Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin nor the characters that are associated it with it as much as I wish I did. *sighs * However I do own some of the random minor characters (e.g. Moroku, Momoko, Takatori, Shinji etc..) but they don't really matter.. oh well. ^^;;

Special Thanks to: Infinite Nemo for the pre-reading this chapter and offering her helpful criticism. * hugs * And for her semi-constant prodding for me to actually update. ^-^

The Butterfly Meets the Flame

He lifted himself quietly into the elegant tearoom, all the while savoring the last minutes of the songbird's stirring aria. The shoji clicked closed as the final lines shivered darkly in the air: Love divides me as the bend forks the rushing river. The current carries me, drags me, and I am torn asunder. The shamisen cried a few more notes for Kaguya Hime and then all stilled within the room.

The enraptured party had allowed him to step inside and close the shoji without drawing their attention. He used this unexpected calm to let his eyes shift quickly around the room, carefully noting all those in attendance, those faces he knew and those faces that he did not know. The mind behind the violet eyes quickly took account all those that could pose a potential threat just in case things should go awry.

At last he turned those deep eyes towards the focus of the patrons and found the geisha he presumed to be the source of the tragic song prior to his entrance. The perceptive eyes widened ever so slightly, almost unnoticeably; he found himself allowing them to linger, studying her features and form.

It was plain to see why she held their rapt attention so easily. She was beautiful.

Her pose was one of grace and poise that required great muscle control, but she made it look effortless. Midnight blue bordering on black tresses swept back away from her face in an elegant yet simple coiffure. The pale peach-colored pearl flower ornaments stood out like stars against her dark hair and matched her natural skin tone just barely visible above the mask of alabaster white and along her hairline. With her eyes closed, her white face was a dead accurate portrayal of sadness and longing. Her high cheekbones, long eyelashes, a full red lower lip and a graceful neck were all seamless accents to the genuine emotion that she radiated. He found himself absently wondering what color her eyes were. Just out of curiosity.

Suddenly a drunken roar of welcome and recognition arose from the silence. Kenshin's right hand and eye twitched slightly in reaction to the surprise, but he covered it easily as he turned to face Katsura Kogoro and the two generals seated at the head of the table.

"Himura! We had quite given you up."

He bowed at the waist, his topknot of fiery red hair splaying over his navy blue gi. "Gomen nasai, Katsura-sama, Moroku-sama, Takamori-sama. I had an errand that could not wait, that I did."

The two generals looked to each other seeming to deliberate over whether or not to forgive the tardy guest of honor, while Katsura maintained his placid countenance as he turned to his lovely companion for more sake, to which she happily obliged. He sipped the clear liquid slowly before turning his calm owlish eyes back to Himura.

At last the generals seemed to reach an agreement. Takamori swung suddenly and too quickly for all the alcohol in his system towards the still-bowing man. He caught himself before he could fall, although he still swayed precariously back and forth. The words came slowly but fairly clear from his mouth, "Nooo harm done, Himura. We j'st wen ahead 'n started whithout you."

Kenshin lowered his head still further before gracefully rising out of his bow to meet eyes with his superiors.

"It is a shame though, Himura, that you missed the lovely performance that Kaoru-chan and Momoko put on for us. Kaoru-chan certainly does live up to the reputation circulating about her." The steady voice of Katsura Kogoro drew the eyes of his hitokiri.

"And what is her reputation, Katsura-sama?" He never claimed to be knowledgeable in the extravagancies of wealth and that included but was not limited to the reputation or rumors that circulated through society about a pretty geisha. It was a hobby that time just did not allow for. He was required to remember enough names and faces of enemies and cohorts so he could stay alive, and then there were those names and faces of people that clogged his memory who would never go away no matter how many times he tried to wash them away with sake. But he would admit that despite his lack of connection to the Pleasure Quarters, she was famous enough that her name did sound familiar to him.

Katsura studied Kenshin for a moment before answering his question. He noted how much the boy had changed since he had become his hitokiri of the shadows. His eyes once innocent had become more haunted. In public while they strove to look polite and unassuming, an underlying edge lingered that had not been there before. Regretfully, he wondered if he would ever be rid of it.

"So you have not heard of our beautiful songbird hostess before, Himura?"

"Only vaguely," was the brief reply.

Katsura smiled softly and indicated the open seat on the other side of his own escort. "Well please sit down, Himura, and I will introduce you to her."

Kenshin inclined his head to his master and proceeded to his seat. Once seated comfortably, the geisha to his right poured him a small dish of sake. He allowed himself a sip before looking at the beautiful geisha at the front of the room. To his slight astonishment he saw that she had already relinquished her dance pose and was instead kneeling demurely on the floor studying him with a very stunning pair of sapphire eyes.

