Unfortunately, due to Sanosuke's earlier alcohol consumption, his reflexes were slow. He did manage to hit Gohei, but not in a vital spot or hard enough to hurt him. Gohei simply knocked him down and started towards Michiko and Yoshi.

Michiko looked desperately at Sano, crumpled on the ground. "...Sano..." Then she set Yoshi down on the ground, "Run, Baby. Get out of here. Go! Hurry up!"

The toddler clung to her leg. "No! Mama, no!"

She shoved him off. "Go! Go or he'll get you!" She shrieked, "Run! Get Kenshin!"

He ran. He ran as fast as his little legs could go, not caring where he went. Tears spilled down his face as he ran blindly through the night. Then some one caught him, lifted him of the ground. "No! No! NO!" He struggled to get away, swinging his tiny fists wildly, "Mama! Mama! MAMA!!!"

"Yoshi, what on earth is wrong?" Kaoru held him at arm's length to avoid his flailing limbs.

He, recognizing her voice, looked up; stopped fighting to get free. He reached for her desperately. "Mama..." He sobbed, "Gonna hurt Mama..."

She looked at the boy, feeling slightly confused. His mother was dead...Wasn't she?

A frightened cry flittered through the night, drawing both her and Kenshin's attention away from the terrified boy.

"Michiko!" Kenshin looked angry. Very angry. His amethyst eyes were lit with that all-too-familiar fire that burned when something was terribly wrong. "Take care of him, Miss Kaoru!" He called over his shoulder as he ran off.

"Kenshin, wait!" She ran after him, carrying the small boy.

***

"...Ow." Sanosuke looked up from where he had landed on the ground. How the hell could I let myself do this? He groaned. She's gonna get hurt and it's all my fault!

Gohei had Michiko by the wrist. "You'll regret sending the boy off like that!" He growled fiercely.

"No! Please, don't do this. Just leave me alone!" She sobbed, "You have no reason to want my baby..."

Leave her alone!
Sano's brain screamed in anger. But he was frozen there, he couldn't move. This was not happening! Michiko writhed in pain and all he could do was watch.

"Make one move and I'll kill her, I swear I will." Gohei threatened. His triumphant look burned itself into Sanosuke's mind as he twisted Michiko's arm around behind her back.

"You should let her go, Gohei; that you should."

"Himura!"

Michiko looked up from Gohei. Kenshin and Kaoru stood close at hand. Yoshi was in Kaoru's arms, screaming "Mama! Mama!"

"Stay back, Battôsai! I will hurt her if you don't give me the boy." He twisted her arm back farther still, causing her to grimace in pain.

Then all the fight seemed to drain out of her. She took a slow breath, carefully tucking away all her feelings. Her face went completely blank as he continued to tighten his grip. There was a popping sound followed by a sickening snap as he broke her arm. Still her empty expression did not change.

"Who gave you a home?" He demanded.

"You did." Not a trace of emotion in her voice.

"Who took care of you when your parents died?"

"You did."

"Who gave you food and clothes?"

"You did?"

"Who's boy is that?"

"Yours."

"And who do you belong to?"

"...You."

Kenshin couldn't stand watching her suffer. His fingers twitched at the handle of his sword. Gohei had crossed the line. He wasn't the one being threatened, or even Miss Kaoru, but rage coursed through his veins. Michiko was a completely defenseless human being, one who did not -no, could not fight back. She'd lost her sparkle. His eyes narrowed. She had become a shadow again. It wasn't right.

He took a step forward.

"Wait, Kenshin." Kaoru grabbed his arm as he was about to draw the reverse blade sword, "Look."

Kenshin's gaze followed hers to where Sanosuke rose from the ground. A deadly serious -murderous almost- expression crossed the fighter's face. He looked at Kenshin, who nodded slightly, then he tackled Gohei from behind.

The large man stumbled forward, releasing his grip on Michiko. Kenshin darted forward, catching her in his arms. Gohei crashed to the ground, Sanosuke shoving his face into the dirt. "You bastard! You bastard; you destroyed her! I could kill you!"

