Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is the creation of Nobuhiro Watsuki, with the manga and anime rights belonging to Jump Comics and Sony Entertainment, respectively. FF is non-profit, meant for entertainment only.

FF can be archived anywhere, just let me know where. Please send no flames, I'm sensitive. For all other comments 0_o you may contact me at kaoru_koishii@yahoo.com

Warning: I'm really going to push the limits to my rating. PG+13 for violence.

Chapter Six

*************

Morning had set in some time ago. A group of seven men walked down the street. Intimidating men, each carrying similar katanas. Some of the older people recognized them and rushed their kids and other loved ones out of the way.

They hadn't paraded down the street in over a decade since their side had lost. Still they had a way of frightening the people. They strode down the street with purpose walking down to the bottom of a temple.

"A Saitou-san." A man in his early thirties addressed another. A much taller one. His age was a bit harder to guess. Sleeked black hair and odd bangs. He stood by a pillar smoking a cigarette.

"Tanaka." Saitou Hajime uttered.

The man who still seemed so young smiled at the his old captain. Katsuhiro Tanaka a thin young man with long black hair carried in the traditional style of the high pony tail. He stepped away from his group and followed Saitou. From behind the pillar they were free to speak, being several feet away.

"Have you heard Saitou-san?" Tanaka spoke curiously to his comrade.

Saitou gave him a weary look. "If this is about to those stupid rumors . . . ."

Tanaka shook his head. "They're not rumors. We caught the snitch." Tanaka paused for a moment. "He is as you remember."

Saitou felt a feeling of satisfaction rise to the surface. It had been two years since he'd fought him. It had a been a bit of a disappointment since he didn't kill him. A predatory smile came to his lips. He'd get the chance to fight him again, as he once was and as he is now. Battoussai.

*************

The battoussai looked out into the yard of the house. The sun was barely peaking over the tops of the trees. It had been seven days since he'd woken up with no recollection of the last sixteen years. He'd gotten to know his companion in the last couple of days. Kami, did she did have a temper. It was odd but he often found himself smiling in her presence. He'd never felt like that before. Carefree, almost. Still today he'd woken up with a sense of foreboding. Like the calm before a storm. Something was coming. He couldn't explain what. He stepped out of the house and made his way to the clearing. He felt at ease when he practiced. Maybe that would help.

Kaoru looked out the door in the direction where he practiced. Her eyes were still a bit puffy. He was relentless in his interrogation of her. He wasn't happy till he'd heard every single detail on the fight with Saitou. It had drugged up all the old feelings of despair she'd felt when they'd fought. She took a deep sigh and turned back into the house. She had breakfast to prepare.

The day passed on much like the previous five, though seven in total. She cooked and they ate. He'd ask a question and she'd have to tell him the entire story. Sometimes she'd cry and he'd comfort her. Sometimes he'd piss her off and she'd resort to yelling at him. Kenshin-baka. Another deep sigh escaped her. The excitement had worn off. Kenshin was settling back to himself, kind off. I mean he didn't do housework or anything and he wasn't as polite but other than that . . . Ugh. Who was she trying to kid. He was nothing like the Kenshin she knew and it was driving her insane. She couldn't hit him though sometimes she'd like to deck him into a far wall. Yell yes, and for some reason it only served to amuse him which in turn only made her angrier. Plus the nerve of him, always touching . . . .

She huffed a bit more as she slammed the futon into the middle of the room. He liked testing his limits. Seeing just far he could get. "Hentai." She muttered under her breath.

The battoussai stood by the door watching in amusement as she kicked the futon. "Take that Kenshin," she muttered. "You like that?" She'd ask the imaginary him. He couldn't understand why she was angry today. "Hentai." She muttered again. 'Ah,' that he understood. A grin appeared on his face. Earlier in the day, sometime after lunch, he'd started kissing her and it had led to other things. The blood in his veins began to pump a little faster. Still the amusement remained. "Hentai." She muttered again.

"Why am I the hentai?" He asked with a bit of satisfaction as she froze.

She refused to speak to him. She was very embarrassed by the whole situation. She'd come along a lot further with him than she'd ever had with the rurouni in all the three years she'd known him. "Hentai." She said as she got under the covers and turned to her side.

He felt the familiar string pull at his heart. Though now he knew what it was. He made his way over to her side and got under the covers with her. He smelled her before he hugged her. The smell of jasmine he was sure would be forever engrained on his being. The smell was utterly her. He laced his finger over her stomach an pulled her to him as he spooned her against him.

*************

"Kawamari-san."

Kawamari leader of the Mimawari-gumi turned at the sound of Ono's voice. "What news?" He asked.

Ono gave him a small smile before proceeding. "A source from within the government has confirmed a location on him. He's in Izu."

