Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ A Walk in the Sunlight ❯ Little Victories ( Chapter 14 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer - Sadly, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. It is the sole property of Nobuhiro Watsuki and the many companies who have purchased the rights.

Hi, all. Please forgive the extreme lateness of this chapter. Sickness and overall irritation with this chapter made it very hard to get it done and to be honest I'm still not completely happy with it. But unfortunately I can't figure out why, so here it is. I hope you like it.

Caine - A character fictionalized as the father of all vampires in White Wolf Game Studio's role-playing games, set in the World of Darkness. His story is based on the biblical story of Cain. (excerpt taken from wikipedia dot com) I chose him because he fits this story better than say, Vlad the Impaler.

Chapter 14 - Little Victories

Dr. Genzai sighed softly as the man sitting across from him gave him a black look and grated, "Are you telling me that I can't take my own daughter home?!"

Resisting the urge to sigh again, he steepled his hands on his borrowed desk as his eyes wandered first to Kazumi and then to her irate husband. "Yes. It's too soon. Kaoru cannot be moved for at least three more days. We have to give her a little more time to heal before she undergoes that kind of trip."

The black look hardening Koshijiro's face darkened even more, "I will be taking my daughter home today."

"Koshijiro..." Kazumi admonished quietly, reaching out to grip his arm lightly.

Koshijiro clenched his fists even tighter and shook his head. "I will not let her die here!"

Dr. Genzai bit back a growl of frustration and looked the angry man dead in the eye, "I won't let her die here either. We have finally found an antibiotic that's working against the infection caused by the exposure and I don't want to move her until it has had some time to fully take effect." Ignoring the twinge of guilt that filtered through his veins, he did his best to hold the elder Kamiya's gaze. To be honest, the medicine was already working better than he could ever hope. If they were lucky the infection would be under control and dissipating by the end of the day now dawning outside the window behind him. But there was no way he could tell them that, if they knew it would be near impossible to stop them from taking her.

Koshijiro simply glared at him for several more moments and then he abruptly rose from his chair. "Take us to her room. I will see for myself if she is ready or not."

Dr. Genzai bit back a weary sigh and decided to give in. Giving the elder Kamiya a curt nod, he rose and headed for the door; Kazumi and Koshijiro falling in behind him. Steps away from leading them into the hallway he was stopped dead in his tracks when Kazumi suddenly spoke up and asked, "Where's Sampson? Is someone taking care of him?"

A knot instantly tightened in his gut and he exhaled softly. This was the one question he'd hoped they would somehow forget to ask, but he should have known better, Sampson had been like one of the family not only for Kaoru, but her parents as well. And unfortunately what he had to tell them would give Koshijiro even more reason to press his case. Taking a deep breath, he did his best to keep his face impassive and slowly turned back around to face them. "He was killed yesterday."

Kazumi's eyes flew wide and she snapped back as if she'd been struck. Saddened by her instantly stricken expression, Dr. Genzai shifted his attention to Koshijiro and almost flinched at the deadly scowl the tall man's face bore. Waiting for the elder Kamiya's anger to let loose, he was surprised when Kazumi spoke up first.

"Kaoru?"

Dr. Genzai glanced to her and gave her a sad smile, "She's taking it very hard."

Kazumi gave him a small nod and silently walked past him heading for the elevator that would take her to Kaoru. Doing his best to ignore the lead weight settling on his shoulders, he was just about to follow in her footsteps when Koshijiro spoke up from behind him.

"What exactly happened down here?! How could Sampson have been killed?!"

Dr. Genzai sighed and confronted the stormy gaze fixed on him. "I don't know. Kaoru hasn't said anything about what really happened. All I know is Sampson is dead and she's here."

When all Koshijiro did was stare at him, he took his silence as understanding and started for the elevator that Kazumi was holding for them. Moments later he heard Koshijiro's heavy tread match his, "She has a lot of explaining to do, as does Himura-san. He was suppose to be taking care of her."

