A/N: Hello! This is the first Rurouni Kenshin story that I have done in quite some time, and it's not my normal genre so please don't flame me. I don't know how this story will develop so I'd love to hear any ideas or feedback in the reviews.

SPOILER ALERT: This takes place shortly after the events of Samurai X, so if you don't know what happens, it is briefly touched upon. Just a warning.


Chapter One: Clouds Gathering

Battousai the Manslayer staggered down the dark alleyway, barely able to stand, bleeding, exhausted. Suddenly, he froze, his hand automatically coming to rest at the hilt of his sword. At the end of the alley stood the man who must be his his target: a dark, cloaked schemer for the Shinsengumi. He mustered his strength and drew his sword, his speed unparalleled. But his opponent predicted his movements, blocking his sword with an expert stroke that threw him off. He was raising his sword to strike again when his target spoke; words that made him stop cold.

"I expected something better from you, Kenshin," drawled a low, almost playful voice from the depths of the cloak. The manslayer stopped, recognition dawning in his eyes as he realized that he knew that voice, though it had changed since he last heard it. Delicate hands emerged from the long sleeves of the disguise to push back the hood, revealing a young, pretty woman with eyes like wildflowers. Her eyes bored into his; he was speechless for a moment. Recovering himself, he said in a shocked, hollow voice, "Sayuri. Why are you here?" Her expression quickly shifted to a glare as she crossed her arms defiantly over her chest.

"To defeat the Battousai, why else would I be here?" she retorted with ice in her voice. He merely returned her gaze, too tired to rise to the bait of the argument. His expression softening slightly, he looked at her searchingly, trying to decipher her real intent in coming to find him.

"You shouldn't be here. I could have killed you," he said flatly, looking away from her. To his surprise, she replied with a cold laugh.

"You could never kill me with that sword. What have you become? Have you forgotten what you used to stand for, what Hiten Mitsurugi stands for," her voice grew softer as she continued, "What my brother stands for . . ." He turned back, his eyes locking onto hers. The intensity of that look made the air seem to crackle with electricity. He looked affronted, angry, as he replied, "I did this to protect people." His voice was emotionless. Tears welled in the girl's eyes and she brushed them away impatiently.

"And how has that worked out?" she asked, her voice strong despite her tears, "Your sword is stained with the blood of hundreds of men. Now you're nothing more than an infamous manslayer who can't even protect himself." For a split second, his eyes widened and a wounded look crossed the face she knew so well. As quickly as it came, it was gone. His expression shifted back into the guarded look of a hitokiri as he stared at the wall beyond her. Sayuri was desperate to liberate his vulnerability, to find the boy who had been her companion, her guardian. But he was far away; as a manslayer that boy had put up barriers, shut off emotion, anything to dull the sense of wrong that killing had inflicted upon him. The silence between them was thick.

"What happened with Tomoe . . . ," she began, trailing off as his eyes rose to meet hers again, this time narrowed his rage and pain. The young woman determinedly stared back, forcing herself not to look away. Her resolve wavered, but she continued speaking, knowing this could very well be her only chance to speak to him.

"She chose her fate, Kenshin," she said, her voice shaking for the first time, "You couldn't have saved her, you know that." Before she even finished her sentence, he raised his sword, his movements like lightning. Holding the blade less than an inch away from Sayuri's neck, the manslayer stared at her with a look that shook her to the core. There was no doubt in her mind that he would kill her where she stood.

"Don't," he growled, his voice thick with supressed rage. He hated himself for what had happened to Tomoe, his wife and first love. He blamed her death on his mistakes, his past. He was the one who had killed Tomoe, no matter what the circumstances may have been. It was his fault the she was gone forever.

In that moment, he loathed the girl from his past who had accosted him with the demons from his memory. As he stared at her, she watched him passively, taking in the many changes in the boy she had not seen for four years. In her eyes there was only compassion, understanding for his pain. There was not a trace of fear on her face, and it was that, more than anything, that led Kenshin to lower his sword, sliding it into its sheath in one fluid motion. He stood still, his eyes drinking in the apparition in front of him, while she did the same. They could have stood like that for hours, or maybe it was only seconds, each one regarding the other with a subdued sense of wonder. So much had changed in that past four years. Two childhood friends had become adults, struck by the realization that everything was different.

At that moment, almost as if on cue, lightning flashed overhead, illuminating the dark sky for a brief second before the thunder roared after, shaking the ground with its ferocity. From behind them, there was the distinctive sound of an approaching carriage. Kenshin's head whipped around, seeking the source of the sound. He looked at Sayuri, knowing before he spoke that his words would be futile.

"You need to go." He could already tell from the set of her jaw and the stubborn expression on her engaging face what her answer would be. She shook her head adamantly, refusing point black to heed his command.

"I came all this way to find you, and I'm not leaving without talking to you," she asserted, her voice firm. Kenshin had no time for a reply as the carriage has just appeared at the alley's entrance. Pushing her roughly to the side, he moved toward it with caution, taking note of the insignia on the side. This was the man he was going to kill tonight, and they were expecting him. The carriage doors flew open and two Shinsengumi assassins emerged, flying at the Battosai with rapid attacks. Hot anger bubbled in his chest as he concluded that the carriage was a decoy. Exhausted, Kenshin barely managed to keep up with his opponents, his speed beginning to fail him. As he raised his sword to block a blow from above, the other assassin came at him from the side with a fatal attack. Lightning split the sky and the clouds burst open as the man's sword met with another, blocking his attack.

Rain began to pour from the sky and the assassin turned to identify his attacker, a slim figure in a black hood that obscured her face. He lunged at her in retaliation and the fight continued, each pair trading equal blows. Sayuri matched her opponent's strokes with ease, defending herself without effort until he spun around, surprising her with a vertical slash to the torso. She jumped back, narrowly avoiding being split in half. Her disguise, however, split in half as he hacked at her, clinging to her soaked body. Sayuri shrugged out of the cumbersome garment in time to raise her sword to prevent a gash on the head, Taken aback at her identity, her adversary paused, staring at her in confusion.

"A woman?" he murmured, clearly not expecting such a turn of events. The woman, however, took advantage of the distraction and delivered a blow the head with the dull side of her sword, rendering her foe unconscious. She then turned to her long-time friend to see him in a stance that was intended to do one thing: kill instantly. Unable to restrain herself, she intervened on behalf of their bleeding enemy, blocking Kenshin's killing strike with a plea in her eyes.

"Just leave them. Enough blood has been spent tonight," she besieged him earnestly, flinching as he regarded her with a killer's glance. Sheathing his sword, he said nothing, but walked out of the alleyway with a disgusted look on his face. She trailed after him, compensating for his brisk gate by taking long strides until she reached him. He did not say anything, but allowed her to fall into step beside him as he continued walking, heading for an inn he knew would be scarcely populated. Sayuri sighed softly. I hope I haven't done the wrong thing.


So? I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. I've always wanted to write a story where Hiko had a sister, and this came to me really organically late one night. I wrote it all in one sitting, including the next chapter, which will be up soon. I promise that it won't get sappy; both our characters are more the stoic type. Anyway, I'd love to hear your opinion so R&R? Thanks for reading!