Disclaimer: RK and related characters are not mine; I merely borrowed them for my story.

A.N. I know, it's been a while since I updated. I'm sorry. :'( Classes, study, exams and the Christmas rush ate my time and spit it back out at me, knocking me off my feet. (

Anyways, here's the next chapter!

R&R!

Enjoy!

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Kaoru heard the whisper from her beloved rurouni and felt a sharp stab of pain shoot through her chest. She glanced back down to the unconscious girl again. Her face was bruised, and there was a large bandage on her forehead, no doubt hiding a large gash. She had long brown hair tied neatly at the nape of her neck and wore a simple kimono.

The obi of the kimono wasn't tied very well, Kaoru noted.

Kenshin dropped to his knees beside the fallen girl and brushed some of her hair out of her face.

It was her alright. There was no doubt in his mind. This was his sister.

"Himura-kun, you know this girl?" Okina asked. Kenshin looked up into his old friend's eyes. Ginji was wary of the man beside him. There was something about him that made the old doctor nervous. He was achingly familiar.

Omasu entered the room with a bowl full of cold water and a strip of cloth. She handed it to Ginji and moved away from the group. Ginji wet the cloth and placed it on Reiya's forehead.

"Yes, I knew her back when we...." Kenshin stopped. He couldn't say it. He couldn't finish the sentence 'back when we were manslayers'. She was wearing a kimono; they thought she was just a regular everyday Japanese woman. Not a former manslayer with blood-stained hands and a horrible past. ".... knew each other." He finished lamely.

Aoshi noticed the hesitation on Kenshin's part. Mentally he filed the information away to ask about later.

Kaoru noticed the absence of 'this unworthy one'. Who was this woman? And what was she to Kenshin?

"What's her name?" Okina asked, looking down at her. Kenshin's eyes snapped upwards to look at the former ninja.

"What do you mean? Didn't she tell you?" Kenshin asked, genuinely confused. Okina shook his head.

"She has no memory." Ginji spoke softly. He couldn't help but feel crushed at the fact that someone knew Reiya. He expected it, but he didn't like the idea of losing his companion. He hadn't realized how lonely he was until Reiya entered his life.

"No memory." Kenshin repeated.

For a brief moment, Kenshin had had a burst of hope. With Hideki back, he figured finding Misao and taking care of the Shinsengumi would be a whole lot easier. But with his sister having no memory.....

Now he was in trouble.

He gently brushed his fingertips against the bandage on her forehead and he felt anger surge through him.

"Who did this to her?" he growled, looking up at Okina with amber eyes. Her scream, her bruises, everything pointed to one thing in Kenshin's mind, and he didn't like that thought one bit.

Ginji felt his heart constrict as the amber-eyed man glared at him. He knew that face! Those eyes, the red hair, and he was positive that the bandage on his face covered the legendary scar on his left cheek.

Hitokiri Battousai.

"I don't know." Ginji replied, suddenly understanding why he had felt ill at ease when the man had entered the room. "I found her like this two days ago."

Kaoru saw the change in Kenshin's features, heard the tone of his voice, she knew it. He was angry. VERY angry. She took a tentative step forward and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Kenshin?" she asked quietly. Kenshin turned his face toward Kaoru and blinked. She only caught a glimpse of amber, but she knew it had been there. He had been very angry, and she could tell he still was. But his conscious effort to keep his anger in check had caused him to look up at her with his normal, gentle amethyst eyes.

Kenshin felt Kaoru's presence and immediately calmed down. The woman had an amazing ability to calm him. Just by looking up at her, he felt better. He was no less angry, but his rage had been calmed. He knew that he had no control over the past, and therefore he couldn't change what had happened to Hideki.

"What's her name, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked, repeating Okina's question.

"Hideki Sakura."

"Sakura." Ginji whispered, staring down at the girl before him. Somehow, the name suited her. Sakura moaned and stirred. The entire room snapped to attention as they leaned over her, watching as she struggled to open her eyes.

