Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters within. I don't think I could make characters this cool anyway. sigh Oh well...

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AN: This is my first Kenshin fic, so go easy on me, heh.

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The city of Kyoto. A place of dark history for the country of Japan. Known during the era of the Bakumatsu as a city of constant bloodshed and vicious battles. Even when the times of peace finally came in the form of the Meiji Era, the battles continued to be fought in the shadows, until they began to spill out on the very streets itself. But there were those who, for the fragile peace and those lived in it, fought to stop the bloodshed from fully returning to the city.

For one young man at the moment, it was quite the opposite...

'Has it really been over a year? It doesn't feel that long.'

Standing on the top of a hillside road, the said person looked upon the large city with a faint trace of nostalgia. However, this did not show on his face, which held a light smile. His eyes turned to the skies, seeing the flaring colors of the sunset as the sun sank beneath the mountains in the distance.

'It's later than I thought it would be...'

Continuing down the road, the youth soon entered into the city. Memories of the place itself were scant, but he knew of the battles well enough. He was there when they were planned though, standing on the right side of the very man who orchestrated its destruction. Regardless of these dark memories, the smile remained on his lips as he walked through the city. Perhaps because he was lost in thought that the young man failed to notice that he was passing by a very familiar inn.

"Hey, kid! Need a place to stay for the night?"

The boy blinked out of his thoughts when he realized that he was the one being addressed. Turning, he was faced a young woman, roughly about his age, standing outside of the inn."

"Me? Oh, no thanks. But I appreciate..."

The young woman however, cut him off. "Really? So where are you heading?"

"Not far. Just on the outskirts..."

"No way!" she gasped. "It's almost night! There's nothing out there. That's just asking for trouble. And you look kinda scrawny. So, no excuses!"

In no time at all, the young woman had grabbed his hand and dragged him into the inn, with the young man in a stunned shock as to what this girl was doing.

"But...miss..."

"Now!"

And thus begins the tale of the Oniwanshu konochi and the former hitokiri of the Juppongatana.

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Now introducing...Heart for a Smile.