A.N: So, I'm sorry it's been a little while--but I was looking at this fanfiction, and realized that I used the same villain in this one and one that I started a while back. For that reason I decided that maybe, just maybe I'll try linking the two fanfictions together---I'm gonna start working on it tonight and tomorrow...but you know the deal--work...got my wisdom teeth pulled. So I'll give you a little taste of what's to come--see if you like it.

A.N 2: mind you--lol...this fanfiction was originally started having nothing to do with the previous so--don't get madat me. I just want to see if you like where it's going/I'm only going to post the first few pages, without the fanfiction between them...if that makes any sense...rawr just read it...

denotes italics--a dream in this chapter .

Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin or anything else...I'm just a lone author with nothing good to do with her life.

ProloguePrologue

The rurouni stared fearlessly into the eyes of his attacker, a flash of white hot pain jolting him from his stomach. He looked down and his eyes widened as the blade that he'd seen the attacker draw earlier drove deeper into his torso, grinding against flesh and the bone of his lower ribs. Deep blue eyes peered back up, and without a single vocal sound, he drew his sakabatou and swung. The attack barely gave the assassin a chance to move away, pulling the sword with him as he went. Kenshin cringed as he felt his innards shift with the removal of the sharp blade.

"Battousai," the bulky man sneered, an evil smirk forming on his thin lips, "the new revolutionary movement has come; you must be destroyed in order for Lord Shinomori to prosper!"

"There is no revolution, there isn't," Kenshin replied calmly, regaining his composure. And with that said, he attacked with a lightning fast charge and slash--knocking his assailant unconscious and onto the cold ground.

Kenshin resheathed his sword and peered up at the deep moonlit sky. It had to be at least two in the morning, judging by position, and he knew well that Kaoru would be up and waiting for him to get home. What a mouthful he would get.

As the rurouni began his short trek home, the wound in his chest began to ache horribly, despite the pressure that he'd been putting on it himself. He was soon overwhelmed by a series of short but intense hot flashes that left him feeling as though his body had been burned alive. But he pressed on, knowing that at least Sanosuke would offer help if Kaoru was too angry. He pulled his thoughts back to himself as he approached the dojo, and looked ahead. Kaoru came running, as was expected, and she was followed by a worried Sano and Yahiko. The samurai gave a deep sigh and looked up at Kaoru, at first only seeing the obvious anger on her face, but then, as moments passed in silence, he saw her features change as she began to become worried as well.

"Kenshin? What's wrong?" She inquired quietly, reaching her hand out to pull one of his pale hands from his chest, where his arms were crossed to hide his wound. "Where have you been?"

But before Kenshin could answer, he felt another flash of heat, and another searing pain shot through his body. Unconcerned with the surrounding people, he allowed a short cry to erupt from his tiny frame, and fell forward, his knees buckling beneath him. Kaoru was barely able to react fast enough to catch him.

"Kenshin!?" She called as she turned him onto his back in her arms. "Sanosuke, get over here and help me! Yahiko, go get the first aide kit!"

"Ms. Kaoru, I am sorry," Kenshin began weakly, his voice shaky and uneven, his breathing heavy and labored. "I didn't mean to worry you--"

Sanosuke knelt at Kenshin's left side and peeled the top of his gi away from the wound. The crimson, blood-stained cloth stuck to the wound where the blood had dried, and the smell of fresh fluid filled the air. He was still bleeding, heavily. "Kenshin," he began to speak slowly, shooting a glance up to the rurouni's pain stricken face, "you've got to stay awake. I can't help you if I don't know what happened."

"...Didn't...mean to worry you..." The red-headed man groaned and closed his eyes.

"Kenshin, I mean it, dammit! Stay awake!"

The samurai's midnight eyes snapped back open, revealing terrified eyes that Sano and Kaoru both were surprised to see. "I am sorry... That I am..."

"Stop apologizing, Kenshin," Kaoru interrupted. "just don't stop talking to me." She looked up to find a shocked Yahiko at Kenshin's right side, first aide kit in hand. "Yahiko, help Sanosuke, please."

The black haired boy opened the aide kit and pulled from it a towel to begin wiping the blood from around the wound. "Sword?"

"Yeah, but we don't know who did it." Sano replied as he laid his hands tenderly on the wound and pressed to stop the bleeding. "I think he's in shock--he wont say anything but 'I'm sorry," and "I didn't mean to worry you."

"Blood loss?"

"It's bad," Sano replied shortly. "Real bad." He looked up at a shocked Kaoru. "How is he up there?"

"He's cold, and sweaty."

"Get him inside. We'll be able to warm him that way," Yahiko suggested as he laid the cloth back in the small wooden box that contained the rest of the first aide materials.

"Good idea," Kaoru agreed.

Sanosuke nodded and scooped Kenshin into his arms, cradling him gently so as not to hurt the wound anymore. Keoru hurried in front of the two boys, holding the door open for both Yahiko and Sanosuke. In a rush, Sanosuke continued down the long hallway and into Kenshin's bedroom, laying him gently down on the futon that sat against the wall. "Kaoru, keep talking to him. Try to get him to come around. And Yahiko, you go get a bowl of warm water to clean the wound."

