Part Nineteen

 With Megumi gone from the room, Kaoru could concentrate on Kenshin and Kawasaka.  Kaoru pushed the fear and apprehension she felt welling up inside herself away and totally embraced the 'Dojo Master' persona she'd developed over the years.  Her stance became more confident and sure.  Her hands relaxed on the hilt of the sakaba sword, and her body and mind became one.  Taking a slow breath into herself, she decided that it was time to take control of the situation.
 "Kenshin, Kawasaka no longer has a weapon, and no one else is going to ever be hurt by him again.  Please let him go."  Kaoru waited with bated breath in that endless moment.
 Kenshin knew that Kaoru had been afraid for him when rage and anger unleashed the side of himself that had been surpressed for ten long years.  The assasin inside of him that had not seen the light of day in these long years but once, when he fought with Jinei who had kidnapped and hurt Kaoru.
 When Kawasaka stood behind Kaoru with his sword threatening her, all the anger and rage Kenshin felt towards him broke through the barrier at the back of his mind and unleashed the Battou-sai.  With cold fury, Kenshin attacked and unarmed Kawasaka before any counter-move was possible.  With Kawasaka at sword point, Kenshin knew that he held this man's life in his hands.  A man who murdered innocence in this new era.  A man who destroyed families to gain possession of government papers.  A man who used a woman's need for money against her.  A man who had DARED to taint the most beautiful and important person to him.  For a man who had gone so far...he must die.
 Then he looked at Kaoru and saw the fear hiding in her eyes.
 He knew that Kaoru had sent Megumi away so that she wouldn't see him this way.  He knew that Kaoru was not afraid of him, but rather FOR him.  It was this fear along with her show of courage that finally penetrated his mind and allowed him to shove the ravaged soul of the assasin inside him back where he'd come from.  His grip on his sword lessoned and his arm lowered the blade from Kawasaka's throat.  With the sword hung loosely at his side, Kenshin pushed Kawasaka roughly away from him, towards the space between Kaoru-dono and himself.  He looked down at the katana still in his hand and a feeling of self-disgust came over him for what he'd almost done.  Sighing, Kenshin tossed the sword away from him.
 The teary-eyed smile that Kaoru showed him then was warmer than the sun and just as bright.  A moment later, the smile was hidden behind a mask of briskness as Kaoru-dono commanded Kawasaka to stand.
 Kawasaka shook in anger and not a little fear as he did what the girl before him demanded.  Before he could stand fully, he made a sound of distress and fell to his left knee, his left hand covering his right as he gripped his ankle.
 Kaoru's face showed first surprise, then a disturbing lack of mercy when her hardened voice demanded yet again for Kawasaka to stand.  When he tried unsuccessfully for the second time, Kaoru sighed and ordered him to stay put as she gathered what little rope was left.  When she returned, she knelt beside him with the sakaba sword in her right hand and the rope in her left.  She called Kenshin over to retrieve his sword when Kawasaka made his move.
 Kawasaka waited until the girl was close before he withdrew the knife he had hidden near his ankle.  Withdrawing it slowly, he waited till the moment was right.  The moment her eyes lost contact with his to look at Battou-sai, he lunged at her, swinging to his right.
 Years of training caused Kaoru to react almost instinctively.  She moved to her right, avoiding the knife enough for it not to stab her but to slice through the upper part of her arm.  While she moved, her grip tightened on the sakaba sword and she swung the sword at Kawasaka's head.
 Intent on hurting her, Kawasaka didn't see the incoming sword, so was stunned by the blow that impacted on the back of his head.  For a moment all he saw was white and he felt a searing pain on the back of his neck before he lost conciousness and fell onto Kaoru.
 Kaoru, still acting on instinct jerked from beneath Kawasaka and pushed him aside as she rolled and stood on her feet, sakaba sword held at ready.  After a moment of silence, Kaoru realized that Kawasaka was unconcious.  She was about to sigh and relax in relief when a low, deadly cold voice stopped her.
 "Kaoru, move away from Kawasaka now. I'm going to kill him."
 Kaoru looked up in horror as she realized that Kenshin had retrieved the sword and stood ready to attack Kawasaka.  In  anger and desperation, she called out,
 "Battou-sai!  Drop the sword. NOW!"
 Kenshin's body was frozen as different sides of himself warred for control.  Kaoru.... no, Kaoru-dono was safe now.  She had saved herself, again.  She was alright.  She was okay.  He had to put the sword down, but he couldn't unclench it from his tight grip.  He wanted Kawasaka to feel pain.  He wanted Kawasaka to hurt for hurting Kaoru.  He wanted to get revenge for every drop of blood that his beloved lost hundreds of times over.  But he also knew she wouldn't want that.  He had to think of an image of Kaoru worse than that of her being hurt by a villian's hands.  He had to think of Kaoru being hurt by himself.  He had to think of the anguish and grief that would overcome her if he lost this precious battle with himself.  He had to think of the kiss he shared with her this evening.  The flavour of her lips as they trembled and yielded to his.  The look in her eyes not five minutes ago when he'd first thrown the sword away.
 He still couldn't release the sword.
 He closed his eyes and through gritted teeth, he grounded out, "Kaoru-dono, I need you to help me... let go."