Stifling the weary sigh burning the back of his throat, Dr. Genzai bit his tongue to keep from saying something he shouldn't, and silently cursed whoever it was that did all this to Kaoru. At this rate he wouldn't be able to give Himura-san the time he needed, he might just have to let her go home. And he had a feeling that would be one of the biggest mistakes of his life. He had to come up with some way for them to at least let her stay for the couple of days Himura-san needed.

Kaoru sighed softly as the first rays of sunlight slowly stole over the world beyond the shielded window. Gingerly rolling onto her side, she worked her numb fingers under the pillow beneath her head and watched without interest as the killing rays continued to illuminate the city below. So life did go on. The sun would still rise and set as it always had, ignoring the fact that her best friend was no longer here to see its brilliance.

Dropping her eyes closed, she gently pulled her legs up to her chest in an effort to alleviate the dull ache that had taken up permanent residence around her heart. It didn't matter, soon she wouldn't be here to see it either and maybe if Kami-sama was truly as kind as they say, he would let both she and Sampson have a second chance together. A single tear escaped from the corner of her eye and she absently wiped the wetness away. She truly hoped that was possible because they were a team, a team that shouldn't have been separated without at least a proper goodbye.

More tears threatened to spill from her eyes at the thought and she used the heel of her good hand to rub them away. And that's what hurt the most, she never even had the chance to say goodbye. He'd been stolen from her in the blink of an eye and she didn't even know what had happened to him. Only Kenshin did, and now even he was gone. But according to Dr. Genzai he would be back, so all she had to do was wait.

The light grating of her door being opened behind her caught her attention and she did her best to feign sleep in hopes that whoever it was would go away. That hope was dashed though when Dr. Genzai spoke up, "Kaoru, your parents are here."

Sighing softly, she slowly slid her eyes back open but didn't bother to roll over to greet them. Listening as the soft tread of feet came across the floor, she tried to find the strength to face them. She wasn't ready for this... not yet. Moments later her mother came into her line of sight and the little bit of strength she'd managed to dig up vanished at the unshed tears shining in her mother's eyes.

Swallowing around the lump forming in her throat, she fought back the tears burning her own eyes as her mother settled down in the chair beside her bed and gently ran her fingers along her hairline; pushing the strands from her face. "How are you feeling?"

Her mother's tone completely undid her and Kaoru felt one tear slide free to trail along her face and into the pillow. "I'm okay... I'm.. sorry..."

Kazumi gave her a gentle smile and shook her head. "You have nothing to be sorry for. This isn't your fault."

For some reason that one statement snapped something deep inside of her and Kaoru sat bolt upright, her burned skin screaming at the abuse. "Yes, it is! I'm the idiot who went running out into the sun! I'm the one who brought Sampson down here to die! Everything, all of it is my fault!", she exclaimed bitterly.

Startled by her own anger, Kaoru flinched at the shocked apprehension that flickered across her mother's troubled face. Ashamed, she dropped her eyes to the sheet covering her legs and wiped at the tears that had escaped against her will. What was she doing? Even if it was no one's fault but her own, it would do no good to vent so at her mother. Exhaling softly, she pulled herself back together and slid back to settle against the pillows. "I’m sorry, but it is my fault. I should never have moved down here. If I hadn't demanded that we come here then we wouldn't have met Kenshin, and Sampson wouldn't have died protecting me."

Nothing but silence met her statement and then her father growled, "What does this have to do with Himura-san?"

The hair on the back of Kaoru's neck stood on end and she hissed lightly, immediately regretting her words. Why had she said that? She would never, in a million years, regret meeting Kenshin. Ever. He was the only source of light she had left in this dreary world. Biting back a weary sigh, she studiously avoided the black eyes she could feel boring into her head and kept her attention fixed on her lap as she sagged even deeper into the pillows. And with those few unthinking words she had just managed to give her father another reason to not like Kenshin.

Silently berating herself for giving him more ammunition, she stole a hooded glance at him and sighed. The truth was, it wasn't Kenshin's fault either, it was the person who thought they had the right to attack either of them that was truly at fault. But she could tell by the look in her father's eyes that he wasn't likely to believe her now that she'd said that.

