The year is 1844, before the Meiji Restoration. I waited in the Yukishiro's residence, waiting for my fiancée to come back and become a man. The world isn't really heaven or safe place to live, but I remain here, to wait for my beloved. Before he left, he give a promise to me.
"Wait for me, Tomoe, I will be there, beside you in no time."
I hold to that promise, hoping that he will come back. But the hope is never come. The only things that waiting for me is sorrow and pain. He being informed killed in unknown street at Kyoto with unknown assassin, who had light speed agility and eye like a demon. He being killed, cruel and heartless. The wound is seen at the throat, being stabbed and slash at the stomach. But at the crime scene, or so called it, a flower which scent like blossoming plum flower being put on top of his body.
When I heard the news and see my dead fiancée's body, I vow to myself, I use my own way to restore his honor by killing that man, the assassin known as Hitokiri Battousai.
Chronology I - The Bloody Rain
I being used as a spy for shogunate to take an eye on Hitokiri Battousai, also known as Himura Kenshin, a dark, hidden assassin from Chosun Clan. The idea is to keep a track on him, without gain suspicion on Chosun leader. I left my hometown to go to Kyoto, the place where bloody massacre shred, and where's my beloved die in honor. He is hard to track, but fate had brought us together in thicken rain. While I open my oily umbrella to get shade from rain, and drunk from drinking sake, I met him, the one who kill my future husband. He is not really demonic and tall as people told, or frightening and monstrous. He is slender, typical unknown guy who had very short height, almost mistakenly taken as a teenage boy. His childlike look, turn totally emotionless and become a killer machine, massacre the assassin in front of him. Unlike him, the other assassin is monstrous, ruthless and cruel, match to his hideous job. After his job is done, like looking at lightning speed without any trace of movement that eye can follow, he turn around and shock to see me, an innocent bystander and also a murder witness. My heart felt really scared, shaken and vibrate really fast. I pray for God to save my life, until I can avenge my beloved murderer. I stood, emotionless, with half drunk, speak to him.
"So this is how bloody rain happens." Without any fear express on my face, hopefully it will scare him, although a monstrous assassin like him wouldn't budge by silly act of courage. But instead, I'm too scared and fall down unconsciously. When I wake up, I'm at the bed, with him and his sword, sleeping in sitting position, like a vagabond, posed in standby position in case enemy sneak up on him to assassinate him or ambush him.
Although his stance like a warrior or a murderer, or anything that is between mass killer or berserker, his face is innocent, simple and childlike, almost like there is nothing wrong with him at all. He is like the simple, innocent child who trap in ruthless, killer body without any emotion express on his face. But his hand is capable to kill 100 men in just single stroke.
Gaining Chosun's trust, I work at the resthouse where Kenshin and other Chosun clan rest and gather. The leader of the resistance, Katsura trust him very much until he want Kenshin to be his right hand man, hearing from the story of the worker in the resthouse. But he refuses, saying that he only serve as assassin and bodyguard, nothing more. His motive and agenda of killing wonders me, as he did not seek for fame or title, and still, he didn't smile or react to any activities he did that against the law of human and humanity. He respects for those who dead, and pray for them, although he killed them himself. I cannot stand the act he did to the dead, like he is mocking God himself, act like a saint while taking the lives of others as demons. Even so, I decide to investigate more on him.