~*~Chapter I – Blood Lust~*~

Not once did you cry

For the lost ones of your world

Your care is limited

To this Demigod

Unto which you cluster

~*~Decrystallizing Reason – Emperor~*~

How did one prepare to kill a man?

Soujirou didn't know.

All the information contained within the black folder, as well as everything inside the package Yukishiro had delivered to his apartment later that afternoon, he had memorized. He knew things like where this Himura character lived, how to access his home, his bank account status and who he spoke with. There was enough information but at the same time, there was a lot was missing. Something was off about this guy and all the things that were untold made Soujirou uneasy. For example, there was no clear indication of what Himura did as a job. Nothing was written about his history, only that he'd come to Tokyo five years ago. Places he liked to visit, any hobbies he had, none of that was mentioned.

While Soujirou was hardly interested in knowing what the man he was to kill liked to do on Sundays, it was odd that Yukishiro hadn't provided him with everything she knew. Everything he'd ever heard about Yukishiro Tomoe painted her to be a cold, extremely meticulous woman. That she would consciously withhold data that might aid him, struck him as ominous. There were only two reasons he could come up with, as far as lack of information went. Either Yukishiro was keeping things from him, which was highly likely or she had given him all that she knew about Himura Kenshin. Both reasons were disconcerting.

But in the end, the result was the same. He had to kill. Once more. Because stained hands were always stained hands. Because he was selfish. Above all he was selfish. He would murder some unknown man for knowledge, at the bidding of one of the most corrupt families in all of Japan.

Soujirou closed the folder. The image of the red-haired man was etched into his mind. "Tonight," he whispered aloud.

Outside it began to rain.

Ignoring the pangs of apprehension that festered within the pit of his stomach, Soujirou locked away all the material concerning his assignment into the filing cabinet that stood beside his bed. Then he sent a quick fax to Yukishiro's private number, informing her that tonight her request would be completed. He forced the enormity of the task before him from his mind and instead turned to the only thing that was able to sooth him, his katana. The sword was an authentic piece from days long gone by and it had at one point belonged to a real daimyo. It was also one of the true links to his past. Soujirou sat down with the sword and honed the blade until it was sharp enough to cut his skin from millimetres away. He sharpened and polished until his fingers were numb and only stopped with the arrival of his roommate.

Soujirou didn't like the idea of having a roommate but when it became clear that he couldn't afford the raise in rent, he'd been forced to find one. A student of the nearby University of Tokyo and part-time Kendo instructor at a local dojo, Kamiya Kaoru seemed like the perfect roommate. She was sweet, hard-working, spunky and caring. Approximately one week later he came to realize that she was also loud, hot-tempered, pushy, naive and nosy. She was constantly sticking her nose into his business and trying to find out about him. She was of the opinion that they didn't 'communicate' enough with each other. She was a very emotional sort, whether it was getting pissed off at school or crying at soaps.

The front door opened and slammed shut. He could hear Kaoru stomping through the living room and towards his room, muttering under her breath.

She flung his door open without knocking, as usual. "I'm completely soaked!" she moaned, flinging long, soggy strands from her damp cheek. "I can't believe the forecast never said anything about rain! Meteorology is such a scam. God I hate rain. On the way home some stupid bus splashed me and all these jerks started laughing at me! And then tomorrow's my big Calc. final and I'm doomed for that and to top it all off I've got a killer headache. Man I need to change my clothes. Tell me we have Aspirin."

"In the bathroom cabinet."

"I hate studying," Kaoru groused as she shuffled away, coming and going like an emotional whirlwind.

Soujirou listened to her bang around in the bathroom. Whenever she was in the apartment, she made her presence known. At first it had been weird, hearing her talk to herself and sing to herself constantly. Now it comforted him. He didn't have a lot of experience with girls but he did know that Kaoru was different. Her life hadn't been easy but in spite of that, she was still optimistic and very innocent. It wasn't easy to remain innocent, especially when one was all own.

He tucked away his katana and changed into black cargo pants. He put on a black hooded-sweatshirt over the T-shirt he wore and dug out a pair of gloves. Now he would wait until ten-thirty before leaving. Sticking the gloves under his pillow, he headed into the kitchen for something to eat.

Kaoru, wearing her infamous black and yellow striped pajamas, was making soup. Soujirou thought she looked like a giant bumble bee. "If I catch a cold them I'm gonna be screwed," she declared, liberally shaking black pepper into the pot. "Why do I always get sick around finals?"

"I'm sure you're be fine." Soujirou turned his smile upon her as he poured himself a glass of juice.

Kaoru looked at him suspiciously, noting his 'work' clothing, as she liked to call them. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Just out for a while."

"Doing what?" She left the stove to come lord over him, her hands on her hips. "Where are you going? You never tell me anything! If you're doing illegal stuff for that Saitou guy then I swear I'll-"

"I'm just meeting a friend," he lied, all too easily. "There isn't any reason to worry. I'm not going to get you into trouble, Kaoru. You should know that by now."

"Still I don't like it!"

Soujirou didn't look at her. Sometimes she was too much. His smile chilled. "You don't have to like it. This is what I do."

She recognized the coldness in his voice and knew that she was treading dangerous ground. "Just be careful," she muttered, turning back to the stove.

One of the main spots of contention between them was Soujirou's job. He worked for Police Chief Hajime Saitou and his wife Homicide Detective Tokio, as an underground informant. Mostly he did illegal work that they as police weren't allowed to do in order to crack a case or catch a particular offender. It wasn't the easiest job but it paid and that was enough for him. As it was, he owed Saitou a great deal.

