Disclaimer: I do not own Ruroni Kenshin or any of its affiliates.

No Escape

Chapter One – Back Into It

Never could he have guessed what would confront him when he returned to the dojo. Even before he reached the gates of the Kamiya property, Kenshin Himura knew something was wrong. He had made it back to the dojo just as the sun was setting and the evening carried a foul feeling on the chill breeze. The place was devoid of the usual lively ki; an empty and dark feeling had settled like a wet blanket over the silent buildings. A blackness overcame his heart, snapping with frantic concern.

When Kenshin had risen with the sun that morning, he had done nothing more than exchange somber looks with Kaoru. It was that painful day again for him, the anniversary of Tomoe's death. For the first few years of their life together, Kaoru had gone with him in support, standing in the background while his body shook with silent sobs of guilt and regret. Each year, just before the blossoms appeared, the red head would become apprehensive and even more quiet than usual and Kaoru would prepare to leave.

This year however, he had told her to stay behind. He wanted to do this on his own. He needed to know that he was capable of begging his late wife's forgiveness without the comforting presence of the assistant master of the Kashin style nearby. The day had been extraordinarily difficult. More than once, the Battosai had tried to come to the surface, reverting him the heartless killer he had been. As hard as he tried, Himura knew he couldn't keep the amber from his eyes as he knelt in front of the small, unadorned tombstone.

As he did every year, he felt drained and small as he left the cemetery. He had apologized until the only word he thought he knew was "gomen" and stayed bowed on his knees until his back creaked from stiffness when he finally stood. As he headed back to the dojo, he wanted nothing more than to look into the clear blue eyes of Miss Kaoru and hear the sweet tinkle of laughter from Dr. Gensai's granddaughters.

But now, with such a feeling of dread filling him, he could not believe that everything was as it should be. Kenshin drew his reverse-blade sword and moved as silently as a shadow toward the practice room. His eyes widened in shock at the scent of blood, then narrowed in anger. There was no good reason for blood to be on the dojo floor, especially that much. Moving as quickly and quietly as possible, Kenshin Himura passed though the doorway to the large room and was presented a scene that would forever sear itself into his memory.

Before him was one of the worst things he could imagine. He had witnessed it countless times during the revolution, usually from his own hand, but the sheer brutality of it made him sick to his stomach. He had not seen this kind of death in at least ten years; the amount of blood on the wooden floor was indicative of another manslayer. It was not so much how the poor souls had died that got to the ruroni, it was who they were. In an effort to retain his composure, he pushed his emotions to the back of his mind. Kenshin didn't know it, but there was a distinct golden sheen to his eyes. As he stepped into the darkening room, he identified the back of the blue jacket on the body closest to the door as one belonging to the police.

Kaoru heard the knocking on the doors of the Kamiya gate again and hurried to answer it. It was too early to be Kenshin and he wouldn't knock anyway. Well, he might, with how formal he always is. When she pulled the door open, to her surprise, there stood Hajime Saito. She opened her mouth to utter some kind of greeting but nothing appropriate came to mind. One never could tell what his intentions were.

Before the Kamiya girl could say anything, Saito pushed his way past her. In explanation, he offered, "You've heard about the murders? I know where he's going, and I know why he's coming here."

"Here?!" Kaoru nearly almost tripped in her effort to keep up with the large man. That damn restrictive kimono had to go. As soon as she had seen Saito in, she was going to go change. Watching him storm around the dojo, she volunteered, "Kenshin's not here right now, he should be back about sunset." Kaoru forced the next words out of her mouth, "Would you like to wait for him?" The last time he had waited for Kenshin, the two had nearly killed each other.

A police jacket? What were the police doing here? What had happened while he was gone? Kenshin was usually alert to the goings on around him, but he had been lost in his own world as he returned from Tomoe's grave. Perhaps he missed some news? He knelt down to roll the man over and narrowed his eyes in shock when he saw who it was. Even though they were still rivals, Himura could not think of anyone who could have done this. Dead at his feet was Hajime Saito.

His eyes were tightly shut and his teeth were clenched, as if he died in pain. His gloved hand was still gripped around the tip of a broken sword imbedded in his chest. As Kenshin looked over Saito's form, he could see multiple slashes. Saito had not gone down easily. As he knelt next to the Tokyo policeman, the blood soaked into Kenshin's white hakama. It was cold, a sign Saito had been dead for awhile. Kenshin's mind reeled, and he sharpened his senses to anything that might give him a clue as to who did this. To have beaten Saito, it must have been someone incredibly powerful.

Strangely enough, it was Kaoru who heard him coming first. She had just stepped out of the training room to go change when he rustled in one of the surrounding trees. The assistant master of the Kamiya Kashinryu squinted as she searched the branches. She started when he dropped onto the ground, advancing on her. Before she could warn Saito, the former leader of the third squad of the Shinsengumi had pulled her into the dojo, firmly positioning himself in front of her. Kaoru was silently thankful that Saito seemed to be on their side this time, and that Yahiko was gone with Tsubame to the festival in the next town.

The light was fading fast and Kenshin caught a glimpse of another body. Before he even moved, he knew who it was. He could recognize that form because he had fought so fiercely with him. In a mangled heap was Seta Soujirou, that omnipresent smile plastered on his pale face. Something was wrong though; even though his eyes stared blankly at him, Kenshin could see great sadness fading from their depths. As he looked over the body, he noticed that Soujirou had also faced a struggle before he passed. Kenshin recognized the signs of a gatotsu connecting with his chest and noticed the broken sword that Soujirou still clutched.

Seta Soujirou strode up to the entrance to the practice room and smiled up at Saito. "Well, Officer Hajime, I didn't think you would make it here so quickly." He turned his attention to the confused woman behind the wolf of Mibu, "Miss Kamiya, is Mr. Himura home?"

She tried to wrap her mind around why the former right-hand man of Makoto Shishio would come looking for her Kenshin. The ruroni had told her that this kid had left Shishio's group to seek his own truth, why would he be here? And by the way his hand was resting so near his sword, it certainly didn't look like he was here to get more advice about life. She opened her mouth to answer and once again, Saito cut her off. She glared at the back of his head in frustration.

"What does it matter to you?" he asked curtly. He had been following the young assassin's movements since he had struck out on his own. At first, Soujirou had appeared to be doing what he said he would, he simply wandered all over Japan, living with people for a few days at a time, taking odd jobs and living a somewhat normal life. About four weeks ago, he had disappeared completely. That was saying a lot too, Saito's network of eyes and ears was quite extensive.

The more Saito looked at Soujirou, the more he noticed the young man's fatigue. He appeared to have lost weight and his skin was unusually sallow. Had he not been eating? Had he been ill? As if in answer to all his thoughts, Soujirou spoke up.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking about what Mr. Himura said to me and I just can't seem to find any answers. Every time I come to a conclusion about the way life should be, it only brings up more questions." His smile widened, "I would just like to ask Mr. Himura why I can't seem to get him off my mind."

At that, both Kaoru and Saito's eyes widened. What was Soujirou saying? Had something else passed between them when Kenshin spared his life? Maybe Soujirou had the wrong idea? The young man did seem troubled by his feelings, Saito could tell he was having a hard time, even through his smile. His weight loss, lack of sleep, very little to eat, plus the turmoil inside him must be taking its toll; Saito could've sworn he saw frustration in Soujirou's eyes.

Soujirou drew his sword, surprising the two in the dojo. "Please excuse my brashness, but I simply can't wait any longer to see Mr. Himura."