Kyoto, he had reached that place once again. The place he once drenched with blood, the stench that doesn't linger anymore. It has been far replaced by the scent of hakubaikō, her scent. As if floating in the midst of darkness, fresh red blood scattered all over her..

white sleeves..

a purple shawl..

and stark black eyes which pierced his soul to its deepest core. What made him snap out was Kaoru's unwavering voice, "Kenshin!"

"Oro?!"

2 weeks ago -

A distinguished-looking man named Yukinabe from the Ishida clan appeared at the Kamiya Dojo's doorsteps. Almost as if the house itself was some sort of deity, he dropped himself on his knees infront of the door, shoved his face on the ground and almost with teary eyes,

"Tasuketekudasai..."

… "One .. onegaishimasu!"

"Oro..ro?"

Unlike the drama a while back, that man seemed to have completely settled down in the dojo, and while eloquently sipping sea, started to share his saga, or so it seemed.

"Someone's targeting our clan. In this new age, most of the clans have either fallen or have been eradicated."

"It started a month ago when my fellow apprentice's body was found beside the river. There were no external wound and no sign of bleeding."

Kenshin-gumi was left speechless after hearing about the strange occurrence. They couldn't find words to express their curiosity, and while the silence enclosed the environment, suddenly..

"Yare, yare, bocchama~ that which you're trying to ask help for, might even be too much for that baka-deshi to handle."

"Hn~ Baka-deshi? Even I might not be en- Heh', I probably will be."

The man's enormous presence completely blew Yukinabe's attention towards him and he quickly stood up, as if he saw a ghost.

"Hiko - - Hiko Seijuro-sama?! Jū – Jū- Jūsandai?!"

As if rather annoyed by the youngman's almost pointless excitement,

"Settle down, young fellow. A man's excitement contaminates my Sake."

The man suddenly settled down at the order, resumed his story, "Before we could feel the shock of the event completely, another incident occurred. "

"The left-most wing of Ishida household is entirely used for education and research. Next day, what a servant of the household discovered was .."

".. one of the most heinous, disgusting scene one could think of."

Kenshin-gumi, Hiko; their gazes were fixated upon the young man who simply couldn't blow away the shock of what was seen on that day.

".. they were lying dead on the floor .. and.. and someone seemed to have painted one of the most exquisite patterns all over the room, in the room. "

"... in their blood."

…

The young man couldn't open speak further, he lowered his head so he could hide his clenching teeth and the turmoil inside.

Kenshin stood up,

"Yukinabe-dono, this lowly self cannot erase your pain.. but, if this Sakabatou can be of any help to you, this one will try till his last breath." and a painful smile engulfed the flame-haired man's face, as if he embraced the other one's pain as his own.

...

Chapter inspiration: Mad soul child – Dear

Story Cover: I don't know
I don't own it in any-way.

I don't own Rurouni Kenshin in any way and don't want to either.