Return of the Manslayer

Revived

By: Crystal Unicorn2

Disclaimer: Well, as much as I hate to admit it, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin...SHUT UP! I DON'T NEED IT TO BE RUBBED IN ANYMORE! Anyway, enjoy the story, review, and don't steal it. If you do, heh, I wouldn't want to go there if I were you. I know most of you were quite upset with the last story and this one is guaranteed to be a whole lot better...(more killing, I promise).

Chapter One

Meiji Government vs. Tankenshogu Era:

Arrival of the Battle Grounds

Silently the chilling wind rushed gently across the land of Tokyo. But a small group of people were reluctant and sighing in relief to feel those comforting winds again. After returning from Kyoto, these winds were refreshing. The stiffness among them was lost as soon as they reentered Tokyo.

It was only a about a week or so ago since Kenshin's fight with Shisho and the Jupongatana, so he was still a little awkward. He had been so used to living in peace, with a few quarrels, for so long that when this came around, he didn't know what to do. Fear had run through him wildly but he made it through. But now that he was back at the dojo with Kaoru, Yahiko, Sanosuke, Ayame, Suzume, Megumi, and Dr. Gensai. He had hoped that everything was going to be back to normal. Then again, Kenshin had never really lived in a life he could call normal.

"I'm glad to be back here so that we may finally try and live in peace, that I am," Kenshin said aloud as he looked gently into the sky with his soft purple eyes. The breeze, the stars, the moon...all calmed him and made him glad to be alive. But his memories of the past still plagued him, even now. His decision to become a manslayer had made the greatest impact on his life than any other choice. His skills alone had caused so much death and destruction that even he had felt sorry, and made him think even more of those three girls who had saved him when he was younger. Quite possibly one of the reasons he had quit killing and became a wanderer.

Soft footsteps approached him from behind and Kenshin turned a little bit.

"Why, Miss Kaoru, what are you doing up? You should be in bed, that you should." Kenshin said kindly as she sat herself down next to him. Her braided hair sat gently on her shoulder as she looked up into the sky.

"I try...but it never works." She said in more of a whisper.

"Why is that?"

"Because," she sighed, "because I can't help but continuously dream of you saying goodbye and then leaving after that fight with Saitou. You broke my heart that day Kenshin...and it seems as though I can never forgive you for that." She turned her gaze towards him and he saw the sadness in her eyes.

"I never asked you to forgive me, nor do I care if you forgive me. I did what I did, and that's all that could be done." He said with soft eyes. Tears suddenly streamed out of her eyes and down her cheeks as she flung herself at him. She wrapped her arms around him and cried into his shoulder. He sat there in partial shock and then wrapped his arms around her also and rested his chin on her head.

"I never want you to leave me again Kenshin! Do you hear me Kenshin Himura? Never again! I couldn't withstand it when you left me the first time...if you do that again, I will never forgive you!" She paused and caught her breath through her sobbing. "When you left me that last time, I felt as though my heart had been torn and a thousand hot daggers were piercing my flesh. I thought that you were going to die! But when I saw you again, I couldn't help but feel overjoyed at flowing with happiness. Just seeing you made me know that you were all right..." She sobbed continuously in his chest gripping at his arms. He never wanted to let her go, he wanted to tell her how much he truly loved her.

"I'm very sorry Miss Karou, it won't happen again...I promise," he whispered in her ear and hugged her tighter. Kaoru then slowly pulled away and wiped her eyes.

"Kenshin, while I was in Kyoto, I met this girl. She said her name was Satsubaeko Chihaku. She also said that she knew you, how's that possible?"

"I'm not sure, my memory is kind of blurry right now, that it is." He said and lightly pulled her back and hugged her again. She rested her cheek against his chest and sighed deeply.

"Kenshin?"

"Yes Miss Karou?"

"Are you ever going to become a wanderer again?"

"I don't know, that I do not."

"Well," she looked up at him, "if you ever leave me again, I'll kill myself. Please, Kenshin...don't ever leave me again," she said with a stray tear rolling down her cheek. He grabbed her chin lightly and lowered his head lightly.

"I promise, Miss Kaoru, that I'll not leave you again, that I won't," he said as their faces seemed to move closer to each other. But, before anything further could happen, Sanosuke opened the door and stepped in.

"Kenshin, Saitou's here and says he wants to talk to you, says it's urgent." Sanosuke said, regarding the fact that Kenshin and Kaoru were about to kiss. Kenshin just smiled lightly as Kaoru pulled away and looked downward.

"Tell Him I'll be right there in a moment," he said making his way to stand up.

"No need, I invited myself in to tell you of something that can shatter the worlds of everyone's lives." Saitou said coming from behind Sanosuke.

"A rebel group called the Shitogoru Hayamashiho is planning a rebellion against the Meiji Government. At first glace they don't seem to be much of a threat, but their attacks prove fatal." Saitou said with his slim eyes closed.

"They're planning a rebellion?" Kenshin asked in utter confusion.

"Yes, they plan on recreating the Revolution and creating a government of their own. And by the annual statistics my troops have given me, they are more powerful than the Jupongatana. Cho, that sword hunter, says he once had an encounter with one of the members. He says it was one of the most unpleasant encounters he wished he had never experienced. He told me gruesome details, but I'll spare you that. I'm sure it wasn't one of the ring leaders, if so then our sword hunter would be dead." Saitou said and sipped some tea.

