DISCLAIMER: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters therein. However, I do own this story
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This chapter mostly covers the time from their first meeting on the streets of Tokyo to the Kurogasa incident. The storyline pretty much follows the anime, so the flashes of time will be short and mostly to do with story and character development. All changes in the storyline will be clearly expressed in this.
Sadly, my next update is likely going to be slightly delayed because I have to send my computer in for repairs and/or replacement. So please, be patient with me.
THANKS TO: Spot2001, ageha obsessed, Snowpoppy, Shab, VarisVaris, and sapphirehimitsu for reviewing my story. I love the reviews.
TIMELINE: Just a reminder that the Bakumatsu was 25 years ago and the Shishio uprising was 19 years before.
Chapter 1
Kenshin watched Kaoru out of the corner of his eye while he played with the two young girls. The family's doctor, Genzai, had come by after hearing about the newest attack of the fake Battousai only to discover that Kaoru had a house guest and a new injury. Right now, he was cleaning and bandaging the wound.
Last night, Kenshin had noted her lack of discernible ki, and even now, he couldn't feel anything from her. There are a few humans over the centuries that have lacked ki like she does, but they were so few and far between that the chances were slim to ever run into one. Usually, however, this particular ability was a mark of some other secret such as a demon in the lineage. Her offer to stay would allow him some time to figure it out. He knew that she may even lack knowledge of that secret herself.
***Later that night***
After Kaoru had left him in the shed to sleep, as a result of the earlier mistake made solely because he was incapable of reading her ki, he looked around the messily kept storage. Smiling to himself, he made quick work of the mess and left the shed. Barring the door before he left, Kenshin checked the house over to make sure that everything was safe.
He knew now that the fake Battousai had little to do with Yumi and more to do with ruining this dojo. It was another reason to accept her offer to stay. But, he had to remember the real reason he had come back to Edo—or Tokyo as they had renamed it. A rumor that the moonchild had survived the fire that killed both of her parents had to be investigated; especially if the remainder of Shishio's followers were investigating the possibility.
A child born of the moon, a child who it is rumored to be a changeling of the gods, one who possessed the potential for extreme power in their gifted area, one who could bring life or take it. Kenshin knew that the reason Yumi sought the child was because of the rumor that a moonchild's blood could be used to raise the dead. This rumor was born of the last moonchild who killed himself on his parents' dead bodies on the night of the new moon, and they awoke to find their dead son's blood covering them. It was thought that even now, his parents still live 300 years later. While that isn't an abnormality in his world, it was certain that they had died that night.
Kenshin walked the streets at night scanning each home as he passed—searching for the ki of a demon. While he did find some living among those here, including the doctor who had come by Kaoru's dojo, he had yet to find any mark of the child. The sun was rising, and he needed to rest. He hadn't slept in the last few days, and it was finally catching up to him physically.
Finding a corner to rest in, Kenshin allowed himself just an hour of sleep before going to investigate this fake Battousai. While he was not too proud of the name that the humans had given him for the lives that he had taken during the war, he wouldn't allow some fake to use his name to ruin and take lives.
***Later that day***
Kaoru had done her best to defeat her father's old student, but she hadn't been good enough. Now, here she was held in his grasp, at his mercy, or lack of mercy to be more precise. She winced at his suggestions, but she refused to be beaten by him. She stared him down as he drove the handle of his sword into her chin.
For a moment, he stopped, shocked by something she didn't know, and then everyone stopped as their door guard came in.
"So….strong," she heard him whisper before he fell. There was her missing red-haired companion of the day before. She heard Gohei's taunts of her family's style, but she had heard them before. Blocking them out wasn't hard.
"A sword is a weapon. Kenjutsu is the art of killing. That is its true nature. Miss Kaoru's words are those of one who has never dirtied her hands. An idealistic joke if you will."
Kaoru couldn't help the stab of pain that she felt at hearing her father's and grandfather's style belittled in such a way, but what he said next replaced the pain with shock. "But I prefer Miss Kaoru's idealism to the truth of the matter."
Kaoru's shock at his declaration kept her from moving as she watched a battle end in just a few moments. The hoard of vandals that had accompanied her attacker were down in a few moments.
"I didn't say that I wanted the Battousai to stay here! I said I want the wanderer to st…" She covered her mouth as she realized what she was saying.
Turning her back to him, she took a deep calming breath before making her last request. "At least you could tell me your name. Not the Hitokiri, but your real name from before the Bakumatsu."
"Himura Kenshin." When she heard the door slide shut, she released the breath she hadn't known she was holding. Then she heard him speak—removing a guarantee of how long he would be here, but accepting the invitation.
Kenshin couldn't help the small smile as he watched her breach the boundaries of decorum. A single woman, living alone, shouldn't be asking a man she doesn't know to stay with her, but she did. Not just any man, a man who had killed so many during the revolution, that even now, 25 years later, his name still cast fear and doubt. By human understanding, he should have been much too old to create the havoc that the false Battousai had raised, but fear of his name was so strong that time held no boundaries on it.
***A few days later***
After a strange brush with a young pickpocket, Kaoru listened with rapt attention to Tae's tale of the pickpocket's troubles. When Kenshin tried to calm her down and keep her from doing anything too rash, she turned her rage filled eyes at him. Where he had previously noted that silver specks would enter her eyes with strong emotions, he now saw them flash completely silver as his eyes would turn gold.
