Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Fairen Destiny ❯ Chapter 5

Time seemed to freeze for Kenshin and Misao, eyes widened in terror and both with looks of horror and disbelief on their faces, but quickly speeding up again.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!"

"KAORUUUUUUUUUUU!!!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The dracin had caught Kaoru up into its jaws.

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Kaoru let out another ear splitting scream filled with unbearable pain and fright. The dracin pressed its teeth harder down into her flesh causing blood to splatter from her wounds.

Tears poured from Misao's eyes, though she made no effort to stop them and sank to the ground. Kenshin merely stood frozen to the spot with mouth hanging wide open. They both stared in shock and terror at the sight in front of them but both knew there was nothing they could do. Misao knew what would happen. If the horrid creature didn't eat her first she would die of blood loss or….she shook her head at that. `It's taken effect. She must be in so much pain….Kaoru I'm so sorry.'

Kaoru continued screaming, wishing the pain would end, that death would take her just so the pain would stop. She then felt a jolt run her body, not from pain but something else.

Her eyes rolled back into her head showing only the whites of her eyes; her eyes began to glow a bright blue quickly followed by the rest of her body. At the same time Kenshin's sword suddenly became burning hot and pulsing forcing him to drop it and grip his hand in pain. He stared at the sword only for moment before quickly turning horror-struck eyes back to the scene before him.

The dracin roared in pain but didn't seem to be able to let go of her. The light from Kaoru's body grew more in intensity and size. Misao's eyes, if at all possible, widened even more. She knew what that light meant. She grabbed Kenshin by the arm and shot into the air, forcing her two unbroken wings to beat like mad to stay airborne. She had to get them away from the light.

Misao stopped rocketing into the air when she thought they were far enough from the ground. She kept her eyes on Kaoru, not only because of her worry for Kaoru, but now for herself and Kenshin. They couldn't get caught in that light or else they would surely die.

The dracin continued howling and Misao and Kenshin shielded their eyes as Kaoru's light still grew and then in a flash engulfed everything around it. Kenshin and Misao uncovered their eyes when the light had subsided and were at first frightened when they didn't see any sign of the dracin….or Kaoru.

Misao lowered to the ground, wings screaming in pain, searching for any sign of her friend. Kenshin nearly collapsed from exhaustion and shock, but still had adrenaline pumping through him from the fight and but held out. He looked over to where the dracin corpse lay and then to the other beast had once but now saw nothing more than charred, lightly smoldering bones, the flesh and everything else completely gone. `What the hell?'

Out of the corner of his eye he saw something on the ground glinting in the moonlight and half limped, half crawled to go see. It was the sword Kaoru had taken from him. It hadn't turned black like his other one; it wasn't even covered in blood though he knew she had used to stab the dracin. It looked as if she had never used the blade at all. He stared at it for another moment before re-sheathing it again.

Next to where his sword had lain was the dracin's jet black blood. He looked closer, seeing some other sticky, foul smelling acid green liquid mixed in it. The grass around the green liquid looked as if it were….melting? He definitely knew not to touch it and smell was beginning to get to him so he lifted himself up and began looking around for Kaoru.

"Where is she? Where is she?" Misao looked all around and finally spotted Kaoru on the ground, a surprising distance from the charred remains of the dracin that had only moments ago threatened to consume her alive. Kenshin was looking from the bones to Kaoru wondering how she had killed it the way she did. He followed Misao over to Kaoru and his eyes widened as Misao gasped.

Kaoru was somehow miraculously alive and still conscious, though only just. Her clothes were ripped and ton and just barely hanging on her by mere threads. She was covered in severe burns and large teeth punctures covered her arms and torso, accompanied by many gashes all with blood and the green liquid still flowing from them. Not an inch of her wasn't covered in dried or still fresh blood. She was covered in sweat and blood and her breathing was shallow and uneven and was evident it cost everything she had to just to take one pain wrenching breath at a time. Even compared to her normal fair skinned complexion, she was immensely pale. The green acid like liquid was eating away at what was left of her clothes and starting on her skin creating even larger wounds. It truly was a miracle she was still alive.

