Prologue:
Blood covered the blade of a sword. Not just any sword, mind you. This sword had only been mastered by a madman. As the blade was pulled away from the flesh of its victim, a soft, feminine gasped was heard. The sword, now unsheathed from the victim, dripped with warm, crimson liquid from the tip of the sword all the way to the razor sharp ridges on the blade.
A grin appeared on the swordsman's face as the victim's dark eyes stared back at him in terror. Another gasp escaped the victim's lips as a weak mumble followed. Hot tears formed into these dark eyes and fell down the smooth, pale face of the victim. The sound of a wooden object hitting the floor was heard shortly after as fatigue plagued the unfortunate person's entire body.
Footsteps could be heard from afar, each step louder than the last. Within a few moments that seemed like hours, the footsteps paused nearby.
More crimson fluid flowed onto the floor as the mumbling of the prey became more coherent as her dark eyes strayed away from the predator. Those same eyes lit up with both relief and sorrow as her voice strained, calling out a single word.
"Kenshin."
After that moment, the world of Kaoru Kamiya faded into eternal darkness.
"You!" Shouted an enraged Kenshin.
The killer smiled through his bandaged face as he lit up a pipe, took a puff and blew a cloud of smoke. "Welcome home, Battousai. Did you miss me?"
The shade of blue in his eyes narrowed as an amber hue dominated his pupils and a glowing crimson light seemed to shine from his hair.
"Makoto Shishio…I will have your head!"