Ever so slowly, Sakura lifted her eyelids and gazed at the faces floating overhead. There was the old man, Okina, Ginji, a young blue eyed girl, and a red haired man. Sakura's eyes locked with the amethyst eyes of Kenshin. She blinked, trying to clear her vision. Somehow, his face was oddly familiar, but it looked wrong for some reason.

Sakura lifted her hand towards the man. Her fingers lightly brushed his bangs aside, revealing his left cheek. She felt the bandage on his face, took hold of an end, and pulled it free, revealing his scar.

The room remained frozen as Sakura dropped the bandage and brushed her fingertips along Kenshin's scar. Kaoru felt her heart constrict and a shot of jealousy coursed through her for a moment. Okina and Ginji watched in amazement, while Aoshi watched with avid interest. There was defiantly some sort of connection between Kenshin and Sakura. The Oniwabanshu members were shocked at the girl as she touched the Battousai with no apparent fear. Only a handful of people had ever done so. Yahiko, in the mean time, was utterly shocked at Kenshin's reaction. He knew the samurai as well as any 11 year old could know a fully grown man, and he knew that she was no ordinary woman if Kenshin allowed her such liberties.

The red hair, the cross scar, the whole face was so familiar. At least with the bandage off, the man's face seemed more familiar, but something was missing. Something still wasn't right. Sakura knew it.

Images flew through her mind. She saw horrifying visions. She remembered the three men wearing blue and calling themselves Shinsengumi. She remembered what they had done to her.

She remembered the smell of blood.

She remembered amber eyes.

Her eyes widened as she stared up at Kenshin. An image of him with his red hair pulled high on his head, frightening amber eyes, and blood all over his face entered her mind.

She pressed her hand against his cheek, covering his scar and said the first name that came into her mind.

"Himura."

Kenshin's eyes widened. He had remained frozen for the whole time, but at her whisper, he reached up and grabbed her hand.

"Sakura!" he said, relief coursing through him. She remembered him! At the name, she blinked, and the far off look she had in her eyes moments before vanished totally, and along with it, her memory of the man before her.

"Who are you?" she asked, snatching her hand away from his as if she had been burned. Kenshin's heart fell to his feet.

"Sakura, it's me. Kenshin. You know me." he said. Sakura sat up slowly and inched away from the unsettlingly familiar red-head.

"I don't know you. Who are you?" She asked again. Kenshin looked into her confused blue eyes and saw a trace of fear. Fear! His own sister.... afraid of him.

Sakura couldn't help but feel a little fear when it came to the man before her. He reminded her heart of something painful, some horrible memory that was just outside her grasp. It felt like her heart was constricting in her chest and she had the urge to burst into tears.

She could smell blood. From him and from herself.

Sakura backed further away from Kenshin and he watched her in bewilderment. He made the motion to approach her, but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him.

Kaoru saw the fear in the girl's eyes and felt compassion. She stopped Kenshin with a firm hand on his shoulder and stepped in front of him.

"Don't be afraid, he won't hurt you. He's worried about you. My name is Kaoru, you're Sakura, right?" Kaoru said, smiling gently at the girl and kneeling before her. Sakura visibly relaxed in her presence.

For some strange reason, the young girl before her calmed Sakura immensely, she had a gentle aura about her that made her very approachable and trustworthy.

"Sakura." She repeated, listening to the name again. Hearing it made her heart feel warm as some far off memory tried to push its way through the fog in her mind. "Yes. My name is Sakura!" she exclaimed. Kaoru smiled.

"Well Sakura, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'd love to show you the gardens here, they are beautiful." Kaoru said. She had the feeling that a private conversation between Kenshin, Okina, and the other older man was a top priority.

Sakura smiled. She liked the girl before her immediately. Kaoru seemed to emit a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere that would make anyone comfortable.

"I'd like that very much." Sakura replied. She wasn't interested in seeing the garden, but any excuse to get away from the red-head who smelled of old blood and made her head pound with painful memories was a good excuse.

Kenshin watched his sister leave the room, closely followed by the woman he loved. Kaoru glanced over her shoulder at him, shooting him a look that told him that if he didn't inform her of the entire conversation that was about to take place, there would be hell to pay.

