To anyone else, nothing would have been heard, nothing would have been seen, and nothing felt. To him, though, to him it was different. Even over the pounding of blood through his temples he could hear the tearing, ripping, splitting noise of sinew and flesh parting with finality, the rush of blood from the wound, the final gasp of the prey as he fell, with a wet slap, to the hard stone below. Not a drop of blood stained him, the Battousai, and every drop of blood stained him.

He stumbled away from the corpse before him, still and yet so animated, a lake of crimson blood forming about him. He found a wall at his back and fell to his knees, thoughts running through his mind, unstoppable, insatiable.

Dead. Broken vow. Battousai. Red. Burning. Death. Destruction. Revolution. Man-slayer. Why?

He felt and did not feel the arms wrapped tight around him. The world was blurry, he could not focus. His face was wet, but with the tears of the woman holding him. Gods, why did she care for him? Even after she had seen what had happened.what he.Gods.

Slowly, he looked up into the face of the oh-so-fair woman holding him.

"Tomoe.?" The shocked look on her face brought him back to reality. No, this was not Tomoe, Tomoe was dead. Dead. Dead by his own hand. Would he kill her too? Kill her. "Kaoru."

She held him and comforted him, whispering promises in unhearing ears that had heard far too clearly just a short while ago, and the night held them, warm, even as she held him.

"Hold on, Kenshin."

*** And now for the all-dreaded author's notes!! BUAHAHA PHEER MEEEE!!

I largely have only two things to say:

1). Should I continue? (I won't if no one likes it, though I might try for a second chapter before giving in to the futility that are my attempts at fanfiction)

and

2). IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WHO HAS (in ENGLISH) THE MANGA BEYOND CH. 127 THAT WOULD BE WILLING TO SHARE WITH ME?!?!?!?! I myself have 1-127 and if there's anyone that doesn't have any of those, I would be happiest doing a trade of sorts, or just sending chapters onto people. So please please please please tell me you have it and make me a very happy person, because I love manga so very very much and I can't wait until it comes out completely in manga form. Yes, I am impatient, so please contact me about it. My email's in my bio. PLEASE!!!