A few notes on this story: First, this story is written by TWO people: me (shinsei) and my friend, baka (ha)Just so you know, baka writes odd chapters, shinsei writes evens. Also, Amaya is an oc, in case you're wondering. Also, yes we know a katana is a type of sword, but we looked it up and it's also a name, so please bare with us. To avoid future confusion: Amaya and Katana are the same person!

Disclaimer: we don't own Rurouni Kenshin, sadly

Till Death Do Us Part

Part One (by baka)

The golden sun hung high in the mid afternoon sky. Amaya, an eight year old girl, came trotting from the nearby meadow. The forest green ribbon she clutched in her hand fluttered playfully in the cool breeze. Amaya brushed her coal black hair out of her eyes and continued her steady pace toward the small village that lay over the next hill. As soon as she got to the top of the hill, she stopped and gazed down. Her small, cozy village lay snuggled between several hills. Her deep green eyes sparked merrily and she sprinted the rest of the way down the hill and to her house.

"Mommy, Daddy where are you?" Amaya called as she entered the house through the back door. She wanted to show them her new ribbon. It was her absolute favorite color. She stepped lightly into the dim house. All the shutters were latched firmly over the windows. Amaya cocked her head curiously at that; it was so sunny and beautiful outside, why shut the shutters? The house was eerily quiet; it seemed no one was there. Curious, Amaya walked slowly through her home, clutching her ribbon to her chest protectively.

She walked to the kitchen, which was in the very front of the house, and gazed around. There were dirty plates and bowls laid aside carelessly on the countertop; that was very unusual, because her mother would never leave dirty dishes like that. Then suddenly, she heard a familiar voice coming from outside. Amaya recognized it as her father's and happily skipped to the door. She flung it open and saw an odd sight. Her father's face was hard, and etched with anger. Beside him, her mother holding her baby sister, looking worried and afraid.

It took her a moment to realize her father was speaking to somebody. It was a man sitting slouched in the saddle of a bay horse. The man wore a deep purple robe that covered most of his body, but his face was rapped in bandages. Beside him, a small boy around her age stood, his face emotionless. His light brown hair ruffled in the wind and she noticed he had a sword at his belt, as did the man on the horse. She could now hear her father clearly now.

"Get out of our village! Criminals like you are not wanted here!" The man on the horse smirked and turned to the young boy.

"Sojiro," he said, "This farmer is becoming a nuisance. Rid me of him now."

"Yes Shishio-sama," the boy's voice was as emotionless as his face. Before Amaya could famine what was going on, the boy called Sojiro swiftly unsheathed his blade and stabbed her father through his heart.

Her mother screamed "Nooooo!" and the man called Shishio unsheathed his sword in a movement so fast; Amaya's eyes were unable to see it. The blade sliced through her mother's throat easily. Her little sister, Sayuri, fell from her mother's lifeless arms and began to cry, like she knew what was happening. Fed up with Sayuri's lonely cries, Shishio killed her too. Amaya's eyes widened as she saw Sojiro: he was smiling! Smiling like he had enjoyed slaughtering her defenseless father and enjoyed watching his master murder a woman and mere infant. Shishio and Sojiro: those cursed names branded into her memories along with their devilish faces. Tears began streaming down her face and she couldn't stop them.

"Weak people," Shishio said suddenly to Sojiro, "if you are strong you live, if you are weak you die." Sojiro nodded and continued smiling.

Someone grabbed her from behind and she let out a scream before she realized it was her older brother, Taro. His face gleamed from sweat or tears, Amaya wasn't sure. His dark black hair was in disarray, and she could tell from his grip on her shoulders he was scared, but his deep blue eyes told of a deep bravery that fit him perfectly. Without saying a word, he quickly shut the door and ran, dragging her along with him, over to their family's indoor shrine, which held her family's treasures, passed from generation to generation. He grabbed grandfather's swords, her father's treasures that hung on the back wall, above the small golden Buddha statue. Taro quickly bowed respectfully to the statue and spoke a soft prayer under his breath. Those swords had protected many people during the war but since then they had never been used, because this was supposed to be a time of peace. Her brother abruptly let her go and whirled around to face her.

