Desuke leered.

"The dragon is mine, Kaoru," Yasanari informed her. "And once it gets its offering, it will willingly follow my bidding."

"Offering…" Kaoru whispered, not liking the sound of it.

"Yes. Offering," said Yasanari. "Pure blood. Your blood."

Kaoru could only stare in horror as the dragon, shrieking and writhing, sped headlong towards them. With all her courage, she pushed Kenshin out of the way and stood up as if to accept the dragon into her arms.

The force of the dragon hit her like the detonation of a bomb, and she was sent flying several feet away in a ball of flames.

"Kaoru!" Kenshin groaned, watching in helpless dread as she careened into a tree. "Noooo!" He struggled to stand, but succeeded only in tumbling forward.

"Shit! Jou-chan!" Came Sanosuke’s voice from the dojo gate. Yahiko stood beside him, his eyes wide with sickening fear.

Her burning body slammed on the tree trunk and she bounced face down on the grass. The dragon turned circles over her as the flames leapt from her still form, and then it dove downward, plunging through her head.

She had felt this before, experienced it in its purest form. Making love to Kenshin while Battousai roamed free in his spirit…it was a binding.

Kaoru knew now what it had been. She had unified with the dragon, held its power, and it was hers. Every dragon has its master…isn’t it lucky that it happens to be me?

Sano’s eyes roved frantically to survey the scene before him. There were two people in the yard he has never seen before, but they were smiling at his friends’ demise. They’re the enemy. As for Kenshin, he was down for the count. He couldn’t get up and he could barely move.

And Jou-chan. "Shit! Yahiko! Get help!" He ordered the boy who was too panic-stricken to argue about having to leave.

Yahiko sped off, heading for the police station.

Sanosuke rushed towards Kaoru. Must put out the flame. He thought desperately.

But before he could get to her, they were all met by a most unholy sight.

Even Yasanari and Desuke were unable to hold back a start.

Kaoru rose from the ground, angrily dusting off her kimono, flames dancing off her entire body. "Damn, Yasanari!" She said in an annoyed tone, unaffected by the fire surrounding her. "You should have known better than to pit this dragon against me!"

With a single ki release, the flames were extinguished and the dragon, nine heads swerving gracefully, entwined itself lovingly around Kaoru’s limbs. The beast shrieked in triumph.

Her eyes determined, Kaoru made a cup of her palm and ball of fire twisted and hovered above her hand.

"Y-You can’t be…" Yasanari stammered in shock. The dragon…no! But she is! Of all the fucking luck! "You bitch!" She cried.

"You didn’t tell me she was a Fire Mage, Yasanari-sama," Desuke said in a hushed voice. He had known she had powers, but to be a Fire Mage? Fate couldn’t have been more cruel.

"More importantly," Kaoru said with a cocky smile. "I am the dragon’s master. Kenshin had bent it to his will through Hiten Mitsurugi, but it will always serve me first. You dare command it to consume me? No spell is potent enough to destroy its respect for me, Yasanari."

Kenshin and Sano stared at Kaoru with mouths wide open. She was not burnt in the slightest, and her kimono did not even have a trace of soot. It seems that whatever strange powers she possessed, she could transmit it to her clothing if she willed it. And what was she talking about? Dragons? And Magic? What was going on?

"Kenshin, Sano, I want you to stay back. This fight is between me and Yasanari," she said to them firmly, then she turned to the witch. "And I expect you to keep that thing out of the way until we finish this," she added, pointing a finger at Desuke.

Desuke turned red with anger. "Shut your trap, you whore!"

"Quiet, Desuke!" Yasanari said sternly. "She is right. Unless you want both of us to get killed, stay out of this."

Sano went to Kenshin and assisted the samurai to his feet, moving both of them at a safe distance. He was too awed to disobey Kaoru’s instructions.

"Who the hell are these guys, Kenshin?" Sano grumbled.

"That’s the guy who kidnapped Kaoru. The woman is his master," Kenshin replied weakly, regaining some of his strength but feeling very empty.

"Kenshin, I have to borrow your dragon for a while," Kaoru said gravely. "Don’t worry, I’ll give it back."

"Shit! I wouldn’t have the nerve to deny her anything right now!" Sano said, wide eyed.

Kenshin nodded to Kaoru wordlessly.

"Thank you," she said, then she looked at Yasanari. "Now we fight."

Two flares erupted from the sides of Kaoru’s legs, slitting her kimono from thigh to hem. Kaoru crouched low, free from the restraints of her skirt.

