Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ A Walk in the Sunlight ❯ The End of One Life ( Chapter 21 )

[ 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.

First off, I want to say I'm extremely sorry for me extended absence this time. I was hit with a serious case of family block, as my son so aptly put it. Thanks to that the last couple of months have been rather stressful and draining and unfortunately they drained the muse dry too. But as you can see she finally decided to come back to life and hopefully I can now finish this story up.

A secondly, I'd like to say thank you to all who reviewed the last couple of chapters and once again didn't get a reply. And to also say I'm extremely sorry for that. My mental state the last few months wasn't conducive for giving a well thought out reply so I refrained from writing them. Again, I'm sorry for that.

Now on with the chapter. This is by far the longest I have ever written so be warned. I hope you will find it was worth the wait.

Chapter 21 - The End of One Life

Kaoru clenched her good hand into a white knuckled fist and averted her eyes as Megumi effortlessly slid the needle of the serum filled syringe into her wrist; releasing the black liquid in one fluid motion. Wincing slightly as the vampiric doctor withdrew the needle, she fixed her attention on the heavy curtains beside her and held her breath; silently praying this would work. It had to work because if it didn't...

With a soft sigh, she shook her head and finally slid her eyes to the still numb hand resting innocently on Kenshin's diningroom table. In the end there was nothing she could do if it didn't, she would simply have to adapt somehow. How she was going to do that, she had no idea but that didn't matter either, not with the sun finally within her reach.

She jumped when the hand on her shoulder squeezed gently and shook her head again to clear her thoughts. Glancing up, she gave Kenshin the best smile she could then turned her attention to Megumi to ask, "How long is this suppose to take?"

Megumi looked up from the small kit she was busy repacking and gave her a reassuring smile. "It takes a few minutes for it to regenerate the dead nerves. Don't worry Kaoru-san, it will work. I promise."

Kaoru gave her a wan smile and shifted her focus back to her dead fingers, silently commanding them to do something... anything. But she steadily lost hope as several more agonizingly long moments passed without so much as a tingle in answer to her pleading. Wilting slightly, she was just about to give up hope when all of a sudden an unexplainable warmth flooded through her hand, the heat slowly spreading out into the very tips of her fingers. Stunned, she simply stared in awe as the fingers she'd been begging to move moments before finally answered and curled into a fist for the first time in almost two weeks.

A huge grin broke out across her face as she tightened the fist, then released it and tightened it again. Oblivious to the huge smiles adorning the faces of the two watching her, Kaoru bit her lip to keep a squeal of glee from breaking loose and repeated the action several more times. It was back! She had her hand back!!

A light metallic snap caught her attention and beaming with elation she glanced up from her newly healed hand. "Thank you so much, Takani-san."

Megumi smiled. "It's Megumi... and you're welcome." And with that the dark-haired doctor picked up her kit and headed for the door. "And now if you'll excuse me, I need to go finish getting ready for the change."

Kaoru stiffened slightly as a tiny flutter of fear whispered through her chest at the reminder of what was still yet to come. Doing her best to settle the butterflies now dancing in her belly, she stood and quietly followed behind Kenshin and Megumi. It was hard to believe that it was that time already. Never had a week gone by so fast in her life. Ever. To be honest a part of her wished she could somehow rewind this past week and live it one more time just in case things didn't work out. Because tonight she ran the risk of losing it all and she wasn't ready... not really.

Coming up beside Kenshin, she tried in vain to reclaim her earlier calm. There was nothing she could do about anything anyway. What would be, would be.

Kenshin must have sensed her anxiety because he reached out and wrapped her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. With a grateful smile, Kaoru twined her fingers tightly through his; taking what strength she could from him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw an answering smile flicker across his face and then he asked Megumi, "What time do you want us to come to the clinic?"

Megumi stopped just as she reached the door and glanced over her shoulder. "You should head to the clinic in about fifteen minutes. Hiko-sama doesn't trust Iizuka so the quicker we get the part that involves him done, the better."

Kenshin inclined his head in understanding and before either one of them had a chance to say anything more Megumi swung the door open and vanished, the door slowly falling closed behind her of its own accord.

Kaoru simply stared in awe at the spot the dark-haired doctor had been occupying. Okay, that was starting to get a little bit creepy.

"She's getting to be almost as bad as Shishou." Kenshin chuckled with a shake of his head. With one last squeeze, he released her hand and headed for the bedroom. "I guess we should get ready to go. As she said Iizuka can't be trusted."

Kaoru involuntarily shivered as a wave of ice crashed through her veins. Forcing herself to turn away from the door, she slowly made her way to the livingroom and collapsed on the sofa before her knees gave out. So this was it. In less than an hour she would no longer be...

"Kaoru?"

Kaoru jumped in surprise and swung her head around as her fingers curled into the sofa cushions in a death grip.

In less than a heartbeat Kenshin was on the sofa beside her. "What's wrong?"

Forcefully releasing her grip on the cushions, she gave him the best smile she could and shook her head. "Nothing really. It's just a little nerve wracking to think that in less than an hour I could be... different..."

The lines of worry marring Kenshin's face immediately smoothed as an understanding smile spread across his lips and he reached up to trail his forefinger along her hairline. "You'll be different, but not as much as you think."

Calmed somewhat by his touch, Kaoru took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I know, but that still doesn't make it easy."

Kenshin's smile widened slightly. "No. I don't expect it does." Standing, he offered her his hand. "It's time to go... unless you've changed your mind."

Kaoru didn't miss the tiny note of strain in his tone. Meeting the questioning violet gaze fixed on her, she reached out without hesitation and wrapped his hand in hers and rose. "No, I haven't. I'd never get to feel the sun if I did."

She valiantly tried to hide a grin when Kenshin released a sigh of relief she was sure she wasn't suppose to hear and let her go before heading for the door. Following in his footsteps, she slipped on her shoes and quickly headed out into the humid night air before the side of her that still wanted to run and hide surfaced again. For better or worse she was going through with this.

Unbidden, her eyes found their way to the quiet house beside Kenshin's and she moved down the darkened porch until she could see the lights in the livingroom still burning. They were still awake. Swallowing tightly, she tried to ignore the dull throb materializing in her chest and fought down the nearly overwhelming urge to go see them one more time. She couldn't. Not without spilling the truth and she wasn't going to do that to them. It was better this way. This way they would have nothing but hope. And who knows maybe she would live through this and it wouldn't matter anyway.

"Would you like to go see them before we go?"

