Disclaimer: I do not own the Anime or it's characters. All rights go to the creator of the anime Rurouni Kenshin.

Going to Tokyo

Sounds of laughter filled the air as a man and small child came to a house in a clearing in the woods. "Mother!" cried the child as she ran to her mother standing on the porch.

"My little Kairi, how was your day?" asked the woman as she hugged her daughter.

"She's the best little farmer I know." said her father with a smile. Kairi turned and smiled at her father.

"Mother is Riku home?" Kairi asked her mother with a smile.

"No. He should be back before dark," she said.

Kairi looked to the house then said, "Kyiu's awake." As the words left her lips a baby's cry came from inside the house.

Her father looked at her and asked, "Will you go look after your little brother." So with out a word Kairi ran inside.

"Her skills are getting better, and she gets stronger every day." Said her father looking at his wife with pride in his dark eyes. "She works as hard as Riku does." He added softly.

"Her mind is as strong as her spirit is, my love," said the woman.

"I know it's hard to believe she is only four years old," he said as he put his arm around his wife and went inside.

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The sun was setting now Yako was sitting on the porch with Kyiu in her arms. Kairi was looking at her father with wild eyes as he sat polishing his sword, he was telling her a story of samurais and honor. He stopped at the sound of someone coming on the clearing that the house was in.

"I think Riku's back," said Subaru

"Father I do not think that's RI…" Started Kairi as a group of men came out of the woods. Subaru set down his sword to seem friendly, but as he walked up to the group, the man in front pulled out his sword and…

She jerked forward from her place against the wall. It had been year's sense she had had to relive that day's events. She wiped her face of the sweat and tears. How long had it been? Fifteen… no Twenty years! And she still woke up crying. A knock from the door pulled her from her thoughts. "Hai," she called.

A small girl opened the door just enough to poke her head of black frizzy curls in. "The meal is ready Mr. Sota," she said Sota nodded enough for the girl knew she'd been heard after which she left closing the door softly behind her.

Sota saw no reason to correct the child. She had deep green eyes, and with her dark brown hair cut level with her chin, she passed as a twenty something male. It was better that people thought that consecrating her way of life. She looked around the small room the rising sun was just starting to come in the window. It was nice for a small inn. She got up and got her things ready to leave, she need to be in Tokyo before dawn.

After her meal she looked herself over to see that her weapons were hidden under the cloak she wore. As she walked down the street she pulled up the hood of her cloak. She stopped on a hill, over on the far horizon sat Kyoto it was the nearest she had been to the city sense the revolution and she had no intention of getting closer. She turned toward Tokyo once again turning her back on what was once part of her life.

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Colors of pink and purple filled the sky as the sun started to set. The Akebeko was almost empty, almost meaning Kenshin and his friends had gathered together for a late meal, and a shadowed figure in a far booth.

"Yo Kenshin, do ya see that guy? He's been here a long time without getting anything." whispered Sanosuke

"Hai. He seems to be waiting for someone," said Kenshin from behind his cup of tea.

"He's been here sense this afternoon, I was gonna ask that he leave earlier. But when I went over there he said that he just needed to rest a little. And he'd be leaving before dark." said Tae. "He even offered to pay, he just didn't want to trouble an inn when he wasn't gonna use it all night. So I said I didn't mind."

"I wonder where he's going it doesn't look like he has much with him." Said Kaoru around her chopsticks.

"I really didn't think to ask. It's really strange thou, he seems so alone. I don't think he's much older then you Mr. Sanosuke." Tae said softly.

"Really?"

Movement from the booth caught their attention as the young man slowly got out of the both, leaving a small bag of money behind. He didn't even look at Tae when she thanked him for coming, just stepped out the door and vanished into the night.

"That was a bit strange don't ya think, Kenshin?" asked Sanosuke.

"Hai. Very strange indeed."