Yasanari collected herself. This would be entirely about self-preservation. There was no hope of getting the dragon back at this point, but if she could live through this, she might find another way. "If you think you can beat me girl, you are dead wrong." She fished a hand full of white paper Sakura from her sleeve. "How long have you been training? A day or two?"

"I know enough to beat you, witch," Kaoru said menacingly. She felt as confident as she sounded. She may be short of experience, extremely short of it, but she knew she was powerful. More powerful than Yasanari, and she had to rely more on her experience as a swords woman and her meager, but efficient mage training.

Yasanari smirked. "I don’t think so." She threw her Sakura into the air above her head and a bolt of energy rose out of her hand. The Sakura whirled like pinwheels and made straight for Kaoru.

Kaoru jumped into the air, the dragon disentangling and pushing her up higher on its snout. She threw the fireball at Yasanari and it exploded a few feet away from where Yasanari stood.

Yasanari shrieked and was thrown back, tumbling halfway through the yard.

The Sakura Yasanari had let loose pierced through the tree Kaoru had been in front of and the tree trunk shattered into a million tiny pieces. The leaves and branches fell to the ground with a crunching crash.

"Holy crap!" Sano hissed, protecting himself from the debris.

Kenshin stared at both women, shocked. "They’re both so powerful!" He gasped as Kaoru landed atop the dojo gate and Yasanari recovered, looking angrier than ever.

"That’s the closest you’ll ever get to me again, you hatchling mage!" Yasanari cried.

"You realize I could have killed you, Yasanari," Kaoru responded calmly from her perch. The dragon circled her overhead. "I missed on purpose. I’ll not have your death on my conscience." She hopped from the arc and landed on the ground with perfect form.

Yasanari glared. "Big mistake, honey. You should have killed me while you had the chance." She had underestimated this one, and this time, she was not going to take her for granted.

The witch took out another batch of origami. This time, they were black cranes. The energy field shot out of her hands again and the cranes made right for Kaoru. Kaoru’s training kicked in, and she dodged the paper bullets. The part of the gate connecting to the brick wall was wrecked in seconds.

"That attempt was even more pathetic than the last one!" Kaoru remarked, rolling to safety.

"Not really," Yasanari said. "Those cranes are impenetrable. They don’t go as easily as the Sakura."

Sure enough, several glowing dots rose from the rubble and swarmed towards Kaoru like angry hornets.

Too surprised to move, Kaoru raised her palms in front of her. She created a barrier of fire around her. The cranes were so strong that Kaoru skidded back several feet as they came in contact with her shield. As the cranes flew past her, several razor-like cuts blossomed from Kaoru’s skin, staining her now tattered kimono with blood.

Yasanari laughed. "Impressive! But how log do you think you can keep up?" She asked.

Kaoru tried to create an attack, but before she could gather her energy, the cranes made for her again. She jumped out of the way and the dive-bombing cranes sent billows of dust and soil in all directions, creating a gaping crater on the ground.

The dragon gave a shrill scream, as if imploring its master to tell it what to do.

Kaoru kept dodging the attacks and tried to think of a way to get to Yasanari, but each plan was interrupted by the possessed origami.

"This is too easy!" Yasanari cried with an amused grin. She flicked her fingers about, the tendrils of her power extending to the dojo porch. The wood of the pillars groaned with some kind of stress.

Kaoru began to falter. Two or three cranes completely got past her defenses and dealt her deep slashes along her legs and back. She hissed, trying to ignore the stabbing pain.

Exhausted and frustrated, Kaoru released a string of fireballs to burn each crane individually, but she succeeded only on making them friskier. A crane bit deep into her arm and no amount of lip biting could forestall her cry.

Kenshin breathed deeply to control his growing fear. Come on Kaoru, you can do this…

Kaoru grasped her bleeding arm and created her force field again, trying to buy herself some time until she could think of a way to get out of her fix.

Yasanari laughed louder, and she flung her arms forward, palms spread out in front of her. The porch collapsed, and splinters of wood flew towards Kaoru like knives.

Kaoru’s eyes widened and she flipped into the air, landing behind the protection of the felled tree from a while ago. The porch debris bit into the tree with such force that it shook, and Kaoru had no choice but to leave it, lest she got crushed under its weight.

She kept her magical barrier around her, but the cranes buffeted her relentlessly.

Kaoru fell to the ground in a heap, her limbs shaking from the beating. The cranes made right for her defenseless form.

