Disclaimer: First it must be known that I own nothing to do with Rurouni Kenshin. This fanfic is meant for your enjoyment, not my profit. Thank you and enjoy!

Author's note: This is revised and fixed for those who read it before. There should no longer be any confusion about the gang leader. Also thank you to those who reviewed the original edition, you helped me fix my mistakes!

A manslayer is a manslayer till the day he dies…

Kenshin Himura sat against a wall of the dojo, his head down so that his long scarlet bangs covered his eyes and his sakabatou was propped against his shoulder. Sighing slightly he looked up through the window opposite him. A full moon shone brightly back at him.

'What a beautiful night,' he thought. With a flowing movement the rurouni got to his feet and started to his room, thinking. His thoughts were crowded with images from today's scuffle in town.

A group of bandits had threatened Miss Kaoru while the Kenshin-gumi went to the Akebeko. Kenshin's eyes narrowed as he pictured the leader of the gang. He was a tall man, with black hair and bright green eyes. 'He could have beaten me…' Kenshin thought to himself, hardly willing to admit it. The rurouni pushed open the door to his room and stepped inside silently. He carefully replayed the encounter with the gang in his mind, thinking about their words.

"Come on Battousai! There's no denying it! You're a manslayer!" the tall, black haired man shouted over the noise of the crowd that had assembled to watch the local gang challenge the Kenshin-gumi.

"I am nothing but a wanderer that I am," Kenshin said calmly, standing in front of Miss Kaoru. Yahiko was insulting from beside her.

"She may be ugly but that doesn't give you the right to threaten her!" he shouted. Kenshin looked at him from over his shoulder.

"I appreciated your help Yahiko, that I do. But I'd like for you to stay out of this for your own safety," he said as he stepped forward. Sanosuke, the ex-fighter for higher, placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"He's right Yahiko. You just stay out of it. Kenshin will take care of everything," he said as he looked after the rurouni. 'You better Kenshin, or you'll have to deal with me!' he thought to himself.

Kenshin meanwhile was walking towards the leader of the gang, staring calmly into the astonishingly green eyes of the man.

"I will give you this chance to leave, even though you have threatened Miss Kaoru," he said, still unusually calm.

"Ha! You think I'm going to walk away from a fight with the legendary Battousai the Manslayer" he laughed. He jumped at Kenshin and they scuffled for a moment. When the two broke apart Kenshin was breathing hard and the man was laughing. "Get 'im boys" he commanded to the awaiting ruffians. They all charged forward at once. Kenshin's eyes flashed for a moment but no one noticed.

'Seven against one, hardly fair, but fun!' a voice said in the back of his mind as Kenshin blocked the first attack.

'You'll stay out of this fight, that you will!' he told the voice. It laughed back at him.

'They challenged me Rurouni!' it said as Kenshin knocked one man out and moved on to another. 'One down six to go!' it said.

'Stay down!' Kenshin commanded as he blocked another attack and knocked out the attacker. Again the voice laughed.

'I'm part of you, no denying it, like he said,' Battousai said. Kenshin gritted his teeth and knocked out another man. 'Four left. Come on just one?' the Battousai asked.

'NO!' Kenshin said as he swung at another man. Battousai chuckled.

'Fine…' he said quietly. He then remained silent.

"KENSHIN WATCH OUT!" Kaoru's voice screamed, breaking Kenshin's concentration. He felt the hilt of a sword hit into his stomach. The leader of the gang had hit him.

Kenshin fell forward, coughing, while the laughter of the gang rang in his ears.

"Show him we need business boys!" the leader laughed out. Yahiko started to run forward as well as Kaoru and Sano as the group started kicking and punching every available piece of Kenshin that they could.

"KENSHIN!" Kaoru shouted as she tried to break through the ring of bandits. One man laughed and held her back as the leader grabbed the collar of Kenshin's gi and raised him up off the ground.

"I'll be back Battousai…" he muttered. He then dropped the beaten rurouni and ordered his men to run.

As soon as she had been released Kaoru rushed to Kenshin's side.

"Kenshin! Are you alright?" she cried as she raised him into a sitting position. He nodded slowly.

"I'm fine Miss Kaoru. I'll be even better in the morning," he said with his rurouni smile. Kaoru wasn't completely reassured. She smiled weakly and helped Kenshin to his feet.

"Fine, if you say so," she said as Sanosuke stepped forward.

"Kenshin! I can't believe you lost to a bunch of thugs!" he said angrily. Kenshin hid his eyes behind his hair.

"I know…"

Kenshin sat against the wall of his room and positioned his sword back against his shoulder.

"What do I do if they come back?" he muttered quietly.

'You let me out,' an all too familiar voice said in the back of his mind.

"I will not," Kenshin said aloud, forgetting that the Battousai was inside of him and not really there.

'Fine. You'll lose again. And you'll walk away with more than just a loss of pride… They'll go for Kaoru,' Battousai said. Kenshin stiffened.

"Miss Kaoru will be fine, I'm protecting her that I am," he said.

'What ever you say rurouni…'

With that Kenshin slowly drifted into a restless slumber.

"Kenshin! Please do not make us eat her cooking!" Yahiko snapped through the door. Kenshin felt a growl in the back of his throat but suppressed the anger towards the boy for being awoken already.

"I'll be up in a minute that I will Yahiko. Please tell Miss Kaoru to wait for me," he said in an innocent voice.

"Good!" Yahiko said as he started walking off down the hall. He then started yelling to Kaoru. "Hey Ugly! Kenshin says wait for him to get in the kitchen!" The rurouni flinched as Yahiko insulted Miss Kaoru.

"She is not Ugly you little…" Kenshin heard himself say.

"Stay down!" he commanded through gritted teeth. "Miss Kaoru is afraid of you, so stay where you cannot be seen."

Silence.

The samurai stood and stretched. He was still sore from the day before but he'd be alright. There was a crash and lots of yelling coming from the kitchen.

"Yahiko! You foul, horrid, loathsome little—"

"You listen here Ugly! It's not my fault you can't cook worth your life!"

"Now come on Yahiko, her cooking isn't THAT bad!"

That was Miss Megumi's voice…

"Then why don't you cook Megumi?"

"I am. But Kaoru is helping me!"

Kenshin sighed and decided that it was time to help. He grabbed his sakabatou, slid open his door and headed to the kitchen.

When he walked into the kitchen he found Yahiko, Misses Kaoru and Megumi and a grouchy Sanosuke. Kaoru smiled sweetly when she spotted Kenshin.

"Good morning Kenshin!" she said breathlessly.

"Good morning Miss Kaoru," he answered. "And the same to you Miss Megumi!"

"Hello Sir Ken," the female doctor said with a vixen smile.

"Hey Kenshin! You're gonna help cook right?" Yahiko asked in a loud voice. Kenshin flinched ever so slightly, but no one noticed.

"Yes Yahiko, I am going to help," the rurouni said with an innocent smile. The boy cheered and ran out of the kitchen.

"Hey Kenshin…" Sano grumbled. Kenshin couldn't help but chuckle.

"Late night Sano?" he asked.

"Shut up!" the tall fighter snapped. Kaoru and Megumi giggled and set to preparing breakfast.

"Sano spent all his money at the bar again, the moron!" Megumi explained. Kenshin smiled slightly.

"Serves you right Sanosuke Sagara!" Kaoru snapped. "Now Kenshin, are you going to help us cook or what?" she asked sweetly.

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed chapter one. I'm working on the second chapter as we speak. Thank you for taking the time to read this probably horrible story.