Summary:
Adopted and raised by a master swordsman, Yukina fights to avenge her parents and win the heart of the man she loves.
Chapter One
The Child
Aoshi was restless, even more this night than most. The Oia was eeriely quiet, all of its inhabitants either asleep or out working, which usually meant spying. Aoshi was about to lie down and try to rest, when from the corner of his eye he saw movement. A cloaked woman was treading into the Oia as silently and carefully as she could, holding a cloth-wrapped bundle close to her chest. She was panting with exhaustion, but somehow she found the strength to pull herself to the open doorway. He watched as she lowered the bundle gently to the ground and placed a note beside it. She paused, looking at her treasure with forlorn eyes, her face shadowed in grief. Then she forced herself to turn away and faded into the darkness as quietly as she had come. She would never again return.
Aoshi moved toward the bundle cautiously, in case it was a trap. As he came near, he heard a faint whimper, the sound of breathing. He crouched down to look inside the wrappings. There, lying in his doorway was a sleeping child, a little girl only a few years old. Her hair was pale, almost silver. Pushing her bangs aside, he found a blue crescent moon on her forehead. Was it a clan symbol? Clearly she would need a disguise.
Her eyes opened suddenly. Seeing him, she shrank back into her blankets and started crying. She must have been frightened by his stern, cold face. Aoshi was not accustomed to being soft or gentle with anyone. He merely knelt and waited until she calmed down. She looked so small and fragile. He did not want to scare her, so he said nothing. Somehow, his silent presence soothed her. Finally she looked up and asked, "Where's Mommy? Are the bad men gone?"
"I don't know," he said. "Can you tell me what happened?" What, he wondered, had made a mother abandon her child?
From the girl's answers and the mother's note, Aoshi pieced her story together. The girl's name was Yukina; her parents were warriors. A few days earlier, a band of militants--the "bad men" as Yukina called them--had come and pressured her family to join their cause. The family refused. "I will not kill innocent people," wrote the mother. The argument came to blows. It was bloody, but the mother managed to escape with the child. She must have been very strong to travel so far with a child in her arms. Though she couldn't run fast, she fled through the woods as quickly as she could, not daring to take more than a moment's rest. And then she arrived.
"Where am I?" asked Yukina. She looked at him with pitiful, tear-filled eyes. There was something strange about those eyes, almost hypnotizing.
Aoshi knelt on the ground and lifted her into his arms. "Safe," he said. It was awkward for him, but she relaxed and was soon asleep. This was her home now, the only home she had left. He would train her as a warrior until she was ready to avenge her family. In the meantime, he made the girl dye her hair brown and wear a headband over that strange blue mark.
Chapter Two
Sisters
Seven years later...
"Yukina, get back here right this second!" Misao screamed. Yukina cackled with delight as she sprinted away from a pink-haired, fuming Misao, dodging her knives all the way.
As she ran, Yukina congratulated herself on a job well done. Tormenting Misao was her favorite pass-time, and the pink potion had worked like a charm. Indeed, the only activity she enjoyed more was training in martial arts with Aoshi. While Misao excelled in agility and knife-throwing, Yukina was strong enough to fight with swords. They were fierce rivals.
No emotion showed on Aoshi's face, but it was amusing to watch the two girls battle each other. He wondered if Misao would actually catch her this time. But Yukina was taller and her longer legs gave her an advantage. Then he sighed inwardly, knowing that he would have to break it up soon, before Misao began throwing bombs instead of knives.
He would miss the girls when they were gone. They were both skilled fighters and he took satisfaction in training them, but he couldn't keep them much longer. The Edo dynasty was crumbling. Militants like the ones who had hunted Yukina's family were gaining strength across Japan. Aoshi had decided to give his sword to the opium business, and the girls would be safer in someone else's care.