Startled, Kaoru nearly jumped out of her skin and just barely managed to stifle a scream as she spun on the redhead now standing right behind her. "What are you trying to do! Kill me!!"

Kenshin gave her one of those disarming smiles she had such a hard time resisting and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Flicking his eyes over her shoulder, he repeated his question. "So, would you like to go see them?"

With a tired sigh, Kaoru sagged slightly and sidestepped around him, heading for the stairs. "No. It was hard enough to say goodbye last night. I can't do it again tonight."

She felt more than heard Kenshin follow her off the porch and down the sidewalk to the road before he quietly said, "It's going to be okay, Kaoru. Shishou and I aren't going to let you die."

Kaoru scoffed softly and glanced at him as he came up beside her. "I know you will do your best but if I'm meant to die then I will. Not even you will be able to stop it." The surprised look that flew across Kenshin's face would have made her smirk if she hadn't been trying to ignore the sting that putting voice to the truth had caused. Sighing softly, she shrugged and started down the road. "Let's not talk about this right now. What will be, will be, okay?"

A moment later Kenshin came up beside her again and tucked her newly healed hand in his. A warmth that had nothing to do with the heat of the night flowed up her arm from the contact and she sighed softly in resignation; waiting for whatever more he had to say. When nothing but the soft scuffling of their feet filled the otherwise quiet night, she felt her calm start to slip away against her will. In a valiant effort to keep from giving into her nerves, she fixed her attention on the road and started counting the pebbles passing under her feet.

All of sudden a light chuckle came from beside her and then Kenshin squeezed her hand gently. Snapping her head around, she was just about to ask what was so funny when Kenshin leaned over and dropped a featherlight kiss on her forehead. "Relax. I'm not going to say anymore, I promise."

Kaoru's eyebrow's creased in irritation at his teasing tone and then she exhaled softly and shook her head, the tension melting away. "I'm sorry. It's just..." With a small shrug, she turned her attention back to the road so she wouldn't have to face the understanding, violet eyes fixed on her. "I guess deep down I'm not as ready to take this chance as I thought I was."

Kenshin squeezed her hand again as the road continued to pass beneath their feet but thankfully didn't attempt to assure her again that everything was going to be fine. Swallowing a relieved sigh, Kaoru went back to counting pebbles in a vain effort to settle her mind again as a ghost of a smile touched her lips. Not even he could say whether this was going to be her last hour or not. All they could do was hope that it wasn't. And she was, with every last fiber of her being.

Iizuka winced as he was roughly hauled to his feet, the steel shackles trapping his hands and feet clanking loudly in the barren, dust-filled room that he'd been dumped in when they'd first arrived in town. Clenching his teeth against the insistent ache of his battered body, he glared at the stoic, icy-eyed man holding his arm from beneath his bangs and added the so-called assassin to his hit list.

"It's time."

And without another word Aoshi lead him from his makeshift prison and down the musty smelling hall towards the main room of the house. Stumbling after the long legged vampire the best he could with the shackles wrapped around his ankles, Iizuka did his best to keep from sneering as a sudden surge of anticipation flooded his veins. Yes... it was time. Tonight Himura would die and so would anyone else who crossed his path.

A moment later his train of thought was interrupted as he was ushered into the dimly lit main room and forced to his knees in the middle of the dust covered floor. Biting back a snarl, he clenched his teeth as his mending bones screamed at the abuse and slowly lifted his head to meet the amused glare fixed on him.

"I hope you made the last few hours count, snake." Hiko said dryly as he turned from the window and crossed the room to crouch down in front of him. "I suppose it doesn't really matter. You're dead either way."

With that the Elder rose and waved to someone behind him. Iizuka scowled at the knowing smirk curling the Elder's lips and involuntarily tensed even though he already knew what was coming. A hiss escaped his throat against his will as the needle was ruthlessly thrust in his neck, the released serum tracing a white hot path of fire through his flesh and then he collapse into a heap as it burned along every vein, stealing his ability to breathe.

For a moment that felt more like a lifetime all he could do was succumb to the excruciating pain, and then slowly it faded to be replaced by nothing. No feeling at all. If he'd been able to he would have sighed in relief. A moment later the world flipped around on him as he was hauled off the floor by his neck and forced to stare into the mocking black eyes of Sagara Sanosuke.

"Time to go redeem yourself, you little weasel." The spiky haired vampire said as the shackles that had bound him hand and foot were removed. Chuckling silently, Iizuka waited until the steel fell to the floor with a loud clang and he was being thrown over Shinomori's shoulder for transport before he tested to see if he was able to move anything yet. If he could have, he would have laughed in triumph as his eyelids answered his inquiry and dropped down; blinking once... then twice.

Satisfied that the serum would wear off within the next five minutes or so like he'd figured it would, he forced himself to keep his eyes wide open in an effort to keep from letting his subconscious give him away. In the end the great Hiko-sama never did figure out that the more the serum was used the less effective it was by half each time. And it would be their downfall. Every last one of them would regret ever crossing him.

Kaoru stared at the closed door of the clinic and tried to dig up the courage she needed to get through this. She was here, she might as well get this done. And yet, even though she stood only steps away from her possible salvation, she couldn't bring herself to open the door. If she opened the door there was no going back. None. For good or ill she would have to undergo the change. She would have to give what remained of her life into the hands of chance and hope she won.

She nearly jumped when an arm appeared from behind her and did the one thing she couldn't.

"It's going to be alright Kaoru."

When she didn't move to enter the now open door, Kenshin leaned in until his breath brushed softly against her cheek and then he whispered, "We have to try."

Swallowing tightly, she desperately tried to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach and finally stepped over the threshold into the cool clinic. A heartbeat later the door thumped closed and Kenshin placed a guiding hand on the small of her back, leading her towards the back room that housed the CT scan. Doing her best to keep from giving in to her nerves, she let Kenshin guide her and instead focused all of her energy on quelling the nearly overpowering desire to bolt back out the door. A moment later, she hesitantly stepped into the room and stopped dead in her tracks, shocked to see the drastic changes that had taken place within the last couple of days.

The CT scan that had once been housed in the room had been replaced by two hospital beds, each outfitted with wrist and ankle restraints, one with steel and the other cloth. Paling at the sight, she almost gave into the desire to run as a shiver of dread crawled up her spine. What the hell were those for?! Kenshin and Megumi had said nothing about those!

