A/N - Okay, take-two at this fic. This story means a lot to me, so I want to tell it right. First of all, I want to clarify that though the OC is female, I am a huge fan of the Kenshin and Kaoru relationship. I could not have imagined someone more right for either character. Therefore, this fic is not a romance. I love fics that develop Kenshin and Kaoru's relationship and life further. I also feel like there is so much more to the Rurouni Kenshin story than just a romance. Kenshin has the power to help change people's lives and way of thinking - as we see time and time again throughout the anime and the manga. What I have noticed though, for the most part, is we rarely see the process and the result of the seeds Kenshin plants on people's hearts. This fic is to explore that idea, as well as what it took for Kenshin to transform from a hitokiri into a rurouni determined to protect the weak. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

"Kenshin, the Chief of Police, Mr. Toshiyoshi, is here to see you! He's out in the garden!" Yahiko announced, breathing hard with excitement.

"Calm down, Yahiko! Just show Mr. Toshiyoshi in, and he join us for dinner. We are still waiting on Sanosuke and Miss Megumi to join us anyway" Kaoru said impatiently.

"I wouldn't want him to have your cooking, Kaoru" Yahiko taunted, sticking his tongue out at Kaoru while he dodged just out of reach of her indignation. "Besides, he can't come in. He said he can't stay but needs Kenshin to come with him for a couple hours."

Kenshin put his hand on Kaoru's arm before she could respond. "It is not a problem, Miss Kaoru. I will go see what Mr. Toshiyoshi wants. You should continue dinner without me, that you should."

Kaoru made to object, but Kenshin just smiled at her, and exited the dojo towards the garden, sliding his sakabato (reversed-blade sword) into his hakama and obi.

"Mr. Toshiyoshi," Kenshin said with a bow, "I was told you wanted to speak with me?"

In his usual clipped manner, Mr. Toshiyoshi replied, "There is a young woman just outside Toyko who is requesting to see you. She was found by some travelers coming to enter the city. She seemed rather ill. The travelers offered to help her to a doctor, but she refused, saying she had to see you first, Mr Himura. The travelers built a fire for her and then made their way into the city to report the matter to me. Please, come with me to see her."

"Did the young woman give her name?"

"Minomoto, Hikari Minomoto."

"Hikari. . ." Kenshin whispered, seemingly lost in thought.

"Himura?" Mr. Toshiyoshi prompted.

"Yes, I know Miss Hikari. I will come with you to see her, Mr. Toshiyoshi, that I will."

Mr. Toshiyoshi led Kenshin into the police carriage parked outside of the gate, and instructed the driver to take them south, past the outskirts of Toyko. The ride out of town was quiet, most of the citizens already in doors for the night. Kenshin stared out the window, lost in memory.

Finally, Mr. Toshiyoshi cleared his throat to draw Kenshin's attention, and said, "Forgive me, Mr. Himura, but for police reports I must ask, what kind of person is Miss Minomoto? Will she cause trouble here in Toyko?"

"Miss Hikari was a hitokiri during the revolution, much like myself. She was an assassin for hire, though for the most part she did not fight on the side in favor of the Meji government, that she did not. If she was not a woman I believe she would have her own reputation for bloodshed. But many were too ashamed to admit they used the services of a woman assassin. Similarly, others were reluctant to admit their fallen comrades had been slain by her. Still, those of us who fought in Kyoto knew her and those who were wise did not wish to cross swords with her."

"Did you ever cross swords with her, Mr. Himura? Do you believe she could still be dangerous?!"

"I was in battles where I saw her fight, but only once did we cross swords, and only briefly."

"Why did the battle between you two end?"

"After a few minutes she received notification that her target had already been eliminated" Kenshin said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Any further battle between us at that time would have been meaningless. I am sorry to report that I do not know what she has been doing since the war, that I do not. From what you have told me, however, it seems she is in no condition to harm anyone tonight. I do not see any cause for you to worry whether or not she is a safety threat at present."