He stepped into the path, drew his sword. The ring of metal was barely audible, but both girls stopped in their tracks. When Aoshi drew his sword, he was serious and they knew it. "It's time," he said, "I'm leaving. From this day on, you will live with my kinsman Okina."
The girls protested but he cut them off. "My decision is made. Unless you think to defeat me with the sword, you will obey my commands."
Stubborn Yukina was not about to give in without a fight. She drew her twin swords and charged. Next she knew, she was lying empty-handed on her back.
Defeated, she went grudgingly with Misao. She was too sullen to notice anything on the journey to Kyoto. Gentle, old Okina welcomed the girls warmly. As a retired warrior he had many stories to share. Misao soon grew to like him, but Yukina was restless and miserable. That night she crawled out through the hotel window and ran away. In her mind, she was Aoshi's daughter and she would follow him wherever he went.
Chapter Three
The Legendary Warrior
Aoshi was not happy about Yukina following him, but he did not argue with her either. In fact, he ignored her. As the years passed, they worked for Kanryu, acting as muscle for his crime ring. It was a rough society. The labor was hard, the pay meager, and everything was dirty. Yukina discovered that, as a woman, she received no respect from the crude, jeering men around her.
Once she tried to prove herself in a fight. The squinty-eyed man had gone too far, and he paid for it with his teeth. But before she could leave, his friends surrounded her, and as strong as she was, she was outnumbered and humiliated. After that, she learned to follow her father's example, killing her emotions, hiding behind a mask of stone.
Despite the hardships, she was able to make a few friends, people whose company she could tolerate. Megumi, a foxy and talented chemist. Her unique opium recipe was twice as powerful for half the cost. Naturally, they worked her like a dog. Then there was Ryou, a young man not much older than herself, who worked as a scout and a spy. Mild and unassuming, he blended easily with a crowd. He carried no sword, only a pistol in his belt, seldom used.
When Yukina was about twenty years old, rumor reached her ears of a legendary warrior from the Meiji revolution, the great Hitokiri Battosai. She begged Aoshi to send her as a spy to find out his whereabouts. Secretly, however, she wanted to test her skills against his. Reluctantly, her father agreed, on one condition: Yukina must not travel alone. Ryou volunteered to go with her, and a few of his friends tagged along.
They tracked their target down to a humble dojo on the outskirts of town. Yukina crept inside while the others kept watch. She heard raised voices. A young swordsman was arguing with a roomful of seasoned thugs. They surrounded him, outnumbering him twenty to one. Still, he gave no ground. He was defending someone, a scared-looking woman in the corner, and he was determined to win.
The thugs drew their swords and charged. Then the battle was over as quickly as it began, the lone swordsman standing calmly amidst a heap of unconscious bodies. This must be the legendary warrior. He was amazing, far better than Yukina had imagined. The thugs were no match for him. She couldn't help but admire the way he flowed effortlessly from one foe to another, dispatching each one with a single motion of his sword but never drawing blood.
She shadowed him for many days, studying him closely. His real name, she learned, was Kenshin. Years ago, he had helped to destroy the Edo monarchy that her father Aoshi had defended with such pride. She knew that this made him an enemy, but it didn't matter. He fought with such power and grace, yet he respected and defended everyone around him. She was in love.
But events came rushing faster than Yukina could have anticipated. When she returned to report on her findings, the cold flame of vengeance awoke in Aoshi's eyes. "So, the rumors are true," he said. Then he vowed that he, Aoshi, would be the one to kill Kenshin. Yukina was stunned.
Aoshi refused to let her go back, sent her to spy out another part of the country. This time, she did not dare to risk his wrath. While she was away, she learned Kenshin and his friends had gone to Kanryu's mansion on a rescue mission. She stole a horse and raced home at a gallop. She knew that her father wanted to kill Kenshin; she had to stop them from fighting. "Men," she muttered with a sigh. "Why must they be so difficult?"
When she arrived, Ryou stood in the entrance, blocking her way. "I know how you feel," he said, "but they need to sort this out for themselves. You know about your father's honor. Interfering will only make things worse."