"And you?" Yahiko retorted as he began toward the door.

"I'm going to get Miss Megumi."

Megumi stood from Kenshin's side and turned to face Sanosuke, who was currently consoling a hysterical Kaoru. "He did suffer severe blood loss--" she began. "However, he isn't bleeding anymore, thanks to the efforts of both yourself and Yahiko. He's breathing more steadily now, he'll need to stay in bed for a while, though I'm not sure of an exact time frame yet."

"I see. So he'll be all right?"

"A bit shocked, but he should be fine within a few weeks. Keep him down and out of trouble for a while, away from fights of any kind at all."

Kaoru looked up at Megumi and dried her eyes, letting the death grip that she held on Sanosuke's jacket loosen a bit. "What can I do to help?"

"Baby him. Feed him in bed, don't make him get up for a while. He needs to rebuild his strength and blood supply."

Sanosuke nodded and looked down at Kaoru. "See? I told you he'd be all right, Jou-chan."

But before Kaoru could retort, there was a deep groan from the direction of Kenshin, followed by a rather abrupt cry. He began to become restless, breathing heavier and faster once again, mumbling a few words in his sleep.

"Megumi, what's wrong with him?" Kaoru cried as she stood and began rushing toward Kenshin's side. She was halted abruptly as Sanosuke grabbed the back of her kimono, pulling her back down.

"Leave him be for a while..."

Megumi shook her head. "He is no doubt, dreaming. There's nothing you can do to he--"

"I will never bow to such hell bent men as you!!!"

Sanosuke jumped at the sudden outburst. He'd never known that such a small man as Kenshin could produce such a loud scream, not to mention that Kenshin had never before used such language in his presence. Kaoru bit her lip and put her hands to her mouth, tears filling her eyes once again. "Make him stop... He'll hurt himself if he keeps tossing like that!"

Megumi nodded. "Sanosuke, help me hold him down, if you'd not mind."

Sanosuke agreed and stood, rushing to Megumi's aide. He took the rurouni's feet while she gently held his shoulders to keep him from tossing too hard. The red head groaned at the touch, but remained quiet for the time. He reached his right hand out in front of him, palm toward the ceiling. "You will not harm her, or you will answer to me..." he began, his voice menacing.

Kaoru stood and began toward the futon, hands folded in front of her. "Miss Megumi, that is the Battousai speaking... Not my Kenshin."

"I know..."

The Battousai's hand shot down to his left side, where his katana would normally be, but fell when he discovered that there was nothing there. He cried out and began to sit up, his strength even in sleep nearly stronger than Megumi's hold on him. "NO!"

The burning street lamp was the only illumination in the moonless, starless night. The dancing flame cast an eerie glow against the tall buildings that surrounded the Battousai. In front of him stood a dark haired woman, a katana held to her throat. Her assailant was standing behind her, hand on the hilt of the sword, ready at any time to slit her fair throat.

"You will not hurt the girl."

"Then you will surrender yourself to me."

"I will do no such thing."

"Then watch her die!"

"NO!"

The bulky man began to pull the blade slowly across the woman's throat, the blood beginning to flow in a slight trickle onto her light kimono. But before the assassin could finish his ruthless killing, he himself was on the ground, blood pouring from his chest, where another katana had been thrust through him and pulled back out mercilessly. Without a chance to react, the assassin fell, dead, onto the ground.

Kenshin watched as the shadowy figure that'd saved the woman's life sheathed his sword and tenderly scooped her into his arms. He slowly walked over to him, laying the girl at his feet. Red-brown eyes looked up into Kenshin's, and the boy stood straight, being only a few inches shorter than Sanosuke was, and he began to speak in a soft baritone voice. "She will be all right, I can assure you."

"Who are you?" Kenshin inquired, "What is your name, and where are you from?"

"It is not a matter of who I am, but when I am. You know the answers you want."

Kenshin puzzled over this for a moment. He did not recognize the physical being or the voice, but there was something in the eyes that he knew. He was close to this person--but he didn't know any other manslayers. "I do not know what you are talking about. I do not know you, I have never met you, that I have not…"

"You do not yet understand, Kenshin. You will make me what I am. You know me, you saved me, nine years ago."

Kenshin was taken aback by the familiar use of his name. "I don't understand."

"This is the future, Ken-san. With a new revolution comes a new generation of hitokiri. Follow your instincts... Or everything you know will be lost."

Ken-san? Kenshin thought. He began to think of who the possibilities of this person were. It couldn't have been Sanosuke, he was a fist fighter, and the figure wasn't tall enough. And aside from that, if it was the future, Sanosuke would have aged at least a little... He was only 19 after all. But who else was there? There are only three people who call me that--Ms. Kaoru, Ms. Megumi, and... "Ya--"

But before Kenshin could utter the name, the figure was gone as quickly and silently as he'd come, leaving nothing in his wake.

