*Lines with-in the stars (*) are thoughts.*

I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, despite my delusions otherwise.

Shadows Return, Chapter 1: A walk in the rain

Night settles over Tokyo as storm clouds move in suddenly. Kamiya Dojo is dark, silent save the sound of rain on the hard brick tiles. The soft sound of zouri on cobble-stone is heard as Himura Kenshin walks around the outside of the school. He moves with deliberate slowness as he studies the area, looking for something, anything, that is out of place. His slow pace is due to the sudden down pour that forced him to abandon his paper lantern.

There had been several murders in the last month, and Kenshin was taking all precautions, now that things had finally settled back down. It seems to Kenshin that the last year was exceptionally busy. After Shishio Makoto, there was the incident with the Black Knights, the Feng-Shui, and the terrorists who used government weapons to try to assassinate a foreign dignitary. Things were finally settling down, but then these murders started. Since he was alone at the dojo at the moment, he decided to check out the area, in hopes of catching the culprit in the act.

Kaoru was at the Akabeko, taking cooking lessons from Tae. Kenshin had wanted to go along, if only to make sure she made it home safely, but Kaoru would not let him. As he walks along, he plays the conversation back in his mind.

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"I will go with you, that I will." Kenshin had said to Kaoru earlier that evening.

"Iie." Kaoru said. "It's a woman's night, Kenshin. You'll be bored."

"The nights are dangerous lately, Kaoru-dono." Kenshin's voice is soft.

"You don't think I can take care of myself!?"

"Oro?"

"I can take care of myself, Kenshin. I'm the assistant master of Kamiya Katsushi Ryu!"

"Aa. But who will protect the attacker from you?" Kenshin said, trying to stave the argument.

"Not funny, Kenshin."

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She left shortly after that, still refusing to allow him to go along.

*I am probably worrying over nothing.* Kenshin thinks, as he continues his patrol of the neighborhood. *Besides, Yahiko-san will be walking home with her.*

Yahiko had been spending more time at the Akabeko, claiming to be working to earn a little spending money. Kenshin doubted that was the whole reason, though, remembering the girl, Tsubame, that worked there. Megumi had not been around in the last few days, busier than usual at the clinic. Even Sanosuke was gone this night, likely out gambling his little money away.

A sigh escapes Kenshins lips as he thinks about the last body found. Unfortunately, it had been found by Kaoru.

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The sun was bright as they were walking from the Akabeko. Tae had treated them to lunch in return for some favor that Kaoru had done for her. They were passing a little used alley, when Kaoru noticed an odd smell. Kenshin recognized it immediately, the smell of blood and the stench of death.

Walking carefully into the alley, the two found a body, cut and mutilated. Large patches of skin had been taken from the body while it was still alive. The face was unrecognizable beneath the hundreds of shallow slashes across it, and the blood, now dry, that flowed from them. The rest of the body was in similar state, slashed and mutilated. This person had obviously been tortured while still alive. Even with all the death and viciousness that Kenshin had seen during the Bakumatsu, his stomach turned at the sight of this.

Kaoru had a more immediate reaction to it. She turned to the side and vomited her lunch. Shaken and still physically shaken, she sat down outside the alley while Kenshin found a police officer.

"Gomen nasai, Kenshin." she said to him as they walked back to the dojo.

"For what, Kaoru-dono?"

"For getting sick like that." she answered. "I shouldn't react like that. I'm the assistant master of Kamiya Katsushi Ryu. That shouldn't bother me."

"I am glad it bothered you, that I am."

"Nani?"

Kenshin paused for a moment, trying to decide how to best say what he means. "If it didn't bother you, that would mean you've seen too much of it." he said finally. "I am glad death is not that familiar to you, that I am."

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Even as these thoughts run through his mind, he searches the buildings, alleys, and rooftops for activity. He is nearly back around to the main entrance when a soft clink, clay tile on clay tile, catches his attention.

Spinning, hand falling to the sakabatou at his side, Kenshin sees several dark figures as they leave the rooftops and land near him, swords drawn. With no gas lights in the immediate area, the night combines with the rain to obscure the darkly clothed attackers.

"Who are you?" Kenshin demands, but is answer only by the first stepping in and slashing down, hard.

The sakabatou leaps from the scabbard, catching the other blade with ease. The second comes in with a horizontal slash, aimed at Kenshin's head. With speed that clearly surprises his attackers, Kenshin parries the incoming slash, deflecting it wide, and returns with a diagonal slash of his own, knocking the attacker back and to the ground.

The first attacker comes back in as Kenshin's back is turn from the strike to the second attacker, lunging. Kenshin spins, deflecting the thrust, and begins to return a strike of his own when another sword arcs at him. Throwing his momentum back, he rolls away from the swing. Coming to his feet, he finds himself surrounded by four darkly clothed swordsmen. The dark night and heavy weather still obscuring most of their dark features.

Spinning his sakabatou fast, he manages to deflect attack after attack, while connecting one of his own, reducing the number of attackers by one.

The three that were left press Kenshin hard, leaving him little room for countering. After several exchanges, one of the attackers manages to get past Kenshin's defense, leaving a shallow wound on his left arm. Ignoring the minor cut, Kenshin launches an assault of his own.

Batting the swords of his mysterious attackers to the side, he connects hard against the side of one of them, dropping him to the cobble stone street. Turning, he begins to parry the two remaining, bidding his time for an opening. The last two, though, seem to be fighting cautiously, not really taking an offense and doing little more than trying to keep him busy.

*What kind of strategy is this?* Kenshin wonders for a moment. As the area around his small wound begins to go numb, he suddenly understands. *Poison!!*

With a sudden flurry of movements, Kenshin aims to end this fight as soon as possible, then get to the clinic. His two remaining opponents, though, are highly skilled. Worse, two of their downed companions return to their feet, unsteadily at first, and retrieve their swords. Still, even with their skill, Kenshin manages to return one of his attackers to the cobble stones.

His whole left arm is now numb, though, and feels as if it is made from stone. He can feel the numbness creeping through his body, slowing his movements. Oddly enough, his attackers no longer are attacking. They only defend against his slowing attacks as the poison does its work.

In a matter of minutes, the sakabatou clangs against the cobble stones. Kenshin sinks to his knees, his legs no longer supporting him.

*Kaoru-dono...* he thinks, unable to force his body to respond to his mental commands. *Gomen nasai... I only wanted to protect you.*

Laying on the street, his mind still working perfectly as the poison paralyzes him, he sees another dark figure leaping from the walls of Kamiya Kasshin Dojo, swords leading the way.

*Gomen nasai, Kaoru-dono.* he thinks one last time as the darkly cloaked figure nears.