Hitokiri Battousai was indeed afraid of a small woman named Kamiya Kaoru. He would repeat the conversation verbatim if it meant escaping one of her poundings. He nodded in response as she slid the shoji door shut behind her.

The members of the Oniwanabshu, Aoshi, Yahiko, Ginji and Okina all stared at the shut shoji door before simultaneously turning their heads to look at Kenshin.

Kenshin's eyes swept over each face as the owner stared at him.

"Oro?"

He had no more than uttered the word when Yahiko whipped out his shinai and whacked Kenshin in the head with it.

"Not 'oro'! Who was that girl? What is she to you? How do you know her? Why is she banged up like that? What...." Yahiko was cut off by a hand on his head. He turned to see Aoshi standing over him.

"That's enough Yahiko. Please go to the gardens and ensure that Kamiya-san and Hideki-san do not leave. Kyoto is a dangerous place for women it seems." Aoshi would have chopped off his own foot before telling the kid that he shouldn't be present for the conversation that was about to be held. Yahiko's tantrums were on par with Misao's. It was better to ensure Yahiko's ego was intact and send him off on an 'important' mission. Even if Kaoru was smart enough to stay inside

"Uh...."

"Please Yahiko. It's very important to me to know that Kaoru-dono and Sakura are being watched over by you." Kenshin said quietly. He hated to lie to Yahiko. But from the look in Aoshi's eyes, the conversation that was about to happen wasn't going to be one that a boy should hear.

Hearing Kenshin's request was enough. Without a word, Yahiko was out the door, following Kaoru and Sakura.

"Everyone," Aoshi said, turning to the Oniwabanshu, "Please ensure that the rooms are prepared for company, and return to your duties. This is still a business and we have customers to attend to."

Not ones to disobey their leader, each member of the elite group of ninjas filed out of the room, leaving just the four men.

"Now, Rumiko-sensai. Allow me to introduce you to Himura Kenshin." Aoshi said, taking his seat beside the former manslayer, facing the old doctor and Okina. "Himura, this is Rumiko Ginji-sensai, a former doctor and trusted friend of the Oniwabanshu."

"You are the Battousai." Ginji said simply. Now that his initial shock over the manslayers appearance was worn off, it was best to get the whole thing out of the way and confirm his suspicions.

"This unworthy one was known as the hitokiri Battousai many years ago, yes." Kenshin replied. There was no sense in denying it. Especially in Kyoto where everyone had heard of the red-head with a cross scar on his left cheek.

"I thought so."

"Himura-kun. How do you know that girl?" Okina asked, getting straight to the point. There was no sense in delaying it any longer. The question needed to be asked.

"That is a story for another time." Kenshin replied. "The most important matter is the whereabouts of Misao-dono and the Shinsengumi. Have there been any new discoveries made yet?"

"I'm afraid not. Whoever these men are, they are quite good at covering their tracks." Okina replied. Kenshin wasn't surprised. At the beginning of the revolution, Shinsengumi were shadow assassins. Their identities and their actions were well covered by all the members. However over time some members came to be well known; Saito Hajime and Okita Souji to name a couple, just as the same had happened with Kenshin.

Down in the garden, Kaoru watched Sakura as she bent down and place her fingertips in the cool water of the small pond. The look of serene peace on the woman's face made her all the more beautiful in Kaoru's eyes. Kaoru couldn't see the bandage that covered the gash on her forehead either.

A small breeze stirred Sakura's hair, sending it blowing gently over her shoulder. Kaoru felt grossly inadequate while looking at the beautiful woman before her. Even if Megumi had been picturesque in her beauty, Kaoru never felt inferior to her, she knew Kenshin was never interested in the fox-doctor. But this new woman, Sakura, was different. The way Kenshin looked at her made Kaoru's heart ache, even recalling the memory of it hurt.

But at the same time, for all her beauty, there was something odd about how she carried herself. She was unsure of her footing as the two women made their way downstairs. She appeared to be constricted in the kimono as she walked down the hall. Even when she bent down to put her fingers in the pond, she seemed awkward in her movements.

Sakura was a mystery to Kaoru.