Kaoru had found about his work accidentally one day and now she was frequently worrying about him. At first it had been flattering, being as he'd come a long way without anyone to worry about him. Now though, it annoyed him to no end. He didn't like the idea that Kaoru should know what he did. If he ever got in serious trouble, he knew that she'd be the first one to hurl herself in the midst of danger and try to rescue him. He didn't want to be responsible for her getting hurt. She really was nothing more than an expendable vulnerability.

They ate in silence. He could see that Kaoru had lectures itching under her tongue but she held them closed. She knew when to press him and when to keep quiet. When they finished eating, she headed to her room to study while he cleaned up.

A nervous energy was pooling within him. Though he couldn't quite place his finger upon it, he could feel that something was amiss. His instincts were blaring warning signals. The night would not go as planned. He might be hurt or exposed or caught. Then even Saitou wouldn't be able to protect him, not as he had once did. It was hopeless. All the odds were against him, that he should actually accomplish this murder.

Why would Yukishiro ask him to do this, of all people? She had scores of men at her beck, all more capable then he. So why would she choose him? He couldn't explain it. And then there was Himura. Was he truly such a horrible person? Why had he killed Yukishiro's fiancé? What of all the people the Yukishiro family had killed over the years?

Could he really and truly kill again?

"I'm desperate," Soujirou said aloud and he knew that he would...or die trying.

And desperation, he had long since learned, was a dangerous thing.

~*~*~*~*~

"How the hell am I supposed to integrate this stupid trig function?" Kaoru growled in frustration, tossing down her scientific calculator. "Like I know what the anti-derivative of damn secant is!"

Kaoru was in a bitchy mood. She'd been studying for hours now and hadn't learned anything. Her head was aching, she couldn't concentrate on studying and she was worried about that smiley dumbass Soujirou. He had left ages ago, without even saying good-bye. Damn him! He just never appreciated how much she actually cared for him.

"Sometimes I really hate that guy," she complained, stretching. "Sometimes I really hate Calculus. Sometimes I really hate finals. Sometimes I really hate-"

A very sudden and very loud banging upon the front door interrupted her griping.

She looked at her clock. It was ten after nine. "Who's out there at this hour?"

The knocking continued. It was sharp and insistent, grinding upon her headache.

"What the hell!" Kaoru slid out from behind her desk and stalked out of her room. "Yeah yeah I'm coming!"

The knocking didn't stop, not even for one second. It must have awakened half the building by now!

"If it's that damn Yahiko them I swear I'm gonna murder him!"

She reached the front door and yanked it open, yelling, "Yahiko shut the frig up!"

But it wasn't that brat Yahiko from down the hall, it was a strange guy she'd never seen before. He was tall, with spiky, frost- white hair and round John Lennon style glasses. The expression on his face, which Kaoru may have noticed if she hadn't been so irate, was aloof and dangerous.

"What the hell are you trying to do, rouse the whole damn building?" Kaoru was super pissed. Her head was literally throbbing because of this knocking idiot. "Good Lord they can probably hear your bangings all the way in Okinawa! Are you crazy? What the hell is your problem? You've completely aggravated my migraine I hope you know! How rude can you get, practically pounding my door down like that!"

The white-haired young man, who was none other then the younger brother to Yukishiro Tomoe and head of one of the biggest underground drug and weaponry rings in all of Japan, stared at the girl before him. He wasn't an easy person to catch off guard, but this girl had managed it. He pushed up his glasses. "You're making twice as much noise with your pathetic rantings."

Kaoru narrowed her eyes. The nerve of this guy! "Don't wise off at me creep, I'm not in the mood! I don't know who you are but if you don't leave right now, then I'll make you sorry! Now buzz off!"

She tried slamming the door shut but he caught her hand in his cold grip. His bones crushed upon hers. He was strong, beyond anyone she's ever encountered.

"I don't take well to threats," he warned, his voice low and poisonous.

His eyes scathed hers and Kaoru knew fear. She yanked her hand back, determined not to appear weak. "Neither do I," she spat, unable to help from rubbing at her wrist. The guy had one hell of a grasp. "Now tell me what you want and then get lost!"

"Where's Soujirou?"

Figured that this lunatic was one of Soujirou's buddies! "How should I know?"

He took a step forward, openly intimidating her. "When did he leave?"

Kaoru moved backwards and hated herself for it "What do you think I look like, his mother?"

In a heartbeat, he had both of his hands encircling her throat. His fingers dug into her skin. Kaoru choked and she could see her wide eyes reflected in his glasses. She began to struggle and tried to kick him when he thrust her hard up against the doorjamb, his clasp tightening.

"Keep moving and I will kill you," he hissed, his face only centimetres from hers.

Kaoru stilled, her heart hammering.

"I have the friends all over this city," he bit out, his breath fanning over her cheeks. "I could kill you right now and no one would ever find your body. I'm warning you, next time you decide to get mouthy with me, you'll find yourself six feet under. You're lucky I'm in a good mood tonight bitch."

He let go of her, shoving her roughly so that she stumbled backwards and would have fallen had she not caught hold of the door knob. He smirked and disappeared.

Kaoru let go of the door and gingerly touched her throat. The skin was tender and was already beginning to bruise. She could barely swallow, the pain was so great. She closed the door and locked it with shaking fingers.

Rage slowly began diffusing her fear. She was not going to let this pass.