Yukina was not convinced. "Get out of my way!" she growled, and drawing her sword she pushed Ryou aside. But she was already too late. The battle was over, Kenshin was gone, and her father was alone, looking downcast and defeated, but alive.
Was Kenshin dead? No, there was no body. He had won, amazingly, even against her own father, the great Aoshi. Yet he had spared Aoshi's life. Overwhelmed with relief and admiration, she made her own vow that she would find Kenshin and make him marry her.
Chapter Four
Battle of Hearts
Yukina tracked the warrior down to the same dojo where she first spied him. Crouching on a tree branch above the dojo, she peered through the leaves, watching, waiting for an opportunity. As Kenshin approached, a woman came out of the dojo to meet him. She was the owner of the dojo, Yukina learned, a martial arts teacher named Kaoru. She carried a bokken, but she clearly wasn't much of a fighter.
"Kenshin, where have you been? I was so worried about you. You're not hurt anywhere are you? Your hands, they're bleeding! Come inside, let me bandage them."
Yukina scowled as they walked together into the dojo. It wasn't right for that pretentious girl to be with a great man like Kenshin. Why was Kaoru so worried about him when she couldn't even defend herself?
She crept silently to the window, waited for Kaoru to leave the room, then went to the door and knocked. When Kenshin answered, she looked at him with her sad blue eyes and told him she was a poor girl, wandering far from home, with no one to look after her, and couldn't he please give her a place to stay the night? He fell for it and brought her inside.
The dojo was small and poorly furnished, but clean and tidy. She could smell flowers and hear the trickle of a fountain. They sat down together on the couch and began to talk. Kenshin was so kind and gentle-hearted, Yukina felt right at home. She moved closer, until her body was right up against him. He looked embarrased, but she didn't care.
Then the door slid open. Startled, Kenshin and Yukina moved apart. It was Kaoru. She took one look at Yukina and turned angrily to Kenshin. "I told you not to bring any more women into my dojo!"
"She needed a place to stay the night," said Kenshin.
"Hmph!" said Kaoru.
Yukina glared at her and silently promised, "I'm going to make your life miserable."
The next morning, Yukina woke up early and was calmly sipping her tea when a piercing scream shook the dojo. Kaoru came charging into the room with flamingo pink hair. Pointing her finger, she accused Yukina.
"Who me?" said Yukina, batting her eyelashes innocently.
"What is your problem anyway?" said Kaoru.
"Simple," said Yukina, as she stood and drew her swords. "I want Kenshin, so back off, unless you dare to try your blade against mine."
Kaoru drew her bokken. "I won't back down."
Yukina smirked. This would be an easy victory. Wasn't she herself the daughter of a great warrior? The two women circled each other, looking for opportunity. Yukina struck first, knocking the bokken aside with one sword, lunging for Kaoru's throat with the other. Kaoru slid out of the way, barely avoiding the lethal thrust.
The duel was interrupted by Kenshin's arrival. Yukina immediately withdrew and put away her swords. If Kenshin saw them fighting, she knew he would try to stop it, and she didn't want to hurt him.
As it was, Kaoru came across as the aggressor. Kenshin gently reprimanded her for her violent behavior, reminding her of her own philosophy of "swords that give life" not kill. He finished by saying, "No more fighting, okay?"
Outmaneuvered, Kaoru put away her bokken and sat down sullenly. But as the morning passed into afternoon, she became more cheerful and friendly. She even tried to make ammends with Yukina. Wasn't friendship better than arguments? Delighted to have such a naive opponent, Yukina played along.
Still, she couldn't resist a few harmless pranks, like the spice curry she brought in for lunch. Kaoru took one bite and her eyes turned puffy red. But Kenshin was clearly enjoying his, so she forced herself to eat the whole bowlful, tears streaming down her cheeks as she ate. She never suspected that Yukina had secretly dumped an extra bottle of hot sauce in that bowl.
