A/N: Friends, forgive me for dumping a buttload of notes on you before officially giving the first chapter. I feel like I have to do this, though, or else I won't be able to sleep tonight, lol.

To start, this idea has been gathering dust in my brain and in my now-dead laptop since 2008. I had intended to make an original story with this plot, but somehow, I never got around doing it. Then sometime ago, I woke up imagining Ruroken characters playing out my story and I thought to myself, why the heck not?

I haven't really ironed out yet all the details of my story with Rurouni Kenshin incorporated in it, but I hope to do that along the way, without making abysmal plot holes and whatnot. *nervous* (I got too excited that I posted the prologue already!)

This fic is a lot of firsts for me-my first multi chapter story, first try at an AU, and first attempt at a supernatural genre. To be honest, I find this endeavor stunningly daunting. Totally out if my comfort zone. Supernatural genre from me, really? I pretty sure I'd have more questions than answers about my own story. Aaack. But I'm excited to take on the challenge just the same. I hope my meager writing skills can keep up with my imagination.

This chapter is rather short. I totally have no style of writing novel-ish fics so I'm kinda experimenting along the way, too. I don't want it to be too descriptive that it gets boring, but I don't want it to be too fast paced that it looses "visual" appeal. Ah, so much to learn! Hopefully, I get to produce longer and more engaging chapters in the future. In the meantime, think of this as a twenty-minute episode of an anime! Lol!

Lastly, I seriously don't know to get fics beta'd so typos and grammatical errors are bound to show up here and there, I'm certain. If anyone could enlighten me on this beta thing, I'd appreciate it!

Well! I think that covers everything for now. Thank you to those who read, reviewed, followed and/or favorite'd when the prologue came out! I never expected to get that kind of response on just a short prologue. Every email notification I got made my heart flutter!

Now, on with the first chapter! (Finally!)

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CHAPTER 01: Witness

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Living alone proved to Kaoru that experience was not always enough to teach you what you needed to learn, she realized as she tasted the miso soup she had prepared for herself. Cleaning the house was easy, having a part-time job was easy, kendo was easy. But cooking? Ah, cooking was another topic altogether. How many times do I have to make miso to get it right? Scrunching her nose in distaste, she decided that this would have to do for now since she only had about thirty minutes left to leave for school.

At least the rice turned out okay, she assured herself while her chopsticks could barely penetrate the charred fish on her right.

As soon as Kaoru finished her meal, she quickly tied her silky raven hair high up into a ponytail and grabbed her bag. After making sure that she got everything she needed for her classes that day, Kaoru finally locked the door to her small apartment and proceeded to school.

Spring was gradually stepping aside for summer, and the teenager wasted no time savoring the last remaining wisps of floral scents from the park en route to her campus.

"Kaoru-chan~!" A small but athletic girl with long, braided hair suddenly appeared beside her, skipping with so much enthusiasm as if they haven't seen each other for at least a year.

"Misao-chan, good morning!" Kaoru greeted, happy to see her best friend. Despite being friends since they were seven, Kaoru still wondered how Misao could have so much energy on a Monday morning. She remembered the first time they met—she could have sworn they would be mortal enemies. The girl was just too wild and too rowdy even for Kaoru, who was already considered tomboyish by anyone's standards. Much to both girls' surprise, and after a few memorable trips to the principal's office, they turned out to be the closest of friends since elementary school. By now, Misao knew pretty much everything about Kaoru, including:

"So, when is Aoshi-san coming over to check on you?" Misao snaked her arm around Kaoru's, "You were going to tell me, right? You know I would hate you forever if you didn't!"

Aoshi-san, or Shinomori-san, as Kaoru was more comfortable with it, was her family's friend and lawyer. He made regular visits to Kaoru since she turned eighteen to make sure that she was still doing alright on her own. At least, financially. When her father passed a few years after her mother did, Shinimori-san was the only person Kaoru could trust about all the legal and financial matters she knew nothing about. He had taken care of Kaoru's temporary living arrangement with Maekawa-san, her appointed legal guardian, until she was of age. It was all thanks to Shinomori-san that she was able to find a decent apartment where she could move into, since her family's old house and adjacent dojo was too big for her and they incurred burdensome expenses that she could no longer afford. Selling the property had broken Kaoru's heart but Shinomori-san had assured her that it was the best decision they could have taken, and that her parents would have wanted it for her because realistically speaking, it was for her own survival anyway. Even though the lawyer was too stoic and silent to a fault, he had his moments, and she was grateful to have Shinomori-san around. And by the looks of it, Misao was even way happier about it.

"Yes, yes, of course I would tell you! We haven't set a schedule yet, though, so it could be later this month or early on the next," Kaoru calculated.

"What! But it's been so long already!" Misao whined, and Kaoru just laughed it off.

"You just saw him a couple of weeks ago! Seriously, Misao-chan, you're acting like a tween with a little crush on a senior!"

"Make that a teenager with a huge crush on a devilishly good-looking lawyer!" Misao declared. Kaoru could swear the girl's eyes had turned into hearts.

When they were about to enter the campus, another student fell into their pace and jovially greeted them, "Good morning, Kamiya-san and Makimachi-san!"

"Hey, Soujiro-kun, good morning to you, too!" came Kaoru's response. The boy's smile deepened, and he slightly bowed before going ahead of them.

"Why don't you date Soujiro-kun, Misao? He's good-looking, too, and he seems really kind. Just look at that smile!" Kaoru elbowed her friend surreptitiously.