"Kaoru!" Kenshin shouted, hating himself for being helpless but offering what he could. He would not let her lose. "Kaoru! Get up!"

"Hold!" Yasanari yelled to her minions. The cranes pulled back and hovered above Kaoru in anticipation. "Still think you can beat me?"

Panting, blood oozing from her wounds, Kaoru looked up, a determined gleam in her eyes. "It isn’t over," she simply said.

Yasanari chuckled then raised her hands to the cranes. "Annihilate!"

The cranes dove for Kaoru. Kaoru created a barrier again and the cranes created fresh cuts on Kaoru’s already shredded skin. Ignoring the new wounds inflicted upon her, she called out in a magical voice. "Dragon! Come!" Power erupted from her form, and it hauled the dragon towards her.

With an earth-moving roar, the dragon sped towards Kaoru, and when it reached her, it spun around her in blinding speed. It enveloped her on all sides and the cranes were unable to penetrate, bouncing and ricocheting in all directions. Any attempt of the cranes to get past her dragon shield failed.

Kaoru rose from the ground with renewed confidence.

"Yes! Go Jou-chan!" Sano whooped in encouragement.

Yasanari gasped, seeing her cranes being deflected by the spin of the dragon around Kaoru.

"Now we finish this my way," Kaoru said. She crouched into a sword stance and a blade of fire formed in her hands. It blazed, and no one doubted that it was as light as a wooden sword, but as effective as a blade.

Yasanari stepped back, absolutely flustered.

Kaoru charged in skillful grace, the dragon keeping up with her.

Yasanari’s eyes widened in fear.

Kaoru raised her flaming sword and with the speed of her years of training, she executed her Kamiya Kasshin Seven Pressure-point technique. She hit all of the most vulnerable and painful parts of Yasanari’s body.

Kaoru was done in seconds, and she stood panting behind Yasanari in offensive stance. The witch dropped to the ground with seven smoldering wounds precisely placed on her person.

The cranes just as soon dropped harmlessly to the grass.

"Yasanari-sama!" Desuke screamed, wide-eyed and clutching at his hair. "Bitch! You killed her!"

"No," Kaoru replied, her flaming sword disappearing. "She’s just unconscious."

She fell weakly to her knees, her magic and strength momentarily spent. She was still bleeding, but it hardly mattered. She had won. That was what was important. Recovery could come later. She had grown too weak.

For a second, Sano and Kenshin had to figure out if Kaoru was telling the truth. Yasanari looked lifeless enough, and with wisps of smoke still rising from the witch’s body, it might have been more believable to suppose she was dying if she wasn’t dead already.

"Go dragon," Kaoru said, her voice echoing with residual power. "Return to the soul that seeks you!"

The dragon swooped in circles around her, shrieking in nine different tones from each head, and then it swerved, diving towards Kenshin.

Kenshin felt like nine swords had just plunged into him. He screamed at the pain, and he fell to his knees as the last of the dragon’s tail disappeared into him.

"Oh, man! Are you alright?" Sano asked him frantically.

Kenshin was gasping for breath, but he nodded. "Yes. I’ll live." The emptiness had been filled. He felt whole again, and his strength came rushing back to him. His ki glowered, as if the dragon inside him was adjusting itself, settling peacefully back.

A battle cry resounded through the yard.

Kenshin’s eyes swerved to the sound and he saw Desuke rushing to Kaoru with an upraised sword.

Kaoru could only stare in horror. Desuke was bereft of form. He probably never held a sword in his entire life, but at this moment, he would win against her. She tried to summon her magic, but she could not. Having lacked the training to regulate the energy she had used, she had drained herself, unprepared for contingencies. But before she could relinquish herself to her fate, there was a hiss, like swishing steel. The wind whispered, then there was a clang.

Desuke tumbled back several feet as Kenshin stood between him and Kaoru, sakabatou unsheathed.

"K-Kenshin!" Kaoru gasped.

"This one’s mine, Kaoru," he said in a low voice. "And I’ll be dead before he lays a hand on you again."

Desuke rose and clutched into an awkward position. "Maybe I’ll have your whore after all, Battousai."

Mou! Is he crazy? Kaoru thought.

Desuke’s own words sealed his demise. He didn’t stand a chance in hell. Golden eyes and all, Kenshin pierced the ground in front of him and heaved forward. "Ryou Sou Sen!" He shouted.

The ground erupted in bursts, heading straight for Desuke.