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A shadow flashed through the woods near Tokyo. It was past sundown and the woods were dark allowing the figure to blend into the shadows easily. It stopped right out side of a clearing. Somebody was hiding in the underbrush watching and waiting. The figure slowly walked into the clearing, alerting the young man sitting there. As he stood the figure was able to see that he was indeed VERY young. 'So the imperialists are sending a boy, to do a mans job, how predicable.' The figure thought bitterly.

Saitou sat high in a tree overlooking the clearing, watching the hand off. He still hadn't been told what it was they were handing over to this renegade assassin. They, being him and a small group of police swordsmen, and why was 'he' up in the tree, because his superiors wanted someone of his 'experience' to watch this Ghost fight and still come back.

He had been waiting for an hour now for this Ghost to arrive. Ghost, he still wondered who came up with that name. This assassin was very much alive and looked more like a shadow then a ghost. But then there already was an assassin using the name Shadow. But she hadn't been seen sense the end of the revolution and she'd only terrorized Kyoto and its sounding area. Saitou narrowed his eyes as a rustle in the bushes caught his attention. Those fools were going to blow everything if they didn't stop moving!

The Ghost stood in the center of the clearing; it was disappointing that the imperialists thought so little of him. They had only sent ten boys to try to kill him! Half of them weren't hidden well, and the others couldn't keep from moving every two seconds. Very disappointing indeed! He looked at the boy in front of him, unarmed shaking- visibly so -probably the runt of this little group, the first to be sacrificed for his corrupt government.

Meant to hand over the box and be the first to taste the edge of the Ghost's blade. His mind had played this scene out already, and by his blade or by gunfire this boy would be killed. And either way his family wouldn't know why their boy was killed. 'Is this really the government you helped bring to power?' he asked silently.

Slowly the Ghost removed the pack he was caring, setting it on the ground in front of him. Cautiously taking the box from the young officer he knelt down to put it into the pack. He kept his eyes on his surroundings he could smell the gunpowder from the rifles and hear the clanking of their swords against the hard earth. This was all going to be over soon, just another pointless battle that could have been avoided if the damn imperialists were loyal to the people who worked for them. "I'll give you five seconds the get out of my way boy, then I draw my sword." His voice was only loud enough for the officer in front of him to hear.

Saitou noted the change in the officer in the clearing; he could also feel the change in the air around them something as about to happen. The officer turned towards the nearest tree line and ran; unfortunately he hadn't move fast enough. When the Ghost pulled his sword from it's sheath it's tip cut deeply into his back causing him to fall, but it was the effect it had on the others the Ghost was counting on. They charged blindly into the clearing swords drawn, no plan just anger witch made them irrational, and doomed.

The Ghost smiled a twisted smile, as they charged not a single one had thought to use their gun. Anger could be a powerful weapon but if not controlled properly it was a deadly weakness. One he had no problem exploiting. The officers with the quickest reflexes were the first to reach him and the first to fall. His blade was quick and precise cutting through their meek defenses, removing limbs and decapitating one poor officer before he had the chance to see the blade. After the last officer was shoved off his sword he turned and picked up his pack and walked towards the tree line. As the Ghost passed the runt that had fallen first he took his sword and stabbed it deep into the officer's back twisting slightly before removing it, he wiped it on the sleeve of his black gi before re-sheathing it and continuing on his way. If the other one was merely going to sit and watch while his friends died then so be it, it wasn't his business anyway.

Saitou looked down at the blood stained earth, he hadn't seen such proficiency sense his time in the Shinsengumi. He frowned as he made his way into the clearing. He would have to wait to fight this man; he hoped he'd find a trail to fallow soon. This assassin was one without pride or honor; his kind had no place in the Meiji era.

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The city of Tokyo was dark and tension fill the air seeming to give life to the shadows; this went unnoticed by the people most of which were safe in their homes away from the cause of the tension. But to those who had to yet face it the tension ate away at their minds.

The Tokyo police headquarters was alight with lamps in every window and in the yard as well, police moved around in pairs looking for anything out of place. They weren't going to let anyone let alone an assassin sneak into their headquarters. The Ghost's intended target was on the top floor with several officers as well as a few well-known swordsmen ready to defend him and stop this assassin from killing again.

