The marketplace was busy for the early morning.

Misaki supposed it was because for the first morning in days, it was not raining. The weather had been stormy lately, keeping most folk pent up in their own homes and shops. She herself had taken advantage of the weather and had volunteered to head to the market for the few things Kaoru had needed. And, that was how she found herself walking down the street, each of her hands held by that of a small child's. She glanced down, first at little Ayame, and then at Little Suzume, both of whom were grinning as they went on their way. Seeing their bright little faces and feeling both of their hands in her own filled her with a warmth she really couldn't explain.

It felt odd, to be living with other people, to have people she actually felt a fondness for. It had been so long... So very long since she had allowed herself to feel anything for another human being. Feelings caused far more problems than they solved, at least in her case, and so she'd felt it easier to just... Let them go entirely. But, these people that had taken her in without even a question had forced their way into her heart over the last few weeks of her stay with them.

Together she and the two young girls shopped for the things they had been asked to get, as well as a few surprises, taking no more than an hour in the market. It was as they made their way back towards the dojo that she noticed the man following them. At her sides, the girls were happily chatting about the surprise they'd gotten for Kenshin, his favorite food inarizushi, and not wanting to frighten them continued on down the main street. It took only but a moment for Misaki to realize the man had a sword strapped to his side, a hat pulled low over his face keeping his features hidden from view. "Girls," Misaki said loudly, suddenly drawing both girls to a stop. "Let's go this way!" She adopted a cheerful tone, drawing the two girls towards a back alley, her mind racing with every possibility there was. She could send the two girls on, but feared a second assailant could be close by. But... Keeping them close to her, if a battle broke out... She'd never forgive herself if something happened to either of the girls.

As they slipped down the alley, Misaki drew her hand away from Ayame, instructing the older of the girls to take her sister's other hand. Putting her free hand against the hilt of her own sword, Misaki glanced over her shoulder, silently cursing herself for dressing in the borrowed kimono of Kaoru's. "Misaki-san?" Ayame's wobbly voice caught her attention and Misaki looked up ahead, only to find the man that had been following them had managed to cut them off, and he stood before them with his hat still pulled down low.

"Get behind me." Misaki moved, placing herself in front of the two girls, while little Suzume had already begun to cry. "Who are you?" She faced the man, her hand still on the hilt of her sword, her eyes squinting against the morning sunlight. "What do you want with me?"

It was a split second later- he moved so fast she barely had time to react. Their swords clashed with a sea of sparks and the sheer force of his swing nearly toppled her. Jumping back, she pushed the girls further away, blocking them both with her body. The man came at her a second time, this time she reacted with more time, and she dodged beneath his blade, spinning back at the last moment, her sword aimed directly at his back. But he tuned, blocking with ease, and he tossed her backwards; she stumbled, the kimono giving her almost no ability to move as she normally could have, but righted herself as the man came towards her yet again.

This time, she caught a glimpse of his face; yellowed teeth were bared in a crooked sort of smile, while a long scar ran lengthwise over his right eye. Their swords met and she forced him back with a grunt, holding her sword out at arm's length, its tip pointed directly at the center of his chest. "Who are you?" She repeated angrily, her patienence running thin with this man, whoever he was. Her eyes sought out Ayame and Suzume, safely hidden around the corner of the nearest building, though she could see Suzume still cried, her fear evident. "Do not make me ask you again!"

The man laughed, a loud, booming sort of laugh that carried across the alley, filling Misaki with a cold sense of dread that left her feeling like she'd heard it before. "Is it wise to make demands when you are the weaker party in a battle such as this?" The man's smirk returned as he lifted the head, revealing his features to her in full view. He was not a man she recognized, but he was older, perhaps the age her father might have been, but he looked well worn. His graying hair was closely shaven but his beard looked as if it'd been ignored for some weeks now. "There is no need for you to know my name, as you will die here today, Akiyama Misaki."

As their swords clashed again, Misaki knew this was a skilled man; this was a man with years more experience than her, with strength beyond her own... But she wasn't about to give up that easily. She moved with a grace and speed that surprised the man she fought, though he supposed he could not expect any less from the greaty General Akiyama's daughter. But she she was a young woman, a small woman at that, one he could and would overpower. He had a job to do, after all. "Is that all you've got?" Her question came when she'd managed to knock him back a few steps, her smile quick and her bright eyes flashing in the sunlight. They clashed again, his sword missing her neck, but instead snagging the ribbon tied into her hair, causing it all to fall loose about her shoulders. She came at him that time, her footwork incredible as she moved this way and that way, her dark hair flying behind her. The clang of their clashing swords could be heard on the city street, and he knew it wouldn't be long before someone came along. He needed to finish her off and fast.

