Hi everyone! Thank you very much for the follows and favorites, I really appreaciate them. This chapter took me a little more to write but here it is! a little late... but yey!

I hope the story doesn't feel too slow for you guys... I'm not really sure what's slow nice or slow bothersome so... not to mention I had to make a little base here for the rest of the story, hopefully you're all enjoying it, or in any case please R&R leaving me your comments and advices.

Now, on with the show!

Disclaimer: I own Kenshin Himura... in my dreams... he's usually a vampire there and we do very naughty things ^^

CHAPTER 3

Promise

Where is she… he's mind screamed beginning to panic, a sense of dread creeping over his heart, fear for his little friend was demanding he turned back to his darker self. Trying to think again where to look another thought crossed his mind "Her father…" he looked around for the troops, walking through several streets surrounding what could have been the police force building. Having no luck he decided to go back to the Kamiya dojo on the other side of the city, it was located far away from the city so he had already wasted enough time, he turned back on his steps but before he ran he saw something between debris, he found a few white horses dead on the ground and after approaching them enough he was able to distinguish a large man with dark black hair pinned by one of the dead animals. He tried pushing the huge animal off yet the dead body was even heavier than when the animal was alive… it wouldn't budge.

"My daughter… please, my daughter… they took her"

He heard the man's words and looked at him his own eyes wide in fear.

"Please…"

There was a split second their eyes met and there was nothing else to say.

He didn't need to hear anything anymore, in fact before he could listen to another word he turned to follow the marks on the ground; they were many and quite different making it hard to pin point which one had Kaoru. Moving further away from the fallen man and closer to the western exit of the city he found a piece of Kaoru's gi, stuck on a large stick covered with blood. Thoughts muddled, trampling one over the other, his vision became blurry, heart pounding on his ears he barely registered where his body was taking him yet as the scent of blood drowned any other and the panic settled in his gut turning rather quickly to a vicious desire to kill he once again trusted his instincts to tell him where to go; this was a game he was used to, the game of chase and kill.

He could only see red and feel only the cold shiver running up his spine converting the blood running through his body into gall. Before long he found a group of bandits and thieves that looked to be around 50 or 70 covered in hoods and most of them mounting black horses. After attacking the place they had set all houses and government buildings on fire, their action spoke of savages but they also seemed to be looking for something. A group on foot were moving a large group of girl onto a cart, most of them were tied together with ropes, some of them; too young to understand much of what was happening were passed out cold or calmly obeying the men getting clumsily into the cart, the others were moving slowly but without much of a fight. Among them was Kaoru beside a group of young girls and women between 10 and 15 tied to each other; one of the bandits had Kaoru pinned against another, she was not yet tied up and was putting as much of a fight as she could.

"You're quite spirited but I bet you'll play nicely with us once we teach you a little" one of them teased and tried to grab her yet she trashed again and again, kicking and writhing like a cat in their hold. It was difficult for them to keep a good grip since she was small and had much more energy and elasticity in her body, yet they were many and she was starting to feel tired, the blood soaking her ragged clothing was spreading quickly mixed with sweat and mud.

Three closed in on her managing to hold her legs down and tying her with a rope before they pinned her down on the ground to tie her hands behind her back.

"Let go! Let go!" she bit one and screamed as hard as she could "BASTARDS! LET ME GO!"

Suddenly the pressure on her was gone and she looked up to see her captors were tense and still; one of them was lying on the ground looking lifeless.

"Let her go, immediately" she recognized the voice and smiled as tears were falling down her eyes.

"Kenshin…" she pleaded and was soon rewarded when a few more of them fell down to the ground without much fight, the others drew their swords and fought him but couldn't hold him back.

No matter how many were slowly gathering around him, coming from the larger group, he didn't dare lift his vision to look at her afraid of what his eyes would betray; anger, hate, fear… having known her for so little he was not sure how to show the darkness in his heart to a creature so small and untainted. His movements swift and deadly, another one of them fell to the ground coughing blood when he turned and saw the young girl jump kicking another one trying to pull her towards the cart effectively throwing him to the ground and falling to the ground face first with a grunt. Turning on instinct to help her he was able to finally glance at her face and saw her eyes filled with tears but also a smile.

She was happy to see him… he was here to protect, not to kill.

Kenshin… he saw her lips move like casting a spell on him making his muscles already tired fill with strength, his vision no longer red was clear and his thought coherent and levered, he felt stronger and faster moving against everyone of them, even those on horse couldn't stand a chance against him, he was fearless, he would win no matter what.