Desuke was not even able to dodge. He felt the full force of it and was brutally thrown back, an imprint of a sword on his gut. He landed on the ground, hard. He was unable to move, barely able to breathe. With that single move, Kenshin had disposed of the threat.

Kenshin didn’t usually apply special moves on opponents that could be put away with ordinary hits, but apparently, Kenshin had made an exception.

Stoically, Kenshin flicked his sword in a chiburi, sheathed it and walked towards Desuke’s momentarily paralyzed body. Kenshin crouched down and glared into Desuke’s terrified eyes with his amber gaze.

"Remember my face, Desuke," Kenshin growled, placing a hand around Desuke’s throat. "We’ll see each other in hell and I will personally attend to your eternal suffering." He tightened his grip on Desuke and the terrified man’s eyes grew wide as air was cut off. "You dared to hurt Kaoru, and I promised to see you dead. I will fulfill this promise right now."

Desuke gave out a choke, his vision dimming, the cold voice ringing in his ears.

Kenshin felt a hand pressing gently on his shoulder.

"Kenshin," said a soft voice. "Let go. Let go, beloved."

Kenshin’s grip on Desuke’s throat loosened a little and the defeated man rasped for what precious air he could get from the pathetic reprieve.

"He’s done enough damage already," Kaoru continued, cupping Kenshin’s face in her hands from behind him. "Will you let him turn you into a murderer as well?"

"But he hurt you," growled Battousai. "For that, he must die."

"No," Kaoru replied gently. "For that he must live. Punishment cannot be dealt to a dead man. Please, beloved. Let Saitoh and the law handle him."

Kenshin let Kaoru’s words sink in, and just a few seconds before Desuke was strangled completely, Kenshin let him go.

Desuke took painful gulps of air, struggling to get oxygen back into his system.

Kaoru embraced Kenshin from behind, leaning her head tenderly against his shoulder. "Thank you, Kenshin."

Kenshin shook his head and took a deep breath, the rurouni slowly returning. "No. Thank you, Kaoru, for saving me again from returning to the blood."

They stayed that way for several moments, but they were interrupted by a jolly voice from behind them.

"Great job, Kaoru-san!" Said the voice.

They turned and saw a pleasant looking man who seemed about twenty and five years old.

Kaoru and Kenshin blinked in seeing several people now littering the yard. Someone was fixing the totaled porch, another was replacing the mistreated tree and hauling out the dead one, and a third was repairing the destroyed gate and wall. But most importantly, a bunch of people began to carry off Yasanari’s limp body.

"Eh?" Kaoru exclaimed in surprise.

"Hey! What’s going on here?" Sano demanded, staring at the confusion in awe.

The man, a foreigner, bowed to them respectfully. He introduced himself as Ludlow Anvik, assistant to Janek Malfid.

"I’m from the Department of Justice, Mage Government," Ludlow continued. "We’ve been trying to pin Mitsumo Yasanari for quite some time now. Thanks to you, Kaoru-san, we have her practically wrapped in a box, ready for prison."

Kenshin could not say anything for lack of his brain functions. Nothing Ludlow had said made sense. Sano was worse off.

Ludlow turned to Kaoru and saw her battered form. "Oh, you’re hurt. Treigan!"

The same small man appeared out of nowhere and went to Kaoru. He placed a hand on her forehead and she glowed a bright yellow. The wounds disappeared right before their very eyes, and when Kaoru settled back to her normal Aura, Treigan faded into nothingness.

"Damn!" Sano cursed.

"Kaoru," Kenshin began, turning to her. "What’s going on?"

Kaoru was about to ramble off when Ludlow spoke for her.

"Nania will be here in a moment to help you explain," said Ludlow. "She’ll be bringing your trainer too, Kaoru."

"You mean I finally get to meet her?" Kaoru asked.

Ludlow nodded, a strange twinkle in his eyes. "Yes. Now, I really must be going. Representatives of your Walker Government will be here soon to collect Desuke."

"But why don’t you take him yourself?" Kaoru asked.

"He’s a Walker. He’s not our affair. Besides, an ordinary jail cell can hold him," he replied. "You’ll still be seeing me, anyway. I’m in charge of teaching you Mage Law. Take this and read it. I’ll be back next year, after you’re done with them."

A thick stack of manuscripts fell into Kaoru’s arms and she toppled off balance from the weight of it. "Are!" She yelled, falling into Kenshin’s arms in astonishment.

