XenoMark's Note: I think I forgot to mention that this fic will be mainly angst, so don't flame us if there's no action or anything, in fact, don't flame us at all. Anyway, this chapter is just an intro to the characters and picks up where we left Shion at the end of "Crimson String Book I."

Crystal's Note: Happy readings

Chapter 1: The Angels Fall

(Shion's POV)

The rain was falling as heavily as ever after my match with Mina, the winds were slicing against my skin and rags. The evening breeze did nothing to cure the wound scratched over my heart, it's very breath only made it sting further. I began to press my fingers against the gap, my skin taking in some of the crimson liquid. It was nice cut that Mina had dealt me, she had improved since the last time I fought her. My hand soon left the cross over my heart, the ruby fluid quickly washing into the ground as it left my chest. My lips were still warm, that brush she placed on my lips, how I treasured it. A curve of a smile stretched onto my face for a mere moment, only to sink after I remembered the grim reality of what I had just done.

'How am I going to explain this to Saigo-sama?' I asked myself.

Lying was easy, but Saigo was one who could see through lies like a hawk finding a rodent in the fields. I could've told him that she got away, but even that would look bad. There was no way that I'd be let go easy on this one, the consequence would be great no matter what I said. Even telling him the truth would be out of the question, the end result would be the same, only now I'd have the Ishin Shishi still hunting Mina down. I had to think of something, but blanks only came into my mind.

Nothing came to me as I entered the forest to the Satsuma Camp, my head still hung low as I came onto it's grounds. My knees were beginning to give out, I was practically dragging my feet at that moment. The very thought of what I was going to tell my comrades was tiring me out, and the wound inflicted on me didn't help either.

A splash of water suddenly caught my attention, slowly pulling my head up to see the source of the splash. It was five soldiers who were waiting for me, smirks stretched across their faces as I turned to them. These men were the other field chiefs other than Tetsu who Mina had killed, I knew them fairly well after killing for the clan for four years. I didn't know what to report to them exactly so I said the first thing that came into mind.

"Mission complete," I told them, almost passing out as I spoke.

"Excellent," one of them said, "but I'm afraid we have no more use for you."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

'No use for me, what exactly do they mean?' I asked myself.

I began to ponder on their words for a moment, trying to find the definition behind them. They said they had no more use for me, I didn't know what they meant at first, but I wish I could've found out sooner.

The next thing I knew, I was forced to the ground, my arms and legs being held down. I knew what these men had in mind at that moment, I could tell by those snickers and simpers that followed after.

"Stop it!" I yelled at the individuals. "Let me go!"

I knew what was going on now, it was just as Tetsu and Mina said, the Ishin Shishi were

killing off their own hitokiries, and now, it would be my turn. A fate worse that death was what they had in store for my execution, a fate that no human being should ever endure.

"Please stop," I begged practically in tears, "stop it!"

I cannot recall what happened exactly, the only way I could shield the terror that had been

unleashed upon me was to close my eyes. It began with the sound of fabric tearing, and then the feel of nails and fingers. Even though darkness had covered my sight, pain still swept through my entire body. Every crevice and inch of my body, there was always something searing my skin. Scratches, pinches, even bites, all of these things found their way onto my body. I remember their chuckles and their laughs, I tried my best to block them with my screams. I wanted someone to help me, anyone. Mina, was it too late for Mina to come and save me? When the pain had subsided, I found my entire being suddenly paralyzed, still blinded by darkness.

"You think she's dead?" I heard one of them ask.

"Thanks to that wound Kensai gave her, I'm pretty sure she died of blood loss in the end," another answered.

Died, far from it. My breathing was heavy, but I could only take in tiny puffs at a time. My arms, legs, and every inch of my form was frozen, I could not move it despite how much I ordered it to. The fresh river of blood from my scar was still trickling down my body, the drops of rain spreading it throughout my entire form.

"So what do we do with her?" the voice of another soon entered my ears.

"Toss her into the river," a fourth voice ordered, "it should be a proper burial compared to the stuff we do to the other bodies."

"I'll take care of it," a fifth voice entered my ears.

My arm suddenly lifted, though without my input. My wrist suddenly began to sear as something began to clamp around it. The ground began slide under my body, rocks and other forms of the earth cutting my body in the process. Darkness had still engulfed my eyes, I could not lift it despite how much I wanted to. Actually, it was probably best not to lift it, I did not want to go through more of what I had already gone through. My body suddenly came to a halt after some time, being lifted into the air moments later. I stood on my feet without any of my own will for only a mere second, only to find it falling forward in the next. The wind began slicing against my body once more, stopping seconds later when a force suddenly crashed against my entire body. My lungs began to fill with a liquid in the next instant, my torso being pushed against another force. That force pushed me up for a moment, giving me a second to catch my breath, only to pull me back in the blink of an eye.