And then it suddenly dawned on her what they must be for. They were most likely there to keep her safe from this Iizuka person... and from herself. Kenshin had said the change would be painful. But even though she knew that, she still couldn't stop the tremors starting to shake her body or the fear knotting into a lead ball in her belly. It wasn't going to be that painful, was it? The knot of fear tightened even more and she clenched her teeth to keep from gagging. Forcing herself to inhale deeply, she let the breath out slowly and ripped her eyes from the restraints before she could cave to her panic; instead fixing her attention on the odd machine sitting between the two beds.

For a moment she simply stared at the strange piece of equipment; using the distraction to calm herself. But it didn't take long for her innate curiosity to kick in. With creased eyebrows, she absently started crossing the room, now more inquisitive than afraid, and tried to figure out just exactly what the machine was for. Several steps later she came to a stop in front of the waist high machine and eyed the strange rack like apparatus affixed to the back of the white box that she assumed was the electronic brain of the machine. What exactly would this be for?

"That machine is going to make it possible for you to be changed without us actually allowing Iizuka to touch you." A feminine voice said, answering her unspoken question.

Spinning around in surprise, Kaoru felt her face flush a deep red as if she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't be and watched as Megumi and Dr. Genzai came in from the room that had once housed the computer system that ran the CT. "What is it?" She asked as she stepped out of the way so Megumi get to the machine.

"This is an autologous blood transfusion unit." Megumi said as she attached an empty bag to one of the hooks on the rack and set an empty container in a holder below the bag. Affixing clear tubes to both parts, she continued, "Normally a blood transfusion machine is used to give blood but this one has the added ability of collecting blood that can be given back to the patient during an operation." At Kaoru's confused look, Megumi smiled and broke it down for her. "Basically we are going to drain your blood into this..." she explained, tapping the top of the container, "... and give it to Iizuka. Once he has ingested the necessary amount we will do the same thing to him and feed you his blood."

"... Oh..." Kaoru mumbled as the blood drained from her face. So she really was going to have to drink blood. Swallowing thickly, she glanced to Kenshin across the room in hopes of seeing some sign that what Megumi said was untrue. The small sympathetic smile he gave her dashed that hope though and she swallowed again. Well, she had known that when she'd signed on to do this, but that didn't change the fact that she really would rather not if she could at all help it.

A sudden knock at the back door made Kaoru jump and she snapped her attention to the door Dr. Genzai was unlocking as the knot in her belly tightened even more. He was here. The one who's blood they would be using to do the first change. She involuntarily tensed as the door swung open and then she inhaled sharply as she watched one of the biggest men she'd ever seen duck and enter the now silent room. Stunned, all she could do was stare at the white cloaked mountain of a man with steadily widening eyes and silently wonder how exactly he could have gotten that big. Never in her life had she seen an asian person this... large. Not even her father and he was almost six foot!

A deep chuckle suddenly rumbled out of the man's broad chest and Kaoru blushed four different shades of red at the knowing grin now plastered on his face. With a scowl, she immediately shifted her attention back to the door and watched as another man, equally as tall but not as broad, stepped in with a body slung over his shoulder. Quirking an eyebrow at the sight, she was just about to ask who that was when one last person, one she knew this time, stepped into the quickly crowding room and closed the door behind him. Stepping out from in between the beds so she wouldn't be in the way, she smiled at the roguish grin and wink Sano tossed her way.

"You ready for this jou-chan?"

Kaoru's smile faltered at the simple question and she shrugged as she made her way to the far side of the room where Kenshin was still standing. "As ready as I'm ever going to be. So who are the new ones?" She inquired in an effort to change the subject as she came to stand beside Kenshin.

Kenshin smiled and reached out to clasp her hand gently in his. "That... " He said with a nod to the tall blue-eyed man still bearing his silent burden, "is Shinomori Aoshi, the top assassin of the Ishin clan. And the tall white cloaked one..." he continued with a wave of his free hand, "is my shishou, Hiko Seijuro."

Both men nodded at the introductions but Kaoru didn't notice as her eyes rounded in surprise, "Oh!...so you're the one who taught Kenshin how to cook."

"... Among other things." Hiko agreed with a crooked smile. "It was either that or let him starve since I needed no such sustenance. Nor did I have the stomach to cook for the runt."

An irritated hiss came from beside her at the last comment and Kaoru bit her lip to keep from busting out laughing as a strangled snort exploded from Sano. Seeing the black scowl now adorning Kenshin's face out of the corner of her eye, she desperately tried to keep a straight face. Runt, huh? Well everyone would be a runt beside that giant of a man but she had to admit Kenshin was smaller than most. Snorting softly to herself, she quickly swallowed her laughter and said, "Well, thank you. I've enjoyed your teachings."

With a ghost of a smile Hiko inclined his head in acknowledgement, but before he could say anything more Megumi spoke up, "I think it would be best if we get started before it gets too late."

The room immediately quieted at that and Kaoru swallowed nervously as Megumi glanced her way and asked, "Are you ready?"

For a long moment Kaoru simply stared into the elder woman's expectant gaze and then she exhaled softly in resignation and simply nodded, not trusting her voice. It didn't really matter if she was ready or not, did it? If she wanted the sun, she had to take this chance. And they had to do it now before she lost her nerve all together.

Kenshin must have sensed her waning courage because he squeezed her hand gently in reassurance and flashed her a secret smile before he let her go. Silently he strode across the room where Aoshi stood motionless still holding who she assumed must be Iizuka. "Is he incapacitated?" He asked, eyeing the seemingly dead man hanging limply over the tall man's shoulder.

"He's as helpless as a newborn babe." Hiko assured him dryly.

Kenshin simply nodded and then he grabbed a fist full of black hair, lifting the man's head so they were eye to eye. Kaoru shivered at the deceptively sweet smile he gave the man. "It seems you will be helping me after all."

Nothing but silence met his statement and Kaoru wondered if the man was even alive. Absently leaning to the side to try to get a better look at this person Kenshin hated so much, she froze when Kenshin suddenly stiffened and wrenched the man's head up even more. "Are you sure he can't move?" He bit out harshly, not taking his eyes off the man hanging from his fist.

Hiko was visibly taken aback by the question and he tilted his head enough to look at the man's face. "Yes... Why?"

Kenshin didn't bother to acknowledge the question and simply continued to stare unblinking at the man as if he was expecting something to happen. Kaoru involuntarily tensed as everyone in the room immediately went on guard; the atmosphere virtually crackling with their collective wariness.

"What it is, Kenshin?" Sano asked as he cautiously stepped up beside the ominously silent redhead.