Suddenly, his moves were changing; he came at her fast and hard, his jabs so quick she could hardly dodge, let alone block. She leapt high into the air, coming down as if she meant to strike him from above, but he blocked just in time, resulting in him throwing her across the alley. She could hear the little girl's cries from behind her as she rose back onto her feet, smirking slightly. "It seems I've underestimated you... But you... Have underestimated me as well." Misaki knew that while he had her with brute strength, she was smaller and faster, if she could only get a chance. She ran at him then, one strike, two strikes, three! They went back and forth a few times before she saw an opening- lashing out, they both flew by one another, swords poised for harm.

Misaki felt the wound a moment before the blood began to stain the sleeve of her borrowed kimono; wincing, she turned around just in time to see the man turning towards her too, and that was when she saw the blood at his feet. She had managed to knick him much as he had knicked her- a superficial wound to his side, near his hip. "It is rare for anyone to draw blood on me, let alone a woman." The man spoke, his surprised tone bringing a small laugh to her lips. "You are your father's daughter, it would seem."

At the mention of her father, Misaki snapped up, her eyes widening in her face as she opened her mouth to speak. But then she heard voices calling her name and she turned slightly, only to see Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Kaoru racing towards them. She turned back to the man who's eyes had fallen upon Kenshin, who was now standing before her, his hand on his sword. "Battosai..." The man murmured as he took in the sight of him, a glimmer of something crossing his features. "So, you are alive after all these years."

Kenshin glanced behind him, to Misaki's bleeding arm and her torn up kimono, to across the way to where Kaoru clutched the crying girls close to her. "I should say the same to you, Kenta." From behind him, he heard Misaki's little intake of breath, as if the name meant something to her. "Who has sent you?"

The man, Kenta, opened his mouth and laughed as he had done before, sending chills down her spine all over again. Now she understood, now that she knew who this man truly was. Tsuji Kenta was a mercenary for hire, a hitman who was rumored to have killed the Emperor's son the year before. This was a man that had worked beneath Fujimoto Hideki for many years, a man who had spilled more blood than most men in a lifetime. He was a man who would take any life for the right price.

And this was a man that had known her father.

How had she not noticed...? It had been so many years since she had last set eyes upon her, not much older than little Ayame was. He had been clean shaven back then, back when he had been at her father's side in the war. Back before he had met Fujimoto and Hashimoto. "She knows who has sent me." Kenta replied as he sheathed his sword, turning his eyes onto the young woman, who he knew was a spitting image of her mother. "You will cease this chase or next time, it will cost you your life." He was gone then, leaping away across the roofs, leaving the small group alone there in the alley.

Ayame and Suzume were the first to move, breaking free from Kaoru's hands and rushing at her, shouting her name. But it was Sanosuke who intercepted them, scooping up both girls into his arms despite their protests. It was Kenshin that moved next, turning around to face Misaki, who was shaking on the spot. "You knew that man, did you not, Misaki-san?" He asked her quietly as Kaoru came to stand at his elbow, her dark azure eyes full of pity for the young woman before them. Misaki gave a silent nod, squeezing her eyes closed as she fought hard to maintain control over her emotions. "Tsuji Kenta was once your father's Lieutenant, was he not?" To Kaoru's surprise, a tear trailed the curve of the young woman's cheek and she swallowed down a breath, opening her eyes that shined like gems in the morning sunlight. She gave another little nod, bowing her head as if shamed by this, and Kaoru felt her own heart break at the sight of Misaki's misery.

Kenshin opened his mouth as if to speak again, but was silenced when Kaoru gently touched his elbow. "Misaki-chan, let's go home..." Kaoru murmured softly to her, reaching out to touch her hand, the simple gesture returning Misaki to the present. She met Kaoru's eyes and nodded, allowing the other woman to take her hand and lead her away from the alley and back to the first place she had called home in over ten years.

[ x x x ]

It was late into the night, but still yet they remained awake.

The three of them, she, Kenshin, and Kaoru had been sitting for hours now; Kaoru had bandaged Misaki's arm while Kenshin had made something for everyone to eat. Misaki had held Ayame and Suzume close to her until they'd fallen asleep, and Sanosuke carried them home with Dr. Gensai. That left the three of them alone, for Yahiko had long since gone off to bed as well, though he had stayed up as late as his young mind would allow.

Misaki wasn't sure what was worse- the silence or the talking. The forced, cheery conversation Kaoru had tried to strike up numerous times was the last thing she wanted right then, but she couldn't blame the girl for trying. As she glanced from her face to Kenshin's, she met his eyes and felt comfort, as if he already understood just what was going on inside of her mind. "Are you not going to ask?" She finally asked, looking back to Kaoru for only a lingering moment. "Are you not going to ask why a man once trusted by my father would so willingly draw my own blood, threaten to take my own life?" Her voice was shaking slightly, the memory of the man tumbling through her mind.