For a long time, liquid and air seemed have exchanged places in filling my lungs, my body dipped up and down in the body of water I was in. I was too tired to swim, my entire body was so sore, I just wanted the river or whatever I was in to drag me into the abyss. That just didn't happen. The next thing I remembered was feeling something against my body, it was a very rough surface. I'm sure it was rock of some sort, but it just didn't matter to me at the time, I thought I was going to die. I soon felt my arms being lifted by something, my feet began dragging against the floor. Arms wrapped underneath my legs after, just as my arms were thrown across what seemed like someone's shoulders. Someone was carrying me, I didn't know who, and I didn't want to know...

(Misanagi's POV)

It was another normal day for me. I was walking with my Sanada Ninjas, patrolling for intruders. Surely, this isn't the most exciting thing in the world. I sighed again. Life was boring.

The sound of the water was relaxing, making me forget things for a while... Things like what happened during the day before Kodomo-No-Hi with Hitokiri Kensai... Things I've wanted to forget for a long time but never seemed to be able to. I felt someone tap on my shoulder and when I turned around, I saw another one of my Sanada Ninjas. He asked me if I was all right and I told him yes. Ah, people that ask those questions should be lied to.

As I got closer and closer to the riverbank, I felt my body stiffen up and my eyes darting from places to places. The smell I seriously hate. Blood. I scanned the whole place for danger and when I found none, I ran towards the smell of blood quickly along with my Sanada Ninjas following me.

There, in the river was a woman... Not in the best condition, I can tell you. Her clothes were torn up and soaked with blood I thought she was dead. Unconscious and barely breathing, I hauled the woman from the river and dragged her to carry her back to our base.

The moment I hauled her from the river, one of my Sanada Ninjas asked why I was going to help her. I frowned at him, a bit. Don't some people know what it is to help other people in need? Obviously not. The blood on her terrifies me a bit, because it reminds me exactly of what happened the day I met Himura Mina, Hitokiri Kensai. I ignored the Sanada Ninjas and asked them to help me to carry the woman back to the base.

"God, just kill me now," I heard and I frowned yet again. So the woman wanted to die... She opened her eyes for a slight second before she fell unconscious again.

For how long, I didn't know. I was walking with someone almost dead in my arms and thinking of things again. Yes, things. The sound of water was becoming fainter and fainter and then, the only sound I heard was my own feet along with my Sanada Ninjas walking on the ground making soft sounds. All of a sudden, I heard a few people, more like a few dozen people come along and I let the woman fall on the ground.

My Sanada Ninjas must've felt something, because the next second, they took out their own weapons and got in position. I saw someone go near the woman and immediately took one of my poison dart and hit him square in the back of both shoulders, he slumped down, lifelessly. Now the fight was starting, I can tell, they were soldiers of the Ishin Shishi.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and elbowed him right in the stomach, "Don't touch me," I growled, while shooting another dart at another person. I knocked the person out and saw that we were getting the upper hand right now. I continued shooting darts, giving elbows, kicks and punches to any Ishin Shishi I saw. To me, they were the bad people... Hitokiri Kensai was in the Ishin Shishi and she was my enemy, therefore, all Ishin Shishi were my enemy.

I gritted my teeth as I saw one of my Sanada Ninja bleed and fall to the ground, hurt. I heard footsteps behind me, running towards me. From the sounds of his steps, it wasn't any ninja and without a second thought, I sent another dart in that person's direction. He fell to the ground immediately and the sword he was holding on fell to the floor noisily. I was getting ready to throw another few dozen of darts when a rifle stopped me.

"Harboring a criminal is a serious offense to the new government," was what one of the man said, with the rest of them pointing the rifles at us. We were surrounded. Rifles were all around us and there was no chance of escaping. Those rifles were faster than most human beings, probably not as fast as me, but I had my Sanada Ninjas...

Wait, what did they mean by harboring a criminal? I glanced at that woman I had just saved a while ago with the corner of my eyes... Could it be that she, was a criminal? I didn't have time to think because the next second, they were once again aiming at us.

I snorted, "Well if you plan on shooting us, then do it."

Useless...

(Shion's POV)

"Ugh...?" the darkness before my eyes began to unveil.

A shimmering metal I knew too well lay before my eyes, as well as the body of an ex-ally, a soldier of the Ishin Shishi. The pain in my body was as strong as ever, but I had to ignore it for the time being. I mustered enough strength to take the blade sitting before me off the ground, using the rest to scout out the area. It didn't take long for me to find a group of my ex-allies, all of them with rifles, pointing them at a small number of individuals in black. One of those individuals just happened to catch my eye, the only female in the group. Hair as brown as chocolate, and eyes of a cinnamon shade, I had seen her once before. It was that woman that Kensai tried to have her way with the day before Kodomo-No-Hi, the leader of the Sanada Ninjas.

"Well if you plan on shooting us, then do it," the shinobi ordered.

"I'd let them go if I were you," I used more strength to speak.

"Hitokiri Shion!" one of them screamed.