To Kaoru's disappointment, her suggestion immediately hit a dead end. "No way, anyone who smiles like that way too often is just plain creepy."

Before Kaoru could say anything, the bell rang and the two hurriedly made their way to their classroom.

"Are you certain that she's the one we are looking for?" a rasping voice echoed from the shadows, authoritative and condescending.

"I sense it in her," came a calm response. "It is strong, not like any other. Strong, but restrained."

With finality, the voice replied, "I do not need senses and assumptions. Find a way to make sure. I will be waiting."

Classes ended in what seemed like a blur to Kaoru. Dismissal already? She was the kind of girl who enjoyed school, even if she has never earned the top spot in class and she struggled every day to wake up early. Still, learning new things was one of her favorite activities and it keeps her excited for the next school days.

"Misao-chan? I'm going to the Maekawa dojo today," she announced as she packed her notes and books. "I need to get back to practice now that we've finished with the school festival. I must be so out of shape; it's been almost a month since my last kendo session!"

"I bet your dad is turning in his grave seeing how off your stance must be," her friend said, carelessly shoving her things inside her bag. Kaoru shot her a glare which made Misao tease her even more, "And your students must be considering transferring to another school right about now!" She guffawed at the sight of Kaoru's eyes like saucers.

"Oh, by the way, the exams are two weeks away. Would you like to study together? Let's do it in your place! It'll be like a sleep over for a few days!" Misao excitedly suggested. "But with lots of studying, of course," she quickly added.

Kaoru had to laugh at that proposal. "Misao, the last time we attempted to study together, we ended up watching three chick flicks and then oversleeping. We almost didn't make it to school the next day! Maybe there's a better study plan that would work for both of us, eh?" Slinging her bag onto her shoulder, she finally bid her best friend goodbye and headed out.

The collar of the man's blue shirt seemed to tighten with every step he took. He held his chest desperately as breathing became too laborious for him to continue. This must be my time, he bitterly mused.

Unbeknownst to the man, another figure loomed over his crumbling form.

Ah, my muscles are so sore! I'm really getting out of shape. Dad would've killed me if he'd seen how sloppy my form was! Kaoru mused as she stretched out her arms and shoulders. Kendo was another one of her favorite activities. It held a special place in her heart because it was her father who had personally taught her the art—Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. Walking home from kendo practice, though, was another thing especially when she had skipped a few practices because she'd been swamped with academic work. When her body was aching and her stomach grumbling, the mere act of walking a couple of blocks home became such a chore. She willed her legs to move faster to get home sooner, but her exhaustion was getting the better of her.

I should get back and stick to my training schedule to have my rhythm again, she thought with resolve.

A dull thud interrupted her reverie and she immediately scanned her surroundings for the source of the sound. No one around me, but... Proper form and stance in kendo might have temporarily left her, but her keen senses never did. In fact, Kaoru was pretty damn sure the sound she just heard was that of a body falling to the ground. Damn, I don't have my bokken with me right now! Grabbing a pair of scissors from her bag, she hurriedly but stealthily turned to the corner on her right.

Her exhaustion all but left her. What lay before Kaoru's eyes confirmed that it had been a body falling to the ground indeed. But what she did not expect was about half a dozen other dark, shadowy bodies being sliced to death at such rapid speed that Kaoru's vision could barely keep up.

There was a man-or was it a woman, she could not clearly see-leaping from one person to another, swinging his blade onto each opponent with such precision and grace that Kaoru remotely noted that he might as well be flying. At one moment, she saw his right arm slashing down one body, but before she saw the end of the act, he had already pivoted to the left and his blade was slicing horizontally into the next target.

Instant death... Not a trace of hesitation...

The figures appeared somewhat shapeless and Kaoru attributed it to her exhaustion and surprise, and to the slasher's ungodly speed. But there was no denying that the lady was witnessing a lot of deaths in just a matter of seconds. Another silver arc going down another man's shoulder. A sudden thrust straight into the other's skull.

This was against everything her father had taught her. The sword was meant to protect the ones you love, the weak, and not to take away lives, especially not to kill indiscriminately.

No... Stop... Enough, please...

Before she could figure out what her limbs were trying to do, Kaoru found herself bringing her body forward. Tears from frustration and bursting energy unfocused her sight but the man's great ki drew her to him. Just as the hooded figure delivered his last swing of the sword, a great wave of force shook Kaoru's bearings and she lost her balance. Realizing that her attempt to disarm the man had failed, she managed to grasp onto his cloak, pulled desperately, and screamed her lungs out for him to, "Stop!"

Kaoru did not bother protecting herself from falling; she felt the impact on her knees and arms. Somewhere in her mind, pain registered distantly.

But the physical sensation was the least of her concerns. What stood before her was a being not quite like anything she had seen before. Time seemed to slow down that Kaoru was able to take in so much—the man seemed otherworldly, flaming hair and perfectly chiseled face. For a brief moment, the beautiful stranger stiffened in surprise at the presence of a mere girl, but he recovered quickly. There was something powerful emanating from him, Kaoru knew. It was almost tangible, rapidly wrapping its tendrils up and around her body. With her heart racing at a dangerous rate, Kaoru tried to move away from the man, his cloak, sword and all. As she commanded her muscles to stir, the man also set to motion so swiftly that the movement barely registered in Kaoru's bearings. The moment contained too much of the world and she felt herself giving in.

Before darkness engulfed her, Kaoru committed to her memory the last thing her consciousness could process.

His eyes…

Golden.

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EDITED 12/2019: Typos, inconsistencies, Japanese honorifics.