Resisting the urge to rub her burned forehead, she finally glanced up and met her father's angry black gaze. "This has nothing to do with Kenshin. It wasn't his fault."

Her father's eyes narrowed dangerously and he crossed his arms over his chest in a stance she knew all too well. "Don't lie to me, Kaoru. What does this have to do with Himura-san?"

Stifling a sigh, she absently nibbled on her bottom lip and tried to think up some way to get him to understand. By the look in his eyes he was just about ready to hunt down Kenshin and kill him, or at the very least maim him for life, and she wasn't going to let that happen. Taking a deep breath she let it out slowly and decided to simply tell him the truth as she knew it. "Someone who doesn't like Kenshin came close to my house and Sampson chased after him. Because of that I went outside and this person killed Sampson to save himself. If it’s anyone's fault it would be that person's."

Her father's eyes narrowed even more. "So this is how he takes care of you. By leaving you to deal with his enemies by yourself."

Kaoru's eyes flew wide at what he implied as a sudden surge of anger ripped through her veins and she fisted her good hand tight. That was it! That was all she could take. Glaring dead at her father she growled, "He didn't do it on purpose. He was talking to Dr. Genzai when this happened. It's not his fault!"

Her father's eyes widened slightly and he slowly turned to face Dr. Genzai, who still stood just inside the door. "He was with you when this happened?"

Kaoru cringed at the tired look that passed across her adopted grandfather's face. "Yes. I wanted to know what he wanted with Kaoru. He would have been there if I hadn't demanded his attention."

Her father simply stared at Dr. Genzai for several moments and then he finally said the words she'd been dreading. "That doesn't change the fact that he put her in danger. Make the necessary arrangements to have her moved. She's going home today."

Kaoru's eyes flew wide again as a wave of ice crashed through her veins. Oh, no she wasn't! Not without saying goodbye to Sampson. Not without seeing Kenshin one last time. Sickened by the thought, she shook her head. "No I'm not! I can't go home yet!"

"Yes, you are." Her father stated in a voice that brooked no argument. Seeing no way out with him Kaoru shifted her attention to her mother and was surprised to see her nod in agreement. "I think it would be for the best too."

"But..." Kaoru started as a knot tightened in her gut. "But, I haven't had a chance to say goodbye yet. I can't leave until I see Sampson and say goodbye..." Fending off the tears burning her eyes, she gave her mother a beseeching look and whispered, "Please!... Let me stay until I can say goodbye."

Her mother gave her a small sad smile but said nothing as she shifted her attention to her father for his decision. And that's when she knew it was a lost cause, if it was left up to him then there was no chance at all.

Defeated, Kaoru closed her eyes as a knife of pain stabbed deep into her chest. She couldn't leave yet. She couldn't abandon Sampson like this, he deserved so much better than to be left like this. And Kenshin... she couldn't leave while he still thought she hated him. She needed to see him one more time, that was all she was asking for, just one more time. But she knew she could never tell that to her father. There's no way he'd let her stay for Kenshin.

Several extremely long moments of silence passed achingly slow and Kaoru felt the knot in her gut tighten even more. He really wasn't going to let her stay. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime of utter quiet her father suddenly asked, "Where is he?"

Startled, Kaoru snapped her attention to him and simply stared in disbelief. He couldn't mean... And then it dawned on her, he wanted to see the grave too. Sampson had been one of the family... to all of them.

"I... don't know." Kaoru admitted softly, knowing she had mostly likely just damned herself. "Kenshin is the one who took care of him. Only he knows where Sampson is and he's not here right now."

Her father's eyes hardened into chips of black granite again and he asked, "Why hasn't he told you where Sampson is buried?"

"Because when he told me what happened, I fell apart," Kaoru mumbled tiredly, "I didn't give him a chance to say anything and by the time I managed to get myself back together he was already gone."

She almost sighed when her father's jaw clenched in irritation. "Where did he go?"