Then while Kaoru was washing dishes, Yukina slipped a slimy frog into her kimono. How that girl shrieked and squirmed until it finally plopped out into the soapy water. Yukina laughed and laughed. Kaoru fumed, but realizing how ridiculous she must have looked, she laughed too.
Meanwhile, Yukina's real interest was Kenshin. She took every opportunity she could to spend time with him, learn more about him, and try to win his attention. Somehow, Kaoru always found a way to break things up without starting a fight. So when evening came, Yukina made her move. Kaoru was so trusting that it was a simple matter to trick her into a garden shed and lock her in. She banged on the door and pleaded so desperately that Yukina almost felt sorry for her, but she reminded herself that it was no more than the girl deserved.
"She must have gone for a walk," she told Kenshin.
Then she snuggled up next to him by the fireside. He started to push her away, but she put her arms around him and pretended to fall asleep. She was so innocent-looking and child-like that he couldn't just leave her. So he put his arm around her and stayed. Soon he began to relax and nod off, his breathing slower. She could feel the strength and warmth of his body under her fingers, the gentle enfolding of his arms. She cuddled closer and brushed her lips against his. Her heart raced with excitement.
Something outside made a thunderous crash and filled the yard with a cloud of wood and debris. The door flung open, cracking the wall. Kenshin woke up instantly. In her wrath, Kaoru had broken the shed down, and was now standing over them, her face burning scarlet red. Yukina met her gaze, still clinging jealously to Kenshin, and tension racked the air like lightning.
They never found out what would have happened, because at that moment Ryou came in through the door.
Chapter Five
The Crescent Clan
Ryou took one look at Yukina, grasping the scene in a moment. Disapproval flashed in his eyes, but his message was more urgent. "Yukina, we need to take you back to your father now. The town has been siezed by a band of mercenaries, and their leader is asking questions about a woman with a crescent moon on her forehead. His scouts are already searching the town for you; your disguise won't hold them back for long."
Ryou might have been a clever spy, but if he expected Yukina to run away, he was mistaken. Before he could stop her, she was on her feet, charging into town. Someone who knew her parents! If he was one of the "bad men" who broke up her family, she would make him pay.
A hooded man was waiting for her by the gate. The street was ominously still, no sound coming from the buildings on either side. Yukina stood before him and drew her twin swords. "Who are you?" she demanded. Meanwhile, her companions came running up behind her.
The man lowered his hood and Yukina stepped back, stunned. Beneath his silver hair, a crescent moon marked his forehead, the same as hers. His eyes glittered ice blue. "My name is Dai Takeshi, and you must be Yukina," he began. "I've been searching for you for many years, the last of the Crescent Clan. You better join us, unless you want to end up like the foolish woman who tried to hide you. She took her secrets to the grave."
Anger boiled inside her, blood rushing to her face. This man had killed her mother! She charged at him screaming, but she never reached him. He was looking squarely at her, his eyes cold and unblinking. Something about those eyes stole her breath, froze her in her tracks.
Before she could recover, a band of warriors, all dressed alike, emerged from their hiding places and surrounded her. A sword swung past her forehead, cutting off her handband, revealing the crescent moon underneath. "I want this girl alive," said Takeshi. "Kill the others."
But Takeshi had under-estimated his opponents. Kenshin's blade whirled through the air, spinning at a frightening speed. Kaoru caught her attacker's blade in her wrists and twisted it away from him. Yukina fought enemies on both sides, her blades darting like hornets. Even Ryou lifted his pistol and with one shot felled a man.
In the midst of the battle, Yukina could see Kenshin dueling with Takeshi, their blades flashing through the air. Takeshi matched his opponent blow for blow, but he was wearing down, losing ground. At last, he stumbled and his sword slipped from his hand. Kenshin raised his sword to deliver the final blow, but the stroke never fell. Instead Kenshin stood unmoving, as if held fast by some spell. Takeshi had him locked in his gaze. Pulling a dagger from his cloak, he raised it to strike.