Ludlow transformed into a canary and then flitted off into the sky. The other people began to disappear in a mist, and in a few seconds, the yard was empty except for Sano, Kenshin, Kaoru and Desuke.

The place looked as good as new.

"Jou-chan…" Sano began.

Yahiko suddenly burst through the gate, Saitoh and the whole police force in tow. "Kenshin! Kaoru! Are you alright?"

Kenshin collected himself. He was thoroughly perplexed by everything that was happening, but for the benefit of the police force, he had to be coherent. He forced a sane expression on his face. "We’re fine, Yahiko," he replied evenly. "Saitoh! I thought you’d never get here!"

The police then spotted Desuke sprawled on the ground. They began collecting him in his withered state.

Saitoh looked disappointed as he took a puff of his cigarette. "I was expecting to take him dead, Battousai. Lost your nerve again?"

Kenshin glared at him. "Kaoru saved me from it, as usual."

Saitoh turned to Kaoru. "You almost look as bad as when Battousai first found you. So, are you going to press charges for…that particular thing he did to you?"

"Just the kidnapping and the mauling," Kaoru replied calmly.

"Jou-chan!" "Ugly!"

"Shut-up, you two!" Kaoru said sternly. "There was no rape."

Saitoh looked displeased. "I’d rather you don’t go timid on me now, Kamiya-san."

"Kaoru has made her decision, Saitoh," Kenshin said, getting up and helping Kaoru with her manuscripts. "Respect it."

Kaoru stood up with Sano’s help. "It’s a little hard to explain Saitoh, but rest assured, there was no rape. It was an illusion, a good one at that, but an illusion nevertheless," she said. "Sorry to disappoint you," she added sarcastically.

"Feh!" Saitoh said with a grunt. "Whatever, Kamiya-san. I still think you should have killed him, Battousai."

"Battousai thinks so too," Kenshin replied. "But this unworthy one thought better of it, fortunately."

"I’ll be back later to haul you and Kamiya-san in for questioning," Saitoh said, beginning to leave. "By the way, where’s the woman that came with the guy?"

"Gone," Kaoru replied quickly.

"She got away?"

"No. She’s just gone, where she couldn’t do any harm."

"Did you kill her?"

"No. She’s alive, but nobody need worry about her."

Saitoh raised an eyebrow but knew enough of the Kenshin-gumi to believe that they had put an enemy away without having to kill him or her. "If you say so, Kamiya-san," he said, walking away and out of the Kamiya compound with the rest of his troops.

When he was gone, Kenshin and the others were about to give sighs of relief when a woman with green flowing hair came walking through the gates.

"Nania-sama!" Kaoru exclaimed.

A hulking, padded man followed her in and left the rest of them totally gone of their wits.

"Damn! It’s Hiko!" Sano said, staring at their new visitors.

"Shishou!" Kenshin stammered. "What are you doing here?"

Hiko grinned. "I’ve come to train my new idiot-pupil, of course!"

Kaoru felt like swooning. "You? You’re my trainer? But you’re -- you sounded like a woman!"

Hiko gave a laugh. "Idiot, idiot. I can make magic, do you think I can’t change my voice? You would have recognized me in a second and we’d never get anywhere with the training. I can just see you biting my head off for things I did to Kenshin in the past."

Kenshin glared at his master. "You are not going to teach her Hiten Mitsurugi, Shishou!" He said in finality. "I won’t let you!"

"Calm down!" Hiko said in an irritated tone. "That’s not what I’m training her for. This little firefly’s going to learn how to use her magic, and I’m teaching her."

"It seems you’re a good teacher, Hiko," Nania remarked. "She beat Yasanari to the next century."

Hiko raised an eyebrow. "Hmph! Honestly, I didn’t think my idiot pupil could do it."

"Hey! Quit calling me that!" Kaoru yelled, waving her fist. "You got a lot of nerve, Hiko!"

"Squirt like you ought to be sealed from using your magic," Hiko remarked, walking to towards the house.

Kaoru followed, fuming. "I didn’t remember inviting you in, did I?"

"I don’t have to be invited. I’m your Shishou."

"You boor!"

"Idiot pupil!"

"DON’T CALL ME THAT!"

Kenshin, Yahiko and Sano stared at them in awe.

Nania chuckled. "It’s a pity I couldn’t watch them all the time."

Nearby, a canary burst out in song, flapping its wings as if laughing its head off.

Author’s Note: Well, that wasn’t so bad, was it? The next one will give closure to this saga. Then it’s (sniff) bye, bye time.