But once again Kenshin didn't say a word and instead kept his attention fixed on the man clutched in his fist. Finally, after several agonizingly slow moments, he visibly relaxed and let his grip go. "Nothing. It must have been my imagination."

The tension immediately evaporated and Kaoru sighed softly in relief as her own frayed nerves settled down.

"Put him on that bed and strap him down," Kenshin instructed the silent icy-eyed vampire, pointing to the bed with steel restraints, his clipped tone belying his outward calm. Kaoru unconsciously tensed again at the unease he was obviously trying to ignore. None of the others seemed to notice though and simply stepped back as Aoshi inclined his head and lifted Iizuka from his shoulder, tossing him roughly on the bed.

But unfortunately he didn't stay there like he should have.

Time seemed to speed up and yet slow down to a crawl as Kaoru watched Iizuka hit the bed and then vanish. For a split second she thought it was only her mind playing tricks on her and then a violent string of curses exploded into the room and she felt more than heard everyone jump into action.

And then she saw it, an almost invisible blur flying dead at her and she knew they were already too late. Stunned, she watched wide-eyed in horror and desperately tried to force her feet to move but before her brain could send the message to her legs she felt a hand clamp around her throat in a crushing grip and lift her off her feet, slamming her hard into the wall.

A choked scream escaped from between Kaoru's lips as a mind-numbing pain exploded through her entire head from the impact. Valiantly trying to fend off the inky blackness quickly engulfing her mind, she hardly noticed as Iizuka adjusted his grip and swung behind her, effectively turning her into a shield. Clenching her teeth against the dull throb pulsing through her head, she blinked several times in an effort to bring her eyes back into focus again.

"Get. Your. Hands. Off. Her."

Kaoru froze as an icy chill raced through her entire body at the venom dripping from each clipped word. Blinking a couple of more times, she finally managed to clear her eyes enough to search for the source of the voice. But she'd only gotten to Kenshin when she stiffened and inhaled sharply, stunned by the changes he had somehow undergone in the few short moments since she'd last been able to see him.

The easygoing, smiling man she had come to love over the last month had vanished to be replaced by the embodiment of the killer he was, his fangs glistening prominently in the nearly feral scowl darkening his face. But that wasn't what truly captured her attention. What did was the fact that his eyes no longer held the soft shade of violet she was so used to. They had instead somehow changed to a fierce golden hue, their predatory glint seeming to slice right through her.

A light chuckle came from behind her and Iizuka pulled her back until his rancid breath brushed against her cheek. "Never seen him like that have you?"

Kaoru shivered against her will and shook her head.

"I said, let - "

"You!"

Everyone stilled as the venomous accusation suddenly cut Kenshin off. Tearing her eyes from the tightly coiled redhead, she glanced to her adopted grandfather who still stood sentry by the door and was shocked to see the black scowl on his normally calm face, the hate-filled glare he had fixed on the man holding her making her blood run cold. She'd never seen him so... murderous.

"Do you know him?" Megumi asked softly into the heavy silence that fell.

"Yes." Dr. Genzai bit out as he took several determined steps into the room. "He's the monster that killed my wife."
Kaoru hissed sharply as her eyes flew wide. It couldn't be!

A nasty chuckle spilled from Iizuka's lips as his hand tightened, one of his nails biting painfully into her flesh deep enough to draw blood. Kaoru instinctively gasped as her oxygen was cut off even more and tried to wrench his hand away before he managed to choke her to death. "Come any closer and this one will die too."

Dr. Genzai stopped dead in his tracks and growled, "Try to kill her and nothing will save you. I couldn't save my wife but I will see you dead before you harm that girl."

Iizuka laughed outright at that and then Kaoru felt a subtle shift in the air as if he had just realized something. "Ah... now I remember you. Your wife was the doctor in Sapporo wasn't she?" Iizuka chuckled again when Dr. Genzai's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I have to admit she was quite a tasty morsel, even at her age. Or maybe it was because I was injured and desperate at the time. Any blood would have tasted good that night."

Dr. Genzai's scowl darkened even more but before he could say anymore, Hiko laid a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Don't let him get to you. He's not worth it, but she is."

If it was possible Dr. Genzai's scowl deepened even more and Kaoru silently begged him to agree as Iizuka's fist tightened even more, cutting off the last of her oxygen. For several achingly long moments, her adopted grandfather glared balefully at the man slowly killing her and then he finally nodded his agreement.

One single tear of relief slipped from the corner of Kaoru's eyes as Iizuka slackened his grip and she quickly dragged in as much air as her constricted throat would let her before he changed his mind.

"Let her go." Kenshin requested softly in a deceptively calm voice, breaking the silence that had fallen.

"Sorry Himura, I can't do that," Iizuka replied just as calmly as he pulled her flush against him. Kaoru tried not to shiver as his breath whispered gently against her neck. "I've been starved for the last week and I'm rather... hungry..." he purred softly and then he flicked his tongue out and slowly trailed it up her neck licking away the lone drop of blood that had escaped until he reached the finger that had pierced her skin. Kaoru shuddered in disgust as a contented hum came from the man behind her. "She's quite... tasty... isn't she? But you wouldn't know that now would you, Himura."

Kaoru desperately tried to keep the bile rising in her throat from choking her and closed her eyes as Iizuka lifted his finger out of the way so he could suck on the wound. God, how could she have gotten herself into the mess. This was... insane. He was going to kill her, she could feel it deep down in her very being and there was no way she could stop it.

All of a sudden the fist tightened around her throat again and Kaoru immediately snapped her eyes back open and was shocked to see Kenshin a foot closer, his amber eyes now blazing with barely suppressed fury.

"I wouldn't do that Himura. She'll be dead before you so much as take another step."

A lethal smile touched Kenshin's lips. "If she dies nothing will be able to save you. I will rip out your heart and feed it to you myself."

Iizuka chuckled and tsked. "Now Himura, that's no way to talk when I'm holding your woman's life in my hands."

"What exactly do you want with her anyway snake?" Sano spoke up before Kenshin could say anything. "Are you actually trying to piss Kenshin off? You know what happens when he loses it."

Iizuka laughed softly at that. "That's exactly what I'm trying to do. It's time he and I settled our score and this fragile little human..." he said shaking Kaoru slightly, "...will guarantee he answers my challenge."

"What score?! You tried to kill him!" Sano growled angrily but before Iizuka could answer Kenshin smiled coldly and purred, "You have nothing to fear snake, I have every intention of answering your challenge, but not until I take what I need from you."