"Kenshin!" cried Kaoru, but with so many people in the way, there was nothing she or Yukina could do.
Just then a pair of knives shot through the air. Takeshi whirled to face his new assailant, releasing Kenshin in the process. Realizing his mistake, he looked back, but it was too late. Kenshin slammed him into the wall and knocked him senseless to the ground. Their leader fallen, the rest of the warriors lost their courage. Yukina finished them off with Aoshi's spiral sword dance.
Then she looked up to see who the knife thrower was, and Misao grinned down at her from the rooftops. "Yukina, where you have been hiding all these years? I still owe you a beating for that last prank."
"Ready when you are," said Yukina with a smile.
Chapter Six
Kenshin Moves On
The day after the battle, Yukina rested on the floor of the dojo, talking and laughing with her adopted sister. Misao told Yukina everything about Kyoto and her new caretaker, while Yukina shared horror stories about life in the crime ring. Her friend Megumi had escaped from the opium lords and was there too, with plenty of gossip of her own. They talked and laughed long into the evening. Then Kaoru went outside to talk with her boyfriend, stirring up their jealous whispers.
"He's handsome," said Misao.
"Have you seen the way he moves with that sword?" said Yukina, making a low whistle.
"But that girl Kaoru keeps him all to herself," said Megumi.
"What does he see in her?" asked Yukina. "She's so weak and annoying."
Megumi shrugged. "And simple-minded too, but that's love for you."
"No thanks," said Misao. "I'm going to be a warrior."
"Why not have both?" said Yukina. "I'm going to be a romantic warrior."
"Ah, you're in love with him too," said Megumi.
Yukina blushed. There was an awkward pause.
Then Kaoru came solemnly into the room. "He's gone," she said simply.
"What?" said Megumi. "He never even said good bye."
Yukina immediately jumped to her feet and ran out the door. In the distance, she saw Kenshin walking along the dusty road, and she chased him down. "Where are you going?" she demanded.
"I'm a wanderer," he said, "and I always will be. The dojo is safe, the opium lord is dead, and the man who killed your family is in prison for his crimes. My mission here is done."
"Then I'll follow you wherever you go!"
Kenshin shook his head. "This is a path I must walk alone."
Yukina drew her swords. "Fight me!" she challenged. "Give me a chance. If I can defeat you, then you have to stay."
She never saw him move, but her twin swords flew from her hands and landed in the dust. "A sword is more than a tool for making people do what you want," he said.
Tears filled her eyes. "But Kenshin," she said, "I love you." Suddenly, she rushed forward and kissed him. "That's my promise to marry you someday."
Kenshin pulled away blushing. "I'm not the kind of man you think I am." But he smiled at her. Then he started back on the trail.
"Wait!" she called out, bending to pick up her swords, her precious gift from Aoshi. When she looked up again, he was gone. If there were any tracks, the wind had blown them away. She stood watching the horizon, her long hair flowing in the wind, until the sun dropped low and red over the hills, and shadows of purple and blue settled over the valley. Then she turned around and went back to town.
Aoshi and Ryou met her by the gate. "Where is he?" demanded Aoshi. "Destroying him is the only way to avenge my men."
She tried to convince him that Kenshin wasn't an enemy, but Aoshi only looked at the horizon with hardened eyes. With a sigh, Yukina turned to Ryou. "Why are some men so dense?"
Ryou gave her a sympathetic shrug. "It's a mystery. What are you going to do now?"
A playful grin spread across her face. "Daddy!" she yelled, and drawing her twin swords, she charged at Aoshi. His own swords sprang out like lightning, and the clash rang out across the valley. Yukina laughed as they danced around one other, their swords glinting in the moonlight. Whatever else happened, she would always be his daughter. For now, that was enough.