Yahiko entered the garden to see Sakura knelt by the pond and Kaoru standing not too far from her, staring at the woman.

"Don't stare at her Kaoru, she'll think you're crazy." Yahiko whispered to his instructor. Kaoru jumped, startled at Yahiko's appearance.

"Yahiko! Don't scare me like that! I wasn't staring!" Kaoru exclaimed, trying to cover up the fact that she was indeed staring. Yahiko merely gave Kaoru a doubting look.

"Yeah, right."

Silence fell between the three people in the garden. Without even noticing, Yahiko and Kaoru stared at the woman before them, wondering exactly who she was.

Sakura felt both pairs of eyes watching her. She had known in a heartbeat that Kaoru was in love with the red-haired man, and for some odd reason, she knew the feelings were reciprocated. But the way that he acted towards her made Sakura wonder if they were actually a couple.

Of course, now that both people were staring at her, Sakura started to feel a little awkward. Was she that strange to look at? Were her injuries worse than she thought? Or was it that they were wondering who she was as much as she herself?

"You know, having the two of you stare at me isn't going to help me remember who I am." Sakura stated simply, standing up and turning to the pair.

They both froze.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to stare! It's just that...." Kaoru's voice faded. She didn't know how to end the statement. Why was she really staring? Was she checking to see if Sakura was competition? Or perhaps she was trying to piece together the mystery of Kenshin's relationship with the woman?

"It's just that....." Kaoru tried again.

"Who are you? What are you to Kenshin? Why did you scream? How do you know Kenshin?" Yahiko demanded. He wasn't one for being polite, or for beating around the bush. Yahiko was 11, he got straight to the point.

Sakura blinked at the hostility in the boy's voice. He glared at her through eyes that were so innocent, Sakura felt a pang of remorse shoot through her. She clutched her heart which suddenly gave her such pain. Why? Why did she feel sorry as she stared at the child before her?

She felt as if a huge weight descended upon her chest, making it difficult to breath. Weak and disorientated, Sakura sank to her knees, still clutching her chest and breathing heavily and unevenly.

"Yahiko, you idiot!" Kaoru cried, giving the kid a swift knock to the head. Her heart leapt into her throat when she watched Sakura, pale-faced, sink to her knees while clutching her chest. Kaoru ran over to help the woman before she ended up on the ground. "Go get help!" she ordered the young samurai.

Yahiko didn't hesitate as he turned on his heel and raced back into the Aoiya. He went directly to the only man he ever went to for help.

Kenshin sat silently in the sitting room, half listening to the plans being made by Aoshi and Okina. He had decided to visit his master the following day. Hiko Seijiro was always a good source of information when the Oniwabanshu were not. He knew he could turn to his master for help when he needed it.

"I assume that Sakura was a victim of the kidnappings. Perhaps she was in the clearing when the explosion occurred. Maybe she can help." Okina mused. Hearing Sakura's name snapped Kenshin out of his thoughts in time to look up and see Ginji-sensai shake his head.

"She has no memories. And from the episode she had earlier, I'd say she's having a hard time remembering. I don't think she would be much help. Besides, often enough many people want to forget traumatic events, perhaps Sakura is unconsciously trying to forget the incidents that lead her to be the way she is now." Ginji said. He was hypothesizing, but it was all he could do at the moment.

"What do you mean, the way she is now?" Aoshi asked. Ginji looked up at the ninja.

"Well, when I cleaned her wounds, I noticed she had a lot of scars all over her body. Perhaps she had a traumatic experience when she was younger. Maybe she was beaten by her father, or another man.... or men." Ginji replied. A surge of protective anger swept through Kenshin.

"I don't like what you're implying. She isn't a whore, and she never was." Kenshin said firmly. All eyes fell upon Kenshin.

"Then what was she?" Aoshi asked. Judging from Kenshin's evasiveness anytime he was asked about Sakura, Aoshi knew he wouldn't get a response.

Kenshin kept his mouth shut. He wasn't about to tell the three men before him who Sakura really was. He made a promise to never reveal that secret from the revolution.

"She was not a whore." he repeated with a finality that stuck. Aoshi knew the discussion was over.... for now.

