Hi fanfic readers! This is my first fanfiction published in a long time and the very first with this nickname so I hope it works for all your tastes and appetites...

This fanfiction is rated M for particular reasons, namely some cursing, violence and for now references to sexual stuff... so please if you do not any of this or are a minor I suggest you stop reading.

As a "new" publisher I would very much appreciate if you read and reviewed the story... althou no flames would be appreaciated even more, constructive criticism would be nice.

BTW: For those who find it funny... this chapter was edited because of OCD... I do hope it is easier to read now edited. THANKS

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters.

CHAPTER 1

Forgive

The small city seemed to be calm and quiet for a Saturday morning as he walked slowly through the foliage. The green grass had grown so tall with wild flowers all around it; it covered his tracks as he disappeared away from the view of those enjoying the rarity of such a nice day.

The sun was bright up in the clear blue sky… only a few clouds moved slowly together all white and fluffy inviting to rest and relax, yet dark thoughts occupied the walker's mind.

Who would go after him anyway? The marks on the ground left by his stumbling form were like the scar still angry and red on his face, a proof of how his mere existence had destroyed something precious.

If they found him would they kill him? They would probably try and he felt compelled to let them take his life so for once he would find real peace… or maybe not, his sins would follow him into the afterlife and charge the ultimate price; an eternal existence in pain, yet again… that was nothing more than what he deserved. Warm liquid was soaking his clothes, running down his torso to his legs painting the earth beneath him red.

Why would he keep on living anyway? For whom would he live now?

The sword at his side felt heavier than ever with the blood of those innocent lives he had taken on his short lived life… so young he thought and so perverse… even so far away from the battle grounds he had known people still looked at him in fear, even little kids looked up at him in fear, he was nothing but a night terror, the face of what they hated… the sacrifice for this land's salvation.

Maybe I should take my own life…

The dark voices in his head offered with apparent kindness when suddenly he stopped his tracks and looked in front of him, noticing for the first time the little girl playing with flowers sitting on the ground. He made a move to retreat yet he had been so lost in thought he did not realize the amount of noise he had made, there was no retreating no one the wiser when the girl had already turned her head to look up at him in wonder.

They stared at each other for what seemed to be a long time, somehow he felt lost when looking at her… maybe it was because of the way he could see through those dark blue eyes into her soul like a window; she was clear and pure yet like a window he could also see himself reflected on those orbs… the blood and gore dried his throat when she blinked and smiled broadly.

"Hi"

He didn't answer, somehow he had forgotten how to speak and still his body refused to move.

"You weren't looking for me, where you?" she asked suddenly looking worried. He felt confused for a moment yet didn't give any sign of it and the kid smiled again after letting go a sigh.

"Don't tell anyone I'm here… I'm hiding from someone"

He felt his body begin to relax so he tried moving again while he kept his eyes on her. Her clothes were not old yet they were tattered, her legs were muddy and since she was wearing only sandals on her feet even her toes were dirty, she had long black bluish hair that reached the end of her back and it looked as if someone had worked hard on arranging it since he could still see pins holding pieces of neatly braided locks of hair while the rest was nothing short of a mess, her eyes he had seen before and were dark blue, big and expressive, her face was also covered in dirt. She couldn't be more than 9 years old.

She had resumed playing with the flowers around her so he moved to leave without a word.

"You have a pretty sword… daddy won't let me handle one until I'm older" she mentioned without looking back at him and then he noticed the wooden sword resting beside her.

"I hope one day to become a warrior like daddy… or you" this time she did turn to him and smiled a small smile that gave her, somehow, an air of more maturity than the amount her age suggested.

"Hopefully you won't have to fight when you're old enough" the words were out before he realized he had opened his mouth.

"So said my friend… she used to come here to play with the flowers, she taught me how to make a crown of daisies… Tomoe-sama was really sweet and kind to me, not like the others in the city, they don't like me at all"

At the mention of the name his body tensed up again.

She couldn't be possibly talking about the same person…

"Where is she now?" he asked again without thinking.

"She went back to where she belongs…" her eyes were cast of into the distance "daddy said a bad person caused her to die but my mommy used to say good persons are angels and one day they have to go back to heaven where they belong, like my mommy… Tomoe-sama had to go back to heaven"

The tension on his muscles was affecting the wounds on his body and he could feel the bandage on his cheek soaking up again… maybe he should leave… he was being chased after… he had little time before they caught up with him…

"Before Tomoe-sama died she said she was in love with someone… she said they were bonded forever… but she was sad, said she had done something terrible to him, she was going to tell him and apologize so nothing bad would happen"

He saw the ground getting closer and his knees making contact against the earth yet he didn't realize he had fallen to the ground. His eyes were getting blurry from the loss of blood.

"Do you think she made it?"

The world was spinning around him, all he could see was the girl no longer sitting on the ground playing with the flowers but walking towards him slowly.

"Did she till him the truth?"

His fingers were numb, his eye lids heavy, his breathing shallow… she walked closer to him and stood until she was mere inches apart from him while he no longer strong enough to support his weight fell on one knee.

"Did he forgive her?"

Something was pocking in his mind, his attention had to be on someone. He looked up hazy at her and she was no longer smiling instead she looked worried and again his lips moved.

"Yes… he did"

The earth turned and twirled around him so he closed his eyes to prevent the upcoming wave of nausea and when he opened them again he was no longer kneeling; he was laid down on the ground, grass and clothes were cushioning his head, a flower crown resting over his belly. He heard a shuffle of leaves and moved his head to find the girl he had seen before with the wooden sword tightly held on her hand.