"Yes, of course" Mr. Toshiyoshi replied, somewhat pacified by Kenshin's explanation.

Kenshin continued gazing out of the window of the carriage, his mind on the thought he hadn't voiced. If she felt threatened, the Miss Hikari he knew of would be dangerous no matter what physical condition she was in, that she would.

The carriage rattled through the outskirts of Toyko, until Kenshin saw the glint of a fire light in the distance. His heart quickened with concern. He breathed deeply to calm himself as the glint of light drew nearing.

A figure wrapped tightly in a cloak was half sprawled, half huddled around the fire, a pack of belongings, propped up near a neighboring tree, and the hilts of two swords protruding from her hakama. Kenshin exited the carriage and knelt down by the figure, now a mass of cloak and long black wavy hair.

"Miss Hikari?" Kenshin said tentatively, while maintaining an awareness of how far his sword hilt was from his reach.

"Himura. . ." the figure rasped, blinking rapidly as she was trying to focus on him.

Any trepidation Kenshin felt vanished, he knew that quality to her voice, he knew the sound of the dying.

Gently he pulled the cloak from around her face, and smoothed her sweat drenched hair away from her eyes. Dilated pupils gazed back at him almost without seeing, ringed with a hint of a blue-grey iris.

"Where are you hurt, Miss Hikari?"

"Nowhere. Nowhere that is not of my own making" she rasped again, her eyes fluttering shut.

"Miss Hikari?!" Kenshin tried more urgently.

"Do not fret, Himura" Hikari said, slowly flickering her eyes open again. "I am well enough. Though if you intend for me to move from this spot, I may require your assistance."

"I think it would be better if we tend to your present condition before we have any serious discussion, Miss Hikari. If you will return with me, I believe I know someone who can help you."

Hikari nodded, and let Kenshin pull her to her feet. Clumsily she walked, supporting her weight in Kenshin's arm. After she stumbled for the third time, Kenshin scooped Hikari up in his arms, and made to carry her the remaining distance to the carriage.

"Himura, if you do not put me down I will slay your first born child. . ." Hikari mumbled indignantly, her words made almost incoherent by fever.

"I am afraid you will have years ahead of you before you can fulfill that threat, Miss Hikari. I have no children, that I do not."

Hikari blushed in embarrassment and fury, swearing under her breath, but making no further formal objection to being carried.

When they arrived back at the carriage, Kenshin turned to Mr. Toshiyoshi and said, "Miss Megumi is at the Kamiya Dojo right now, eating dinner as my guest. I believe Miss Hikari is in need of her services. Please return us there. You can leave Miss Hikari in our care."

Hikari grunted at being spoken about as if she was not there, but had no energy to say anything more about it.

"As you say, Mr. Himura" Mr. Toshiyoshi responded stiffly.

When the carriage arrived at the Kamiya dojo, the residents and dinner guests came to greet them. Kenshin carried the half asleep Hikari out of the carriage, and it drove away behind them. Kenshin met Kaoru's furrowed gaze with his kind one. "Miss Kaoru, I believe we are going to be having a guest for a little while, can I trouble you to prepare a room?"

"Of course, Kenshin. Does our guest have a name?"

"Miss Hikari Minomoto – someone I knew in Kyoto."

"Kyoto?" Kaoru gave Kenshin a questioning look, but when he shook his head slightly she nodded, and walked into the dojo.

"Miss Megumi, my guest seems to be rather ill – I don't have information as to how. Can I trouble you to see to her before you leave?"

"Of course, Sir Ken. Did she say anything to you?"

"Only that whatever was hurting her was of her own making."

Megumi carefully brushed the hair off Hikari's face and felt her forehead. Hikari groaned in her sleep. "Bring her inside, Sir Ken, and I will exam her."

