Hello dudes! This is my first fanfic so I appreciate any feedback you can give me! Thanx! Btw, Rurouni Kenshin doesn't belong to me though I wish it did. Why, because it rawks! This is supposed to take place 5 years after the Kyoto story arch ended and Shishio-sama died. Thus, that makes little Soujiro about 23(assuming he was 18 when he fought Ken-sama), ne? Just a note, Italics are thoughts, okay?

---Broken Blade---

Ch. 1: Blood Stained Innocence

The rain fell hard against the ground, heavy and shattering like glass on contact with the earth as childish aspirations perish beneath the capricious nature of the unyielding fate. The sun had set hours ago and the streets of Kyoto were deserted except for a shadowy figure wrapped in a deep navy blue shroud which scarcely shielded them from the frigid shower and the howling violent winds. This wanderer, whom most common people of the day simply regarded as a mere nuisance, had once been a merciless killer. A murderer who had once lived for none but the sole purpose of enforcing the natural law: If you are strong, you live. If you are weak, you die. Though he was not completely responsible for the gory sins he had once committed. Before he was a killer, he had been a child. A gentle child named Soujiro who wished for nothing more than to be accepted and perhaps even loved for the person he was, not the disgrace and infidelity he had been the product of. But then something happened. Something horrible. Something I couldn't possibly atone for. I've been wandering for five years...searching, like those before me...but still. I never thought I would return here, where I began my journey 5 years ago. Perhaps Kami-sama bids it but I don't see what difference it makes to return here. Only graves lie here...

Suddenly, as the figure in blue was passing a large traditional Japanese mansion with a tall western style steel gate, a sharp high pitched scream pierced the silent calm of the night but was lost in the savage howls of the wind. The wanderer looked wide-eyed at the mansion and after a brief moment of hesitation, scaled the dangerously high wall of the estate. I shouldn't be here. If I'm caught, surely I'll be hanged for breaking and entering. However, if my instincts are correct, something much worse is going on here. Mr. Shishio would laugh at me if he could see me now. Coming to the aid of some pitiful rich old businessman who would sooner have me arrested than thank me for saving his life. On the other hand, Himura would probably be proud and be wearing that goofy grin of his.

As Soujiro entered the luxuriously garish estate, he removed the sopping, rain-drenched shroud from his equally drenched body. He was a young man of average height, delicate slender build, and a handsome yet troubled face. He always wore a smile but somewhere embedded in his eyes and heart was a deep scar that very few ever detected. The young man had dark brown hair and blue eyes that were same color as the ocean on an overcast day. His wet black gi was plastered to his body and he tried with great difficulty to run noiselessly through the suspiciously silent mansion.

He had no idea how he would find the owner of the scream but as he turned into another long hallway a low whimpering sound reached his ears. It was the room just three doors down on the right. As the wanderer got closer to the door he almost slipped because of something wet and sticky on the ground. He didn't have to look down to know it was a long trail of blood because of the familiar smell it emitted. A rich iron like stench, the same scent his own hands carried. The trail was a deep scarlet steak against the immaculately polished wooden floor; the streak gave the impression that whoever had been bleeding had dragged themselves in attempt to gain safety from someone or something. As the man cautiously slid open the door, he heard the slow distinct clink of a sword being unsheathed.

My God. To walk into the room and look into the contents was like gazing into hell itself. Blood was splattered callously across the walls and drizzled into shallow puddles on the floor. At his feet lay the body of what appeared to be a servant, it was difficult to tell because the corpse had been slashed to ribbons and the head lay cleanly severed beside the body with a look of sheer oblivion in the still open eyes. Several other bodies lay piled on top of each other in a corner. At the foot of a bed lay the bodies of a man and woman, most likely the owners of the mansion because of the difference in quality of clothes. The woman lay dead within a pool of blood in a pale blue western-style nightgown that's purity had been defiled by enormous red blotches. She had been pierced clear through the back. Her white hands lay outstretched toward her husband who had been killed in a similar way.

Then, in a dark corner, he saw the murderer with their back turned to him. The murderer had cornered two small children, a boy and a girl. The two children were paralyzed with fear and could only look hopelessly at their parents bodies which lay cold, pale, and bloody on the floor. They dared not stare into the eyes of this monster that stood before them covered in a black cloak holding an unsheathed sword that would soon claim their lives. The wanderer was about to unsheathe his own sword and slice the murderer in half when he noticed something peculiar about the way the assassin of the shadows was holding their blade. Trembling? Indeed, as he looked more closely at the hands of the killer, it was apparent that they were now shaking violently and the smell of fear filled the air. In a moment of intense frustration, the assassin raised the still shaking blade above their head and with a cry of anguish suddenly dropped the blade and faltered back. As the murderer turned to flee the room, they finally realized the presence of the wanderer whose startling glare was fixed on them. Upon meeting the unusually calm eyes of the wanderer, the murderer's bright amber eyes blinked in an expression of surprise. The wanderer unsheathed his sword and cleared the distance between the two in less than a second. Two swords met with a loud clash that echoed through the dimly lit room.