"Ono, take twenty men and finish this. Be wary of his budo, the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu kills in an instant." With his last warning Kawamari bid Ono off.

Ono nodded and left.

Saitama was a bit far from Izu. Still the battoussai would meet his end just before they burned the first city. Kawamari finished watering his plant before he went back into the house. Their headquarters.

*************

Kaoru walked by his side as they made their way into town. He was a little moody today, maybe it was the day. It was dark. Gloomy, it looked like winter had caught up with them. Today they were going to buy some winter clothes. He hadn't mentioned the going on's of yesterday and she was glad. She was still embarrassed.

She was preoccupied with the way their relationship was growing. It seemed to advance so fast. Not completely mind you, not till they were married but it was advancing increasingly fast. A breeze swept past them bringing the chilling air and making her shiver a bit. She looked around noticing they were already in town. Some women who stood by selling vegetables were ogling him. Her eyes narrowed in response. He spared her a glance and pulled on her hand when she missed the door to the shop. He gave her a slight push in, touching the end of her ponytail in the process. He stood still by the door as she looked around the store. He was hoping that by buying her clothes he'd get back into her good graces.

It was sometime before they left the store. They walked back to the house but at a slower. Kaoru was happy with the kimono's she'd chosen. She smiled the whole way back something that didn't go unnoticed by him.

They reached the house and she set about putting their things away while he sat near a window. There was something he'd been meaning to ask her. But what with distractions and all. She'd said something while asleep last night. She'd been dreaming. Still what she uttered had had upset him. His hands fisted together. He felt angry and resentful towards her. But he'd managed to cover up the fact today while they'd been shopping but now. The need to know was starting to incense him.

She came back with some tea, smiling the world for him. She handed him a cup and a small rice ball. She took a small sip of her tea and held it in both hands.

"You said something last night." He said keeping his voice even. She turned her happy face towards him and he pushed forward. "You said and I quote:

"I didn't say I wanted the battoussai to stay here. I said I wanted the rurouni"

The smile that had been playing on her lips disappeared. Her eyes drifted down to the cup she held. "I said that to you once. Shortly after we met. The day you decided to stay with me." She glanced back at him nervously.

"So you meant it? You prefer the rurouni." He asked in a clipped tone.

"Yes, I meant it . . . . but" She said. She watched as he rose to his feet. "Wait were are you going?"

"Out." He said as he crossed the threshold.

"Where?" She said racing to the door.

He paused on the bottom step, his back still turned to her. "You don't need to know."

Kaoru stood at the door her mouth half open in protest but he was gone. She closed her mouth and began to seethe. Of all the . . . . just who does he think he's talking to. He didn't even let me finish. "baka" she muttered under her breath as she went into the kitchen. She needed to start dinner. More "baka's" escaped her mouth before she was done.

She sat by the window waiting for him to come home. It had been sometime since she'd finished dinner. Still he hadn't come home. She frowned into the night sky. He hadn't let her finish her sentence. She bowed her head. Emotions ran high when ever they had a conversation. Sometimes he made too much out of a situation.

He came inside the house to find her near the window. He felt . . . . he shouldn't have left her alone. He stood by her and she suddenly looked up, her eyes were glistening. He stared at her for a moment. His hand itched to touch her bangs, to touch her cheek but he refrained from the action he was still upset. She was in love with someone else not him. If the other didn't come back there was no assurance she'd stay with him. She loved the other not him. She was only with him in hopes of getting her rurouni back. That's were the anger twisted. He watched her rise to her feet slowly.

"I'll get our dinner," she spoke quietly, not disturbing the gloomy mood.

They ate silently. Every once in a while she kept glancing up but he refused to look at her. Somewhere through the middle of her meal a knot formed her in her throat and she wasn't able to continue eating. She waited till he was done and then rose, leaving him alone in the room. His thoughts were his only companion.

She stepped into their bedroom to find him sitting with his back to the wall and his eyes closed. She changed, knowing he was too upset to try anything. She gave a sad smile and laid down on her side so she was facing away from him. She went from having man who barely showed her emotion to one that made her suffer with too much of it.

The battoussai's eyes snapped open, his sakabatou moving against the hardwood floor as he stood up. She sat up quickly glancing at him as he rushed to the door.

"Stay inside." he commanded as he ran outside.

