Disclaimer: I do not own RK and PMK.

My current Muse for this fic took the unlikely form of a runaway wolf-type dog that has been haunting my neighborhood. Yep, ever got the feeling of being stalked by a furry something with very sharp teeth and a keen nose?

Another update for Night-owl.

Chapter 12: Stalking

The atmosphere was tense in Aoiya. Saitou kept to his room. Misao attended to a weakening Okina. The old man's now too ill to be cheeky with the women. Aoshi sent his people out to scout for information. Tetsu and Kenshin both combed the streets. Tetsu searching for the boy he remembered from his past; Kenshin for both his wife and the demon responsible for both her kidnapping and the Miyagi massacre.

Kenshin was thinking as he stalked the streets. Can he summon the hitokiri within if need be? Will he have to become Battousai again? He does not have the strength left to use his Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki…

There were a few random killings of policemen. The men had worked with Saitou at some time in their career. Okay, so maybe it wasn't so random. The killer had left his now trademark calling card on the bodies, letters taunting the former Shinsengumi captain and denouncing him as both traitor and coward.

Saitou has gone into hiding like the coward he is! He fumed as he silently entered the clinic. The foxy doctor was out. He had seen her heading for Mitsu's. Of course, Mitsu's days are numbered. So Saitou cares about that youngster. Ran crept in and shut the door. It was a Western-styled building without shoji. The window was glass and let sunlight in.

His target was sitting up in a bed. Soujirou started as he recognized the visitor. It was his attacker from that night. Soujirou reached for his water pitcher… Ran was faster. The pitcher crashed onto the floor. Soujirou gasped as he fought for air. Ran's hands tightened about his throat. He kicked the best he could in his current state. Ichiro! Stop!

They were in the Temple orphanage. His niichan was pulling at his young hands. The boy had the nerve to call his beloved niichan a killer…Don't! Okita pleaded as he pulled both combatants apart.

Ran released his grip. Soujirou was semi-conscious. Ran pulled him off the bed roughly and let him fall onto the floor next to the broken pitcher. "Tell him I called." Soujirou nodded weakly. He had never been so scared since that stormy night so long ago.

Then, his desperation and fear drove him to action. Today, he was paralyzed by the look Ran gave him. He felt as though a heavy weight were crushing him. It was only when he left the clinic that Soujirou remembered how to breathe.

Blasted rain! Katsu ran as the storm clouds burst open. He ducked under an overhanging eave and saw he was not alone. A boy was already sheltering there. It was the young musician with the grass whistle. The boy was playing the same melody he had played in Tokyo. Rei was nervous. She had gone to get some bandages in town. She shouldn't be out.

"It's a lovely song… it brings back memories." Katsu complimented the youth when the tune ended. Startled, the youth looked at him. Katsu was busy reminiscing. "Someone I admired as a boy used to play this song. I still admire him. Look, if anyone says Sagara-san's Seikihou Troop's a fraud, they're either liars or mistaken…" He was surprised when boy gripped his arm desperately.

"You know him? You know Sagara, you know my niichan?" Rei asked. "Sagara taicho's a good man," Katsu nodded. So the lad's taicho's kid brother… that'll explain the uncanny resemblance. Katsu found himself relating his experiences in the troop and Sagara's exploits to the eager youth. The rain slowed to a drizzle.

"I must go…" It was getting late. She slipped on the mud and fell. Katsu caught her about the chest in his clumsy attempt to steady her. A girl! She pulled away from him and ran. Katsu realized they had forgotten to exchange names. Strange, she seemed almost scared.

Kaoru awoke with a sharp pain in her arm. She was in a wooden shack. Her hands were tied. The bullet had grazed her elbow. She noted that a bloodied bandage was tied around it. Still, it hurt when she moved it. She sat up and pressed her face to the crack in the wall. Sounds were coming from the next room.

"You stupid bitch!" The girl fell as he hit her. Kaoru could not see the man's face. His back faced her. He was lean. The girl's face was bruised. She was bleeding from a split lip. He kicked her a few times. "It's too soon! I haven't flushed that Saitou Hajime out yet!"

"I thought you'd be faster…" Rei's words were cut off by another kick. She coughed out blood. The sight of Rei coughing blood brought Ran back to himself. "Rei? I'm so sorry…" He was back to the lover she was familiar with. "I didn't mean to hurt you…" Rei managed a weak smile as she leant her head against his chest.

Saitou? What's that government spy got to do with this? Why had they taken her? Why did Rei want to take her to Kyoto bad enough to try killing Yahiko? Yahiko… Was that boy still alive? Was he hurt? Kaoru refused to think further. The baby kicked her. Kenshin's somewhere in Kyoto… most likely at Aoiya…

The door burst open. Ran came in. He held his sword drawn as he freed Kaoru's hands. Rei came in still bloodied and bruised. "Eat." She placed a tray of onigiri and a flask of water before Kaoru. Strange… Kaoru noted the tender look in Ran's eyes as he looked at the girl. He really loved Rei.

Outside the hut, their wolf got up. Its ears stood. Suddenly and silently, it loped off into the falling dusk. It loped through the silent streets of late-night Kyoto. It stopped at the house on Lantern Street. The gate is open. The wolf sees two women. One is dead where she had fallen. Mitsu had lost her battle with tuberculosis. Yukiko stands over her friend's body singing a lullaby to her straw dummy.

Author's notes:

Playing up on the wolf imagery here. The Japanese wolf went extinct at the start of the 20th century. Stats for other wolfspecies? Red wolf, crossbred with coyote. Grey/ Timber wolf, making a comeback.

Thanks for the reviews. R&R welcome. (Checks to see if my Muse has quit prowling about my gate.)