Time stood still. They're good, but not good enough. Didn't think it'd be over this soon though. A cleanly sliced blade flew high into the air and landed harmlessly a few feet away. The murderer gaped at the severed blade in a look of disbelief. A young and very soft female voice stuttered, "Th-Th-This can't be..." A girl! At this point, the murderer removed their cloak to reveal a girl of about eighteen years of age with long blue black hair tied in a loose pony tail and cat-like amber eyes. Her pale skin and expression of terror made her look like a ghost.

Both warriors now stared in silent shock at one another, each unsure of what to do about the other. Soujiro was about to say something when the girl immediately shoved him violently aside and ran quickly out the door. Soujiro recovered quickly but before he could go after the escaping girl, his attention returned to the crying children clinging together in the far dark corner. He approached them with a softening expression on his face. As he stared into their horror struck faces, a strange emotion overcame him as he remembered how he had once looked as they did now. What is this I'm feeling? Pity? I don't know that I've ever felt sympathy for anyone. Not even myself. What can I do, I can't just LEAVE them here to stare at their parents' dead bodies. With that, Soujiro gently picked up the young girl and led her and her brother to another room in the house that was far away from the pools of blood and severed limbs. He finally set the now sleeping girl on the bed and turned to the boy who looked to be about twelve. The boy was trying hard not to cry in front of the brave swordsman standing before him. Soujiro was impressed at the boy's composure but found it a little unsettling since he had just watched his parents' slaughtered before his eyes. There was an awkward silence in which Soujiro contemplated what he should do. However, the silence was broken by the boy suddenly collapsing to his knees in a sudden burst of anger and sorrow. He banged his small fists against the floor in anguish. Soujiro walked over to him and put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, which seemed to calm him down considerably. The child's voice trembled and uttered sadly, "I should have done something! I just watched them die! My mother was sobbing in pain and all I could do was stare at her suffering as that MONSTER continually stabbed my father through the chest! If you hadn't come, I know it would have killed us!" The boy's soft brown eyes gazed at Soujiro with a mixture of admiration and curiousity. "Who are you? You're so strong, If I had been as strong as you..." The boy's voice cracked and he started sobbing into Soujiro's shoulder uncontrollably. This made Soujiro extremely uncomfortable because he had no idea of how to comfort a child, as he had never actually been allowed to be one. Whenever he had cried, his tears were only met with merciless beatings and jeering, not kind words or a loving embrace. The boy stopped after awhile and looked somewhat embarrassed at his actions towards a man he didn't even know. "Sorry, I just..." The boy shook his head and his face flushed brightly. "I don't even know you, erm, I'm Sora Hishiro and that's my sister Saori..." The boy looked worriedly at his younger sister who lay sobbing in her sleep. Soujiro, smiled at him gently and replied, "My name is Soujiro Seta but for five years now, people have only referred to me as a wanderer. I was on my way to visit the grave of my master when I happened to hear a scream. I wish I could have made it here sooner. Do you have any idea who that woman was?" The boy shook his head and sniffed, "I have no idea...my father's an important businessman who deals with foreign trading...but he never associated with people like that." Soujiro sighed. Of course the kid wouldn't know anything about it. Most likely, one of his old man's enemies hired an assassin to do his dirty work. The woman must have been ordered to kill the entire household but she faltered because of her inexperience. So young. I recognized that expression.

In the far off distance, Soujiro heard the sound of policemen approaching the mansion. The neighbors must have heard their screams. I've got to leave. It won't look good if an ex- murderer is hanging around this massacre. At least the children will be safe. With that, Soujiro moved towards the door and as he left he said, "Don't mention to the police I was here and don't even think about pursuing the assassin your self, I'll take care of it so just look after your sister." Sora nodded silently and Soujiro gave him a kind reassuring smile as he quickly exited the mansion.

Once Soujiro had gotten a safe distance from the scene, he thought about how hopeless his promise had been. How on earth would he find that girl and what would he do when he found her? After all, it had only been 5 years since he had made a promise to himself that he would not slay another human being until he discovered what kind of man he was. Is it strength that decides who is right or was it something else... Soujiro stared up into the dark sky and wondered where this would all lead.

And as the 1st chapter concluded Sevenblade wondered what the hell was she writing anyway! Aghhh! That sucked, ne? Bad Sevenblade! irons hands and beats head with a lamp I'm sorry if it sucks! 'Tis my first fanfic... Review and help me out okay. A little OOC for Sou-chan too (he's older so of course he'd have become a little different, right?). I promise the next chapter will be better sweat drop