A familiar sound went of beside him and he turned again to look at Kaoru feeling something was amiss. She was no longer smiling; her face was even paler than before and her lips were open in a silent scream, eyes open as if under a great amount of pain, then a white light engulfed him for a second and when he could see again he was a few good meters away from where he had been, lying on the floor, he felt blood flowing out of him; he didn't feel tired anymore yet he couldn't move his limbs. He was lying on his stomach and barely managed to move his face to the side and scan the area around him finding Kaoru lying on the floor a few meters from him beside a dead horse.

More bandits came, dressed slightly different but because of his weapons he recognized their profession… assassins. One of them tall with silver hair mounting a black horse, seemed to be the leader of the group. He dismounted and moved closer to where Kaoru was, she was now getting up on shaky legs.

She's alive… for a moment he felt tranquility setting in his stomach when he remembered the bandits had tried to snatch her before. That meant they wanted her alive.

She moved slightly back and the tall man offered her hand.

She shook her head in denial yet the man's posture didn't change. Turning her head she looked back at his beaten form and Kenshin was able to see the tears glistening in her eyes, whatever the leader was telling her was not pleasant and a freezing discomfort settled in his stomach at the thought of what might happen. He tried to command his body to move yet the message never arrived as his limbs continue sprawled beside him.

She had screamed his name several times trying to run to him while the man held her by an arm, he could not make out her words but he knew on instinct what she would be yelling.

Kenshin!

She was trembling, he could see that and the man was speaking to her something he couldn't understand or even hear. Then he waved his subordinates away and extended a hand again to the girl but she moved her head in negative insisting on something.

Kenshin tried to move again receiving the same answer from his body, he wanted desperately to crawl towards her, protect her from the danger coming against her. Yet his body betrayed him.

Moving his head slightly he surveyed their surroundings to find corpses but no weapon. When had they cleaned the place empty of them? Had he closed his eyes at some point? Turning again towards Kaoru he was surprised to see her running to him until she was in front of him, kneeling down she pulled out a flower from the inside of her gi. Having her so close he was able to see her tattered clothing soaked in blood; the right sleeve of her gi was slashed (probably the piece of clothing he found before), her entire arm was covered in blood; the cause a nasty wound on her forearm still bleeding. There were also a cut on her left side and bruises on her face and neck.

He tried telling her to take care of the wound yet his lips didn't move.

"It's nothing… I'll be fine…" she said with a small smile.

He tried to tell her to run his instincts demanding she searched for a place to hide even thought he couldn't move a muscle to protect her. Even if she ran with all she had they would caught up with her and maybe hurt her even more.

In a second she moved her tiny body to cover his from something. It was funny he thought. The small child was trying to protect him from harm; he, the battousai, the man slayer yet this innocent creature seemed prepared to give her life for him.

"Don't hurt him or I'll kill myself!" she spoke with determination.

"You have my word" There was amusement in the words spoken by the man now kneeling down beside him but there was also truth. He would not attack him and seemed interested in keeping Kaoru alive as well.

Kenshin heard the rustle of the grass beside him and soon felt the pressure of a pair of hands moving him. It didn't hurt and soon he was on his back, then his head was moved up and down slowly to rest over a bundle of clothes he had not realize Kaoru had with her. She placed his hands at both his sides and cleaned his face with what looked like a towel; it was drenched in water and felt cool against his fevered skin.

He continued looking at her, words dying as he felt his consciousness slipping away. He turned his face up as much as he could and looked to the side to find the man still sitting there. He wanted to memorize his face, wanted to remember how he looked like to look for him later, if he survived, that is yet the assassin had his face partially covered and his clothing let no mark on visible on his body, only his eyes and hair. Long, straight and black was his hair tied in a long braid except for a small lock of hair that clung to the right side of his face tied together with a gold ringed clasp and his eyes were a bluish gray like rain water, cold yet refreshing. Surprisingly those didn't look like the eyes of a killer.

"You'll be fine… just sleep for a little… no one will find you here" he remembered the first time they met when she had left him with a crown of flowers telling him the same thing.

He turned back around and tried again to tell to take care of herself, to run away, run as fast as she could but again, his body didn't react to his orders, his lips were sealed and they seemed stuck together forever, nothing more than a sort of whimper like sound came out of them and he saw how her eyes watered again, her lips trembling.

"I can't… I…" she was crying and he could see the pain in her eyes yet she smiled "I'll see you later… alright? Just rest and I'll see you again" her smile faltered and she got up and left running away in an attempt to not show any more tears. Kenshin moved his head to follow but was still able to hear the man beside him moving closer to him until he felt his breathing against his ear.