"Tell the men to be ready for anything." said a middle aged man his brown eyes shone with worry. He was standing by the far wall of the office to his right was a desk and behind it sat the target. An older man his once dark hair now mostly white his once sharp eyes now dulled by age gazed at the men in his office. "No one comes near this room till dawn."

"Hai Sir." said the officer by the door; he bowed quickly then left closing the door behind him.

"Thank you for coming Mr. Himura, but hopefully we won't need your skills tonight." the younger man said solemnly.

"Sir if I may ask, what's really going on here?" Kenshin asked eyeing the older man, he remembered both of them from the revolution the older man had commanded one of the best spy network their side had had. The younger one his job had been to draw the enemies' attention if the spy made a mistake giving them time to get the information out.

"Right now in the forest outside the city there is a small group of officers waiting for an individual who is terrorizing this government by assassinating anyone who dose not cave to his orders." Said the older man matter-of-factly.

"But Sir, no one was suppose to be there but the officer making the trade! What if he kills the young man?" the younger man asked stunned the he would risk more innocent lives just to kill this one man.

"Its him or us Hibari! Or do you honestly think he'll stop killing now that he has what he asked for! He is an assassin they don't just stop killing on there own, you foolish-" he stopped as the light suddenly went out. Kenshin stiffened hearing the sound of a sword cutting through more then just air followed by the dull thud as the sent of blood filled the air.

"He was a fool to believe those boys could kill me," stated a cold voice calmly as the light flickered back on reviling a figure standing by the desk sword drawn, blood dripping from its tip. The older man who had been sitting at the desk was now lying on the floor behind it headless. His killer was dressed completely in black, even the scarf covering his head and face was black, the only visible color were his eyes and they glowed an eerie orange not truly one color but the image of yellow being swallowed by red. His eyes scanned the room looking at each of them carefully assessing their strength and weaknesses. When he got to Kenshin his eyes lit with interest.

"I didn't know they were going to be there," said Hibari with fear in his voice, he'd backed against the wall when the lights had come back on and he was now shaking from what he saw.

The Ghost turned to Hibari his eyes saw straight through him and he knew it. "Is that so?" His voice was like ice, "Then why is the Battousai here if you didn't know, hmm?" He asked looking over at Kenshin again.

Kenshin's eyes narrowed and the Ghost just laughed at him. "You'll have to do more then glare at me Battousai. Come now draw your sword, manslayer."

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Saitou growled softly. It seamed like he'd been doing that ever sense he'd left the forest to head back to headquarters. He need to get some men into the forest to clean that mess up before some poor local drunk stumbled onto the bodies. He didn't even want to think of the paperwork that would cause. He couldn't understand how that poor group was suppose to defeat an assassin of that caliber, he should have stepped in when he'd smelt the amount of blood the man had on him. Instead he'd stayed put like he'd been told, 'Just observe nothing else.' And look where that got him, a pile of paperwork and ten families to devastate. He growled again, this should never have happened.

Sounds from up ahead pulled him out of his thoughts. He quickened his steps, while one should expect some commotion from the place; it was police headquarters after all. It was in the middle of the night and there hadn't been that many officers there when he'd left at sunset. Deciding to act quickly he jumped over the sidewall chousing to avoid the front gate that had been left unguarded.

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There were two things Sanosuke couldn't stand, hypocrites, and bullies. Both of which the man in front of him was! Kenshin hadn't drawn his sword yet and it didn't look like he was going to either. As long as they didn't attack then he would leave them alive. Or so the assassin had clamed. But he was sure baiting Kenshin, trying to get him angry enough to attack, but they would all be in danger then.

"That's one wired sense of humanity you got there, pal." Sano said disgusted.

"Not humanity, your just not worth it." The Ghost said looking at Sano cruelly before he jumped out the window laughing as his feet touched the ground.

"Oh no you don't!" Sano growled backing up a few steps.

"Sano, don't!" Yelled Kenshin as Sano jumped out the window following after the assassin unarmed.

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