"Only if you wish." Kenshin's soft, honest reply came within seconds of her questions, his lids sweeping closed over his violet colored hues. "We won't force you to speak of things you're not ready to speak of." It was not in his nature to force anyone to do anything they didn't want to, especially something as tender as a family betrayal. But when he opened his eyes and their gaze met Misaki's, he knew she was ready to speak.

"When my father was a young soldier, he fought alongside Tsuki Kenta. They were friends, in truth." Misaki could remember growing up, hearing the stories of her father's days as a lowly ranked soldier, of his days as a swordsman before he'd become a husband and a father. "I knew him well as a child, though I can hardly remember those days." A sigh escaped her and she turned away, drawing her knees towards her chest, lost in thought for a moment. But then she opened her eyes and turned her head so she could look at them both, her lips curved with a small, sad smile. "They were both given the title of Lieutenant but at some point, my father was promoted again, but Kenta was not. It bred jealousy. And then... He met Fujimoto."

Kenshin listened closely, remembering well the days that she spoke of. He had not known of her father until he was a General, until the months that led up to his death. He could still yet recall the battle in which they fought against one another, the sheer power behind Akiyama's sword. Misaki turned away again, her arms wrapped around her knees, the borrowed kimono of Kaoru's slipping over her shoulder as she shifted. She sighed softly and asked if she might share the whole story with them, to which Kaoru breathed her assent, her eyes never once straying from Misaki's face.

And so she opened her mouth, plunging herself into the memories of the night her whole world changed.

The smell of smoke was overwhelming... It filled her nostrils, choking her as she woke from her restless slumber. Across the room, the door opened and her mother slipped inside, pressing a finger to her lips to keep her silent. "Come," her mother whispered, drawing her up from the bed and pulling her back out the door towards the main room of the house. Her mother was speaking soft words, words that told her she had hidden the baby away, and he would be safe until morning. As they entered into the main room, they found it to be already occupied by a man that neither of them knew.

"Ah, so someone is home." The tall man spoke, his laughter gruff and his smile malicious as he looked upon she and her mother. "Hello pretty," he said as he met eyes with her, adopting a tone that might have been kindly had she not heard his sinister sort of laugh. He took a step towards them and her mother pushed her behind her, the glint of his sword blinding her as he moved closer. She reached out, slipping her hand into her mother's, wondering how long it would be until her father arrived home.

"Let us go," her mother was begging softly, tears staining her cheeks as she put a hand to the top of her head. "She's only a child." She had never seen her mother cry, nor had ever heard her mother beg for anything at all. As she looked up into her mother's face, she could see the fear reflected in her eyes, and that scared her more than anything else ever could. "Please..."

"She looks old enough to me," the man replied as two more men came in through the front doors, their swords drawn and bloody. From outside, she could hear screaming, and the sound of swords clashing. Then there was a ringing silence that sent chills down her spine. Behind her, the other two men had taken hold of her mother, pushing her down towards the ground as she began to softly cry. "Come here, child..." The man spoke softly, as if he meant to placate her, and when she did come at once he reached for her. His grip was strong and tight on her arm as he yanked her towards him, ignoring the little sound of protest she made. "You're a pretty girl," she looked up then, meeting his eyes, and they were eyes that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Eyes she'd never forget. He grinned down at her, as if he meant to reassure her, but instead it doused her in icy cold fear. Behind her, she could hear her mother whimpering as the men cut her clothing from her body. "Tell me what your name is." When she did not respond at once, he gave her a solid shake, one that was hard enough to rattle her very bones. "I asked you a question!" He snarled, his hand making contact with her cheek a moment later, nearly knocking her off her feet with its power.

"Misaki," she cried, a hand rising up to rub her bruised cheek, her eyes daring to dart towards her mother and the men behind her. One was holding her arms behind her chest while the other held his sword at her very chest. "Akiyama Misaki." At the utterance of her surname, the man began to laugh, one even more evil than the first one she had heard. Behind them, the men had began to laugh as well, as if there was a joke that she simply did not understand.

"Akiyama, you say?" The man laughed, his grip on her arm returning tenfold as every inch below where he grasped began to go numb. "General Akiyama's daughter, huh? And his wife... Left here, unprotected..." He chuckled, tossing her aside then, and he stepped up towards the men that held her mother. From her place there on the floor, she knew she had to make a decision- her father wasn't here so she had to protect her mother somehow. She slipped backwards, her little footsteps going unnoticed by all three of the men, moving quietly towards the place she knew her father kept a hidden sword. When it was in her hands, she turned back around, unsheathing it without a sound, a skill taught to her months before. It was heavy in her hands, far larger than anything she had ever held before- but she knew she had to do it. She had to protect her mother and the baby she'd hidden somewhere safe in the house. There was no one else but her to do it.