For the next hour conversation was limited to assisting Megumi to finding blankets, to fill basins of hot water, and find their spare lanterns. Finally when there was nothing left to do but wait for Megumi's diagnosis, Kaoru convinced Kenshin to come eat a late dinner.

As Kenshin ate, Kaoru, Yahiko, and Sano questioned him about their unexpected visitor.

"When you said you knew her in Kyoto, you meant that she was someone you knew during the revolution, right Kenshin?" Yahiko asked eagerly.

"Yes, Yahiko. Miss Hikari was a strong hitokiri, that she was, though she did not often fight on a side in favor of the Meji government."

"Wait, a girl was a man-slayer in the revolution?" Yahiko asked in disbelief.

"Are you forgetting that your Sensei is "a girl', Yahiko?" Kaoru demanded, hitting him on the back of his head in annoyance.

"Yea, but Miss Hikari is pretty! She looks like she would have been a geisha or something!"

Sano had to hold Kaoru back from beating Yahiko senseless, while also laughing at the Yahiko's insult himself.

"Seriously though, Kenshin," Sano asked after everyone calmed down, "She fought in the revolution, as an assassin?"

"Yes. She was a very skilled killer for hire. I know little about her training, but she was known for having the stealth commonly attributed to a ninja, while also being quite adept at using both the katana and the wakizashi. Though she would sometimes use either sword individually, I believe she was more known for using them together with two-handed sword techniques. She was very formidable, that she was."

"She doesn't look old enough to have done all that" Yahiko complained.

"I was only 18, Yahiko" Kenshin said kindly. "Miss Hikari was probably only a year or two older than I was. The world was a different place then, that it was. One's age was a poor indicator of their experience."

"Do you know why she has come, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

"Mr. Toshiyoshi said she came looking for me, but as to her exact business I am not sure. I don't think we will know until she is in better health."

"Then I am afraid you have a few days to wait" Megumi said tiredly, entering the room, and kneeling down at the table. Sano reached over and discreetly took her hand as Megumi continued. "Her situation is not directly life-threatening anymore, but it is very painful, and will still be for a few more days at least. With your permission I would like to stay and care for her; I am familiar with her illness."

"Of course, you are always welcome, Megumi" Kaoru replied kindly, passing Megumi a hot cup of tea.

"What's wrong with her?" Sano asked gently, realizing now was the time for gentleness rather than humor.

"I am not sure I should say, but I suppose you will all need to know if she ends up staying here for awhile. From what I can tell, she is going through a rather severe withdrawal from opium."

"Opium?" Kaoru asked in surprise.

"I am afraid so. She seems to have been involved rather heavily in an opium habit. In a fit of clarity it appears she tried to stop using opium all at once, and is now withdrawaling from a physical dependence to it."

"I see. That is sad, that it is" Kenshin said, looking down at his hands. "We will certainly accept your services in caring for her, Miss Megumi, and please let us help in any way we can."

"Do you think she is here to hurt you, Kenshin?" Sano asked quietly.

"It is impossible to know for sure, Sano, but I think not. There is little I will know until I speak with her, but if I were to guess I would say that she tried to defeat the man-slayer in her heart in a different sort of way than myself, and received less than her desired result."

"If that is the case, can you help her, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked, putting her hand on his arm in support.

"I do not know, but I will certainly try if that is what she wishes, that I will."


The next five days went by in a blur as Hikari's body fought and screamed for the opium it now lacked. Her muscles felt heavy and ached, her stomach rolled and rejecting anything that passes her lips. Her whole body was weak and tired, but she couldn't sleep. She dwelt in the limbo between sleep and wakefulness, delirious and involuntarily groaning in pain. Megumi stayed by her side, forcing her to drink water, changing her sweaty clothes, and soothing her muscles and rolling stomach with herbal remedies. Megumi kept up a string of talk – anything from daily events, to stories, to poems as an attempt to distract Hikari from the pain. After the first two days Sano finally convinced Megumi to rest for awhile and the others took it in shifts to watch Hikari and help her as Megumi instructed.