Kaoru fought the urge to roll her eyes at the steel in his tone again. Why did this have to be so hard? Why couldn't he just accept that she wanted to stay for a couple of more days. Was it too much to ask? Snorting softly at the obvious truth, she shook her head in mild exasperation and was just about to tell him that she didn't know that either when Dr. Genzai spoke up. "He said he needed to go check on something and he'd be back in a couple of days."

Surprised by the admission, Kaoru fixed her full attention on her adopted grandfather as her father asked, "What would he need to check?"

A slightly guilty look flickered across Dr. Genzai's face before he quickly hid it behind a serene facade that she was sure only she knew was fake. Confused, she waited impatiently to see what he would say. What was he hiding? Was this the secret he and Kenshin were keeping from her?

"He didn't say..." Dr. Genzai admitted softly, and yet his eyes were saying something entirely different. Suspicious, Kaoru was just about to try to wheedle more information out of him when he added, "He'll be back soon. And this will give Kaoru more time to heal. By the time he comes, the infection will be gone and she will be ready for the move to Sapporo."

Any questions she may have had died on her lips as a tiny bit of hope filtered through her veins. She eyed her father out of the corner of her eye, waiting for him to refute Dr. Genzai's claim. This was it. If he agreed she'd have her chance to say goodbye to Sampson, and her chance to see Kenshin again. She desperately needed this time to talk to Kenshin. Her father had to listen. But as the seconds continued to tick by with no answer from him, Kaoru sighed as what little bit of optimism she had slowly disappeared. He wasn't going to do it. He wasn't going to let her stay.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence, her father said, "We will wait for his return."

Stunned, Kaoru let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in a great rush and sagged deeply into the pillows. Thank god. Now she would have the chance to tell Kenshin what she hadn't earlier. That Sampson's death wasn't his fault. That no matter what had happened, she still loved him... and always would. Slightly giddy from her victory, Kaoru swung a big smile to her father to thank him and instantly felt her blood run cold at the hard look he had fixed on her.

"He's not off the hook yet, Kaoru. He still has a lot of explaining to do."

And without another word he turned on his heel and headed from the room, his rigid spine a testament to just how angry he still was with Kenshin. Swallowing nervously, Kaoru glanced to her mother and whispered, "Mom..."

Kazumi smiled. "Don't worry. By the time Himura-san gets back he will have settled down a little bit." Quirking an eyebrow, she added, "But you know, he has every right to be upset with Himura-san. He was supposed to be taking care of you. We're going to lose you soon enough, he had promised to keep you safe until then."

Stung, Kaoru was just about to say she was sorry when he mother rose and leaned over to hug her gently. "Don't say it. You have nothing to be sorry for." Before she had a chance to hug her back, Kazumi leaned back and kissed her gently on the forehead before straightening. "I'll make sure your father gives Himura-san a chance to explain. Okay?"

Defeated, she gave her mother a small nod, "I guess it has to be..." It wasn't like she had a choice. Not really.

Kazumi grinned at her tone. "Don't worry, I think Himura-san will do fine against your father." Reaching down her mother pulled up the blanket situated at the end of the bed and started tucking it in around her. "Now I think it's time for you to rest for a little while. Your father and I will be back later this afternoon."

Kaoru was just about to tell her that she wasn't the least bit tired when a wave of exhaustion all of a sudden washed over her. Stifling a yawn, she gave in and gingerly shifted until she was lying down and settled in to take a much needed nap. Must be her long sleepless night was finally taking its toll.

Getting herself situated so nothing hurt, she whispered, "Mom?"

"Hmmm...?" Kazumi responded as she tucked the blanket in around her legs and feet.

"I love you."

Her mother's hands stilled and she glanced up with one of the heartwarming smiles Kaoru hadn't seen in what seemed like forever. "I love you too." Quickly finishing her task, she reached out and gripped Kaoru's numb hand carefully; giving it a gentle squeeze that spoke volumes. "Now get some sleep."

Warmed by the touch, Kaoru grinned and with a nod, let her eyes slide closed. Now that she no longer had to worry about her parents and not seeing Kenshin, she felt the weight of her sleeplessness pull at her and gratefully slipped into a heavy dreamless sleep.

