Chapter One
Travel
Kaoru and Sano stood, hand in hand, waiting for Yahiko to finish eating. The young swordsman had grown; he was perhaps now as tall as Sano and an excellent fighter. Kaoru felt a tug at her kimono and smiled, picking up a small girl. Her brown hair was long and her sapphire eyes sparkled.
"Momma!" she laughed and clapped giddily. Kaoru giggled and kissed her daughter's forehead, then leaned against Sano, her husband.
"Yahiko, hurry up!" Sano called.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" the raven-haired boy replied; his voice had deepened as well. Jogging out of the inn, Yahiko began walking with his friends.
"So where are we going?" he asked, gazing around the town. Sano shrugged his broad shoulders.
"I'm not sure." He replied lazily. A fast movement caught the taller man's eye and he signaled for them to stop walking. They felt eyes on them now for sure, knowing a fight would probably ensue.
"Who's there?" Yahiko asked, drawing the sword at his side. A small chuckle came from the shadow of a nearby building. Yahiko turned, ready to fight. He could see a man's eyes, though was somehow at ease. They didn't hold any threat. Another movement caught Sano's attention. He stared at the building on their opposite side. Another pair of eyes stared, though these were menacing. They seemed to glow with an eerily familiar bloodlust.
"Go," the man with familiar eyes muttered. Before Sano or Yahiko could react, both men disappeared. Cursing softly, Yahiko relaxed his stance and put his sword away. Sano peered down the street and saw two figures staring back at them over their shoulders. One was a man, the other a child. From this distance, Sano could only conclude one thing for certain, and it made it heart speed up; the taller man had red hair.
"Does that man have red hair?" Kaoru asked, peeking around Sano's larger frame. Both boys nodded and began walking again with Kaoru and the small child. The little girl began to cry, though out of fear.
"Oh Hana, what's wrong?" Kaoru asked, kissing her baby's head.
"I think he scared her." Sano answered thoughtfully. Yahiko nodded in agreement.
"Let's follow him," the younger boy suggested suddenly, his eyes sparkling.
"Maybe it is Ken-," it stopped as Kaoru glared at him. Dropping his eyes to the ground, Yahiko couldn't bare the pain and sorrow that lingered in Kaoru's eyes. Sano continued walking, and they did follow the man boy. The two however, never stayed out of their sight. They seemed to stop every now and again, watching and waiting before they continued.
The red head sighed heavily and looked at the sky.
"What's troubling you Father?" the younger boy, a brown haired boy with curious amber eyes, asked. The man glanced down at him, smiling softly.
"Those are my old friends, Hayato. You will meet them," he replied. The boy, Hayato, nodded and walked along with the man, Kenshin. Looking up at the sky, his lavender eyes clouded with slight worry.
"They probably hate me." He thought. A frown tugged the corners of his lips down.
"Father?" Hayato spoke up.
"Yes?" Kenshin looked at him once more, lavender meeting amber.
"Are you going to be alright while they are here?" he asked with genuine concern. Kenshin pondered the question, brushing hair out of Hayato's eyes.
"What do you do if I am not?" the fiery haired man quizzed.
"Inflict pain that is necessary…" Hayato mumbled, fear sparkling in his childish eyes. Kenshin put a hand on the boy's shoulder and drew him closer.
"It is for the best, you know. It keeps me…contained." Kenshin said calmly. Hayato nodded reluctantly and trailed along beside him. They walked until they reached their home, Hiko's old place. Kenshin had spent much time in making it bigger to accommodate Hayato and himself, as well as travelers if they required a place to stay. Hayato jogged off to gather some fire wood; his usual task. Kenshin took his gi off and slung it over a tree branch. Stepping into the lake beside his home, Kenshin waded over to the waterfall and sat on a large, flat rock directly below the crushing water. He felt the water pound his head and back, slowly relaxing, he began to meditate in order to bring his inner turmoil to a calmness. He'd seen the girl Kaoru was carrying, as well as they way she looked at Sano. It was obvious to him that it was his child, that they were married. Anger flared briefly inside of Kenshin before he sighed and slid gently into a somewhat comatose state.