And so, she ran. She ran as fast as she could across the room, swinging the sword down as hard as her little body could muster- and it made contact. She had closed her eyes and so she opened them, only to find herself face-to-face with the tall man again, the tip of her sword pushed ever so slightly into the soft flesh of his upper arm. "You little..." He pulled the sword from her hands and tossed it aside, not seeming to notice when the blade sliced his palm. He towered over her as she fell to the ground, fear suddenly preventing her from even breathing. She heard it then, the unmistakable sound of the sword being unsheathed again, and she closed her eyes as if this would protect her from whatever was to come. She heard his heavy footsteps and knew, without a doubt, her life was going to end. Her mind turned to her mother and brother and she hoped her father would not be disappointed that she couldn't protect them... Then she heard it, the whistle as the sword came towards her, and there was nothing else to do but prepare...

But it did not come.

Instead, she heard the sound of the blade making contact and heard the raspy sound of blood filling lungs. Fear fluttered in her heart and she opened her eyes, shocked to see her mother there before her. "Mis...Aki..." Her mother's hands were tightening on the blade's end, which had pierced her chest fully, the blood running like a river from the entry point. "Misaki..." Her eyes were rolling back as the man tore the blade from her chest, allowing her mother's body to slump onto the ground.

She did not have time to process what had happened before the man was lunging at her, his blade narrowly missing as she rolled out of the way. Her father's instructions were all coming back to her, despite the tears that streamed down her cheeks, despite the torment of having just watched her mother be so brutally slain. Suddenly, it was live or die, and she wasn't about to die. Not yet.

By a stroke of dumb luck, her roll had put her right back in sight of her father's old sword, which had been so easily discarded by the man a few minutes before. It felt heavier than ever in her hands, but she tightened her grip on the hilt and poised herself. The three men laughed at her expense, but then sobered, the tallest of the men stepping forward with a chuckle. "If the little girl wishes to battle, then battle we shall."

Of course, she'd be no match for any one of the men, let alone all three of them. It took next to no time for the first strike to hit her- a jab to her left side, just beneath her ribs. Then another one, this time through her right shoulder. She hit the ground, face down, and felt hands on her; one of the men were ripping away her kimono, and suddenly she was filled with a new kind of fear.

When she lay there after, she felt the cold steel of a sword against her skin; after everything, of course they still intended on killing her. She felt it, the sharp pain of sword slicing skin, and she knew they were doing nothing more than torturing her in her final moments. The pain began to fade though, after what felt like an eternity, and she knew that this was going to be it. The man above her must have sensed it as well, for the sword drew back for a single second. And then she felt it, a sharp, sudden pain as the sword was plunged into the center of her back. Her whole body tensed and then relaxed as the sword was pulled back out. The men were chatting when they left here there in a pool of blood on the floor, only inches from her mother's dead body. And then she closed her eyes, wondering why all of this had happened, and wondering why her father had still not come.

When she had finished telling her tale, well most of it anyway, she looked up and it was Kaoru she saw first. The young woman's eyes were full of tears, while her cheeks showed proof of all the ones that had already been spilled. And then Misaki turned her gaze to Kenshin, who looked grim, but almost unsurprised. She wondered if he'd heard the tale of the town betrayed by their own people, if he had known of the village destroyed by those who were meant to protect it. "I lived, but the rest of my village perished that night." She spoke softly, keeping her eyes trained on Kenshin's face. "I am the only survivor."

Of course Kenshin had heard the story- of a man so full of jealousy that he sought any way possible to earn what he thought was his. A man who turned on a man he called brother, a man that he'd fought beside in war. Tsuki Kenta had betrayed his home village and General Akiyama that night, by leading Fujimoto and his men there, knowing full well what would happen when they arrived. He had always heard a young girl had survived, but she'd vanished into obscurity, until now at least.

Suddenly, Kenshin's draw help this woman became so much stronger. Suddenly, it was about righting the wrongs done to her, because she had been innocent. She had been a child, who's life was so horribly upended all because of men with a thirst for blood and greed. "We will find this man, Kenta, and we will surely find Fujimoto." Kenshin said, drawing attention back to himself, and he found her indigo eyes to be staring right at him. "So tomorrow, we will find him, that we will."

A small smile crossed her features and Misaki gave a single little nod, her dark hair slipping over a shoulder as she met his eyes. Finally, she would find her way to Fujimoto, and to her revenge.