Misao bent down next to Kaoru when she disappeared in another bright flash of bright, this time white and less intense light, causing Kenshin and Misao to again shield their eyes. When the light disappeared and they both could see again, Kaoru had slightly more color in her skin, no more acid-liquid eating away at her and no more bleeding though still covered in the sticky red liquid and some of her less serious burns and gashes had healed, some even seeming to have disappeared.

In a quiet whisper, Kenshin was the first to speak. "Is she gonna live?"

"I don't know. The gems- " Misao stopped in mid sentence gazing at the gemm necklaces around Kaoru's neck, some missing but those that remained were cracked and couldn't be used again but she could tell no power had been drawn from them. `How can that be? She can't do magic but that light... It was to strong for these to do all that and keep her alive but they're…'

"Misao?" Kenshin starred at her and Kaoru wanting to know what happened, if Kaoru would live, and what those dracins were but unable to voice his any of his questions.

Misao then realized what she was doing and was again kneeling by Kaoru's side. Kenshin, thinking something was wrong, knelt down next her as well. Remembering Kaoru was still in serious condition, he quickly pulled off his already torn tunic and used his dagger to start ripping it.

"Don't bother. There's no need." "But she-" His words died on his lips as he watched Misao. She moved her hands above Kaoru and a dim green light emanated from her hands transferring to Kaoru giving her an eerie glow. The rest of the wounds and injuries, save a few of the more serious ones, completely healed and closed.

"Is she okay now?"

"For now yes. She's still badly injured but….I don't know; we'll have to take her back quickly. There's not much more I can do."

Misao, shaking slightly from fatigue now, looked over Kaoru again who by now had fallen unconscious or fallen asleep, she couldn't tell which. "Yes she's good for now. You and I need help too. Hold still for a second so I can heal you."

Kenshin did as told, actually grateful to lie down but not sure he could get up again. He was shaking a little from exhaustion as well, adrenaline long gone. Both he and Misao moved practically by sheer will and determination alone.

Kenshin was covered in burns and bleeding wounds and obviously had broken bones; he couldn't even move his left arm. Misao knew she didn't look much better or feel it but she ignored the pain the best she could and set her mind to her task; healing Kenshin and herself as best she could; most of her remaining power had gone to healing Kaoru so wouldn't die. They needed to get going before the smell of the dracin carcass attracted other dracins towards the open field. There was no way they could stand against another attack.

She felt the most of the weariness leave her and her injuries heal and knew the same happened to Kenshin as well and promptly stood up to get moving. None of this would be permanent; she needed Megumi or Lady Tomoe for that. She wasn't wasting anymore time. She was just going to fly to where they would meet Megumi whether she was suppose to or not. She would have to levitate Kenshin and Kaoru even though she could feel herself nearing collapse from using so much power like she had been tonight. Fighting those dracins and healing (which was not one of her best abilities) everyone took virtually all her magic.

"Come on we have to go."

"Why? Can't we rest a minute or something?"

"Do you want to be here when other dracins show up?"

"Point taken. Let's go…..uh….where do we go?" Misao rolled her eyes at him and flew in to the air. She levitated Kenshin and Kaoru, who was still asleep, right behind her.

Kenshin fought not to sleep as they flew through the air, feeling guilty Misao had to use more strength to keep them in the air. If Misao had to stay awake then so would he, it was only fair. He could tell her wings still hurt, the injured ones barely flapped enough to keep her from struggling too much.

The first rays of light were peaking from the horizon when they came to a cabin in another small clearing. They landed softly, Kaoru hovering two feet from the ground. Misao stumbled to the door and opened it.

A woman stood behind it, hand starched out to open the door herself. She stared at them with wide brown eyes. She had long silky black hair down to her lower back, and wore a finely woven purple silk skirt and top. Her wings were elegant with white feathers like a bird's. `Misao said those are….Betro wings right?' Kenshin would have expected someone like her to have Iten wings like Misao but her wings fit her perfectly.

The woman immediately lifted Misao and him feet from the ground and brought them and Kaoru quickly inside, laying them down on three beds. Misao had fallen asleep as soon as she was on the bed. Kenshin watched as the woman conjured bandages and some kind of potions and began healing all three of them. He glanced at Kaoru once more before soon following Misao into a very welcomed sleep.

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