"You can sleep here… no one comes here but me now"

And with that she disappeared into the tall grass. Surprisingly he no longer felt so tired and his vision had improved yet he was still in pain.

It doesn't matter anyway… if I die what difference will it make? They will find me here and laugh… maybe they'll wonder who was the one to leave flowers on my grave… maybe she'll come back tomorrow to find me gone, taken as a trophy by them.

The world turned pitch black suddenly but before he fell completely asleep the little girl's voice came back to his thoughts.

"Did he forgive her?"

Morning came yet he didn't notice it until the sun was so high in the sky its rays hit his face burning him and he turned around to try and block it.

He didn't remember leaving the blinds open, he was sure he closed them before going to sleep. Cautiously he opened one eye and then bolted sitting right up and looking around disoriented and surprised. He was not in his house and for the looks of it he was not even close to where he lived.

Looking down to his lap he noticed a flowered crown resting there, the withered flowers had a dark brown color and no scent. This brought back the memory of what had happened and with that the ache he felt in his heart, yet when he brought his hand to touch his cheek he found he no longer had a patch covering it, instead the skin was free and the wound to his surprise was already closing, further inspecting himself he took note of the new scars forming over his chest and arms… the wounds that yesterday were soaking his body in blood were nothing but marks on his skin.

Yesterday… had he slept more than a night? More than a day? The flowers on his lap spoke of a really long period, after all in such state they were usually found between the pages of a book, old and dry after days, weeks or months living between parchments.

The girl… again he remembered something she had said.

"No one comes here but me now"

Well, she was right since he had been able to sleep for that long without been found out… then another thought came to his mind, how could he have been sleeping for so long? Living without food or water what so ever? He didn't feel as tired as he should feel. His train of thought was interrupted when a rustling of leaves and rocks could be heard closing in and he looked around for his sword without success, so he grabbed the first thing he saw; a large rock and turned in the direction of the sound when a little girl with raven hair appeared in front of him.

"Hi!" she said enthusiastically

He didn't reply, only looked at her stunned by her mere presence.

"How are you feeling today?" she said in what she supposed was a nurse-like tone. She turned around and walked away to a bunch of grass kneaded into something like a bag from where she pulled a hakama and gi, usually a man's clothing and started dressing up.

Somehow this made him react, blushing lightly and turning his head the other way. He hadn't realized she was dripping water and only dressed with a light yukata.

"I went swimming because the sun was so bright, you should go swimming too it's so nice"

"Who are you?" after careful thinking he resolved she had to know something about him after what she said… she had to be associated with someone he knew or someone who knew about him and even thought he saw no possible evil coming from her he had to be suspicious of everyone after what happened.

"I'm Kamiya Kaoru, I'm the daughter of Kamiya Koshijirou master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu!" the somewhat formality in her introduction and the pride he could clearly hear while she informed him of her heritage left him stunned for a moment, her words had been true and direct, apparently she didn't fear him in the least. He had turned around after listening to her response and was at ease seeing she was already dressed and was walking closer to him.

"Do you know who I am?"

She took sit in front of him and handed him something that looked like meat buns.

"You are Tomoe-sama's beloved"

The pain in his chest made him cringed and she looked up at him in surprise. She had spoken of Tomoe the day before and now he was sure they were talking about the same person, even in death she had done something for him he didn't want or expect from her.

"How long have I slept?"

"Not much really… well, maybe a lot…" she took a bite from her bun and while she chewed on her food she spoke "I think you slept a whole day…" she continued munching on her food and he looked at her as if she had grown another head.

"How…"now he looked back on his wounds and then back at the child… something seemed awfully wrong if he had only slept for a day, yet he tried to calm himself by controlling his breathing. He had heard of "special" people who could heal other with some kind of magic… they were nothing but a myth nowadays… and in any case even back then they were looked down upon, thought of as freaks or demons, no one associated with them because they were said to be dangerous in the end.

He looked up again at her and was surprise to see she was no longer eating, she was looking at him seriously and he could see in her eyes something akin to loneliness.

"You don't like me… do you?" he still looked at her feeling something bothering him inside. "It's ok… most people don't like me, they say I bring bad luck to others… they said mommy died because of me, because I brought bad luck to her"

"How did you cure my wounds?" he finally asked trying to sound polite and calm instead of unsteady like he felt.

"Oh… I don't really know but it happens sometimes"

She was cheerful again and he felt somewhat at ease. For what he could see she meant no harm and had somehow managed to keep him hidden from his persecutors.

"Do you have a name…?" she asked having finished her bun.

He looked at her, the feeling of uneasiness gone as he only felt a sort of peace inside him he couldn't understand, as if a part of him was again one with the universe and things were falling into place, this brought him back to old times when to kill was an expression he never used, when he had a name…

"Don't you fear me?" he looked away from her trying to concentrate in his reality forcing his thoughts away from old times. "Do you know who I am?"

"I already told you" she looked away from him and her lower lip twitched and trembled into a pout "You are Tomoe-sama's beloved…" he was about to retort harshly at her when she quickly spoke again "I know what people say about you too… what you think you are, yet a person's not a job or a gift… are they?"

Looking at her his coming annoyance disappeared and he was only watching her stubbornly hide her face from him, a tear threatening to fall.

Wicked… that's what they are called… those special persons.

"My name's Kenshin" he said and next he gave a bite to his bun beginning to eat calmly.

She turned around to face him with a bright smile on her face.

"I like Kenshin"