Kaoru felt Iizuka shake his head. "I already told you, Himura. I'm not helping you." And then he surprised her and took a step to the side, dragging her along with him. "Right now we are going to leave and go somewhere where we can finally settle this. The rest of you will stay here. If you follow us, she dies. Got it."

Not a one of them moved to acknowledge what he'd demanded but that didn't stop Iizuka from continuing towards his destination. Stumbling along with him, Kaoru found herself mildly surprised that he'd attempt to get past all of them to the back door, even with her locked in his hand. And then the truth struck her like a fist in the gut. They weren't heading for the back door, they were heading to the door that separated the front room from this one. And from there he'd have a clean shot out the front door.

An icy wave of fear slithered through Kaoru's veins as she continued to stumble along with him. No! They couldn't leave! She couldn't let this happen! There was no doubt in her mind that she was as good as dead if she let him take her out of here. Turning her eyes to Kenshin she silently pleaded for some kind of help but deep down she knew there was nothing he could do. And by the tortured look on his face he knew it too.

Unconsciously balling her newly healed hand into a white knuckled fist, she closed her eyes and tried to swallow the traitorous tears burning her eyes. There had to be some way to get away from him. Some way to break his iron grip on her throat. But how? And then, as if a light had gone off in her head, she remembered something she'd forgotten until now as she consciously flexed her right hand. She wasn't one handed anymore. The left one was still clutching at the hand wrapped around her throat hoping for an opening to rip it off her neck, but the other one, the one she had been missing for the last two weeks was now alive and well, and already balled into a fist ready to drive into his unprotected face. And maybe, just maybe she could hit him hard enough to knock him off guard. And once she did maybe one of the others would be able to somehow get her away from him. She knew it was a long shot, but it was the only shot she had. There was no other way.

Steeling herself against the possibility that she was signing her death warrant, Kaoru silently prayed to whatever god was listening and slowly slid her eyes open just as Iizuka took a step backwards. A sudden surge of panic nearly stole her breath away as her eyes flew wide, there was no more time, it had to be now! Snapping her entire attention on Kenshin, who had taken a step forward with them, she stared hard at him desperately trying to catch his eye as Iizuka took another step backwards towards the door.

One excruciatingly long moment passed, followed by another as Iizuka took another two steps and then Kenshin finally sensed her unwavering stare and tore his murderous glare from Iizuka and glanced to her with an apology written across his strained features. If she could have she would have smiled in an effort to set him at ease, but she knew there was no way or time. Instead she quickly lifted her arm just enough to catch his attention and flexed her hand a couple of times then twitched it in an imitation of the motion she planned to do, hoping and praying he would understand what she was trying to tell him.

And thankfully, he did...

Kaoru sighed silently in relief as Kenshin's face immediately smoothed, the tiny smile of understanding he gave her strengthening her wavering courage. Her relief was short-lived though as Iizuka dragged her back another step and she saw the dreaded door frame in peripheral vision. Stomping down the sudden surge of fear trying to sap her energy she anxiously waited for some sign that Kenshin was ready. Thankfully she didn't have to wait long, with a quick glance to her right that she didn't quite understand Kenshin gave her an almost non-existent nod to let her know he was ready and rolled back on his heels in preparation.

That was all the incentive she needed. Without so much as another breath, Kaoru braced her heels against Iizuka's feet for leverage and quickly swung her arm up, driving the back of her fist straight into his face as hard as she possibly could.

A pain-filled grunt erupted from her captor as his blood splattered all over the side of her face and, as she'd hoped, his grip loosened enough in his surprise for her to try to get out of his hold. And she was just about to do that when she suddenly found herself wrenched away from him and literally thrown across the room. Stunned by the sheer force that propelled her, all she could do was close her eyes and wait for the bone breaking impact she knew was coming. She inhaled sharply when she instead found herself suddenly stopped by a pair of strong arms, the solid body she'd collided with taking a step back to absorb the force of her momentum. Shocked, Kaoru snapped her eyes back open and was surprised to find herself wrapped protectively in Sano's arms.

With a smirk, Sano set her back on her feet and let her go. "Nice one, jou-chan. Don't think he saw that comin' at all."

Kaoru gave him a wan smile but didn't try to say anything as she rubbed at her bruised neck. Sano smiled in understanding and simply started wiping at the blood congealing on her face with his sleeve instead. Trailing the soft cloth down her cheek, he tilted her face to the side to get the blood along her hairline then trailed a fresh part along her chin. Giving her cheek one last swipe with a clean section, he stepped back and grinned, "There, good as new."

Kaoru gave him a genuine smile this time and managed a soft 'thank you' before turning around just in time to see Kenshin hauling Iizuka back in from the other room by his throat.

"That was the first and last time you will ever touch her." He stated icily as he dragged the stunned vampire back to the bed. Tossing him at Aoshi, he growled, "Break his legs then strap him down."

Kaoru's eyes flew wide at the demand but Aoshi simply inclined his head and handed the now violently protesting vampire to Hiko. Without a word, they quickly and efficiently set to work.

Turning away from the sight, she squashed the side of her that tried to rise up protesting the treatment as Iizuka's howls of pain rang out with each broken limb. She wouldn't feel sympathy for him. Not after what he'd just done to her. She almost screamed herself a moment later though when a hand suddenly grasped her shoulder, coaxing her to turn around.

"Kaoru?"

Kaoru released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in a rush as Kenshin's concerned voice drifted over her, the relief of knowing it was him weakening her knees. Slowly turning around, she smiled when she saw that he no longer looked like the vicious, golden eyed killer he had moments before.

And then it hit her as she stared into the violet eyes she'd grown to love just how close she'd come to losing the only chance she had to spend her entire life with him. Her breath hitched painfully at the thought and before she could even think about what she was doing she threw herself into his arms and buried her face in his neck, hugging him for all she was worth. Kenshin must have felt the same way because she immediately found herself wrapped just as tightly in his arms and they simply held on to each other for a long moment, both immensely grateful that they still could.

"I'm so sorry, Kaoru." Kenshin finally said softly, breaking the silence that had fallen in the room.

Kaoru only shook her head against his shoulder and hugged him even tighter. "Don't be. I'm okay. That's all that matters."

A soft sigh was her only answer and she knew he was doing his best to hold his tongue. He must have succeeded in swallowing whatever he was going to say because a heartbeat later he gently extricated himself from her hold and asked, "Do you still want to do this?"