Gohei reached around, pushing Sano off him. "It's a good thing you went and got yourself drunk. It's making you slow and clumsy. I hope she understands now what a fool she's been. You didn't protect her very well."

"Shut up!" Sano's fist connected with Gohei's jaw, "I don't want another word out of you! You hear me?! Not one more damn word! You're unforgivable!"

"...Sagara-San..."

"Miss Michiko!" Kenshin crouched down, still holding her in his arms. She seemed to be fading in and out of reality. Her arms were glazed over, her face pale. Her right arm dangled lifelessly, apparently ripped from its socket. Blood was seeping through the sleeve of her kimono where bone had broken through her skin when he shattered her arm. "Hold on, Miss Michiko."

"Mama!" Yoshi squirmed furiously in Kaoru's arms, tears coursing down his face. The poor boy was in hysterics, screaming and crying. Kaoru finally let him go and he ran to Kenshin's side. "Mama..."

"Your mama will be just fine; that she will." Kenshin assured the boy, "Don't you worry, Yoshi."

"Kenshin..." Kaoru knelt beside him, "Are you saying Michiko...She's his mother?"

"Yes, Miss Kaoru. It is something I have suspected for a while now. Sanosuke has wondered about it too...He was so troubled when she called him her Yoshi, but he did not understand just why. Miss Michiko must be very ashamed of this, but none of it is her fault."

"Poor Michiko...Will she really be okay?"

"I do not think her arm will ever fully recover. But that is not what worries me most. Her emotions seem to have hidden themselves away once again. I don't know if even Sanosuke will be able to bring back her heart. Look. Look at her face. She's shut herself off to the world, Miss Kaoru."

Kaoru glanced down at Michiko's pale face. Her eyes were glazed over and lifeless, staring blankly up at somewhere in the sky. The emptiness in her expression sent chills up Kaoru's spine.

"You don't deserve to live!" Sanosuke had Gohei pinned to the ground. His anger had reached its peak and boiled over. "How could you do that to her? How could you take advantage of a little girl like that?" He pounded his fists into Gohei's chest, tears running down his face, "You don't deserve to live..."

"Sanosuke! Do not kill him!" Kenshin called to his distraught friend, "You should let the authorities deal with him; that you should."

"I don't care any more!" I don't care; he should be rotting in hell for what he did to her. It's not fair! It's just not fair..."

"Stop, Sanosuke, or you will sink to his level. Killing Gohei won't make her hurt go away. You don't want to do this. Get off of him. You care about Michiko. Come over here and prove it."

"Michiko..." Sano gave one last murderous look at Gohei, then hurried over to Kenshin. He took Michiko from the red-head's arms, desperately searching her face for some sort of emotion. "Don't do this to me...C'mon, you can't go back to the shadows..."

She looked up at him, her dark eyes not displaying the slightest trace of anything human. Then she looked away.

"I'm so sorry." He pushed her hair back from her face, tears falling freely from his eyes, "I let you down. It's my fault he hurt you. I wish I didn't..." He choked on the words, clutching her to him, "Don't go back into the darkness. I'm begging you. I want you to stay. I'm sorry..."

"Mama..." Yoshi was back in Kaoru's arms, crying uncontrollably, "He hurt Mama!" He screamed, "I hate 'im!"

Kaoru hugged him wordlessly, not having any idea what to say. It tore at her heart to hear him say that he hated some one. Two years was such a young age to harbor feelings of animosity. None of this was right.

Sanosuke stood up, Michiko cradled in his arms. "She needs help, Kenshin. She needs Megumi and I don't know where the hell that damn fox is!" His voice rose, edged with panic.

"Take her back to the dojo, Sanosuke. Miss Megumi is there, that is why you could not find her. Kaoru, you go with him. Try and keep Yoshi calm. I will take care of Gohei, then return home." He smiled sadly at his friends, "It will be all right; that it will."