It was exactly a week later when it all went downhill, when hell was unleashed.

Kenshin had taken to walking them home after school. He and Kaoru had some interesting conversation, ranging from swordsmanship to philosophy. Yahiko liked feeling Kenshin, the warm stones either tickled or relaxed him, and the smell of incense always made him smile. After walking them home he would join them again after supper, either watching practice or taking walks with them.

That day was bitterly cold. Six inches of snow had fallen over the weekend, and the weatherman had spent most of the morning talking about record wind gusts. It blew through Kaoru and Yahiko, making white fog-like snow clouds pass from one area to another. The pair actually loved it. They had both had extraordinarily good days, and instead of going straight into the house they both took turns throwing the powdery snow at one another. Kenshin, the heated stones on Yahiko's neck, was clearly enjoying the show.

They had somehow wandered from the back year into the small patch of woods. Yahiko had jogged ahead, enjoying watching his breathe appear and disappear, as well as listening to the distant laugher of Kaoru and the blast of wind far away.

A large gust whooshed through, chilling Yahiko's already numb body to the bone. Snow swirled around him and he couldn't see as it dipped into his eyes. A false step and a tumble later, the wind died down and Yahiko looked up to a small shrine.

Dusting snow out of his hair and shaking his head, the boy stood slowly. It was tiny; almost the size of a birdfeeder, locked into the crevice of a giant rock - almost a boulder. Curiosity swelled in Yahiko, random shrines like this were all over the city, and he always wondered why. At the same time, he knew all too well that it was in place for a reason.

"Hey, is there anything in there?" he asked, bending down to get a closer look. "You know, that's dangerous?"

An odd prickle started at the small of Yahiko's back and crawled up his spine.

"Hello?"

A flush involuntarily filled the boy's face, and feeling returned to his fingers and toes. Almost subconsciously, he reached up. What was behind the door of the shrine? There were no fudo, no seals, not even a ceremonial rope. His hand was inches from the gate of the shrine when,

"Yahiko do not touch it!!"

Startled, Yahiko jerked around to see Kenshin, incense overwhelming him and the heated stones feeling like boulders. Gasping, Yahiko jerked up, but not before his fingers brushed against the shrine.

That was all that was needed.

The tiny gates flung open, and all snow in a ten foot radius instantaneously melted. Black smoke poured out of the shrine, engulfing Yahiko. Feelings like he had never felt before washed over him; it was like a hundred, no, a thousand spirits were whipping through him, the hatred and cruelty and laughter and evil searing every inch of Yahiko. He screamed, and screamed, and screamed, his body felt like it was melting, his blood was boiling, there was a pounding in his ears that was not his heartbeat, and the horrible sensation of a saw ripping through his flesh.

He was in hell.

Kaoru and Kenshin had been walking and talking. The kendo instructor was, like her brother, completely numb.

"It's not so lonely with you around," she was saying. "It's nice to have someone waiting for you at home."

"This one is also pleased to be in only one place, he is," Kenshin replied. "Before his death, this one wandered for many, many years, to repay for the crimes that he did in life."

Kaoru huffed. "I still think you go overboard with all that. I'm not sure what era you're from, but let's assume the worst and that you killed a bunch of people." The rurouni's eyed darkened but otherwise he did not react. "You're not the type to do it because you're blood thirsty, so whatever reason you had to do that was a good one. Even with that rationale, you're so obviously repentant and clearly did everything in your power to make up for it. You said it yourself, that night that Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu protects people; you even wield a sakabatou in order to do that. Why aren't you satisfied yet? Why are you still here?"

"There is one other thing, something that this one must protect. But... he has forgotten what it is. It is like, since this one came here, that a piece of him is still asleep, and try as he might, this one cannot wake up that piece. He fears that something bad will--" He immediately cut off, his small frame straightening.

"Kenshin?"

