Disclaimer: I don't own RK and I will also be using some quotes from the Manga, and i don't own that either.

(Revised)

Chapter 1: A New Recruit

I was a small boy, barely the age of 14, yet physically resembling a boy of 11 or 12. I had shoulder length red hair, tied up into a high ponytail. As I stepped out onto the dirt covered field, my eyes widened slightly at the sight of so many samurai clad men practicing on tall wooden posts clearly taller than me. They were all older then me, obviously bigger, and probably a lot more experienced. Not to mention that they've probably killed before…

I pushed that train of thought to the back of my mind and willed myself forward, towards a wooden post on the edge of the field where there weren't so many men around. As I walked through the field, many of the men who saw me began to laugh and whisper about me. It was nothing new to me. Shishou's taunts and barbs were ten times harsher and more hurtful than what these men were saying. Constantly being called a "Baka Deshi," and "Scrawny Runt," among other things has taught me to pay no mind to what others think of me. Maybe that's why he was constantly ridiculing me; to prepare me. I felt a dull ache entering my heart at the thought of Shishou.

I guess he really was looking out for me in his own way. Maybe he did care…

I let my eyes wander, keeping an impassive and almost bored look on my face, and up on the hill overlooking the field, spotted Takasugi Shinsaku, the man that gave me entry onto the field , along with another man beside him. The man beside him was young, with long black hair tied onto a high ponytail. He had the formal daisho on his waist and seemed to be talking to Takasugi while scanning the field with focused eyes. He must be the man that Takasugi-san was talking about. He told me that Katsura Kogoro, leader of the Choshu faction of the Ishin Shishi, would be here today, searching for men that would best be able to serve him and fight in Kyoto.

If not anyone else, he was the one man that I had to impress. I had to prove myself to him. His opinion of me was the only one that mattered right now, at least to me.

The whispers got louder as more and more men came to see what all of the commotion was about, and by the time I reached the wooden post, it was no longer as desolate as it was before. Standing a few feet in front of me were three men; big men with amused smirks and condescending looks in their eyes.

"Well, well, well, look at what we've got here," said the man standing in the middle.

"Awww…how cute. The boy even brought his own swords to play with," taunted another man.

"I'll give you a ryo if you can break that in two tries," the first man said gesturing towards the post.

At this, a huge group of men had surrounded us to watch the red haired kid humiliate himself. I glanced at the general direction of the hill and smirked to myself as I noticed that Katsura and Takasugi seemed to be watching the whole incident with a curious look.

"We'll see about that," I replied coolly to the man as I slipped my right foot forward and placed my right hand inches from the hilt. I was kind of nervous because of the huge crowd of people watching me, but after closing my eyes and taking a deep, calming breath, the only thing that existed in my mind was me, my sword, and the wooden post standing about 15 feet in front of me. My eyes snapped open the precise second that I rushed towards the post at god-like speeds and my form disappeared from the eyes of the men watching me. A second later, I unsheathed my sword, sliced the post in half, and brought my saya, in my left hand, up to smash the top half into a thousand splinters flying through the air.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Sou Ryu Sen," I said with my left arm still extended in front of me. I brought both of my hands down to my sides and smiled to myself at the shocked and amazed looks that surrounded me.

I slipped my sheath into my hakama pants, before putting my hand out to the man that had underestimated me. "One ryo please."

His mouth was hanging open and his eyes were wide, staring at the cleanly cut bottom half, and the splinters littering the floor around it. I cleared my throat to gain his attention, and he grudgingly handed the money to me before walking away with an annoyed look on his face.

I watched him stalk towards the other side of the field, and sheathed my sword as I felt two ki's coming up from behind me. I turned around, and seeing that it was Takasugi and Katsura, hastily bowed down in respect. They bowed back and straightened up with looks of awe and respect on their faces.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Kenshin carefully pulled his sword out of his hakama ties and set them on the floor beside him, turning to face the man kneeling in front of him with a serious look on his face. They both had trays in front of them and Kenshin was slowly sipping his tea. Takasugi was sitting against the wall beside them.

"I am Katsura Kogoro of the Choshu faction of the Ishin Shishi," introduced Katsura to Kenshin.

"It's nice to meet you sir," Kenshin replied politely.

Katsura nodded before continuing. "What is your name?"

"My name is Himura Kenshin."

"Kenshin, how old are you?"

"I'm fourteen sir," he replied.

"Only fourteen and already such an accomplished swordsman," mumbled Katsura making Kenshin blush at the compliment.

"My Shishou is still way stronger than me."

"Your shishou? What sword style do you use Kenshin?" asked Katsura.

Kenshin blinked. "I use the Hiten Mitsurugi Style."

"So that was the Hiten Mitsurugi School? I've heard of it, but I didn't know it truly existed," said Katsura in awe.

"But let me ask you something," continued Katsura, "have you ever killed a man with this Hiten Mitsurugi School?"

Kenshin looked down and took a sip of his tea calmly. "No!" he said firmly.

"Then, do you think you could?" he asked grimly, carefully watching the boy sitting in front of him.