Strength had began to return to my system, my legs began pushing forward. Shards of metal began to escape the barrels of their guns, a majority of those barrels pointed at me. Left and right, up and down, there was no way an ordinary person could dodge all those bullets, but I'm no ordinary person. Each of those bullets met nothing but the air or the steel held between my palms.

"Forget the guns," one of them ordered, "just use your swords!"

All of the foreign weapons dropped to the floor in the same instant, just a step before my feet passed them. My blade pressed forward in the next second, plunging into the first man I saw right before he drew his blade. From the corner of my eye, I could see another batch of individuals drawing their swords, there was no time for me to react. Before their blades could touch my flesh, their blades suddenly clattered to the ground. I looked to their backs and found several pieces of metal lodged into each of their backs. The whistle of steel entered my ear again, this time it came from the east. I pushed my feet into the ground after, darting into the heavens a second later, barely avoiding the stab. I brought my sword downward, having it lead my path back to the ground.

"Akai Chi Ryu, Koukougeki!" I screamed.

A geyser of red filled my vision as the metal curve dug into the man's skull, grinding his bone and muscle together. I don't what happened next, but my strength suddenly began to drain from my body once more. Aside from the blast of crimson that clouded my vision, the last thing I saw before passing out was a figure before me, clothed in the same color of darkness and hair shaped like wings.

(Misanagi's POV)

I stared in awe at the woman in front of me that they called a criminal and I watched her cut through the man's skull. Certainly, there weren't many women who were able to do that, except Hitokiri Kensai. A woman with skills like her... I would not be surprised if she was some sort of criminal, but how is she part of the Ishin Shishi? They knew her, that much was certain for they called her name. Hitokiri Shion... Was it? I never heard of the Ishin Shishi killing off their own men at the time, it made me wonder just what was it she did to have them chase after her? That technique she used back there looked familiar as well... It took me a while to figure it out, but I soon realized that it was a similar technique that Hitokiri Kensai used.

'Could it be that she's an associate of Kensai?' I thought to myself.

"Leader?" the voice of one of my followers brought me out of my trance.

"We're taking this woman with us," I informed my men, taking her into my arms once more, "she could become very valuable to us."

Valuable, how very true that was. You would become a valuable part of my clan in the days to come, and even more so, you'd become a very valuable part of my life.

Chapter 1 Liner Notes

What's a "yurei"?- A "yurei" is a tormented soul you'd usually hear about in ghost stories. They basically still have business to deal with in the world of the living. Yurei often wear a white triangle on their head, with one side face up and the other two parallel to their forehead. They also often wear white clothing which is supposed to be their funeral garb. The yurei of folk tales are often victims of murder or suicide, and a majority of these victims are women. Shion believes this role fits her perfectly after what those men did to her, but of course, she's not dead by any means. The incident just really messed up her life as you'll see later on.

What's a "naginata"?- A naginata is a Japanese spear, it's basically a long pole with a curved blade on one end. Some naginatas have two blades, one on each end. Primary users of the naginata are women because the weapon was mainly taught to the women in samurai families.



What's "Kodomo-No-Hi"?- Kodomo-No-Hi is a holiday in Japan that is celebrated in May 5. It's translated as "Children's Day." A festival is usually held on this day and paper carp are often hung outside houses and stores.



What was it that Hitokiri Kensai did to Misanagi?- For those who didn't read "Crimson String Book I," Hitokiri Kensai is the alternate persona of Himura Mina, Kenshin's foster sister (an original character I made up like Shion). Mina basically suffers from multiple personality disorder and well, her other persona, Hitokiri Kensai, tried to rape Misanagi. Mina herself isn't a lesbian, but Kensai on the other hand, is. Mina and Kensai are total opposites of one another, although you can easily tell who's in control of Mina's body by looking at the eyes and hair. When the body is wearing a purple ribbon and has lavender eyes, Mina's in control, but when the hair is free and has yellow eyes, Kensai's in control. You can learn more about the two in either "Crimson String" book.

About the Akai Chi Naginata Ryu- This is Shion's technique that was passed down many generations of her family. It is said that both the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu and the Akai Chi Naginata Ryu originated from the same school which is why all the attacks are similar to the other style's and why both styles use God-like speed and the ability to read your opponent's moves. I created this technique for my fics so Mina could be kept in check in terms of ability, giving her a rival. The problem is that Mina never knew if Shion ever used her full power during any of their fights.

Next time: "Day in, day out, everything is the same to me. The world continues to move as I remain where I am. I am in a world where everything passes me by, a world that cannot accept me for who I am and what I have done..." -Azumi Shion

XenoMark's Note: Well, how was it? The chapter may be somewhat short, but things'll get into more detail later on. The real conflict will be introduced in the next chapter, so you can expect to see some action and stuff. Reviews are welcome, but don't flame us, all right?

Crystal's Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. My POV might've been too short, but anyways... As XenoMark says, more action later, so yep. Bye