Kaoru stood still for a whole five seconds before she ran outside to see what was going. She froze when she got to the door. Her hand covered her mouth. From the trees. They were all emerging from behind the trees. More than a dozen men. Her eyes took in Kenshin's posture. He was waiting for them to draw closer. Noise and sudden movement caused her to turn her face to the left. More men but they were dressed differently. These didn't have a uniform on. Confusion crossed her features for a moment. One of them was the man from the general store. Her eyes grew wide with horror. They were killing each other. The man from the store slashed another across the chest being sprayed with some of the blood he moved on to the next. Her eyes turned back to Kenshin as he joined the fight. Her body began to tremble. If he killed someone he would never come back. He'd never stay with her. She rushed down the steps an into the fight. Blood sprayed across her as she ran to get closer. The ones, who came here to attack. The ones in uniform, they out numbered the others. "Kenshin." She called out. She noticed he still held the sakabatou. He hadn't killed anyone.

"Ken . . . shin." Her call for him was broken in half as one of the blades had struck her. She fell to her knees. She watched in horror as he dropped the sakabatou and rushed to her side. She shook her head at him. He noticed the man hovering over her form as she fell to her side. Her eyes opened wide. She saw him pick up another blade and tears formed in her eyes. This was all her fault. She raised her hand to wipe at her eyes and she was sprayed with someone else's blood. She watched the hitokiri move like she'd never seen him move. He killed people . . . so . . . quickly. The rurouni didn't do the Hiten Mitsurugi justice. 'The way the battoussai used it . . . . he was amazing,' she thought as her eyes drifted closed

The battoussai blade struck out again and again. He slashed to the left and slashed back down to the right. He felt hate swallow him whole. His sword was meant to protect. Protect. He'd seen her fall. He'd learned this skill so he could protect. His blade slashed angrily to the left again. He rushed at someone else and slashed them in half. This is what he did. He killed to protect. He leapt and came down ferociously on someone else. She'd hadn't been armed. His arm swung in a basic battou jutsu slashing through someone else. She was a woman. He struck his blade through someone's throat and pulled it out quickly. That was it. The last of them. He rushed to her side and picked her up. She was bathed in blood. He wasn't sure if it was all hers or not. He cleaned her face with his sleeve.

"Himura." Takahashi Katoki called out.

The battoussai turned to the older Ishin Shishi member. He was the only one left alive. His eyes turned back to the woman he cradled against his chest. "I need a doctor." he said raising his eyes to the older man.

"Give her to me. You get what you need from the house. You mustn't come back here." Takahashi said taking her from his arms.

The battoussai was reluctant to let her go but he did. He nodded and they both ran. Takahashi headed for town through the back of the woods the same way he and the rest of the Ishin Shishi members had come, though now he ran alone. The battoussai ran into the house and stuffed her new winter kimonos into her bag, picked up their money and ran out into town. To Takahashi's store. He reached the shop just minutes after Takahashi. The doctor already working on her wound.

*************

"How is he?" Kawamari asked as he entered Ono's room.

"Him and Touya where the only ones who got away." The doctor answered. "Ono said there had been five Ishin waiting in the forest for them. The battoussai killed almost everybody."

Kawamari stared at Ono for a long moment.

"He won't wake up for a while. Him and Touya rushed straight here from the incident." The doctor said as he finished putting everything in his bag before turning to Kawamari. "Don't worry they'll live." He said gripping his shoulder and leaving the room.

Kamawari's thoughts centered around one fact and one fact only. The Ishin Shishi had retrieved him, first.

*************

Tae and Tsabame watched in horror as half the city of Tokyo burned. She couldn't understand. She'd seen the police rush by sometime ago but none had returned yet. She was afraid of leaving the Akabeko. What if they burned it too. This was all she had. She hugged Tsabame close.

"Are you guys alright?" Yahiko had just arrived and was looking around. "Stay here, I'm going to find out what happened." He said as he rushed off.

He ran for a while until he was close enough to the burning flames. His sleeve covered his nose and mouth. It smelled like burnt flesh. He was starting to feel sick.

"Oi!"

Yahiko turned a bit further to the left, Sano He ran over to help him. "What happened?" Yahiko asked him as he helped one of the policemen. He couldn't stand on his own.

"I got a glimpse of some men. It was a large group. They've set fire to more than half the town and killed almost the entire police force." Sano let out a grunt as he heaved a couple of men onto his back. These were the only ones left alive.

"Sano don't you think this is odd." Yahiko grumbled as he shifted the weight of the other man. "I mean that this happened while Kenshin was gone."

Sano had been so busy pulling people out he hadn't thought about that. He looked at Yahiko as they made their way to the clinic. "What makes you say that?"

"Well in all the time that he lived here nothing like this ever happened." Yahiko said. Something struck him then. "Do you think someone knows he's the battoussai."

Sano had been thinking along those lines since Yahiko had mentioned it. "Don't know kid." Sano said as he turned his eyes back to the road. They walked the rest of the way in silence. When they got there . . . . the clinic was over crowded.

