yeah, yeah, this one knows...waaaaayy over due for another chapter...
but to make up for it, this one will be posting at least another chapter so... :3
now we finally get to Kenshin's persective... :)
what will happen now...?

DISCLAIMER: nope...still don't own it...

CHAPTER 10- Kenshin

"Hana-chan! Wait for me!" a small girl cries, dashing after the older one. She giggles as they chase each other around. "Keep up Kokoro-chan!" she cries, dancing out of her grasp, only to bump into me. "Slow down, you almost knocked this one down!" I say smiling down at her as she looks up at me sheepishly.

"I'm sorry! Umm…" she trails off and looks at her companion for help. "Samurai-san." I hear a voice say from behind us. We all turn, and my heart

nearly stops. A girl is standing at the side of the road, in a simple sky blue kimono. Her

bangs frame her face, and hangs to the middle of her back. And she bears a startling

resemblance to someone that I know…almost like a ghost from my past.

"Tomomi-chan!" the two girls squeal, and run towards her. I stare at her in a daze.

This is crazy, a ghost, literally from my past, come back to haunt me. "Arigato samurai-san. I'm sorry about my sisters." She says, smiling at me sweetly.

I smile at her weakly. "They're no trouble, this one enjoys the company of children."

Tomomi laughs, and ruffles the children's hair. "Would you like something to eat? My sisters and I were going to the edge of the forest to have a picnic. Would you like to join us?"

"This one appreciates the offer, but this one needs to get going." I say. A disappointed look comes over the children's faces. "Aww…why?" Hana asks, pouting.

I kneel down, so that we're talking at eye level. "This one would really enjoy spending the day with you, but this one needs to be somewhere. Kyoto."

She nods solemnly and Kokoro follows suit. But when I look up at Tomomi, there's a conflicted look on her face. "Kyoto you say…"

I nod. "Yes…is there something wrong Tomomi-dono?" she shakes her head. "No not at all… I'll just let you be on your way…Safe travels samurai-san" she says, walking away with the girls.

I relax for a moment as I watch the girls walk away.

"YOU!" I hear and angry voice shout. "Ororo?" I turn around and see the policeman from before. oh dear…

Night has fallen, and I find a place to rest. After making a fire, I sit down and try to sleep. But thoughts of the others find there way into my mind, making it next to impossible to sleep. I suppose everyone is angry at me now…

I hear the sound of cracking branches, and I whirl around listening for other noise. "It cannot be Shishio's men…" I think aloud. "Probably mountain bandits or highway men…but I should be staying out of contact of others so…"

I continue walking, when I hear shouting ahead of me. in a clearing, there's a young girl with long hair in a braid. I'm about to jump in and help her, when she easily fends off the bandits… and steals their money…

Then she begins looting around them and comes up with a bag of money. "I'm surprised." I find myself saying, startling her. "I thought you were being robbed… but it seems like the opposite…a woman bandit!"

"Who are you? Can't women be bandits?" she asks, glaring at me.

"No, no…that's not what this one ment. Being a bandit in itself is wrong."

"So you're trying to give me advice? Huh. Weird coming from you." She leans forward. "You're broke aren't you…"

Why? Why? Every single time! I think dejectedly, when I sense something approaching. Her eyebrows furrow and I know that she sensed it too. "Jump!" I shout when I sense it. Right beneath us. We both jump to the side when the ground erupts and it seem like the earth has come alive.

"What the heck?" I hear her shout from somewhere. The dust settles and reveals something that I didn't think was possible. A monster. Several feet tall and just as wide, and covered in dark coarse hair. "Hanyo! I will have my revenge!" it roars, and a single eyes opens in the middle of the dark mass. The girl screams at the top of her lungs, and tries to scramble back, when a tentacle slithers out from underneath it and snatches her.

"No!" I shout, lurching towards it, drawing my sword.

"Don't you dare draw your Tetsauiga Inuyasha!" it bellows, it's eye shifting from the struggling girl to me, "Or I'll crush the life out of her before you can use your Kaze no Kizu!"

"What do you speak of? Who are you talking about?" I demand, looking desperately for an opening to see if I can cut her loose.

"You know of what I speak Inuyasha! Don't pretend other wise! You've killed my kin! You killed my brother after he was dispelled from Naraku!" it shouts angrily, and the girl screams in pain as the tentacle that is wrapped around her body tightens.

"This one doesn't know what you're speaking of, but you will let her go!" I cry, charging towards it.

"You cannot defeat me! Not without your Kaze no Kizu!" it laughs maliciously. I don't dare draw my sword, but instead try what Sano is best known for: his punch. But just as I pull my hand back, I realize two things: firstly, my hand isn't curled into a fist. It's open, as if I'm about to claw at something, and secondly; my hand is glowing. I don't stop. I don't think. I only have time to register these two things as I slash my hands downward, and a battle cry erupts from my mouth, "Sankontessou!" and the yellow light spreads from my fingers-no, my claws and the beast screams as its body gets shredded into several tiny pieces.

I'm panting heavily, still in the position after I cut the beast into slivers. I'm staring at my hand. My hand that was just moments before glowing with some kind of power. Power enough to destroy the monster with one swipe. When I finally catch my breath, and look to the girl. She's staring at me with wide eyes, and a surprised look on her face. "A…a thousand apologies!" I stammer, "This one didn't mean to frighten you or…"

"Sankontessou…" she breathes, and a look of puzzlement passes over her face, but I don't take a moment to wonder why. What just happened? What was that thing? What was that I just did? Is it as he said? "Was Aoshi right when he said that we're both demons of the darkness?" I ask myself.

At the name Aoshi the girl perks up. "Aoshi? As in Shinomori Aoshi?" she demands, popping up from her spot and walking towards me. "What do you know of him? Tell me!"

I shake my head. I still don't know who this person is, but just by hearing about how she says Aoshi's name, with that reverence and awe. I can already tell that she'll be devastated if I tell her. If I tell her about how the Oniwabanshu died, and how he disappeared into the darkness.

"What? You can't tell me?" she asks, her eyes narrowing. "Oh ho mister, you can't get off with just that. Hey are you listening?" she shouts at the end as I turn and try to walk away. "You know something about Aoshi-sama. I know that you're definitely not human. I don't know about you, but I think that we're at a stale mate." She continues.

I sigh to myself. I know that she's right. She probably won't stop hounding me until I tell her. And besides. I don't know if it was me, or if it was her that the monster was after, and I can't take the chance of leaving her on her own to fend for herself.

"Alright. This one has set up a camp in a clearing not too far from here. We can probably talk more there."

what you're probably thinking:

for all those inuya readers out there: O_O
for all those Ruroken readers out there:...?

for anyone else who's reading this and has read both: you see where this one is going right?

if not you'll just have to wait and find out!

see you soon!
-moony