"Kenshin!" Yahiko's voice called. A second later, the shouji door was thrown open to reveal a heavily breathing Yahiko. Kenshin's first thought was that Kaoru was in trouble. His sword was in his fist and he was on his feet in a heartbeat. "Sakura's collapsed in the garden!"

Kenshin felt a small sense of relief that Kaoru was okay. But a new panic erupted in his chest as he, Aoshi, Okina, and Ginji raced out of the room and down the stairs.

The four men entered the garden to find Sakura on her knees, breathing heavily, with Kaoru holding her for support. Images flew threw Sakura's mind once again. More blood, more death, more pain. No matter what, all the images that ever played through her head were painful and too horrible to comprehend. Had she actually seen all those horrible images? Or worse, had she actually caused all of those horrible images?

The innocence in Yahiko's eyes had stirred a distant memory of another child. A girl; young and innocent, with dead eyes and a throat that had been slit open. Sakura could feel the blood on her hands; she could smell it in the air.

Okina and Ginji immediately went to help Kaoru with the woman. Kenshin stopped dead in his tracks, furthest from his sister. His appearance only upset her. Aoshi and Yahiko remained a few steps in front of Kenshin, but a few steps away from Sakura.

Sakura felt hands supporting her, soft gentle hands. Pure hands that shouldn't touch someone as soiled as Sakura.

With a great amount of effort, Sakura shoved Kaoru away from her.

"NO! You'll get it all over you!" she cried. Kaoru fell to the ground in a heap and Okina was at her side in a second. Sakura stood, viciously scrubbing her hands in her kimono. Ginji reached out to touch her but the clouded anguished look in Sakura's eyes stopped him dead. He had never seen such torture in a person.

Aoshi watched with avid interest. He could feel the hurt and pain emanating from Sakura's small form. He knew Kenshin was suffering because he couldn't do anything to help. And he could smell blood. Old blood. Just like the sword he had retrieved in the clearing days before hand.

"It won't come off!" Sakura cried, rubbing her hands and stumbling away from Kaoru, Okina and Ginji. She was hell bent on getting to the bath and trying to clean the blood from her hands. She could feel it, cold and sticky. It was on her clothes, in her hair, on her hands.

Her vision clouded and grew darker as she shoved past Aoshi and Yahiko. She needed to escape! She had to get out! She had to get the blood off her body!

More images, more blood, more lifeless bodies. The weight of the blood she felt on her body became unbearable. Her vision grew darker.

Kenshin remained rooted in place and watched his struggling sister come towards him. He was not going to move one inch.

Sakura felt rather than saw. A familiar feeling washed over her and she stopped dead in her tracks. Her blue eyes met with Kenshin's amethyst. She saw the same picture she had earlier. Amber eyes, high ponytail, blood.

"It won't come off, Kenshin." she whispered.

Kenshin stared at her clouded eyes. He knew she was having more flashbacks to her horrible life of when she was a manslayer. And if her earlier episode was any indication, the second her eyes lost the cloudy look, she would unconsciously suppress all her horrible memories and forget him again.

Very slowly, so he wouldn't startle her and cause her to flee from him again, Kenshin reached out and grasped her shaking hands. He knew exactly what she was feeling. The blood wouldn't come off for him either.

"It never will, Sakura." he replied.

The words had barely escaped his lips when Sakura went limp in a faint.

Nobody moved as they watched exchange. There was something far deeper between the pair than originally thought. She was someone far more important to Kenshin than a former lover.

Kaoru knew as she looked at the sadness in her rurouni's eyes. Sakura held a piece of his heart that Kaoru would never have. And that thought hurt more than any physical injury she had ever endured.

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A.N. Well, it's been too long a wait but I finally managed to get this chapter finished. Honestly I've been picking at it for the last couple of months, trying to figure out where to go. I knew how to start it, I know how to end it, and I know what I want to put in the middle, but connecting all three of those things is proving to be difficult.

Plus that and being in school tends to eat up my time.

So anyways, there's the next chapter! I hope you enjoyed it and stay tuned for the next exciting installment! :D