Disclaimer-chan: Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X are property of someone else, not me! ^^;

I've been writing all week and I've actually doubled the length of my fan ficcie! Yay!! Well, beware in this chapter there is a -tad- bit of sexual content, but not really enough to worry about. ^_^

Dictionary-ness

Kin'iro yoake = golden dawn (yesh, I know, it's a bit fancy of a name for a place like this... but oh well ^^)

Something else to remember....

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Tsuki's family name is Murakami. ^^

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The next morning Tsuki awoke to find herself in the same room she had been in the night before. Her fingers pressed just above her brow in attempt to remedy a headache she felt fall upon her.

Suddenly she gasped as flashes of her activities from the night before came through her mind. Had that been real? Or just a dream? Quickly she began gathering her swords, enduring through the painful feeling in her side. No, it must've been a dream, she told herself. She would never let any man toy with her emotions, especially not Kenshin! Once she had herself situated she peered out the crack between the door and the frame. She saw no sign of Kenshin, so she darted out the door, off the porch, and through a gateway leading to an open field with only a narrow path trailing off into the distance. Where am I? she asked herself. Where does this path go? Behind her she heard a door slide open and geta clap against a wooden floor. Frantic, Tsuk ran along the mysterious path to an unknown end. As she ran the wind about her lifted the tips of her haori sleeves, over grown weeds whipped her legs, and her waist hurt more and more with each step. Soon she was limping in pain. Fortunately, the path had led her to a familiar sight: inner Kyoto.

Calming down, she slowly surveyed the city, perhaps looking for a place to sit and have a drink. She passed all the flashy pubs and bars, but stopped in front of a grimy old tavern, hardly noticeable to any passing civilian. Above the entrance hung a musty sign displaying the words 'kin'iro yoake*' in barely legible kanji. Although this place would not normally be visited by any common citizen, someone with as high stature as Tsuki, a warrior in training, but somehow she felt as if she were being pulled in by some celestial force. Well, celestial, maybe... or possibly demonic... but whatever it was she could not summon enough strength to resist entering.

The moment she placed one foot in the tavern the crowd fell silent and she felt quite unwelcome. The tables were full of poor farmers and workers most unfortunate in their business. They wore patchy, shredded clothing and looked to Tsuki with resentment in their eyes. Her clothes were good quality cotton with few cuts. But suddenly, the realization that this was a higher class teen, luscious and defenseless hit them hard in the face. Trying to ignore the men, Tuski sat in a table looking away from them. She asked the bartender for a bottle of sake, and there she sat waiting... alone...

Behind her the men's faces, already red from too much drinking, began to show hints of deviousness, and they began to laugh and jeer at their friends, Tsuki obviously oblivious to their ideas.

The bartender emerged from the kitchen with a saucer and a bottle of sake in hand. He carelessly thrust them in front of Tsuki and quickly walked away. Tenderly, she picked up the bottle and slowly poured the clear liquid into the shallow saucer. She delicately picked it up with the tips of her fingers, brought it to her mouth and sipped it. She was shaking. Her hands brought the saucer slowly back down to the surface of the table. The warm sake remained in her mouth, as she was unable to swallow. She closed her eyes, dropped her head back, and allowed the drink to slide down her throat. When she opened her eyes again the men had surreptitiously surrounded her table. The stood, laughing and making gestures towards Tsuki. She jumped from her seat, but immediately froze in fear. Her palms and forehead began precipitating and she did not have the strength to reach for her katana, although she lacked no will. She looked to the bartender for help, but he walked away as if nothing was wrong. One man touched his face. His icy hand sent a rapid chill down Tuski's spine. The tenderness of her skin in her youthful innocence excited the man. Slowly, he slid his hand towards her chest, but before he could reach his destination, Tsuki had brought her bokken to his own chest. He fell to the ground and Tsuki bounded out of the tavern before the confused men could realize what had happened. She ran along the busy road without looking back. She was still in too much shock to completely understand what had just occurred. Tears began to stream down her face, and she was getting weaker. When she had gotten about two blocks away, she collapsed to her knees and bawled. In all her fear and hatred she no longer had the will to live.

"Murakami?" inquired a familiar voice. Tsuki lifted her head up, but she was too dizzy and her vision too blurry to make out who it was. The figure bent closer, and Tsuki realized it was Kenshin...

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Muahahahahahaha!!!!!!! (evil, ne? ^_^) Well, this was a pretty long chapter. The next won't be so long...

But I dunno, I guess I didn't introduce Tsuki enough for this to be "devastating" to anyone... but it was pretty devastating to me (of course I've "known" Tsuki for about half a year so....).

Well... Reviewer's Tea Party!
Uenki :
Hehe, neato! ^_^ Hope I can talk to ya this weekend!

More people must review! o_O