An incredibly strong wind blew by, kicking up loose snow everywhere and blowing under Kaoru's damn skirt. She paid it little mind, however, because when it finally died down, Kenshin was not the Kenshin Kaoru had come to know.

His eyes were no longer lavender, they were gold.

"Yahiko do not touch it!!"

There was a wave of heat, melting the snow Kaoru was standing in. She sank through the snow and into mud as she saw her little brother next to a tiny shrine embedded in a boulder. The gates flung open and black smoke billowed out of it. A horrible laughter emanated from it, low and evil. Under it was an even worse sound; it was the sound of her brother screaming.

"Yahiko!!"

She bolted toward the smoke, but Kenshin stood before her; his eyes were melted gold. For the first time, he placed a hand on her. The power of the touch caused her to stumble back.

"Not yet," he said sternly. "You cannot help him if you are hurt as well."

"That's not what protection means!" Kaoru shouted as she stood up. "Protection means sacrificing yourself to help!"

Kenshin again touched her shoulder, and she again reeled back, as if she'd been hit. "He would not appreciate your injury."

"Shut up!" She ran around Kenshin and entered the black smoke. It seared her, she could feel her hands burning, but she pushed through it. She found her brother convulsing in the mud, screaming over and over, running his hands over his body to stop the onslaught to his senses.

Kaoru tugged and pulled, her brother refusing to be touched, recoiling at everything. The smoke finally dissipated, and with it Kenshin arrived. He leaned in close, and Kaoru could feel energy radiating off him. He reached down, his fingers inches from Yahiko's fevered forehead, but stopped. The golden eyes closed, and when they opened they were again lavender, pained.

"I am sorry," he said. "I am so, so, sorry. I failed to protect you."

Kaoru finally pulled Yahiko close. She could see burns on the back of his neck, already pealing. His voice had long ago given out, but he still tried to scream.

Picking up her little brother, Kaoru turned to her ghostly companion. "What do we do?!" she shouted, completely helpless. In between her panic and terror she felt completely useless.

"The house," he said; his voice two octaves below what she was used to hearing. "Sanosuke will be able to get help and Megumi will be able to help."

And suddenly, it dawned on Kaoru, that Kenshin knew exactly what was going on.

It was a grueling fifteen minute hike. Yahiko quieted slowly, his body still twitching involuntarily. Kenshin was absolutely silent; his eyes flickered from purple to gold intermittently.

When she saw the houses, she shouted to the top of her lungs.

"Sano! Help!!"

She tripped over something and pitched forward. The slope was enough to have her slide several feet before she stopped; thankfully Yahiko was still tightly in her grasp. She managed to get up and cried out again.

"Sano, get out here now." Kenshin's voice switched again, and the red bandana of their friend burst out of the house.

"Who the hell was--Jou-chan! Kozou! What--?"

"Help me!" she pleaded.

In three massive strides the fighter crossed the snow and picked up both of them before turning on a heel and going back into his house.

It was sparkling clean, and Megumi was on them in an instant.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know," Kaoru said breathlessly. She laid Yahiko out on the carpet and quickly pulled off his thick winter coat. Underneath his clothes were soaked in sweat, he was literally steaming.

"Over half his body is burned!" Megumi exclaimed, "Ranging from third to second degree. Was there a fire?"

"No," Kaoru said as she moved to get some cold water. She was stopped, caught on something. Turning, she found Yahiko unconsciously gripping her ankle. An unexpected combination of worry, tenderness, love, and other emotions washed through her, and she knelt back down.

"Sano, get come cold water."

"And antiseptic and bandages, he has plenty of both."

"Megumi, are you a doctor? Sano, antiseptic and bandages."

"Yes. See if Sano can find an internal thermometer of some kind. We have to cool him off slowly." With Sano acting as a runner, Megumi was able to give enough instructions to treat the worst of Yahiko's wounds and move him to a couch. Kaoru gently laid his head on her lap.

"An ambulance is on the way," Sanosuke said, finally sitting down.