Kazumi watched until she was sure Kaoru was fast asleep before she relinquished her hold on her daughter's hand. Sniffling, she held back the tears burning her eyes and glanced to Dr. Genzai who still stood just inside the door. "This is it then..."

Dr. Genzai nodded. "She has, at most, a month… maybe two."

Kazumi exhaled softly and ran her fingers softly along Kaoru's burned cheek one last time before heading for the door. It was too soon. She wasn't ready to give her daughter up yet, neither of them were.

Kenshin sighed wearily as he watched the sun fade from the sky, the busy street below quieting down as the last few rays fell over Aizuwakamatsu. It was his second day in the city and he still had seen no sign of Megumi. He was starting to get a little bit anxious at his inability to locate one single woman, at this rate he wouldn't find her in time. So far he'd managed to find the Takani family, but in the end that didn't really matter considering she was the only one of her family that he knew of that had ever been changed. He should have realized, even before he came to town, that she wasn't likely to be watching over them openly.

Resisting the urge to sigh again, he jumped from the roof of her great great grandniece’s house into the empty alleyway beside it and headed for the clinic her family ran. Maybe he'd get lucky and she would come there for some reason, because he honestly had no idea where else to look. He'd tried all of her relatives in the city last night and hadn't managed to catch a glimpse of her anywhere.

With a frown, he tucked his hands into his pocket and absently weaved his way through the few people out enjoying the late summer evening. At least one thing was going in his favor, Kaoru was still in Naha. That had been the other worry that had been eating at him since he'd left. Whether or not Dr. Genzai would be able to convince Kaoru's parents to wait for him to come back. But somehow he must have, because earlier this morning he'd finally broke and called the hospital to find out that she was indeed still registered with no plan to leave in the immediate future. To be honest he was a little surprised Dr. Genzai had succeeded, considering Koshijiro's dislike of him. He didn't relish facing her father again but he knew it would be unavoidable when he got back.

A tiny smirk tilted up his lips as he rounded the last corner to the clinic and jumped up onto the roof of the building next door. Settling down on the ledge, he hung his legs over the edge and watched the coming night finally take full control of the city. At least he would hopefully have good news to give the elder Kamiya when he got back, that should save him from the beating he was sure Kamiya-san was just biding his time for. And in truth he couldn't blame Koshijiro if he did want to kill him. A frown crossed his face. It was his fault Kaoru was in the hospital, his fault that Sampson had died.

A soft, barely heard, scuffling sound from behind him suddenly caught his attention and Kenshin immediately vanished. Shimmering back into being mere inches from the intruder, he wrapped his hand around the person's neck; squeezing just enough to let them know that he would kill them if need be. And then his eyes flew wide as a familiar voice choked out, "Is this how you normally greet women?"

Stunned, Kenshin immediately released the woman he'd come to find and stepped back. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to sneak up on me like that."

Rubbing her abused neck, Megumi gave him a humorless smile and took a shaky step back. "Next time I'll know better than to come at you from behind." Taking another step back, she continued to massage her neck as she settled lightly on top of a silent heating unit and fixed him a wary look. "So what is so important that you would come out of seclusion after all these years just to find me?"

Kenshin couldn't help but smile at her wariness, it seemed she still didn't trust him. But then again he shouldn't be all that surprised considering whose hide he'd saved from her wrath all those years ago. As if she'd read his thoughts she narrowed her eyes and growled, "Sagara didn't send you, did he?"

Kenshin chuckled and shook his head, "No. But he was the one who told me you were here."

Dropping her hand into her lap, Megumi fixed him with a hard glare. "Why isn't he dead yet?"

Kenshin shrugged, "Because you haven't tried killing him again." Holding up a hand to stave off the sarcastic retort he could see swimming in her eyes, he whispered, "I didn't come here to talk about Sano. I have a question that I need an answer to, and you're the only one I know in our world who might know that answer."

Visibly taken aback, Megumi simply stared at him for several moments before she finally asked, "What's the question?"