Kaoru stiffened a little and glanced over his shoulder to where Iizuka was now gagged and strapped to the bed, his legs laying at odd angles. Forcing down the bile trying to crawl its way up her throat, she shifted her attention from him before she did lose her nerve and simply nodded. She couldn't let his fate stop her from going through with this. And who knows maybe the second change would accomplish what he hadn't been able to.

Scoffing silently at herself, she shoved the thought from her mind and sidestepped around Kenshin, heading to the other bed where Megumi waited patiently to begin, "Let's get this done."

The dark-haired doctor smiled and patted the bed with the cloth restraints. "Hop up here and I'll draw the blood we need to feed Iizuka."

Suppressing a shiver, Kaoru did as she was told and offered Megumi her arm. The dark-haired doctor didn't waste any time and immediately set to work finding and piercing the vein.

Averting her eyes as the machine she was now hooked to started to draw blood, Kaoru found her attention drawn to Dr. Genzai who still stood pale-faced beside Hiko on the other side of Iizuka's bed. Catching his eye, she waved him over and asked softly, "Is he really...?"

Her adopted grandfather seemed to age before her very eyes as he fixed a glare on the vampire strapped to the bed beside hers. "Yes. I will never forget his face."

"Would you like to help us take care of him when we're done here?" Kenshin asked from where he stood on the other side of the bed behind her. Dr. Genzai started at the question and glanced to Kenshin before he slid his attention back to the bloodied vampire that had killed his wife with a thoughtful look. But then it faded and her adopted grandfather shook his head. "No. That would make me no better than him. Nor will it bring my wife back. I will be content just knowing he met a similar fate."

Kaoru secretly smiled, not surprised by his answer. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kenshin nod and open his mouth to say something but whatever it was was suddenly drowned out by an almost deafening roaring in her ears. Shaking her head in an effort to clear it, she grabbed for the edge of the bed as her vision narrowed to a pinpoint and then she felt herself pitch sideways dangerously as the world started to spin out of control. A pair of hands grabbed her to steady her as her own hands closed on empty air and she managed to mumble 'dizzy' around thickened lips in an effort to let whoever it was know what was wrong.

She barely felt it as the strong yet gentle hands guided her down onto the bed and she closed her eyes; sagging gratefully into the soft mattress. What was the matter with her? Was she dying? A shot of adrenalin flew through her veins at the thought and she fought to remain conscious afraid she wouldn't wake up again if she let herself succumb to the comforting blackness surrounding her. A heartbeat later the roaring in her ears subsided some and she heard a voice say through a thick cotton wall, "She'll be okay. We just took more blood than she can handle losing all at once."

Immensely relieved that's all it was, she sagged even further into the comfortable bed as the darkness pressed in even more. Well hopefully they had all they needed now because if this kept up she wasn't sure she'd make it all the way through this change...

She must have passed out after that because the next thing she knew someone was calling her name and pressing a cool cloth firmly against her forehead. Forcing her eyes open, she blinked owlishly and tried to focus on the reddish blur hovering in front of her face. A few more blinks later the image finally solidified into Kenshin's face and she tried to smile at the worried look darkening his handsome features.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly as he pushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek.

With a small smile, Kaoru nodded and lifted a hand to tug the ribbon from her hair and rub half-heartedly at her temple as she rolled over to lay fully on her back. "Yeah. I think so. Must have had to take a lot of blood huh?"

A distinctly feminine hand reached out and lifted the cloth from her forehead. "Unfortunately, yes. Iizuka had to ingest a hefty dose of your blood for the change to be successful."

Kaoru quirked an eyebrow, "Had?... Does that mean that we're done already?" she asked hopefully as she pulled herself up into a sitting position. Megumi gave her a patient smile and shook her head. "Not yet." Stepping out of the way so Kaoru could see, she waved a hand at Iizuka who was now hooked up to the machine she had been only moments before. "I'm draining the necessary blood from Iizuka now."

Kaoru's eyebrows shot up in surprise. So he'd already fed on her blood... then that meant... it was her turn now.

A violent shiver shook her entire body and Kenshin cradled her cheeks gently with both hands, forcing her look at him. "It won't be as bad as you think, Kaoru. I promise"

Kaoru clenched her teeth and valiantly tried to quell the trepidation raging through her veins. In some remote part of her mind she already knew it wasn't going to be as bad as her imagination led her to believe, but trying to convince the rest of her mind and body of that was a whole other story. Swallowing tightly, she focused her entire being solely on Kenshin's steadfast gaze until she'd finally managed to get herself back under control. It didn't matter how bad it was, she had to do it in order for this to work and she wasn't about to give up this chance.

A soft rustling came from beside her and then Megumi softly said, "It's time."

Kaoru stiffened again but somehow managed to hold onto her hard-earned calm as Kenshin smiled and started gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Are you ready?"

Stomping down the last niggling shred of fear trying to blossom, she swallowed in an effort to wet her extremely dry mouth and nodded, "I assume I have to be strapped down for this."

Kenshin's smile fell slightly as he let her go and stepped back. "Yes, that way you won't... hurt yourself."

Kaoru inhaled deeply as her eyes dropped closed. Was she ready for this? Snorting softly under her breath, she resisted the urge to shake her head as she slid her eyes back open and slid down until her limbs were positioned by the restraints. "Get them on me before I lose my nerve." she said to anyone who was listening.

Kenshin and Dr. Genzai immediately jumped into action and took a side; quickly securing her to the bed. Her stomach tightened into a fist sized knot as she felt the restraints pull taut. Desperately she started counting blemishes in the ceiling tiles in an effort to settle her nerves. If this kept up she'd never be able to drink the blood. Before she could dwell too much on what was coming though Megumi leaned over into her line of sight and smiled comfortingly. "Are you ready?"

With one last glance to Kenshin who still stood on her left with her hand in his and Dr. Genzai who stood on the other side of the bed, she nodded before she could think too much more about it. Without another word, the dark-haired doctor slid her free hand underneath her head and lifted her enough so she could drink the cup of blood held to her mouth.

Kaoru closed her eyes as the thick fluid passed over her lips and desperately tried not to gag as the warm metallic liquid filled her mouth. Clutching onto Kenshin's hand with every last bit of strength she had, she forced her throat to open and swallow down the liquid before her body overruled her and spit it back out. She shivered violently and gagged as the heavy fluid slid down her throat, but thankfully by then it was too late.

