Hey Everybody. I know, I know, for those of you who do know me, I come out with a new fic every week. But, I do plan on finishing all of them, and this will be the last one I start for a while. Anyway, I write Inuyasha fics too, and I will be focusing on this fic, Untold, Problems, and The Meaning of Truth. So, this fic is a little strange, and the focus is not as much on romance as my other ones. But there still will be romance. Don't worry. Anyway, for this story to work, I had to screw with the storyline a little bit. Please read the little important note or you probably won't get it or you'll complain that I don't know my Kenshin history.

IMPORTANT NOTE! READ OR YOU WILL NOT UNDERSTAND THE STORY!!!!!!!!!!!
Here's the deal. Well Kenshin and Tomoe were pretending to be married, Kenshin had to leave on a mission. He was gone the better part of a year, and Tomoe was left alone. This happens after they became a couple. Not a fake couple, but a real couple. Then, Kenshin comes back, and the Samurai X story ends as it does in the anime version. This story takes place sixteen years after the revolution ends, about six years after the battle with Shishio. I haven't seen anything that happens after that battle, so I'm making it all up. The first part of the story takes place during the revolution, and then the story skips forward periodically throughout this story. At the end, we've reached the point where most of the story takes place, sixteen years after the revolution. Damn, that was a long note. Sorry I screwed up the history.

WARNING: This is a tad violent.

*Dislcaimer* You think I own Kenshin? I laugh at you. Ha ha ha!

Chapter 1: Secrets

The woman's dark hair was loose, and hung down to frame her face. She walked slowly through the dark hills. He would be back soon, she knew. She had been lucky he was gone so long. However, it was very important she do this.

A small gurgle errupted from the bundle below him, reminding her of what she was doing. She looked down at the baby, a little girl. The baby had short red hair and big purple eyes... She looks like his father, she thought. But he must never know of her existence. And she must never know of his. She will never know who her father was. Some day, I will return for her. Someday. For now, farewell, my child, my baby, my love...

Seven years later...

We're under attack! Someone's here! Quick! Barricade the doors! cried a man with a long, dark ponytail.

What's happening? cried a young woman.

I don't know, but we've got to make sure they don't get inside.

A small red-haired girl walked into the hall. Ishi-sama, what's happening?

It's nothing, baby girl. Don't worry, my little Shika-chan. It's just some bad people who want to hurt your mommy and daddy, Ishi, the dark-haired man, said, looking down into the big purple eyes of the little girl he thought of as his daughter. He knew she thought of them as her parents, even though she still called them both by their first names with the -sama suffix. She knew what her real parent's names were, but she didn't even remember them. After all, she had come to live with Ishi and his wife two weeks after she was born.

Ishi! We need to get the others inside!

They won't make it, said Ishi, looking into the deep green eyes of his wife, Tokie.

Suddenly there were sounds of screaming and slashing. Ishi grabbed Shika and ran into another room, pushing Tokie before him. Suddenly, the front door was crushed in, and several men ran inside. Ishi handed a terrified Shika to his wife, drawing his sword.

The men ran inside and grinned. Hello there, Ishi. Nice to see you again, said the leader.

Ishi was frozen in his place. The man he was looking at was an old aly of his. They had fought together for the Shogunate. But... the men with him... they had been Imperialists. Suddenly, Ishi understood. he hissed. You are a traitor, a horrible traitor, Mori. I won't forgive you for this. And if you try to hurt my family, I'll kill you.

Ah, yes, Mori said. Your family. Your wife's pretty as I remember. And a little girl, too. Well, there are too many children in the world anyway.

Please, Mori. Just leave. All I want is to protect my family. The revolution is over. There is no reason to do this. Just leave, please.

Sorry, buddy. But you all have to die. And with that, he attacked. Mori was a very skilled swordsman, but Ishi was better. His moves were fluid, his sword faster, his strikes cleaner.

Tokie had fainted on the floor, but Shika was watching her surogate father with excitement and pride. He was amazing! And he was wining!

Mori too knew he was loosing the battle. He whipped a quick nod at one of his men, and the man knew what to do. With a loud better cry, he charged toward the place where Shika and Tokie were on the floor.

Ishi gasped and turned to run toward his helpless family. Suddenly he stopped with a loud gasp as Mori rammed his sword through Ishi's chest. Ishi gasped, choked, blood dripping from his mouth. He collapsed to the floor, right in front of Shika.

Mori's man quickly ran his sword through Tokie as well.