"Do not worry Battousai, the girl will live"

And with those words coolly spoken he left walking slowly until he reached Kaoru who followed him until they reached his horse, there helped her climb onto the animal before he climbed up himself. Quickly changing from a light stroll to a dead run, the horse, the girl and the bandit disappeared from his view. Sleep caught him quickly after.

Kaoru…

For what seemed like forever his thoughts couldn't make sense and he fought to remain awake for a while longer until he was able to finally open his eyes and feeling the cold air he realized how heavy and raw he felt. There was an urgency in the back of his mind to get up and move so he fought against the drowsiness coming, to turn on his side and sit up, it took him again a long time before he was finally able to sit and in the end he had to crawl backwards to support his body against a tree a few steps behind him. He tried touching his head yet he found his arm didn't have the strength to lift his hand that high so he let his head fall back against the trunk beside him.

The air was cold but the bright light of the sun hurting his eyes which he closed to protect them and quickly fell unconscious again.

The sun was no longer lighting the sky the next time he woke up, the moon was up and he was glad because he felt parched already to have the sun increase the feeling. First he noticed he was no longer in the clearing with Kaoru and after a few moments of a pounding headache he remembered the bandits and the destruction of the city. He tried making sense of what he could remember in an attempt to recognize where he knew those assassins from but nothing came to mind, he was still too weak and realized he had to try and go back to the city before he had no energy to sustain himself.

Moving his limbs this time didn't seem so difficult and as he moved up against the tree to finally stand he saw a flower fall from his gi to the forest floor. It was dry, no longer white and it had a brownish tinge on the ends of its petals as well as the center. He remembered Kaoru had kept bringing him flowers and he would wake up to find them in the same state or alike yet this time it was not a crown of flowers but only one adorned with what looked like twigs and long leaves in an intricate knot, further studying the ground beneath him he notice the patch of grass he had been resting on was no longer green or grass for that matter but brown and practically just dirt.

It was a long walk from where he was to the city, his left leg was stiff and he found necessary to use the first stick he found as a cane to support his weight and not punish his other limb unnecessarily. After reaching the city he slowly made his way towards the first well he found, it was near the market area, there he drank as much water as he could when he remembered the girl's father.

There were people walking around as slowly as him, some trying to take whatever they could from the spoils abandoned by the bandits and others were trying to gather the dead and the wounded in carts to bury or to treat. Following them he found himself back the dojo's burnt down entrance were helped by a few poles they had been able to make a tent were to protect the injured from the elements. They were just a few people, mostly young kids and young soldiers but he found the one he was looking for laying away from the rest of them in a makeshift bed, covered by a thick blanket and still breathing.

"Do you need something?" a voice behind him startled him and he turned around quickly making the stiffness of his legs hurt him enough to produce a gasp out of his lips.

"There's no need for haste or worry… I may not be a doctor but I can take care of that leg of yours"

Looking up from his throbbing appendage he saw the young woman talking to him; if you call her a woman. Even thought his voice sounded mature she was barely his high and was probably just 15 years old, barely out of childhood and had the confidence to treat his leg? He wondered how this was the change he had expected to bring to the world.

"I…" he looked down at his hands still holding the cane and his legs and frowned feeling hollow "This unworthy one is fine… do not worry yourself over me, this unworthy one just came looking for a old friend to make sure he is fine" he was about to turn back around when she spoke again, this time there was no more confidence in her voice, just sadness.

"I'm sorry…"

This time Kenshin did look up and was able to see a faint glimmer of tears on her pale white face.

"He will not live past tonight… I'm afraid he's been waiting to hear of his daughter but I doubt he'll survive to get the news he awaits"

Kenshin's eyes grew big and his hand holding the cane hardened its grip on it until his knuckles turned white.

"I'm afraid most girls were saved… but there were no one like the description he gave us… and it's already being a couple days since they took her, only God know where she could be"

"Kaoru…"

The image of the girl's tears as she knelt in front of him and the same girl going away with that man made him turn his face down to hide the anger he felt.

"So you knew them… Koshijiro-san is the friend you came searching for"

Koshijiro

He merely nodded and she guided him with her hand towards the man still resting. As they got closer he was able to see the shaky pattern of his breaths and the pale almost transparent tone of his face. Then he was able to see the similarities he had missed before, the hair even thought touched by old age was still mostly a bluish black, straight and long, he did not have bangs like Kaoru but instead had shorter strands at each side of his face, her nose and eyebrows were the same and he could see the faint calluses on his hands from wielding a sword, in the same places he had felt on Kaoru's hands.