"It's all right Amaya," he whispered soothingly. Amaya realized she had been sobbing ever since she had been dragged away from the door. Amaya raised her free hand and wiped the tears from her cheeks and sniffed. "Listen to me Amaya." Taro said, taking both her hands into his. "We have to escape. Be very quiet and follow me. Do you understand?" Amaya sniffed again and nodded slowly. "Good. Let's go!" Taro stood up and tucked their grandfather's swords under one arm, and clutched her hand with his own. Amaya carefully stuffed the green ribbon into the pouch around her waist. Taro and Amaya quietly tiptoed out of the house through the back door and jogged up the hill, away from the bloodstained village that was their home.

Halfway up the large hill overlooking their house, Amaya and Taro noticed the boy Sojiro was walking leisurely slow behind them. It took them a moment to realize that Sojiro was following them, but it puzzled them why we walked so slowly. Taro's grip on her tightened and they quickly picked up speed. Amaya's main focus wasn't on their stalker, but on her own mind. Her mother's screaming and her sister's crying kept echoing through her head, tormenting her. Oh, how she despised Shishio and Sojiro for what they had done; killing her mother, father, and baby sister! Then she noticed Taro was leading her to the hill that overlooked the river. Mommy and daddy took us on picnics here maybe we can go tomorrow... No! No they can't—they're dead!

Her brother's grasp brought her back to reality. But she wasn't being pulled along anymore, but falling. Before her small mind could register what on earth was going on, they hit the water. The water was freezing and Amaya felt her knee scrape hard against some sharp rocks on the bottom of the river. Shaking, Amaya stood got her feet and stared. Blood was rushing down in the water with the current. There was so much that it looked like the river had begun to flow blood instead of water.

Where is it all coming from? She thought, terrified. Slowly, she forced herself to look down at her brother, who wasn't moving. Out of his back stuck three arrows, then, he sank under the river of blood. Amaya screamed and wasn't sure if she was shaking from the cold or pure terror. Instinct told her to look up, and she did so. At the edge of the cliff stood Sojiro, holding a wooden bow and smiling. Amaya balled her hands into small fists and struggled to hold the tears back. Sojiro cocked another arrow and Amaya ran off to the shore and out of sight of Sojiro.

Once she was on the shore she began to think of the blood, so much blood from mommy, daddy, Sayuri, and Taro. She started walking in a random direction, which she did not know or care. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew that she just wanted to get away from this place, this bloody place. While walking along, Amaya spotted her grandfather's two swords, which had apparently been swept along by the current, then pushed up on the shore. She picked them up not knowing what else to do, for what was an eight year old supposed to do when her family was dead?

Amaya pulled out her now soaking wet, forest green hair ribbon to tie them together. That ribbon had given her such joy earlier, and it was all she had wanted that day, but now she would give everything for her family to be alive, for it was them that brought her the greatest joy. Before she could stop herself, she felt hot tears trickle down her cheeks. A thousand curses to Shishio and Sojiro! Every thought was consumed with plotting revenge, because all she wanted was to make them feel how she felt. She wanted to make them feel alone, all alone as they had done to her, alone with no one to help you, no one there to protect you.

In the next life she would have to apologize to her grandfather. Apologize for using his swords to bring death, when he had always said they were meant for protecting. She wanted to become stronger, to avenge her family. She knew they would bring death because that was the only reason she had for living: revenge.

If you are strong you live, if you are weak you die.

That was what Shishio and Sojiro had said. She would become strong and they would be the ones that were weak. When that happened, they would deserve to die for just like they said: if you are strong you live, if you are weak you die. The words echoed endlessly throughout her mind. If you are strong you live, if you are weak you die…If you are strong you live, if you are weak you die…If you are strong….

Amaya woke up in a cold sweat, screaming, "No! No! I don't have to care! I am not Amaya anymore! I am Katana, Katana nothing more, nothing less! I don't have to care!" She was Katana now ever since that cursed day, her eighth birthday. Now the day she dreaded most was the one when most people where celebrating life. But she wasn't most people. That day only reminded her of death…death and loss of everything she had ever known or loved... that day eight years ago. The last day she had ever cared truly about something.

Now she only thought of finding them, those two, and destroying them. She smiled at the thought of seeing their faces when they lost everything. For now she was strong and they would die trapped in their words: if you are strong you live, if you are weak you die. Her only truth now was those words. Funny isn'tit, her only truth came from the person who striped away all others? She laughed silently because she now found things like that amusing.

You learn the most from the people who hurt you the most, She thought as she lay back down and fell asleep.

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Please, pretty please review and tell us what you think so far!