The unexpected change threw him off enough that she was able to knock him back and run off. He knew that she was going to try and rescue him, and he would have to get there fairly quickly to try and save her from the yakuza.
She wouldn't be able to save the pickpocket, Yahiko, on her own. He knew their kind. They would trick her into servitude if at all possible. But he would have to watch this girl closer if he wanted to find the secret. Her eyes changing color definitely spoke of demon descent, but she had a knack for people that he couldn't place. She seemed to know who she could trust and who she couldn't.
Quickly finding his way to the yakuza, thanks to Tae's information, he disposed of the guards quickly. They would sleep for a while. Then, using one of them who was still a bit conscious, he was led to where Kaoru was facing off with the hitokiri of the yakuza. Not one who had fought for a cause, but one who killed without cause.
Keeping his eyes on the "boss" Kenshin made his demands without really removing his attention from Kaoru. She was injured again, on the same should where Gohei had injured her just a few days before. If she didn't stop being so reckless, she would sustain some serious injuries in her life.
Carrying the boy on his back with Kaoru beside him, Kenshin left the den of killers and thieves to their own devices. Later, he would find a way to disclose their location to the police, but for now, he was happy that no one was seriously injured.
***Three Days Later***
Kenshin watched as his newest acquaintance, Zanza disappeared down the street. The young demon, for yes indeed that's what he was whether the two with him realized it or not, had finally released his grudge against the Ishin Shishi. The truth is that the man held a grudge from the war twenty-five years ago, but Kaoru and Yahiko thought it was a misplaced grudge from more recently.
Thinking about that fight made Kenshin think about Gohei's interruption into the battle. When the man had threatened the two under his protection, Kenshin almost gave into the desire to release his demon, but Zanza's quick response had ended that desire as fast as it had appeared. It had been nearly twenty years since he had released the devil within him, and he didn't understand what had triggered the response this time.
"Sanosuke-san!" he heard Tae call as she ran out of the restaurant.
The three of them turned to her and couldn't help their reactions when she said, "he forgot to pay again."
Kenshin smiled to himself. Too bad he couldn't remain in this state forever. He had to find that child, which he was having no real luck doing, and the rumors hadn't changed as he got closer to their source. Perhaps he would do better looking for Megumi Takani rather than the child. If he knew what kind of ward had been placed, then he may have better luck identifying the child.
***A Week Later***
Kenshin listened quietly as the police chief, which he had made friends with after the Yamagata incident, asked for his help to catch an assassin. This assassin was killing off important or influential members of the government, and he would taunt them all by announcing who and when before he ever came.
There was a nagging suspicion in the back of the former hitokiri's mind that he knew who was doing this, but he didn't know for certain. If he was right, there would only be a few who could take on the demon that was plaguing the government, and he was one of them.
Agreeing to the task, Kenshin wasn't too happy about having to fight. But he could sense the necessity of it.
***The Next Day***
Kaoru felt the pain of loneliness stab in her gut when she heard Sanosuke's explanation of what had happened the night before. She knew that if Kenshin reverted totally back to who he had been, then she likely would never see him again. She didn't know how she knew it, but she was as certain of this fact as she was that the sun would set that night.
Running out of the gate as fast as she could, she found Kenshin a few hours later sitting by the river.
"Kenshin" she growled at him. She held back her satisfaction when his sword smashed his thumb in the sheath. 'That's what you get for trying to sneak away!' she thought to herself.
Sitting down beside him, she countered his pleas for her to return to the dojo until he came back. That is, until he made the logical argument that he couldn't fight as well while trying to protect her.
Releasing a soft sigh, she stood up and removed her hair ribbon. It was the last thing her father had given her before he died, and she loved it very much. "This is my favorite ribbon. You must return it to me after the fight. If you go wondering and forget to return it, I will never forgive you!"
After a few moments of thought, she saw the realization in his face. He smiled and said, "I will return this to you after the fight so you can go and wait at the dojo. I won't leave without returning this to you."
Kenshin couldn't help the great amount of relief that he felt when she agreed to return to the dojo. He had placed wards on the dojo that would keep her safe from anyone, and he had given a few more to Sanosuke to keep out Jineh when he had sent the younger demon back to the dojo.
As he watched her smile and begin to turn to leave, she suddenly disappeared from his sight, grabbed by the very demon he had wanted to protect her from.
"I see that this is your woman, Hitokiri Battousai. Get angry and let the demon out!" His voice called from down the river which was flowing faster than Kenshin could move to get her back.
"JINEH!" he yelled out, all of his pent up fear and anger coming out at once. His only answer was maniacal laughter. Then, Kaoru's voice rang up the river, "KENSHIN!"
Kenshin's emotions were boiling over. The young woman, who had befriended him without guile, disguise, or reservation, was gone. She had been taken by a maniac. He would get her back. He had to get her back.
To be continued….
Ok, so I know that these first two chapters are much more like a prologue, but there's no help for it. And I know that the timeline is kind of weird having the Bakumatsu 25 years ago, but it really was necessary. I decided that the legend of his name would be good enough to account for everything. And her acceptance of him being the Battousai despite how young he looks may be explained a bit later…