Consciously overcoming her gag reflex, she swallowed one more time to make sure she had cleared all the blood from her mouth and shuddered in repressed revulsion. Just as she was about to pop her eyes back open to ask if that was all there was to it her breath was stolen away by a knee weakening explosion of soul searing heat deep in her belly. And then she screamed as the intense heat turned to liquid fire and she came up off the bed as it flew out along every vein and blood vessel in her body, ruthlessly cutting a white hot path through her very being. Another shriek tore from her throat as wave after wave of excruciating pain continued to roll through her body and she thrashed violently, wrenching on the restraints binding her with all of her might in a desperate attempt to try to somehow escape her very skin.

And then, almost as fast as it had come, the fire died away and she fell back to the bed bonelessly as the world dulled and started to fade; her thundering heartbeat steadily slowing as the tainted blood strangled the life out of her. Her eyes fell closed of their own accord as her heartbeat slowed even more and for a fleeting moment Kaoru wondered if this was really going to work. Would she really wake back up? But before she could even entertain an answer to that question her heart gave one final shudder and then everything faded to black.

And yet she wasn't fully gone.

How she knew that she couldn't say but for a long moment, that to her could have been an eternity for all she knew, she floated weightlessly in a vast sea of darkness and she started to wonder if she was even real anymore or if she ever had been.

That question became moot though as a gut wrenching pain suddenly exploded throughout her entire body and she jerked as her heart was shocked back to life by the vampire blood now dominating her body. And then she was overcome by the strangest feeling as the sounds around her became more pronounced, the clarity that she heard those around her breathing unnerving her a little. Taking a deep breath in an effort to fix her attention on something else, she immediately stilled as the heady scent of blood filled her nostrils, making her mouth water in anticipation.

Horrified by her reaction, she tried to cover her traitorous nose to stop the assault but found she couldn't, she was still strapped down. Instinctively wrenching her arm to try to break it free she was pleased when the restraint gave way and she quickly threw her hand over her nose and tried to squash the nearly overwhelming drive to search out the source of the blood and devour it. She hissed painfully as she accidently pushed her bottom lip into one of her newly formed fangs. Without thinking, she drew the lip into her mouth and sucked gently on the scratch, mollified somewhat by the small amount of blood she could draw through the wound.

"Kaoru?"

Kaoru jumped and quickly released her now healed lip as Kenshin's worried tone brought her fully back to the world. Slowly sliding her eyes open to find him, she hissed as bright light suddenly pierced deep into her brain and she immediately snapped them back closed.

"Lights..." she grumbled, rubbing at her eyes in an effort to make the little pinpricks of light now dancing merrily against her closed lids go away.

A heavy tread moved somewhere off to her left in answer and then she heard a light switch flick off.

"That should be better."

With one last rub, Kaoru slowly slid her eyes back open and was stunned by the sudden clarity that she could see, even in the little bit of light spilling in from the front room. What should have been nothing but a hazy mess to her was instead outlined in stark relief as if someone had traced everything into her pupils. Blinking to see if it would change, she was vaguely unsettled when if anything, things became even more clear. Shaking her head slightly in awe, she let her eyes travel around the room where she could see but stopped when she saw the shocked look on her adopted grandfather's face.

She was just about to ask him what was wrong when he whispered, "Your eyes..."

Quirking an eyebrow, she asked, "What about them? Is something wrong with them?"

Dr. Genzai shook his head. "No.. it's just... I've never seen iris' that blue before."

"Oh.." Kaoru mumbled, still completely confused. Glancing to Kenshin to see if he understood, she was relieved when he nodded and smiled, "Your eyes are like ours now. As mine are a bright violet, yours are now a startling blue."

"Ah..." She whispered immediately understanding. She knew they would be different but she didn't realize they would be that different. Curious to see this obvious change she asked, "Can I see?"

Kenshin gave her a rueful smile and shook his head, "It's impossible as you are now. Vampires don't have a reflection."

"Oh.." Kaoru muttered in disappointment. That's right, she was nothing more than a killer right now. She wouldn't be back to normal, or as close to normal as she'd ever get again, until after the second part of the change.

With a soft sigh, she moved to sit up and hissed softly in irritation when she found her right wrist and legs still locked in their restraints. Growling softly under her breath, she quickly set to work freeing her wrist as Kenshin and Dr. Genzai loosened her ankles. A moment later, she was fully freed from her captivity and she took immediate advantage and pulled herself up into a sitting position just as Hiko cleared his throat and said, "It's time we finished this."

Kaoru tried to ignore the twinge of fear that fluttered through her stomach and exhaled softly as she glanced to Kenshin who had stiffened then sagged wearily as if the weight of the world had just dropped onto his shoulders. She smiled sadly when he silently nodded and, with one last glance to her, quietly left the room to do whatever it was he had to do to prepare the mixture she had to take. Wilting slightly herself, she inhaled deeply and immediately regretted trying to ease her stress that way. She grimaced as the scent of blood flooded her nostrils again, the desire to drink it almost more than she could handle. Desperately trying to fight it off, she covered her nose again and sighed. No matter how scared she was of the next change she had attempt it because she refused to live as the monster she was now. Life wasn't worth it, not to her.

The teeth-rattling sound of steel rubbing against steel suddenly filled the silent room and Kaoru glanced to the bed beside her. She inhaled sharply when her eyes clashed with the hate-filled glare Iizuka had fixed on her, the black look on his face saying louder than any words could that he would much rather see her dead than one of them.

"What's wrong snake? Pissed that Kenshin got his way?" Sano asked dryly from where he stood at the end of Iizuka's bed. Kaoru breathed a silent sigh of relief as Iizuka's attention moved to the spiky-haired vampire on the other side of the room. Whatever had happened between he and Kenshin must have been bad for him to hold such a grudge against her too. She had no doubt in her mind that he would cheerfully rip her throat out if he could, even if she was one of them now. One day she'd have to ask Kenshin what had happened between them.

A soft scuffling caught her attention and she turned her attention to the door that split the two rooms in time to see Kenshin came back with a small glass and stop by the lightswitch.

"Close your eyes Kaoru, I'm going to turn the lights back on."

Kaoru immediately snapped her eyes closed and wondered how she was suppose to make it through life if she couldn't even handle this little bit of light.

"Your sensitivity to light will pass soon, if it hasn't already." Megumi said softly in answer to her unspoken question. "To be honest you should be able to open your eyes now without being blinded. Why don't you try."

Kaoru kept her eyes pinched closed for a few more moments not sure if she was ready to have that mind-numbing pain lancing through her head again just yet. But the choice was soon taken out of her hands when a finger trailed softly down her cheek. Startled by the unexpected contact, she snapped here eyes open then immediately squinted to lessen the amount of light hitting her sensitized pupils. Glaring hard at the grinning redhead now only inches away from her nose, she growled, "That wasn't fair!"