He was indeed Kaoru's father and he would die that night.

"Do not tell her about Kaoru… or if you do, tell her she is safe so he can rest in peace…"

"Thank you… ah"

"Megumi… Takani Megumi…" the young woman smiled sadly and turned to leave. "It's funny, I was suppose to arrive today to prepare the clinic for a possible battle, I was suppose to come prepare for possible wounds… to train under Genzai-sensei's… ah… how funny it is to have come out of a massacre to enter another"

It seemed she had talked more to herself than to him this time and with that she left them alone.

Kenshin knelt down with great difficulty, stilling his body with his back straight and his shoulders back he breathed in to calm his chaotic feelings when he felt a hand pressed against his knee. Looking down he saw the eyes of the man no longer asleep. They were a dark grey.

"You…" he said in a breathless voice "I remember you"

"Koshijirou-dono, I… I couldn't"

"It's alright, you owe me nothing…" he licked his lips and tried to smile "I knew she was up to something with all the extra buns she said she was eating… she was always up to something"

An attempt to laugh brought a fit of coughs that ended in a whizzing sound from his lungs.

"Do not push yourself Koshijirou-dono, you must save strength"

"Its fine…" he said sarcastically "Despite what that lady doctor says I know I was only bidding time until you came back…"

Eyes impossibly larger Kenshin felt his mouth dry and a bitter taste form in his throat, threatening him to vomit the water he had drank before.

"They took her" he said in a hoarse voice before he could stop himself.

"Aah…" Turning his head back at Kenshin he smiled kindly at him.

"Do not punish yourself for what happened, she wouldn't blame you and I would not blame this on you… I can already see what my daughter found in you…"

"This unworthy one…"

"Do not belittle yourself so easily young man… even I am not ignorant to the past that burdens you yet I can see it in your eyes that there was reason and an answer in you to what Kaoru did… I only hope that this means a change in your path and that you live… live as long as you can to honor the gift she gave you…"

He closed his eyes once more and with a shaky hand pulled out a locket from the inside of his sleeve.

"If you ever find… her…" Kenshin looked down as he collected the metal piece from his cold hands. "Give her this, it's her dowry…. It is hers… as well as… my sword"

Holding Koshijirou's hands in his Kenshin nodded as he promised.

"I'll give it to her… I promise"

The man smiled again but his eyes didn't open again, soon without energy the hand still held by Kenshin grew limb and fell to the floor, lifeless.

"Is he…"

"Yes" he answered at the feminine voice asking the obvious behind him then he got up slowly supporting himself in his cane and moved to leave.

"Let me have a look at your leg… please, it could be dangerous if you leave it like that" her expression was calmed but he could see the tension on her eyes like a pleading.

"It's nothing of worry Megumi-dono, this unworthy one…"

"What's your name?" surprised he looked at her as if confused.

"I cannot call you… well… you every time and you know my name…"

"Kenshin… my name is Kenshin"

With that he sat down and the young woman moved to check on his legs soon going back and forth to bring tools to immobilize it, she said something about it being almost broken and him remaining still for a while or he could really break it. Soon he was not listening to a word she said, he could only gaze at the starts thinking of where Kaoru was and if she was looking at the same starlight sky.

"Ready Ken-san… you'll be good as new in a few days"

"Thank you, Megumi-dono" he smiled gently as he was getting used to and turn to get up again when she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You can rest here, a few have come from the nearby village with food and stuff… they'll go back in a few days with a cart or two so you could hop on them instead of walking"

He knew she really wished him to rest and thought he would be of no use to Kaoru if he could not walk properly so he decided to nod in agreement and only moved to sat down more comfortably on a makeshift bed. Soon after Megumi returned with bowl of soup and bread

"You know, you have the most interesting eye color Ken-san, where are you from?"

For a moment he wondered how the child had not mentioned anything about his golden eyes when she had been so interested in his red hair. He only smiled sadly at the memory and thought of the nature of his bright colored eyes.

"I have never seen violet eyes on anyone…"

Opening his eyes he turned to stare at Megumi as if she had grown another head and a couple hands as well.

Looking at the flask with water she had handed him he was able to look at his reflection for the first time after this ordeal started. They were indeed a deep violet color. Covering them with his left hand he couldn't help the tears that begun falling one after the other and was soon openly crying.

Honor the gift Kaoru gave you…

He, the battousai, the man slayer, an assassin feared by everyone… had no longer the eyes of a killer.