On the evening of the fifth day, Hikari experienced her first moments of lucidity.

"Where am I?" Hikari said, her voice coming out as a croaking whisper.

Sano was currently on shift to watch her. He responded, "You are at the Kamiya dojo in Toyko. You were brought here because you said you wanted to see my friend, Kenshin Himura."

"Himura. . . yes. . . I need. . . to see him. . .please."

"You will. He lives here. He came to meet you, but you were sick, so he brought you here. My Megumi s a doctor and she has been looking after you for the last five days."

"Five days. . . I see" Hikari said, flushing slightly and turning away from Sano's face. "That certainly was not my intention to impose upon you all like this."

"Got yourself a bit of a habit?"Sano said casually. Still the words cut Hikari deeply. Sano pressed on, "I know the signs. I lost my friend to an addiction and eventual over-dose on opium."

"Something. . . something like that" Hikari said cryptically before changing the subject rather transparently. "I can tell you are a fighter, but I do not remember your face from the revolution. Who are you?"

"I am Sanosuke Sagara. I was a child soldier in the Sekiho Army during the revolution."

"Then, I am sorry. Yours is a sad story. The Meji government treated your army very poorly. . . if I recall."

"Yes" Sano responded, fists clenched at the memory.

"But then you met, Himura, and somehow knowing him and fighting him healed your heart? There is a lot of peace in you that I would not expect to find given your background."

"Yes. Kenshin taught me to fight with a higher purpose. He showed me that there are people I can protect in this era of peace, people who need protecting."

"Like your Miss Megumi?" Hikari said with a small smile.

"Yes" Sano said blushing slightly, "and others. Don't tell Megumi I called her that though, she doesn't always like it. She is a strong and very indepentant woman, though I wouldn't change her, not for anything. But I should go get her – she will want to know that you are awake so she can see how you are feeling. How are you feeling?"

"Very tired, but better than before. I am ashamed that you all saw me in that way, I wouldn't want to been seen in such a state even by friends, not to mention strangers."

"I have a feeling we won't be strangers for long. Didn't you know withdrawal was coming, after you stopped taking opium?"

"Yes, I suppose I did. But I didn't think it would come on so quickly. I thought I would be able to meet with Himura and be on my way before it happened. Obvious I misjudged that" she said with a sardonic chuckle that turned into a cough. Sano helped Hikari sit up, and rubbed her back gently until the coughing subsided.

"You okay?"

"Yes. A side effect of. . . this. . . is that my nose runs. If I have been laying down for five days my nose has been running into my throat all this time. Ergo the cough I assume."

"Welcome back to the land of the living" Megumi said as she entered the room, her deep red lips turned up into a tired smile.

"Miss Megumi?" Hikari asked, questioning the woman's identity.

"Yes."

"Then I owe you a great debt of gratitude for your care. I am sorry for the imposition. Was there much danger? I am afraid there is little I remember other than. . ."

"Pain?" Megumi filled in. "You came closer to death than most I have seen with your particular illness. You have not been caring for your body as you should, Miss Hikari. Sir Ken hasn't lied about your background though, you have both the build and previous injuries of someone who has seen and survived many battles."

Hikari said nothing, uncomfortable with how much these apparent strangers seemed to know about her.

Megumi knelt by Hikari's bed roll, and examined her briefly. "The worst. I believe, has passed. You need to know, however that should you return to your opium use now, and take the same amount that you are accustomed to, it could very well be the last thing you ever do. Though your body has built up a tolerance to it's effect, the same amount of opium that is fatal for a first time user is just as fatal to one long addicted. Do you understand?"

"I do. I. . . I have tried to stop before, but was. . . unable. I know the risks I am taking, though I appreciate your honesty."

