As you and your parents walk towards Master Hiko's home, you sense that your mom has a sad look on her face. You look up at her as she looks at you and you smile at her which causes her to smile sadly back. The three of you soon get there and your eyes light up when you see a boy around your age practicing with a sword nearby. Hiko walks over to the three of you and when he sees what you're looking at, he smiles and walks you over to where the boy is practicing.
"Kenshin this is Kura and this is my apprentice Kenshin," Hiko says while introducing the two of you. You smile shyly at him as you look at him and when he looks you in the face, you turn your head while feeling your cheeks turning a light pink. The two of you start talking and you find that you actually want to practice with a sword and Kenshin looks in Hiko's direction before handing you his sword. You hold it for a moment while getting used to the fact that you can actually hold a sword in your hands.
Kenshin smiles when he sees the awestruck look on your face and he grabs your hand and helps you hold it properly. He helps you to use it a little and suddenly the sword is forcefully pulled out of your hand and given back to Kenshin. You look up to see your dad with an angry look on his face and you quietly tell Kenshin that you'll see him later as you walk over to your mom who's looking at you with a sad look on her face. Your dad says goodbye to Hiko and Kenshin and you wave goodbye sadly as the three of you head home. Kenshin waves goodbye and you see in his eyes that he wants to help you to be a swordsman since you seem to enjoy using a sword.
The walk home is silent and you have a bad feeling that you'll be in big trouble with your dad for handling sword. When you get home, you find that your suspicions are unfortunately right as your father backhands you and sends you flying across the room into the wall. You manage to sit up while ignoring the pain in your back and your mom tries to stop him but he simply knocks her back when she puts a hand on his shoulder. You really get angry when you see your mom get hurt and you run at your father to try to make him pay for hurting your mom but he simply knocks you back into the wall.
Your dad walks over to you and you try to get away from him but he grabs you by the hair and he pulls you up to eye level. "You listen and listen well. Swordsmanship is for guys only and if I ever catch you or your mom with a sword again, you'll wish you paid heed to my warning," your dad says before tossing you on the ground and walking away. You manage to sit up and your mom rushes over to you and she hugs you tightly while crying about what he said to you. Your mom helps you to your feet and she helps you to the garden where you see that the flowers are in bloom.
"Don't you listen to what your father says Kura. I'm a swordsman too and I won't let my daughter be told to not practice something that she is born to do," your mom says while opening her kimono and showing you the sword she carries around. You smile with a grimace on your face as you feel the pain in your back getting worse. Your mom notices this and she helps you to your room and you sit down on your bed. You suddenly hear something at your window and you sit up while wincing slightly. You walk over to where the noise is and you see Kenshin standing there with a concerned smile on his face.
You check to make sure that your dad is off somewhere and you find out to your delight that your dad will be gone for a week on a trip to help another village. You tell your mom where you'll be going and she smiles at you as you get a bag packed for your own trip. You run to your room and you climb out of the window and you tell Kenshin what happened while the two of you walk to master Hiko's house. You hear Kenshin growl when he hears about what happened to you and the two of you soon arrive. Kenshin explains the situation to Hiko and he agrees to house you while your dad is gone. The two of you get started on your training and after a few hours, you notice that it's getting late.
You point this out to Kenshin with a tired look on your face and the two of you head back inside for some food and well deserved rest. Kenshin walks you to your room and he tells you that you can keep the sword you're using and you happily thank him by hugging him. He smiles at your enthusiasm and you lie down on your bed and immediately fall asleep. You wake up the next morning and you get started on your training and after almost a week has passed you sadly pack your sword up and leave to go back home.
You tell Kenshin that you'll see him later and he nods while walking you home. You climb in your window and you hide your sword under your clothes in your drawers. You walk through the house and you pick up some yelling up ahead. It looks like dad's home early, you think to yourself as you get closer. It appears that your mom won't give up being a swordsman and you walk in the room just in time to see your mom die by your dad's hand. You have a wide eyed look on your face as your mom falls to the ground and your dad looks up and he walks your way with a malicious look on his face.
You start backing up and you run to your room and lock the door. He stops at your door and he tells you that if you try to be a swordsman, then you'll end up just like your mom. You sit down on your bed and cry because your mom is now dead. After a while, you find that your dad is asleep and you stand up with a determined look on your face. If my dad won't let me be a swordsman, then I'll have to go into hiding, you think as you pull your sword out of its hiding place.
You pull some bandages out of your first aid kit and you bind your chest so it appears that you're a guy. You then put your hair in one hand and you draw your sword with the other. You swipe your sword and you cut your hair to a very short length. You pull out a piece of paper and you leave a note to your father telling him that you'll be leaving for Tokyo and you won't be coming back. You try to talk with a guy voice and you find that you're pretty good at it. You pick up your bag and your sword and you jump out your window and you head to Hiko's place again except now Kura won't be able to see Kenshin again. You're now Kuro and you won't let your father control you anymore.