Kenshin sighed and backstepped until he was leaning against the ledge. "I need to know if it's possible for a vampire who has drained an Elder dry to somehow have the Elder's blood instead of his own."

He almost smiled as Megumi's eyebrows shot up, the look in her eyes clearly saying that she thought him insane. Waiting patiently for the initial shock to wear off, he simply watched quietly as her stunned look slowly started to fade to a much more thoughtful one; her true self coming to the fore. A small smile slowly blossomed on his lips as he watched the wheels of her mind suddenly kick into high gear. This was why he'd come to find her, if anyone would know it would be Megumi. She may hate being one of them but she had, over the years, gathered centuries’ worth of precious information about their kind that would hopefully be able to help with this. That, mixed with the fact that she'd been a respected doctor in her time, made her the only choice.

Silence as thick as the humid air fell over them as she chewed on the question; the only sounds came from the traffic on the street below. Fending off the knot trying to form in his gut, he resisted the urge to fidget and simply waited as patiently as he could.

After several extremely long moments, Megumi finally broke the oppressive silence and softly said, "It's... possible..."

Startled, Kenshin sat up a little straighter and tried to ignore the small twinge of hope growing in his chest as he waited for her to continue.

"As far as I can tell, all the Elders were made by Caine himself centuries ago, making them as close to pureblood as is possible." Pausing for a moment, she shifted her attention out over the brightly lit city behind him. Deep in thought again she whispered more to herself than to him," If that's true then that blood, if it didn't kill the person ingesting such a large amount, should instead destroy the weaker blood of the one consuming it."

Kenshin unconsciously held his breath as Megumi finally glanced his way, his heart beating faster than it had in decades.

"But that would only work if the one consuming the Elder's blood had originally been changed by that Elder."

A huge smile broke out across Kenshin's face and he let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in a single burst. "He was..."

Kenshin almost laughed at the startled look Megumi fixed on him.

"What do you mean 'He was'? It's already happened?"

Kenshin nodded, "I take it you haven't heard about Iizuka killing Katsura."

Megumi's eyes flew wide and she shook her head. "No, I hadn't. How exactly did he manage that? Katsura should have been able to take him out with ease."

Kenshin sighed, "I don't really know. Somehow Iizuka found a way to immobilize him and then drain him dry."

Megumi quirked an eyebrow confused. "But... how would he have been able to paralyze Katsura? Katsura was the most cautious Elder of them all. He shouldn't have been able to get that close."

Kenshin shrugged, "I don't know that either. I assume it was some kind of mixture like what he had that old witch give me." Sighing wearily, he sagged heavily against the ledge and crossed his arms, "For centuries Katsura trusted Iizuka without question, until that fateful day he did what he did to me. But even with that against him, Iizuka has always been a smooth talker. He must have found some way to get close to Katsura again, at least just long enough to do what he needed to do to take Katsura's blood."

Megumi shook her head in disgust and growled, "You should have killed him all those years ago when he did that to you."

Taken aback by her fierceness, Kenshin was just about to agree with her when she spoke again.

"But that doesn't really matter now, does it." She said with a wave of her hand. And then she fixed him with a look that said she knew he was up to something and asked, "Why is it so important to you that he has Katsura's blood? If I'm not mistaken you're hoping that's true."

Kenshin smirked as what he was about to say died on his lips, even after all these years she could still read him like a book. Shaking his head, he suppressed the smile twitching the corner of his lips and shrugged, "I want to try to recreate the past."

Megumi inhaled sharply as her eyes flew wide again. "You mean... you're going to try to make someone else like you?" When he nodded, she asked, "Who?"

Absently clearing his throat, Kenshin was just about to answer when something stopped him. At a loss he simply stared into her chestnut brown eyes and winced at the flicker of understanding that flitted through her eyes.

"A human... " Megumi said matter-of-factly, the hard edge in her voice reminding him of Kaoru. "Why?"

"Because I want to make her one and only dream come true."

