Disclaimer: Watsuki Nobuhiro and a whole lot of other people that do not include myself own Rurouni Kenshin. I'm just borrowing them because a character I came up with when I was nine started to jump up and down in my head insisting to be allowed to play with them. So please don't sue me. I'm broke.

Spoiler alert: Spoilers for the Kyoto arc and Revenge arc. Possibly spoilers for other stories as well.

Rating: R, swearing, death, murder, blood and all around nastiness.

Info: Some events may not correspond to events in Rurouni Kenshin, as I have not seen all the episodes. In fact I haven't even seen to the point where this story takes place. I am basing some of the scenes on the spoilers I have run into in the various stories and video clips that I have seen. Therefore this tale may be a bit AU.

This is my first fanfiction and the first fiction I have ever written that ran over a page or two. I can definitely use all of the C & C I can get. Please read and review.

A KILLING MOVE

By COLLEEN

Prologue

Tokyo at night.

The first one.

Koji's breath wheezed painfully in and out of his lungs. Lungs that had been stressed to a degree where all he really wanted to do was collapse and learn to inhale properly again. Nothing, he thought, could feel better than to give into the cough that had threatened to overtake him for the last few streets.

He ran and his heart ran with him. Each painful thump conspiring with the rest of his body to stop his headlong dash down the empty avenues. Stopping, however, was not an option despite the fatigue that burned through his muscles. Neither help nor rest would be found here for even in daylight this area of the city was often deserted. Finally, exhaustion winning out over fear, he noticed an abandoned and rotting building that looked worth hiding in.

The shop had obviously been boarded up when it its previous tenant had left and the door was still firmly secured against intrusion. The window next to it however had recently been ripped open, rotting wood sticking out like broken teeth in unhealthy gums. Koji, although exhausted, felt a sudden rush of strength as he all but leapt through the ruined frame.

The inside of the former store was empty but for the usual collection of dirt and debris. The insects and rodents that lived there scurried away to hide at his intrusion into their domain. The young man scrambled for the darkest corner, furthest from the door, seeking to conceal himself in the shadows as much as possible. Huddling on the floor Koji attempted to master his body as it started to shake, the last surge of desperate energy sliding from his limbs. He inhaled carefully around the cough in his lungs as he strove to bring his breathing and heart rate back under control.

Tears threatened to overtake the young man as the momentary respite gave his mind time to reflect on his situation. Mentally he berated himself for having gotten into such a stupid mess in the first place. After tossing the note out he should have just gone in the opposite direction. Koji shook his head. If he had had the breath left he would have laughed at himself for that thought.

He knew he had been blinded by the possibility of so much money and that blindness had dictated his course. He had told himself that the money was the difference between eating and starving for his family. Now all he wanted was to be back with them. To be safe and warm in their love and presence, even if hungry.

Because what was hunger when it was likely you would be the meal?

Koji looked up, startled by a sudden realization. In the silence of the shop his few breaths had stretched into a few minutes. Hope stirred, then started to blossom in his chest when a small noise caused the much-abused organ there to lodge in his throat.

Twisted and cruel the noise grew in volume from a murmur into thunderous laughter. Koji slapped his hands over his ears, nearly sobbing as the sound reverberated through the old building. Voicing a sound somewhere between a moan and a whimper he took to his feet, dashing for the uncertain safety of the street outside.

He didn't manage more than three steps.

The shadows in the room seemed to gather into one dark figure that stepped in front of the boy, arresting his flight. The figure blurred for a moment. The motion a stain in the night too fast for the naked eye to follow. Then it was gone.

Koji breathed in once more before his body seemed to explode in a fountain of blood. He fell to his knees trying to exhale. Losing that fight he fell over onto his face. His eyes stared uncomprehendingly at the wood grain of the floor as his heart struggled to beat. He tried again to exhale. The previously unshed tears escaped his eyes as his lungs refused to move and the shock to his system wore off enough for the pain it hid to leak through.

In the midst of his struggles Koji felt someone enter the shop. Even with the pain and his heart beating so loudly that he could barley hear anymore he could still feel a presence standing behind him. Surprise and further fear ran through him as the young man strained his ears, waiting for them to move. A quite sigh flowed through the old building and soundless footsteps traced a path to where he lay.

Against his will Koji convulsed, his mind not capable of controlling the dread that coiled snake like through his body. The voice sighed again and a flash of colour caught the corner of his eye. Blue green silk brushed against his ear. Koji, unable to react, lay there waiting for further pain. His body jerked once again as a hand moved soothingly over his head. "It's all right" a voice said. " It's over now. It's time to rest."

Koji lay there suddenly comforted as the soft hand smoothed his hair. He felt his muscles relax as he accepted in his heart and soul what the rest of his body already knew. Closing in on death the young man's heart took its last beat. His trapped breath finally let go, escaping out of him in a rush. Gladly, he gave himself into the arms of peace.

"Don't worry" the soft voice told the now still form. "Everything will work out. It always does."

End of Prologue.