The quietly commanding voice of Katsura interrupted any further musings that he might have had about her eyes. "Himura, may I present the geisha, Kaoru, known throughout Gion and Kyoto as the finest dancer and singer to date." She broke eye contact with him and bowed. "Kaoru-chan, may I present Himura Kenshin, a fellow Imperialist and our long-awaited guest of honor." He bowed from his seat to her.

"It is an honor to meet you, Kaoru-san." His eyes met hers once more and he found something subtle in them that he had not noticed before. Beneath the carefully cultured mask he could see her fear.

She paused before answering in a melodious and carefully flirty tone. "The honor is all mine, Himura-san."

The room fell into a tense silence as the two continued to study one another. One feared the other while the other tried to understand where this fear had sprung.

Again, Katsura broke the silence by starting a new game. "Himura, perhaps you could entreat Kaoru-chan to grace us with another song and dance." He did not fail to notice how his hitokiri's gaze lingered on Kaoru a little longer than necessary.

Everyone shouted his approval of the idea. And soon Kenshin found himself uncomfortable as the room filled with the rowdy encouragements to ask her.

"C'mon, Himura, she won't bite. Just ask her!" came from somewhere and was met with many snickers and chuckles. He never understood why, but the men never ceased to be amused by his quiet and laconic nature, particularly when sake stole away their better judgment. They all knew they could get away with teasing him when they were drunk and stupid, and often pushed the envelope precariously close to the edge. But it often didn't take more than an icy amber-eyed glare to remind them of the dragon that walked among them.

Suddenly a beautiful voice overpowered the din. "He has but to ask it of me and it will be his," Kaoru added to the jeering with a softly coy smile. Her breathing relaxed a little as she began playing the game she knew so well.

This drew out more than a few jealous faces and even more comments, not to mention a slightly startled pair of violet eyes.

His calculating mind soon raced to soothe his startled eyes. 'An actress,' he smiled as he realized he had found another he could relate to among the party. And what an act it was. The mere thought of a courtesan, particularly a famous one, actually taking interest in a poor nobody like him was utterly laughable, even to himself. Just because he was probably the most famous hitokiri in all of Kyoto and perhaps Japan did not mean that it paid well. His idealism would not allow it. He killed to further the cause of the Revolution, to help others, not to gain a profit. Besides, he could never tell anyone who he was for fear of discovery.

And yet, despite his logic, part of him coiled with lust to dream that a beautiful woman such as she might mean those words to him. He had known love once…

But he quickly closed that door. The thought was pleasing but impossible. It was nothing more than a mere shadow that blew across the moon.

"Kaoru-san is a good actress to be so nice to me after we have only just met." He smirked as his eyes registered a brief falter in her mask at the word actress, as though that word would shatter her illusion. But he replaced it with a blithe smile at her as though his statement held no double meaning. Her act would now cease towards him and he could place her safely back on the mortal plane in his mind. After all, he could not afford a distraction.

A smile uncurled slowly across her lips then; her face bloomed with some vibrant emotion. "Who is the actor here, Himura-san?  I believe it is you who pretend to know me so well."

Again the room was lost to the din of laughter. Kenshin simply blinked, stunned by her witty response.

His quick attack had been turned aside just as quickly as he had delivered it. The puzzle of how to defeat her intrigued his calculating mind, and he accepted the invitation to spar readily. Defeating a strong opponent filled him with a greater sense of satisfaction than if she had fallen at his first strike. He blatantly ignored the part of his mind that warned against further involving himself with a woman whom he found both physically and intellectually attractive.

"Hai, Kaoru-san, I suppose I am," he chuckled out, despite himself. "Would you please honor us with another song and dance?"

A/N: Holy Cow! I am soooo sorry everyone for taking eternity and a day updating SAYL. I am evil. Gomen! *bows and supplicates self to reviewers to forgive her * I also must apologize for the shortness of the chapter but this was a logical stopping place because the next chapter has oodles of fun. Unfortunately you will have to wait for me to write it. :P I'm evil I know. But let me stop my ramblings for a moment to thank all of you so much!!! OMG! 25 reviews! Yall have made me so happy because that is more reviews than all of my other stories have received *combined *. Amazing! Yall are the best and I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update. School has been mad crazy. * gives you alllll cookies and dances*

Next chapter I shall do personal thanks to each reviewer, but right now I am too tired and have a Chinese Oral exam to prepare for. Yay for the new chapter! Read and review. And thank you for your patience. I won't let you down. * bows*