Kenshin lowered his tea cup from his mouth and set it carefully down on the tray in front of him. He looked at the tea cup with a thoughtful look on his face, before looking up at Katsura with a determined and serious look in his eyes.

"If my blood-stained sword and those murdered lives," started Kenshin slowly, "can bring about a new era where everybody can be treated fairly and can live in peace and without fear, then I would use it to kill."

"I see," said Katsura with a newfound respect for the determined youth. "We are leaving for Kyoto first thing in the morning. Take a room and get some rest," instructed Katsura.

"Hai Katsura-san," said Kenshin bowing before making his way out of the room.

XXXXXXXX

I sat on the window sill of my room with one leg drawn up and the other dangling over the edge. I leaned my sword against the wall right beside me and took a deep breath, enjoying the view of the sunset in front of me and relishing the feel of the cool breeze on my skin.

This really is my only chance to enjoy the peace. I've heard Katsura's bodyguards talking about the violence and conflicts that are taking place in Kyoto. I still couldn't believe that Katsura chose to take me to Kyoto. I guess with all of the degrading remarks I've received from Shishou, I actually started to believe them.

The breeze ruffled my red hair as I thoughtfully watched the setting sun paint the sky with reds, oranges, and pinks, all mixed together perfectly.

Things are only going to get a lot harder from here.

Killing…

Can I really take away someone's life in exchange for others?

Is it really fair?

How could killing people, end up saving lives

I shook my head as the doubtful thoughts clouded my mind. It didn't matter what I thought. As long as a new era was brought about in the end, everything that I will do will pay off. Besides, I promised Katsura-san that I will do what I can, even kill.

Finally feeling partly satisfied with my conclusion, I stood up from my place and stretched out my stiff limbs and though it was still early, I decided to call it a night and get some sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Upon walking into the grand city of Kyoto, Katsura and his chief aide/bodyguard, Katagai, chuckled at the widened eyes of the young idealistic boy walking beside them. They could see that he was trying, but failing miserably to keep an impassive look on his face as he tried to take in everything around him all at once. His eyes were darting quickly in every direction, as he took in all of the people and shops that lined the roads. Never in his whole life, had Kenshin seen so many people and such a big city. He followed Katsura in a slight daze as he observed the people quickly going about their daily errands.

Kenshin didn't know how long they had been walking, but as they walked through the marketplace, Katsura suddenly tapped a finger on a short woman.

"Katsura-san! You're back!" cried out a middle aged woman turning around with a surprised look on her face. "How many men did you bring this time?"

Katsura chuckled. "You don't have to worry Okami-san. I only brought a couple this time," he said stepping aside to reveal the two men and young boy.

Okami raised an eyebrow at the small red-haired boy standing to the side, who was curiously looking around wide-eyed at the people milling around them, but seeing the slightly haggard looks on the older men, decided to get to business first. She turned to the two older men standing in front of her and instructed one of her serving girls to show them back to the inn. They would be sharing a room until some of the other men were transferred to a different safe house. Several hours ago, a group of about 7 men arrived saying that they were assigned to stay in Okami's inn for a few days. The Kohagi inn only had 15 rooms and with almost 20 men already staying there, the extra men meant that they would have to double up. Of course, that wasn't including Katsura-san and the people that he had brought. She had been hoping that Katsura wouldn't be coming back for a few more days, just enough so that the other men had time to move back to their usual places.

"Don't tell me you brought another boy into this," said Okami in exasperation.

"He's 14 years old. He's not really a boy anymore…" said Katsura.

"Not a boy? Besides the fact that he's even smaller than the last one and he looks like a 12 year old, he hasn't even celebrated his genpuku yet," she said with a disapproving look on her face.

"He's talented," said Katsura with a frown on his face. "Just like Hara.

"Oh yeah, a couple of 14 year old boys are going to be our salvation in this war," scoffed Okami sarcastically, leading them to a fish stand where she purchased several baskets of them.

"Himura-kun, this is the owner of the inn that we will be staying at, Okami-san," introduced Katsura. "And Okami-san, this is Kenshin Himura."

Okami smiled kindly at the young boy as he shyly bowed to her. "Himura was it? Well right now, all of our rooms are being used. I hope you don't mind rooming with someone," she said sending Katsura a pointed look.

"Oh I don't mind Okami-san," he said politely.

"Oh," said Okami with a happy look on her face. "Then I guess the most obvious person to put you with would be Hara."

"Hara?"

"Hai, he's on an assignment right now. You'll meet him tomorrow Himura-kun," said Katsura. "Katagai and I actually have some things to take care before dinner. Would you mind if we left you here with Okami-san to help her as she finishes grocery shopping?

"No, I don't mind helping out," said Kenshin kindly.

"Good, Okami-san will take you around town tomorrow as well so you can learn your way around," said Katsura glancing at Okami who nodded. "And I'll get Hara-san to show you around too."

"Okay, bye Katsura-san, Katagai-san." Turning back to the older woman, Kenshin offered to carry some of the bags in her hands and was rewarded with a thankful smile. As they walked, Kenshin was once again captivated by the big city and its people.

"Not from a big city?" Okami stated more than asked with an amused look on her face.