You idiot! cried Mori. You weren't supposed to kill the woman! You guys are fools.

Uh, sorry Mori, the man said stupidly.

***


'Shika looked down at her dead family in terror. It was so dirty... Her father was winning, and now... Now he was dead. I'm all alone now, Shika thought. The only people I ever loved are gone. And I'm going to die too. I'm going to die and there's nothing I can do. No one will come to save me, to avenge me. Ishi-sama gave me a few lessons with a sword, but I don't know anything. I can't defeat them. But... it doesn't matter. Shika felt her anger boiling. I will stop them. I won't let them get away with this. This feeling... flowing through me... I can harnass it, use it. Something, something is happening to me... What's happening?!

***


Mori said with annoyance. Anyway, get rid of that... he stopped. The others turned to look at Shika, who was kneeling on the floor, looking down at her dead family, her red hair covering her eyes.

The little girl's hand was resting on the hilt of her father's sword. It clenched on the hilt, and the little girl looked up.

The men all gasped. Her deep purple eyes had changed. They had been replaced with a cold amber. It was like looking into the pitiless gaze of a jaguar.

K-k-kill her! cried Mori.

One of the men ran forward, but he screamed as Shika thrust the sword quickly through her chest. She had not known she possessed such strength.

The other men moved forward together, but she was too fast. She moved like a wraith among them, slicing at the speed of a phantom... or a god. After a few instants, only Mori remained.

What, what are you, brat? he gasped.

Shika did not respond. Her body slipped easily into a fighting stance. She did not know how she knew what to do... Her body was on autopiolet. Somewhere in the back of her head, she knew that this was wrong, but that part of her was already burried.

Mori raised his sword, but he wasn't nearly fast enough. Shika ran at him and slid her sword quickly across his midsection. He gasped and slid to the floor. There was blood everywhere. You... aren't human... Mori choked out the words... And then he was silent.

They were all dead...

Shika stared at them, her hatred still burning... And then, suddenly, it was all gone. Vanished. Shika gasped and dropped the sword. It clattered to the floor. What, what have I done? She sunk limply to the floor, her eyes welling up with tears. And then she cried...


Nine years later...

You can't escape now. Four men had surrounded the sixteen year old girl. Shika's red hair was pulled back into a high ponytail. Her face was a blank mask. She placed a hand on her sword.

You cannot win, she said softly, coldly. Give up and I won't hurt you.

Shut up! The men charged her, but she moved among them easily. They were all dead in a matter of seconds. Their blood had not even splattered on her clothes. Much too easy... She didn't like killing the innoncent, only corrupt Imperialists, but she had to protect herself. Maybe someday she could rest peacefully, but now...

She didn't really want to be a killer, but it wasn't like it had been her choice. This was the life she was destined to live. Her surogate parents would not be pleased, but she was doing this for them. She was doing this to avenge them, and to clean the world of its filth. Sometimes, she thought about what her real parents must have been like. They probably would not have been pleased either...

***

He's adorable! cried Kaoru, cradling the tiny baby.

Let me hold my son, Sanosuke said with excitement. He reached out his hands to take the baby from Kaoru. Megumi had insisted on holding him for about a half hour, and then she had fallen asleep. Labor was tiring, after all.

Kaoru watched with excitement the small baby, and then glanced over at Kenshin. He was standing by the window, staring into nothingness. Over the past few weeks, he had been unusually quiet and withdrawn, and Kaoru couldn't get him to talk to her about it. It was ridiculous, really. They had been such good friends for so long... Why wouldn't he talk to her?

Kaoru looked back to Sano, holding little Sage in his arms. She was happy for Megumi and Sano. Finally, the two of them had gotten over their issues and gotten married. Now, they had a child. She was happy for them, but... She wished that she could have a baby too... She wondered if she would ever be with man she loved... With Kenshin.

That's it. Tonight, she thought, I'm asking him what's wrong.

***





Kenshin. Stop ignoring me.



Kenshin... KENSHIN!

Kenshin had finally responded, and turned to look at her.

Kenshin. We've been friends for years. Tell me what's wrong. I deserve to know.

It isn't anything important, that it is not.

Kaoru said with a sigh. You can't hide it from me, you know you can't.

Kenshin looked at her for a moment. Okay, here goes. Sometime in the past five years, a strange girl appeared. She's going around killing Imperialists thought to be corrupt.



She's very young, but she's supposedly an amazing swordsman. She's like one of the manslayers from the revolution. She moves like a phantom, fights like a demon. They're calling her... The second Battousai.

***