Megumi rushed over to them. "Put them here," she said to Sano and Yahiko. She examined the policemen and waved some women over. "Same as the others. You sew like I showed you. Place the ointment and bandage them up." Megumi said to an older women.

She turned back to the clinic while Yahiko and Sano glanced around. It looked like most of the patients were men. There were at least twenty men waiting to be treated. Sano and Yahiko mad their way inside and the stench of blood reached their nose. There were men in the hall and men in the rooms. Sano's hands fisted together. Once . . . . Once he'd walked by a scene similar to this. He'd been with his boss, Sagara. They'd been with the rest of the group having just walked out of the forest and into a clearing they encountered a field with dozens upon dozens of men slaughtered. The smell had been the same. The sound of a wagon made them stepped back outside. They rushed over to help unload the wagon. Eight more men. This was getting gruesome.

*************

Masashiko third captain of the Mimawari-gumi stood out on the hill over looking the valley. He was in charge of Nagoya. He looked over the town as small fires started to appear here and there. Soon, soon all of Nogoya would burn.

Soon those Ishin Shishi bastards would pay for killing his father. At twenty four he was finally ready, more than ready. His eyes narrowed in hate as he stared out, though not really seeing at all.

Masashiko turned his head at the sound of someone approaching.

Someone cloaked in dark clothing stopped about five feet in front of him. "Tokyo is ablaze." He said from behind the garment concealing a large part of his face. Everything but his eyes.

Masashiko nodded and turned back to see there were more fires now. He sensed the other man leave. Not bothering to turn back he kept his eyes on the flames.

*************

"We have reason to believe it's the Mimawari-gumi."

"You think Kyoto is next."

The old man nodded. "Word has been sent by a surviving tribe." The old man turned to look at the sun as it came up. It was like before. He had stood in this very same room, telling him the exact same thing. The only difference was the group they were about to fight. "It's time you took responsibility. You have to lead them once again." The old man turned his eyes to his leader.

A younger man with midnight hair and icy eyes. Tall and stoic with chiseled features that conveyed no emotion. His inner thoughts reached a conclusion and he turned his face up to the aging man. His cold eyes bore into him for a moment before he spoke. "Send word to the rest, we will takes arms."

The old man felt elated for a moment to see a shadow of the former leader. It was just so sad that it had to happen at a time like this. He nodded and stepped out of the room.

The younger man changed his clothes. He put on his coat and stepped outside, heading down to the hall where the others were waiting to hear him. He reached the bottom and found her waiting for him. Her large eyes conveyed the worry she felt. He nodded and together they walked in to the room with the others.

There you guys go. The end to another chapter. Please remember that this story is under ANGST/ROMANCE. So you should expect something like this laced with the heartwarming stuff. Anyhow, I was reading this over and I'm afraid it might run for more than the expect ten chapters. I don't want to end up with twenty chapters . . . . Still, I'll see if I can wrap it up sooner than that since the next fic I'm writing will be an epic. That one will run for a while.

Small Notes: The Shinsegumi. I should really try and upload the OVA and movie to the site but unfortunately I don't have enough room for that. Sorry. As I was saying, The Shinsegumi were a group, people used to fear during the Bakumatsu. They wore a particular mishiyuki's over their gi's. Kind of like uniforms. It's how you could tell them apart from other groups. It's true they didn't parade around but they didn't bother to hide themselves either, then.

The battle scene in which he acts as the hitokiri might confuse some of you. So . . .

1.) He is the hitokiri battoussai.

2.) The Mimawari-gumi emerged from the trees. Ono had been sent by Kawamari to deal with the battoussai. Ono had brought with him twenty men to deal with the situation. He thought he'd catch the battoussai alone. Unfortunately, Yamagata had sent men as well. Though not nearly as many as Kawamari. Both sides took losses in this battle each having only two survivors. Ono and Touya for the Mimawari-gumi and Takahashi and Kenshin for the Ishin Shishi.

Kawamari leader of the Mimawari-gumi has put his plan into action. Though his attempt on battoussai's life failed he will proceed as planed. He will burn major cities and then try and take Yohohama. His worst fear was the battoussai's involvement in this new war and this attack on his life now will have provoked him into action. Remember what he thought. 'both groups would now fear assassination not just the Ishin Shishi. The battoussai had not survived this long out of luck. It had been his skill.'

Tokyo was the first to be burned down. Though not the whole city was destroyed. It did sustain major damage. It suffered some death and a lot of injuries.

Nagoya is second to burn. This city will suffer the same loss as Tokyo.

There are three more cities to go. Osaka, Hyogo and Kyoto. Though they will encounter resistance in the last three. I do believe Saitou has an office in Osaka and Kyoto has had it's own defenders for more generations than we can count . . . . .

Well I thank all the people for their wonderful reviews. Please continue to read and don't forget to Review.