Kenshin shook his head, "My Shishou and I lived up in the mountains. We only went into town to buy supplies and even then, there weren't even a fourth of the people here."

Okami took him to several shops, each selling their own specialized products. Vegetables here, fruits there, tofu here, fish there, and the list went on and on until Kenshin and Okami were both overflowing with bags of groceries in their arms. While the redhead watched the older woman haggle with the vendors, he was paying close attention to the streets that they took and immediately noticed that many of the side streets and even main streets looked practically identical. If Kenshin wasn't careful, it would be very easy for him to get lost among the maze like streets filling the large city. As they walked, Kenshin started to feel the older woman sending him several inquisitive glances, as if she wasn't sure whether to voice her thoughts or not.

Turning his head upwards, he smiled and politely said, "Was there something you wanted to know Okami-san?"

Startled that the boy seemed to understand her predicament, she pushed her inhibitions aside and curiously asked. "Himura-san, your parents don't mind that you are here?"

"My parents died when I was 5," said Kenshin simply.

"Oh," said Okami with a sympathetic look in her eyes, "I'm so sorry…"

"It's alright," said Kenshin giving her a reassuring smile. "I know how to take care of myself."

"I see," said Okami ushering the short redhead down a smaller, more inconspicuous street. "Come on Himura-chan," said Okami. She couldn't help but feel a little motherly towards the miniscule teen. "It's about time we headed back to the inn."

They walked down a slightly secluded street and eventually walked up to a large inn on the side of the street with a couple of stairs leading up to the entrance. The sign beside the stairs read, "Kohagi inn." Following the gray haired woman to the side gate, Kenshin found himself in a kitchen, which was already occupied with a couple serving girls getting ready to prepare dinner. As Okami immediately took charge of the girls and ordered them with different responsibilities, Kenshin stood awkwardly off to the side, trying to ignore the whispered giggles of a couple of the serving girls that were occasionally sending him flirtatious glances. Struggling to keep the blush from staining his cheeks, he boldly stepped up to Okami and tugged on her kimono sleeve like a young child asking for a toy.

Okami stopped what she was doing and looked down with a slightly surprised look on her face, as if she had forgotten that the boy had been in the kitchen in the first place.

"Okami-san, why don't you let me do that," said Kenshin motioning for the kitchen knife. "I want to help out."

A tender smile lit up on Okami's face before she nodded and handed him the knife so that she could go and deal with the other tasks that made the kitchen a very chaotic place before dinner time. As the redhead chopped the carrots and celery, his mind blanked out and a slight smile appeared on his face, comforted that he was finally doing something he was familiar with.

Just as he was about to finish, he was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts as one of the men that had traveled from Choshu with him arrived looking for him. "Himura! There you are," said the man. "Katsura wants to introduce us to the rest of the men."

Kenshin nodded and quickly wiped his hands before following the man out into the dining room where many men were already milling around waiting for their dinners to come. As Kenshin walked in, an impassive look immediately took its place upon his face as men began to send them curious looks and whispered or sniggered at the 'brat with red hair.' Kenshin took his place beside the other two Choshu men and was slightly surprised when all of the noise suddenly ceased. Kenshin looked up as Katsura and Katagai arrived and walked towards them.

"This brat is one of the three men that are joining our cause and I expect each of you to treat him with the same amount of respect that you show these other two men here," said Katsura with authority as he sat down beside them. "This is Kiyoshi-san, Masashi-san, and Himura-san. If they weren't established swordsmen, they wouldn't be here, so I hope that you men will show them the respect that they deserve." Not long after that, the four serving girls, came in with trays of food for the men staying there. Kenshin murmured a quiet 'thank you' as a tray was placed in front of him and proceeded to eat his meal, listening to the talk of the men around him

The crowded dining room was filled with boisterous talk of both past and future assignments, as well as ridiculous rumors that the men had heard. Having nobody to talk to, Kenshin sat and listened intently to what he could hear. Glancing up at Katsura, he realized that the older man was conversing seriously with Katagai. The young boy was tempted to eavesdrop on their conversation, but didn't know whether listening to what his superiors were talking about would be considered rude, so he settled with listening to a group of men that were talking about some recent news in Kyoto.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kenshin followed Okami up a flight of stairs and down a hallway into a room. In one corner of the room was a book shelf and the other corner had a futon, neatly folded. Other than the bag placed carelessly beside the wall, which most likely contained the belongings of Kenshin's new roommate, the room was completely spotless and looked uninhabited.

"This room is too neat," said Okami as she began to prepare the futon that she had grabbed on the way in. "Hara-kun's a nice kid. I think about your age, though he isn't very big, he's still bigger than you, Himura-chan," smiled Okami. "He actually looks his age."

Kenshin winced slightly at the comment. "Won't he be surprised to find someone sleeping in his room when he returns?"

"Oh, Hara-kun shouldn't be back until noon tomorrow. By then, Katsura-san would have told him," replied Okami as she straightened up. "Get some sleep Himura-chan."

"Arigato Okami-san," said Kenshin as he set his small bag of belongings down. "Goodnight"