"Shitogoru Hayamashiho? Are they new? I don't think I've ever heard of them," Kenshin responded.

"No, they've kept that name a secret for the past ten years. They were around during the Revolution, hidden under another name. I trust you know of the Fujitosho Yoshikogu?" Saitou said with a sudden chill in his eyes.

"I have heard of the Fujitosho Yoshikogu and of their power. They were undefeated and feared by many during the Revolution and after. But, Saitou, why have you come to me?" Kenshin looked confused. Saitou sighed and made an eye glance over at Sanosuke and Kaoru. Kenshin having noticed the sigh and glance, sighed as well. "Miss Karou, Sano, can Saitou and I have a moment alone?" Kaoru and Sanosuke stood up and walked out. They stood just outside the door listening intently for something more to be said.

"The Shitogoru Hayamashiho are planning more than a rebellion, but an all out war against the Meiji Government. They've probably already made their way towards the Tokyo Tower as main headquarters. They're also planting many small groups of mercenaries, paid richly, all around Tokyo. And if they can get away with that, they'll for Kyoto, Osawa...Fukuoka! Kenshin, we can't let Japan fall under the rule of these bloodthirsty pigs! No one wants to have to go through another revolution like the last. The one that they want to birth will be far worse than the one we fought in. Kenshin, I know for a fact that you don't want to have to fight again." Saitou said with a slight flicker of emotion in his eyes and voice. Kenshin's eyes closed as he drifted into a light thought.

"Do you know when they'll be starting everything?" Kenshin asked in his serious tone.

"It should be sometime about midnight. They took some of their tricks from Shishio but they're smarter than that. They've dispersed deeper into the city than we can get before they start the real plans. We can probably get to some of the fire starters, but our main focus is on the group leader, if we can just get to him, maybe we'll have a chance at stopping this earlier."

"The group's leader? But that will cost us many innocent lives lost! And for what? Nothing but cruel bloodshed! They will be lost in vain because we didn't stop to deal with the fire starters! I can't do that, that I can not." Kenshin said with a rush of urgency.

"There's nothing we can do, we must focus on the main cause of it. If we spend our time trying to find the fire starters, it'll just set us back and them forward. As much as I agree with you, we must focus on the main cause. I know you don't want the lives of innocent people to be lost, but that's just the sacrifice we have to make. We can't run around Tokyo without delaying ourselves. Kenshin, it must be that way as much as it pains you." Saitou's eyes showed his concern in the issue but retained the calm aspect that he manages to keep. Kenshin looked at Saitou for a moment of serious silence and sighed deeply.

"Sano, Miss Kaoru, and Yahiko, I would like for you to get rid of as many fire starters as you can. Get as many allies as you can, I'm going with Saitou." Kenshin finally said.

"No Kenshin!" Kaoru burst in and slipped, but quickly ran to him, "you promised you wouldn't leave me!" She gripped onto his arm as tears swelled up in her eyes.

"Miss Kaoru, I never promised. I simply said that I would try to not leave you. But this is extremely urgent, as you must've heard. And this is something that I and Saitou must do. Please do as I tell you to, Miss Kaoru." Kenshin said with a serious tone in his voice as he released his arm from her grip. He stood with a shadow over his eyes as he followed Saitou out into the light, running at a fast pace.

"Kenshin..." Kaoru whispered reached out to Kenshin's disappearing shadow.

They were able to stop many fire starters but that was the least of their worries. But time was going by fast and they soon had to stop going after the fire starters. And Tokyo Tower was getting closer and closer.

"Kenshin, over there!" Saitou said as they broke through a small group of guards. Kenshin looked in that direction and nodded.

"Tokyo Tower..." Kenshin whispered. He looked up to the very peak of the tower and noticed the shadow of a man.

"Well, it looks like we made it just in time," Saitou breathed.

"Yes, but we'd better hurry up and get there; we can trust Kaoru and Sano and Yahiko with the fire starters."

"I'm surprised you even trust that moron," Saitou snorted.

"Let's hurry," Kenshin said as the two began to shorten the distance between them and the tower.

Once at the gates of the tower, they were about to break through the iron bars when someone from nowhere jumped down in front of them, nearly slicing Kenshin in two, had he not blocked the oncoming attack. The attacker jumped back and landed on both feet and in fighting stance.

"So, Kenshin, we meet again after so long." The person said. The voice sounded that of a female. A female who knew the fighting style Kenshin knew, Hiten Mitsurugi, and the attack used on him was the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Suisen. The only other person that knew such a powerful sword style was a girl who had trained with him in the past.

"Satsubaeko Chihaku..." Kenshin whispered. The attacker sheathed her sword and stood regularly, with a grin showing in the darkness. The moon moved to show her features as long black hair pulled back in a high pony tail (common of samurais from the Revolution), with traces of bangs about her deathly silver eyes, at about the same height as Kenshin.

"Hello Kenshin, pleasure seeing you again," she said with a chilling, yet seductive voice. Saitou then began to wonder if Kenshin's master had another student, maybe about as deadly as Kenshin himself.

A/N: Okay, this chapter has been revived. I'll the original chapter up so you can tell me if this is better than the original. But hey, I want you to review. That's the important part.