"And is this dream important enough to risk her life?" Megumi grated angrily, her eyes all of a sudden snapping with barely suppressed fury. "Does she know what you are planning to do to her?! Or are you going to do what that idiot Sagara did to me and change her against her will?!"

Kenshin resisted the urge to flinch at her uncharacteristic harshness and met her angry glare head-on, "I plan to tell her exactly what I want to do first. And I hope and pray she's willing to take this risk to have the one thing that has been denied her since birth. But it will be entirely up to her." Pinning Megumi to the spot with a hard stare, he continued, "And in the end for her there is no risk because, like you were all those years ago, she's already dying."

Megumi recoiled as if she'd been slapped. "I may have been dying but I was close to finding a cure when that idiot did this to me!" She growled angrily waving her hand across her face, her eyes, so much like his, gleaming in the artificial light. "He had no right to do this to me without asking. He stole my life from me and cursed me to live like a monster!"

Kenshin sighed heavily, even after all these years the wound still hadn't healed. Inhaling deeply, he let the breath out slowly and slid up onto the ledge. "You're right, he should have told you what he wanted to do. You have every right to be angry with him, but you know as well as I do that he did it because he loves you and couldn't stand the thought of losing you so soon." Dropping his chin slightly, he pinned her with a knowing stare and added, "And you also know that you were on your deathbed when he did this to you. There was no cure."

Megumi flinched and leveled a death glare on him. "That may be but he still should have asked me. I don't know what my answer would have been but I should have had the chance to decide for myself!"

Kenshin could only nod in agreement, "You're right, you should have. And he has said as much. He regrets what he did, but there's no way he or anyone else can reverse the change once it's done."

All the fight flooded out of Megumi, her expression resigned as she nodded. "I know. The main reason I've dug up all the information I have about us is because I've been trying to find some way to do just that. But there is none..."

Kenshin smiled sadly and kept his peace. This was the most she'd ever said to him about that night all those years ago. It had only been minutes after she'd awoken to her new life that she'd tried to kill Sano. He would never forget the hurt in her eyes when he'd stepped in to stop her rampage. That had been the last straw for her and she'd vanished without a trace, vowing to kill anyone who dared follow her.

A weary sigh escaped from between Megumi's lips and she whispered, "If you're serious about doing what you're planning on doing, I'll have to test Iizuka to see if he truly has assimilated Katsura's blood. Do you have any idea where he is?"

Kenshin bit back a sigh and resisted the urge to rub his forehead. He'd been afraid she'd say that. Steeling himself for the explosion he knew was coming, he said, "He's being detained at the mansion by Aoshi and... Sano..."

Megumi's face instantly hardened. "Then I suggest you figure out some way to get him here because I don't want to see that idiot, let alone be in the same room with him."

Kenshin sighed and rubbed his face wearily, "I can't do that. Hiko has only given me three days to find out if it's true and then he will kill Iizuka himself. My three days are up tomorrow afternoon."

Megumi's eyebrows creased in irritation and she glared at him hard for several seconds before she finally growled, "I will do this on one condition. You stay out of my way this time if I decide to kill him."

Kenshin couldn't help the smirk that teased his lips, "I think you may find him harder to kill this time. He no longer has only Sagara-san's blood, he now has some of Katsura's too."

Megumi snorted softly. "I don't care if he somehow managed to get some of Caine's blood. That's not going to save him." Lightly jumping off the rooftop unit, she gave him an icy smile, "I will give him one chance to redeem himself but if he can't manage that then nothing is going to save him this time."

Kenshin's smirk turned into a full blown smile and he slid off the ledge. "You can do what you want with him as long as you come with me now."

Megumi nodded and waved her hand in the general direction of Mount Fuji. "Lead the way..."

For the first time in days a true smile whispered across Kenshin's lips and he simply nodded as he turned to leap from the roof. It was a small victory but one that could very well prove the difference in giving Kaoru the one thing her God had so cruelly denied her. Now all he could hope was that Iizuka truly did have Katsura's blood, and thankfully he'd have the answer to that by the time the sun lightened the sky again.

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