He didn’t even sense the Demon before it attacked.  Claws came out of nowhere and raked him open from his shoulder to stomach.  Blood poured out of terrible wounds and if he had been a human, he would have died instantly.  His Demon body kept him alive, but barely.  He was onslaught by waves of dizziness and agonizing pain, which prevented him from concentrating enough to use his own power against the Demon.  

The dark night would not hide him from the Demon now that his blood had filled the air. He could hear it coming towards him fast. He went into the forest, knowing he could not elude the beast in there, but trying to give himself time. Branches clawed at his face and arms as he stumbled blindly through the trees. Then he felt it -- a portal!  He changed directions and went toward it. There it was!  But where did it go to?  He hesitated only a second. There was nothing here for him but death. He went though it, feeling the strange pull of the portal, and then he was through it. He looked around, recognizing nothing. "Where am I?" was his last thought before he slipping to his knees, his strength gone and peaceful blackness took him as he passed out.

It was late at night when Sanosuke walked to the dojo, his gambling luck having failed him yet again.  He spotted something that looked like a bundle of rags on the side of the road, near the meadow that Kaoru loved, the one filled with twinkling fireflies. 

As Sanosuke approached the bundle, he realized with a start that it was a man’s body – bloody and torn.  He knelt down by the body, looking at the terrible wounds.  “What could have done this?  This was not done by a sword…” he mused as he touched the body.  It was still warm!  He searched for a pulse and found it, faint under his fingers.  “He’s alive!”

He stood up, the man cradled in his arms.  Kaoru’s dojo was near.

Kenshin heard the banging and rushed to open the door.  Sanosuke stood there, holding the bloody body of a young man.  “Have Yahiko get Miss Megumi!  Hurry!” 

“Huh?”  Was Kenshin’s soft reply.  Miss Megumi?  Was this man alive?

Sanosuke carried the man into the dojo, setting him gently on the floor.  “I’m not sure what got him.  It looks like some kind of an animal.  I can’t believe he’s alive.”  The words spilled out in a rush. 

Kaoru joined them and cried out when she saw the ghastly wounds.  “Please boil some water, Miss Kaoru.”  Kenshin requested.  She nodded and quickly left the room. 

Kenshin went to the cabinet and got out clean cloths.  He tenderly removed the scraps of clothes from the boy’s chest and shoulder and pressed the cloths into the wounds, trying to stop the bleeding.  “This happened not so long ago.  He bleeds freely still.”  He examined the gashes, “What kind of animal could do this?  These are claws marks, but huge.  Much larger than a tiger or a bear.”

Sanosuke brought two lamps over to the area.  From the many prior injuries that he and Kenshin had experienced, he knew that Miss Megume would need light.  Then he went to the kitchen to help Kaoru bring in the boiling water.  When he returned, carrying a huge steaming bowl of water, the tall brunette doctor was already there, bending over her new patient.   

“How is he alive?”  Megume thought, “He should be dead.  The blood loss alone should have killed him.”  But even a patient at death’s door is a patient, and her hands began their work.  With Kenshin’s help, she removed his clothing, most of it already in tatters.  They careful washed the wounds so Megume could see them clearly.  With a heavy sigh, she began to sew the battered body together.  His intestines were torn in pieces – she sewed two pieces together and watched in amazement as they fused together and began to heal on their own.  What was this man that he could heal himself?  

All night long Megume sewed and sewed, stitching together the torn flesh of her patient.  Each time she stitched a part together, the bleeding would stop and the flesh would start to heal on its own.  Finally, just as the rays of dawn appeared over the dojo, she finished.  She was exhausted.  She looked at her patient, wrapped in bandages and sleeping deeply.  

He looked so young, with his long red hair spread beneath him.  Fair features, although now they were marred by chalk white skin from the massive blood loss and deep dark circles under his closed eyes.  And those eyes!  When she had lifted one of his lids to check the pupil, she gasped when she saw the emerald there.  She had thought that Kenshin had beautiful amethysts-colored eyes, but this young man rivaled him with those emerald eyes. 

Throughout the day, they would stop to check on the sleeping young man.  Kenshin would stop his laundry to check him.  Sanosuke, who felt very protective since he had found their patient, looked in often.  Miss Megume had gone to her home to get some much needed rest, with the promise that she would be sent for if needed.  Kaoru and Yahiko also looked in on him.  There was never any change.  Not even a moan came from him.  Just deep, healing sleep.

Night fell and the dojo was quiet.  They had decided to keep watch over the man, worried that he might take a turn for the worst while they slept.  Miss Megume had stopped by in the late afternoon to check him and change his bandages.  There seemed to be nothing any of them could do except wait.

Kenshin walked quietly to the room where the man slept and suddenly felt the presence of another person in the room.  His hand automatically went to his katana and thumbed the hilt open, and slid out the blade in total silence.  He opened the door.  There in the darkness, he saw the outline of someone next to their patient.  

“Who are you!  What do you want!”

“I’m not here to hurt you.”  came a quiet voice from the darkness, “He is my friend and you helped him.  I am here to watch over him.”

Kenshin went closer and lit one of the lamps that was next to the patient.  Sitting at the edge of the light was a boy dressed in black holding a katana. As more light found him, Kenshin realized that this was not a boy, but a small man.  Then he saw the deep blood-red eyes.  “Who are you?"

I am Hiei,”  the small man replied, “and he is named Kurama.  We are grateful that you helped him.  We have been looking for him for days.  I found his blood and the beast that did this to him – that beast is in hell, now! – but we couldn’t find Kurama.  It took me quite a while to sense the portal that he used to come here to the Human World and this time period.”   Kenshin stared at the little man.  What was he saying?  Human World?  

Suddenly Sanosuke, Yahiko and Kaoru arrived, having heard the voices.  Kenshin gave them the names of the two men, then asked for an explanation from Hiei. Hiei sighed, he did not like interacting with humans, usually leaving that task that to the affable Kurama.  “Kurama and I live in Otherworld.”  His audience just stared at him.  

“Damn!” thought Hiei.   How was he going to explain Otherworld?