"YAHIKO!" Kenshin shot up in the bed, startling the two women in the room. Kaoru rushed to his side, closely followed by Megumi.

"Kenshin?"

The rurouni looked over at Kaoru, a surprised expression on his face. He'd expected himself to still be in the setting of his dream, he'd been there for so long. "I'm sorry, Ms. Kaoru, that I am. It was a nightmare."

Sanosuke rushed into the bedroom. "Fox girl, come here... The kid is freaking out..." he began. "He's talking in his sleep..."

Kenshin gasped jumped from the futon and rushed out the door, shoving Sanosuke aside without regard. He continued down the hallway and in his attempt to stop at Yahiko's door, found himself sliding along the floor on his side after failing to stop and slipping on his socked feet. He crashed gracelessly into the wall at the end of the hallway. "Oroooooo..."

"Kenshin! You shouldn't be out of bed!" Kaoru cried as she rushed to his aide. But Kenshin was too fast. He was already up and in Yahiko's room, absorbing the sight of the restless boy, listening to him speak about the hitokiri.

"…Ken-san..." The boy paused and drew a sharp breath in, his mouth moving to unvoiced words. "...New generation of hitokiri... Follow your instincts... Or all will be lost..."

The rurouni's jaw dropped as Yahiko fell silent, his heavy, fast breathing slowing a bit, every once in a while a gasp sending his tiny body into a short convulsion. He sat in silence, wondering how in the world they could have gotten into each other's dreams.

"Kenshin, what's wrong?" Kaoru asked as she walked into Yahiko's and Sanosuke's bedroom, but she fell silent after seeing the look of concern and bewilderment on his face. It was an expression that she rarely saw. "Is he all right? Are you all right?"

Yahiko woke with a start and inhaled sharply, his eyes wide and frightened. Kenshin held the boy up and comforted him as he began to cry, his uncontrollable sobs jerking his frame under Kenshin's tight grip. Kenshin pulled him to his wounded chest and quietly consoled him, telling him that it would be all right, not to cry anymore. But the boy couldn't bring himself to stop.

"It would seem as though you two were sharing your dreams..." Megumi noted, remembering Kenshin's response to his own nightmare and the conversations that he'd said within. The two seemed to fit perfectly. "The poor boy is just shaken, Ms. Kaoru, he will be all right."

"Yahiko," Kenshin whispered, his mouth close enough to the boy's ear for him to hear. "Calm down and tell me what you saw... I need to know what it was that frightened you."

"I don't want to be..." The boy sniffled, trying as hard as he could to hold back his sobs. "...To be..." He couldn't finish his sentence, he was overwhelmed with tears before he could finish his thought.

"A manslayer, Yahiko? Is that what you don't want to be?"

The boy nodded and resumed his crying fit. "I don't want to... To see it anymore..." He began. "There was too much blood... And that poor woman--" his sentence was interrupted by an enormous sob. "Why did I kill him?! Why didn't you stop me..."

"I didn't know it was you. I would have, Yahiko. But I didn't know, that I did not."

Sanosuke chose that moment to approach the bed and wave the two women from the room. He knelt down by the bed on Kenshin's right side and put his hand on Yahiko's back. "It's okay, kid. If you need to cry then go ahead."
It was late in the evening now, Kenshin had spent the entirety of the day with Yahiko, who had still not gotten over the shock of his dream, even after Kenshin had spent many hours explaining what the dream meant. But now he was asleep on the Rurouni's lap, Kenshin himself drifting off into forgetful slumber even while laying against the uncomfortable wall on the floor. But he could not sleep, every time he was near to it, the shivering boy in his arms would jerk or sob, pulling him back to reality to console him.

"Kenshin..."

The rurouni looked up sleepily to the door, where Sanosuke stood. He nodded with a welcoming, but fake, smile. He was too exhausted to do anything else. "You may come in if you'd like, that you can."

Sanosuke stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He took a seat on his futon and looked down at Kenshin. "What are you going to do then?"

"I will most likely take him--I'll teach him what I know and can." Kenshin replied quietly, pulling the boy a bit closer to him after feeling him shiver. He looked down at Yahiko and closed his eyes. "If what that man and what Yahiko said himself about the revolution is true, and if the dream was truly a premonition, like Ms. Megumi said, then he will be another hitokiri of the Hiten Mitsurugi technique. You will stay here and protect Ms. Kaoru."

Sanosuke nodded. "How long will it take?"

"I don't know."

"Should I tell Ms. Kaoru?"

Kenshin looked up. "No, if you please. I'd rather her not know what I'm going to have to do to him... If she knows she will worry."

"You make it sound like you're going to murder him."

The rurouni shook his head, his expression changing subtly to one of grief and guilt. "It will be worse." He looked up at Sanosuke. "When next you see him, he may not have any humanity left in him, if I am not extremely careful, that is. You see, one cannot master the Hiten Mitsurugi Style if he has any second thoughts about taking another person's life. I'm afraid that Yahiko may be the closest thing to Battousai since me myself, that I am."

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow night. I should be well enough to make the trip to my old home."

"Then take care, Kenshin."