Kenshin smiled and ran his finger along her jaw. "But it got you to open your eyes, didn't it? And since you can manage to glare at me I would say that your vision is almost back to normal."

Kaoru scowled, irritated by his tone and was just about to grumble 'so what' when a shadow fell over them and she glanced up to see Kenshin's unsmiling shishou standing over them.

"Is that it?" Hiko asked with a wave of his hand at the glass Kenshin had resting on his right leg. The smile fell from Kenshin's lips and with a soft sigh he nodded. "Yes."

Without a word Hiko extended his hand and Kenshin lifted the glass to hand his master the mixture that had nearly killed him all those years ago. Swallowing tightly, Kaoru watched with trepidation as the glass passed from one hand to the other and tried not to think about the fact that she would soon be following in his footsteps.

"Now get out."

Stunned, Kenshin and Kaoru both snapped their heads up and nearly shouted in unison, "What?!"

Unperturbed by their shocked stares Hiko stepped out from in between the beds and motioned for Aoshi and Sano to release Iizuka and then he turned and stared hard at Kenshin. "I will not have you destroying this town if this doesn't work. Now get out and go deal with Iizuka while I take care of this."

Kaoru shivered against her will, immensely grateful that she didn't have that black stare fixed on her. Kenshin on the other hand stiffened and growled, "That won't happen again. This time I know what might happen and I have accepted that, as has she."

Kaoru was surprised when Hiko snorted at that and shook his head. "I don't care what you think you've accepted. I want you out of here."

A heavy silence fell as the two continued to stare at each other, the air thickening around them as the tension continued to rise. Looking from one to the other, Kaoru sighed softly when she realized that neither one of them was going to back down anytime soon. Then that meant it was up to her. To be honest she would much rather not be left alone with the head of the Ishin clan but what choice did she really have. If she was going to get through this then they had to do this now.

With that last thought, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly then reached out to gently touch Kenshin's arm, "It’s okay, Kenshin. I'm not scared, you can go."

She jumped slightly as Kenshin swung his head around and pinned her to the spot with a hard stare. "No. I'm not going anywhere."

Kaoru sighed heavily and wearily rubbed at her forehead. "If you don't then we can't continue." she stated simply, "What will be, will be whether you are here or not."

For several moments Kenshin simply stared at her and she was half afraid he was going to continue to argue and make this more difficult. But then he sighed in resignation and leaned in until his lips were mere inches from hers. "I will go, but you had better be alive and well when I get back." He whispered softly before he leaned in and captured her lips in an achingly gentle kiss that tasted of the fear he was desperately trying to keep in check.

And then, before either of them could change their mind, Kenshin broke the kiss and was on his feet heading for the door. He paused for a second beside Hiko and Kaoru tensed wondering what he was going to do. And then she heard him say, "Don't let her die, Shishou."

Hiko gave him a small smile and simply inclined his head in acquiescence. Satisfied, Kenshin tossed one last glance her way before he headed out the door, with Sano, Aoshi and a bound Iizuka quickly following in his footsteps. Kaoru flinched as the door fell closed behind them with a loud thud. This was it. This was the point of no return.

Swallowing down the sudden surge of fear threatening to choke her she glanced to her adopted grandfather but before she could say anything Megumi spoke up, "We should go Genzai-san so they can finish."

Without thinking Kaoru shot out her hand and grabbed Dr. Genzai's before he could leave and turned a beseeching look on him, "Why do you have to go?"

Dr. Genzai's face softened and he smiled as he squeezed her hand. "Because the only one who will be able to help you through this is Hiko-san. We will only be in the way."

Kaoru's grip tightened and she shook her head. "But, I can't do this alone."

Her adopted grandfather's smile widened slightly and he gently extricated his hand from hers "You have never been alone. And I won't be far, I'll be in the front room with Takani-san waiting for you."

And before she could object anymore, Dr. Genzai and Megumi both quickly headed out of the room and slid the door closed behind them. Kaoru flinched as the door thumped closed and swallowed nervously. Fending off the panic clutching her chest in an iron fist, she bravely lifted her eyes from the end of the bed and finally looked to the only person left in the room.

The warm smile that spread across Hiko's lips seemed to lessen the hard angles of his face and Kaoru found herself relaxing as he settled down on the edge of the bed Iizuka had just vacated.

"Forgive me for forcing Kenshin to leave." He said with a sigh that spoke heavily of his weariness and Kaoru had wonder just how old he was. "He has a tendency to lose his temper when he is angry or panicked, and he can cause a lot of damage in that state."

Kaoru smiled ruefully, "Up until today I don't think I would have believed you. But now..." With a shrug she trailed off.

Hiko smirked at that and then it fell away as he leveled those bottomless black eyes on her and she all of a sudden found herself completely caught in his gaze. "He can. And he would have because what he doesn't know is that I will have to let this stuff do its job completely before I can offer you my blood. It will be entirely up to you whether you accept my blood and just how strong your desire to live is if you survive."

Caught off guard, Kaoru inhaled sharply as her eyes widened slightly but before she could say anything he continued, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Kaoru immediately regained her composure and almost snorted at the question. Was she sure? She wouldn't be here if she wasn't. She knew there was a possibility she wouldn't make it through this part and the fact that she would die didn't change that. All she could hope was that her desire to feel the sun and her love for Kenshin would be strong enough for her to overcome the certain death Hiko held in his hand.

Before she could think anymore about it, Kaoru reached out her hand for the glass and said, "I've come this far. I can't stop now."

Hiko smiled as if he'd known she'd say something like that and handed her the liquid death. "Kenshin has chosen well. I think you'll be fine."

A tiny blush crept across Kaoru's cheeks at the compliment and she smiled shyly before she upended the glass. She was surprised and immensely grateful to find that the mixture had no taste, only the cool clean tang of spring water. Drinking its contents down in three swallows, she set the empty glass on the machine that had drawn their blood earlier and lay down as a heaviness suddenly swept through her body.

Sinking deeply into the comfortable bed, she forced herself to keep her eyes open long enough to turn her attention back to Hiko and whisper, "If I don't make it through this tell Kenshin I'm sorry... and that I will always love him."

Through her sinking eyelashes, she saw Hiko nod and she just barely heard him say 'I will' before she fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

... Only one more chapter to go...

And I hope to have it out in a more timely fashion.

Please review and let me know what you think.