Rurouni Kenshin – Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story

"The Day After the Storm A Fight for the Future "

Diary 1 – The Night That Began the Flame

by drTomoe123

The year is 1865. The place is Bakumatsu-era Japan. A young swordsman trained to be an assassin is slaying the enemies of the Ishinshishi, fighting for a bright future, the bright future of a new Japan. This swordsman, Kenshin Himura, has been through immense amounts of sorrow, which tie in with the cross-shaped scar on his right cheek. Now, with the end of the Bakumatsu coming as soon as the next dawn, Kenshin has vowed to never kill again once the war is over, but what about the war that still rages deep inside his heart? Still, could there still be even more pain for this killer? Pain that he will successfully throw back into the flow of time?

"Over here! Over here, Chojirou! Here is the Hitokiri Battousai!" screamed a man.

"Where, Myoji? I can't see him! It's much to dark! I can't see anything!" another man, Chojirou, screamed out.

There was silence. Chojirou ran around aimlessly in the dark, trying to find his partner, Myoji, while trying to stay away from the deadly Hitokiri Battousai.

A scream.

"Myoji! Are you still there? Myoji! Answer me!" cried out Chojirou as he ran towards the location where the scream came from.

He was stopped dead in his tracks as he ran into something that blocked his path. Chojirou looked down as the moon peeked out from behind the clouds. It was Myoji, or at least what was left of him. He had been killed, only the top half of his body remained.

"You are next," said a ghostly voice from the shadows.

"…Hitokiri…Battousai…" Chojirou shrieked.

The moon peeked out again and the pale light showed Chojirou his deepest fears. He saw a bright face, with a cross-shaped scar on his right cheek. Chojirou, scared out of his mind, unsheathed his sword, and ran towards the Battousai.

"Die," Battousai said swiftly.

There was silence again. Chojirou Hiwagaki and Myoji Ichigo, soldiers of the Tokugawa Shogunate, were dead. The Hitokiri Battousai, Himura Kenshin, looked to the now-dark sky.

"This is for the new future of Japan. I fight for this future with these blood stained hands," Kenshin said, and began to touch his right cheek, "I promise you both, this madness will stop soon."

Kenshin sheathed his sword and began to speak again.

"This sword, the sword propelled by the principles of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, has slain many lives, and I must live with this. Until the day that this war is over, I must use you to work towards that future that I…no…we…dreamt of," he sighed.

"Over here! It's a weakling!" screamed a voice in the distance.

Kenshin looked towards the direction the voice came from, and ran off into the darkness.

"Heh, who are you?" said a man, who looked to be a member of a rebel group.

"I don't want to die! I have a family! I have a son and a wife! Please don't kill me!" screamed a young man. He had a very pretty face, almost woman-like. He had short hair, and dark blue eyes. He was wearing very dirty clothes, much like they hadn't been washed in months, almost to the point of falling apart.

"Do you think I actually care about that? Killing you is like killing an insect. It doesn't matter. If I knew where your little "family" lived, I'd kill them too," laughed the rebel as he raised his sword.

"I'll give you anything! Just don't kill me! I want to live to raise my family! Please don't kill me! Please!" screamed the man.

"HITEN MITSURUGI-RYU! RYUU KAN SEN!"

The rebel's head flew off into the nearby field while the body fell motionlessly into a pool of its own blood.

"What the…?" gasped the man as he looked up, and saw the cross-shaped scar appear from the darkness. "Hitokiri Battousai! Please! Don't kill me!"

Kenshin looked down at the dead rebel, "Do not worry, I have no intention of killing you. I came here to protect you. Do not take it personally, but your situation reminded me of a similar one from when I was younger, I could not ignore your cries."

"The legendary Hitokiri Battousai has saved me from certain death, but…I still fear of being attacked by more rebels as I pass through this area on my way to find food for my family!" the man cried.

Kenshin thought for a moment. "After betraying the principles of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, I finally have a chance to use it for its most basic truth…"

"What is your name?" asked Kenshin.

"Oh, my name, oh, it is Keisha Seta."

"I shall protect you until you reach your family, and do not worry, my word is something you can trust," Kenshin replied.

Kenshin could tell that Keisha was hesitant. "Who in their right minds would actually want to travel with Japan's most ruthless killer? Still, Keisha is more interested in getting home to his family than anything else, so he will definitely trust me."

"…alright," Keisha finally said.

"Follow me, we must make one final stop before we continue on your journey," Kenshin commanded.

So, the two new companions began their journey. Keisha reluctantly begins to follow Kenshin as the moon starts to hide behind the clouds, and they both disappear into the night.

Diary 1 : END –

End of Chapter Notes:

Alright, this is really my first Rurouni Kenshin fan-fic. While I was writing this chapter, I was trying my best to keep the story in the RuroKen continuity while creating a stand-alone story that isn't too similar to the actual series. The main character Kenshin meets, Keisha, was just created from my idea of one of those "weak, but has inner strength, will protect his family from anything" kind of guys. Still, I had trouble trying to work around the whole continuity thing, but if I mess up, please bear with me. ;;

That's it for me for this chapter, please keep reading, leave reviews, and anything else you want to!

drTomoe123