"Good" Megumi said, sounding both sad and satisfied. Getting up she squeezed Hikari's arm gently, "We will talk about this later. For now I will go see if Sir Ken is available to see you."

Hikari felt ashamed that her vice has been exposed in such an fashion. She turned away from the door, and in a moment of sensitivity, Sano left Hikari alone.

In a few minutes the room was full of people, and Hikari was feeling anxious. A young woman in a beautiful kimono spoke, "I am Kaoru Kamiya, I am the assistant Sensei of this dojo."

"I have heard of you" Hikari said with her eyes closed. "You are the one rumored to have captured and melted the heart of Mr. Himura."

"I. . .well. . ." Kaoru said, flustered.

"That she has" Kenshin supplied, his face a shade pinker than normal.

"Thank you then, Miss Kaoru, for your hospitality. I can pay you and Miss Megumi for the trouble you have gone to on my behalf."

"There is no need" Kaoru said kindly. "We aren't here to exact payment from you. Kenshin is part of our family. When people from his past turn up it usually means there is going to be some kind of trouble. Any trouble Kenshin faces, we face together, that is why we are all here."

Hikari blinked her eyes rapidly, and then closed them again, fighting a sensation she had thought herself immune to, that of tears. Finally, when she felt herself under control she said, "Your loyalty is touching. I will not separate Mr. Himura from his friends. You do him all a great service."

"Miss Hikari" Kenshin said gently, "Why have you been looking for me? Is there something I can help you with?"

"I. . . I don't think so, not anymore. I did have a purpose in coming to see you, but I think I was wrong to do so. Do know, however, that my intention was and will never be to harm you or those you cherish. I hold no personal enmity between you and me over the past. I thank you for your kindness, and I shall take my leave of you now."

Hikari made to get up from her bed roll, but was forced back down by both Sano and Megumi. "I can't make you tell us why you are here, kid, but I most certainly won't let you leave until Megumi here says you are ready to go. It wouldn't be terribly hospitality if you ended up leaving here now only to die on the road."

In a flash Hikari's eyes grew cold and angry. When she spoke, her voice was ice, stripped of kindness and warmth, "I do not need your permission, Sanosuke Sagara, and I did not ask for it. I am not your pet and I am not your project. I don't do well in cages, so you had better think twice before you threaten me with one again".

Kenshin shifted, moving his hands towards the hilt of his sakabato, grateful that Hikari's weapons had been removed from her person and were propped up against the far wall. Sanosuke realized the tension of the situation, and also went alert, prepared to fight.

Hikari felt the air stiffen in the room, and knew, to her anguish that she was the cause, again. She felt panic fill her, and air come out as gasps from her lungs as her mind raged against itself. I am being threatened, and all threats must be eliminated before they eliminate me. But the war is over! one part of her screamed. I don''t have to fight anymore. But if I don't fight anymore, what use am I? a final part of her mind whimpered, afraid and hopeless.

The war in her mind was overwhelming. Rising above all the feelings and thought was a need to drown out everything. Hikari yearned for opium to numb herself, but knew she could not get any in time. Control, then, was the second best option. Hikari's eyes darted around the room, searching for some means to gain control of her mind and heart. Pain, a dark corner of her mind whispered. In battle, pain always gave be a sharp sense of clarity, of what was real. With God-like speed she took the medical knife from Megumi's obi, and drew it across leg, partially exposed from the bedroom. Relief poured into her, and she felt the roar of her mind grow quiet. Her breathing eased and she closed her eyes, commanding herself to come back to reality. The moment has passed for now.

"Thank you, Mr. Sanosuke, for helping me illustrate my point" Hikari said angrily, spitting out the last word as she threw Megumi's knife to the ground.

Hikari paused to take a breath, and ease the anger out of her tone. This wasn't Sanosuke's fault. She positioned a calm emotional mask over each of her features and said, "It was a mistake to come here. Forgive me for my intrusion. I will not ruin what you have built here by my presence. I take my leave." The room was hushed and quiet, everyone seemingly too surprised to make another move as Hikari gathered her weapons and pack, and left the room.

