Diary of a Manslayer

A sequel to Kendo no Go

Akai Kitsune

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Author's Prelude

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PLEASE read before continuing on with the fic!

There are two major changes between this fic and Kendo no Go - mainly, the existence of two new characters. This spurred mostly from the need for new material to work with. Using Kenji has so far been great, but considering how far I've turned from the Seisouhen occurrences, I decided to take a step further in distancing myself from such a depressing idea. Watsuki-san said Kenshin should end his life happily, and despite the bitter, melancholy mood Kendo had sometimes, upholding this was my intention. In this story, Seisouhen and most of what occured within it do not and will not exist unless they're explicitly mentioned.

With that in mind, I created for this fic two new children for Kenshin and Kaoru: Yukino and Shinichi.

Yukino is the middle child, a daughter born five years after Kenji. She exists mostly to give Kenshin and Kaoru a challenge as parents. As you'll see in the story, she is not only rebellious but indifferent as she grows older, seeking a freedom she can't have in the dojo. Yukino is the sort of daughter a parent would dread, no matter how much they love her.

Shinichi, as the youngest born eleven years after his brother (yeah, Kenshin's getting old! ^_^), is the spoiled child. He's not a brat, but he's rather impetuous because he knows he can get a great deal out of everyone. Only his siblings and Yahiko aren't fooled by this (come on, when are they ever?) and this often frustrates him. Born with his father's intensity, his mother's strength, and their mutual stubbornness, he's a pretty odd kid, but intelligent enough to get himself out of most troublesome situations. (I'll admit that I'm biased... being the youngest myself, Shinichi gets most of my sympathy, ^_^;;)

Another important alteration from Kendo no Go is the timeline. Most of the chapters will be connected, so reading them in sequencial order is a must. (This is for all you people who "skipped around" during Kendo! Shame on you!)

The fic, following the intro, will mostly take place after a big jump in timeline - Kenji is now 16, Yukino is 11, and Shinichi is five. I'll do my best to explain everything I can within the first bunch of chapters, and if questions aren't answered in one chapter, they may be found in another, so please be patient and bear with me. Comments as always are welcome and appreciated.

Ah, another note! Before I begin, I must note that I'm breaking the rules here. FFN has created a new set of rules for chapter uploads - no author's-note-only updates. (idiots)

Therefore, I must make the Author's Prelude a real prelude.

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Diary of a Manslayer

Prologue - We're serious, really

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Kaoru *holding up Shinichi*: Look, our son!

Kenshin *holding up Yukino*: Look, our daughter!

Shinichi: Hey!

Yukino: Watch the hair!

Kenji: What am I, chopped tofu?

Kaoru: You already starred in Kendo no Go, dear. You won't be in this one much.

Kenji: O_O EH?!

Kenshin: That's right, it's about me! ALL ME! Muwahaha-!

Yukino: Before you go insane, can you put me down first?

Kenshin: .... oro.

Kaoru: AHEM! We're supposed to be introducing the story, you know.

Shinichi: Aren't we kinda late for that? *points to the notes above*

Everyone: .........

Kenshin: Well, surely Akai-dono forgot something...

Kenji: She forgot ME!

Kaoru: That's because she doesn't like you, sweetie.

Kenji: ....

Yukino: Already I like this author.

Kenji: Hey!

Kenshin: I suppose if we have nothing to do here, we may as well continue...

Everyone: About time!

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AN: Ah, I feel better now. Fulfilled my obligation towards our dearly beloved webmaster.

On with the show, ^_^