"What? Sano, no!"

"What? You traipse into my yard, white as a sheet, Yahiko's burned all over, shouting away to Ken-whatever his name is, what do you expect me to do?"

"This has nothing to do with police and ambulances!" Kaoru shouted. Yahiko whimpered and tightened his grip on her. Responding, the blue eyed girl quieted down. "With an ambulance called, there will be an investigation. The police don't understand anything about ghosts. They'll just think he was playing with matches or something."

"Well, then, Jou-chan," Sano said, completely frustrated, "you tell me. What the HELL happened?"

Kaoru finally stilled. He was sitting, sword at his shoulder, in the far corner of the room. His eyes had finally settled to lavender, but they still looked vacant.

"Kenshin, why don't you tell us," she said. She wanted to be mad, her mind told her to be mad, but she couldn't bring herself to be anything more than numb.

He looked up, his eyes refocusing.

"This one, his piece has woken up. He remembers, he does." He paused, looking guiltily at Yahiko. "This one died in battle, he did. After ten years of wandering, Yamagata found him and asked this one to help; to save the country from this one's kouhai, his successor. There were many encounters, many close calls, but at last the kouhai, Shishio Makoto, was burned. Days later, this one followed Shishio to the land of the dead, except... except..." He looked up. "This is not the land of the dead.

"He is here for a reason, this one is. He is here to protect. This one thought it was Kaoru-dono and Yahiko-kun." Slowly, he stood, slipping his freshly lacquered sword back into his hakama. "It was not, it was the shrine. This one has made a horrible mistake, and now he needs to fix it, he does."

"No. No. No way in hell." Kaoru would have stood, but her little brother's head was on her lap. "You're not going to just go off on your own and take on all the responsibility by yourself. It doesn't work that way! Yahiko needs you! I need you! You can't just--"

There was a loud bang on the door. Megumi, who had been quiet up until now said, "It is an officer."

Kaoru put her head in her free hand. "Not now..." But Sanosuke already stood up and walked to the hall; and Kenshin was gone.

Sano was tall, but this man was even taller. Dressed in blue and a cigarette in hand, he gave one puff before staring - glaring? - at the two kendo students before him. Megumi was already making a silver commentary of his dropping ash on her house, an almost nervous edge in her voice.

"Well, this is interesting. The rooster head here obviously didn't give enough detail."

"What?!" Sano overtly bristled. The officer completely ignored him.

"Saito Hajime," he said by way of introduction. He knelt down. His eyes were somewhere between honey and wheat. Kaoru felt nothing but caution as he slowly raked his eyes over them. She herself had bandages around her hands, burned from entering the black smoke, her uniform was dry in some places, damp in others, and completely ruffled. On her lap was Yahiko, not conscious but not unconscious either, his rusty eyes completely blank. His uniform was singed, bandages over his neck, upper chest, and hands and wrists. Sweat was everywhere, and every so often something twitched.

Saito coolly grabbed Yahiko's wrist, pulling it toward him and examining it. "No sent of smoke, no starter burns, and no accelerant. Burns on the body but not the fabric. Mud, but not snow." He turned to Kaoru, and she felt oddly naked under his intense gaze. "Burns on the hands, but nowhere else. How did the fire start? Where was it?"

"... There is a shrine in the woods behind the houses," Kaoru finally answered. Trust did not emanate from this man the way it did Kenshin, but at another level, Kaoru sensed doggedness about the officer, the pursuit of something until its end that somehow gave her the tiniest ounce of comfort. "Yahiko opened it and black smoke poured from it."

"Where in the woods?"

"You can follow our tracks, we came straight here."

Saito stood and confidently strode outside, only to turn around and march right back in.

"Who else was with you?" he demanded, dragging his cigarette.

"No one, just Yahiko and myself," she said, confused.

"Don't lie to me. You obviously carried the boy, but there's a second set of tracks, a small man in sandals."

...Kenshin?