It wasn't until Hikari opened the gate to the dojo ground that she heard Kenshin calling out behind her, "Were you hurting yourself to gain control? Does your need to kill emerge so easily now? Is that why you came here to see me, Miss Hikari?"

Hikari froze, uncomfortable at being read so easily by someone who used to be her enemy. Her fear turned to anger, as all emotions inevitably did, and when she turned back to glare at Kenshin, it was with a man-slayer's heart. She yearned to cut down his smiling kindness, his gentle nature, while simultaneously she yearned to embody those characteristics herself. The war inside her drove her to her knees before the gate. She clutched her heart as if it was breaking in her hands. Her body ached with the dregs of the drug it begged for.

"I have never done anything like that before. I just needed it to stop. It's getting worse. I am losing. I cannot win this fight, Himura. Give me peace in death; there is no redemption for me. I came here on the dregs of hope and strength that are now lost to me. Please, Himura, kill me."

Kenshin crossed the distance between and made to reach for Hikari, but she pushed him away, using the gate to help pull herself up. Hikari glared at Kenshin's offered kindness like a wild animal, both fierce and unpredictable.

Kenshin maintained space between them as he spoke, "I wondered for ten years, Hikari, fighting the man-slayer in my heart, sometimes losing and winning as I sought a purpose for my existence and atonement for my past. It was not until I stopped wondering that I found the reason to defeat the man-slayer in my heart. Let me teach you what I have learned" Kenshin said, trying to speak reason to Hikari's raging heart.

"And if I fail? Or hurt your friends? Will you swear to break your oath and kill me?" Hikari demanded.

Kenshin continued to hold her. "I don't kill anymore, Miss Hikari."

Hikari scoffed. "Of course you don't, Himura. Of course. Go back to your beautiful life. It was a mistake to come here."

Kenshin reached out to Hikari again, but she shoved him back into the twilight lit garden. "You can't help me, Himura! You fool, I have no control! I could kill you and everyone you love before I even realized it! I can't take that risk if you won't swear to stop me. . . I needed you. . . I needed you to stop me. . ." Hikari finished, feeling more hopeless than ever.

"I will stop you if there is a need" said another voice from outside the gate. From the shadows stepped a tall figure in a police uniform.

"Saito" said Kenshin quietly.

"I am –"

"I know who you are, Saito Hajime. You have not changed so much in the last ten years that I would not know you. You work for the police now I see?" Hikari asked, her mask of control slipped quickly on again as she turned to face him.

"In my own way. I police this government. If it becomes corrupt, and fails to live up to all its promises of peace, I will be the wolf of justice once more."

"Then you have taken no oath of pacifism?"

"I have not, nor do I intend to. Himura and I see the solution to your struggle very differently, though I wouldn't suggest you learn from me. But yes, I can protect them and you, from this demon the revolution awoke in you until and unless you are able to do so yourself."

Hikari sagged against the gate, defeated and worn. "I accept your offer, Saito Hajime – and I pray you never have to make good on it" Hikari said sleepily.

Saito stepped through the gate, and ignoring her sleepy protestations, picked up Hikari before she felt asleep on the gate. With no strength left to resist, Hikari's eyes fluttered closed. Saito studied the young woman in his arms, sickly but strong, and beautiful in an ethereal way. Looking up, Saito met Kenshin's gaze. To the unasked question Saito answered, "Toshiyoshi sent me to see how she was doing, and if you had any more information of whether or not she was a threat."

"What do you plan on telling him?" Kenshin asked.

"The truth – that everything is under control" Saito replied, looking down at Hikari once more. "Perhaps, Himura, those who died in the revolution were the lucky ones, because they don't have to learn how to live again now that the chaos is over."

"I agree with you, Saito, that I do."