The fanfiction below is a remake of the original written by yours truly. The original has been removed since only allows one unique story in the site. But I still have it with me, of course. You may ask why I decided to re-write it, well, this is my first fic and I thought that I would like to resurrect it but this time with additional scenes and more readable than the first.

Well then, enough with introductions, I present "A Moment of Love" the edited and re-written version. This is another tribute to my favorite pairing in Rurouni Kenshin. To Soujiro and Misao: so cute together. Read and Review. Hope you enjoy!

A Moment of Love

Soujiro! Where are you, you brat!

He's not part of our family

HELP ME, somebody HELP!

Soujiro are you crying?

There's something bothering you Soujiro

You can't focus

The weak will perish and the strong will survive that is the law of nature

I cannot help you to find your way, you must find and discover it yourself

"Memories…,"

"Still they bother me every now and then…."

"I don't know. When I look upon these rice fields outside this window beside me, I can't help but remember the bitter and cold nights I've spend alone. The pain of my hands, my whole body, and my soul…I can still feel them…,"

"It has been a while since I have started traveling...I have seen so much yet still I cannot seem to find the reason of my existence. I am still confused…Himura-san…how will I be able to achieve the resolution that you have gained,"

"Maybe I haven't wandered enough, maybe…,"

Chapter 1: Destined Fates

It was not the first time that Seta Soujiro, a former assassin and right-hand man of Shishio Makoto to reminisce his past. Every time the young rurouni stopped by at an inn, a restaurant or just under the trees to rest, he begins reflecting about his life.

Now, sitting at a division in a restaurant in a small village just at the gates of Kyoto, he again quietly pondered his past. It was quite a lively place with some three men beside him who were merrily talking while drinking sake. Numerous bottles seemed to have been consumed and it was too much. In front of him was a family of four, who were sharing over a modest meal. The rest, were just a girl together with his father and a merchant eating alone. But none of them seemed to matter to Soujiro.

Not until a crash of bottles caught his attention…

The three men next to him obviously got very drunk. Just a simple glimpse on their faces spelled trouble. The three began disturbing the peaceful atmosphere the restaurant had earlier. The children were frightened and held on to their mother while the father tried to calm them. Fortunately, the drunkards didn't pick on the family but instead they set their eyes on the lone merchant who was also trembling at the sight of them. The merchant wanted to get out but somehow his legs couldn't move and he can't stand up.

"Heeheehee, you..you're a merchant…right hic….surely you have a lot money..hic..heehee," One of them said as he stomped hard on the merchant's table breaking the bowls and bottles and spilling their contents on the floor.

"I-I just c-came back from m-my village…I don't have mo-money with me…," The merchant couldn't look straight at the men who confronted him.

"hic Are you fooling us…hic How could you pay for the food you ate…if you don't have money..hmmm hic," "Well, if you don't give it hic to us freely, then we'll have to force you….," The biggest of the three was about to punch the merchant when the target suddenly bowed down to them to plead.

"Please…I have nothing…to give you…This is only what I live for…Please understand that I have a family to look after..," The three stopped for a second and looked at each other. Everyone thought it was over but somehow, the liquor really dug in to their minds and even to their hearts. "Sorry…hic…it's not our problem…heeheehee,"

The merchant was ready to receive a straight right punch when somehow the fist didn't even come near him. Another hand gripped the drunkard's and it was the reason which halted the attack.

"What! hic who dares meddles with hic our affair!" The three thugs looked at whose hand it was. And they saw that it was the young boy's who was looking peacefully at the window beside them a while ago.

"Sir, I think you have caused too much of a commotion and have lost respect to those who are eating peacefully inside this restaurant. I shall not allow anymore harm to these people, I suggest we settle this outside," Soujiro confidently said while holding up a smile which looked like an insult to them and added to their anger. The biggest tried to release his right hand from the boy's grip but he couldn't because as he tried, Soujiro tightened it more.

"Then let's it over with…outside..," Smiling, he stared seriously to the one he was holding. Finally accepting the challenge, the drunkards went outside while Soujiro followed after. The people inside the inn and the staff of the restaurant also went out to watch the fight which was about to start.

Before he finally confronted the three, he picked up a stick long enough to be a sword. Then he stood in a distance to the drunkards who laughed at what he had in his hand.

"Heeheehee…a stick? hic Are you insulting us boy…ha! Better run to you mother now…hic or you'll regret you meddled in other's business! hic ahhhH!" All of them smashed bottles they held in their hands then one of them immediately rushed Soujiro head on.

I haven't fought for awhile…hope I my skills haven't faltered…here goes nothing…

The rushing drunkard smashed his weapon unto the blue-eyed former swordsman only to find out that his weapon hit nothing but the innocent soil on the ground. "Where did?" The drunkard turned to see where his target was but as he did, a forward thrust fell to his gut. "Ugh..how.." The man immediately saw nothing but darkness as the plopped down on the floor.

"H-how did he do that!" Both of them had their eyes wide open but they didn't even see how Soujiro moved. "Argh hic…grrr…it doesn't matter how he did…there's now way we're gonna lose…hic" The remaining two again ran towards Soujiro not realizing that they were just about to get the same fate. The two swung their weapons but only hit the air as the former tenken slipped through easily with just a tap of his foot.

Soujiro went into the middle of the two and as he flashed through them, he made a slash on the belly of the drunkard on his right and another on the nape of the other. Both slashes were light but enough to make them unconscious. The crowd was amazed and murmured things amongst themselves.

"sigh, well at least I still know how to do it…," Soujiro stood before the unconscious bodies. His hand still held the stick that he used which now rests on his right shoulder.

"Thank you boy for saving me," The merchant said while bowing to Soujiro. "Well, someone will have to teach not to drink too much and mess themselves up,"

"I agree, oh by just looking at how you fought, you must be probably a samurai," The merchant said. "Yes, I was…but now I am just a young wanderer traveling all over the country, there is so much of my country that I haven't seen yet," Soujiro replied with a smile.

"Well, if you say you're traveling all over Japan, well here take this and don't you dare refuse it, it my token of gratitude for saving me," Without any word the trader took out some money and placed it in Soujiro's right hand. "But Sir...you don't have to..," But the merchant left waving goodbye as he carried his merchandise. So he just smiled and thanked also the merchant in his mind.

"Sure this is a lot of money, I wonder where should I spend it?" Soujiro thought while he walked under the tall forest trees. The sun was setting on horizon. Colors of orange, red and yellow were mixed together to make the splendid shade of the setting sun. Birds were flying freely over Kyoto below. All of these Soujiro watched as he stood on the edge of a hill.

"So…beautiful,"

Time went by so fast and now only the moon can be seen on the dark starry sky. Soujiro decided to rest there and made camp. Feeling sleepy, he lied down on the grass and just as he did, thoughts began to fill his mind again.

"Now where should I go now? Will I ever achieve my goal? What paths will I take, am I taking the same mistakes I took last time?" Unable to achieve peace of mind, he soon drifted to sleep. His eyes were about to be closed when he heard voices. It came inside the forest near him.

Having heard them, Soujiro decided to check and headed to the direction where they are coming from. He ran fast and then finally he saw a young girl being confronted by four bandits. He somehow seen the girl somewhere, wearing a familiar uniform and had a short black hair with a cute pigtail.

"…that girl…where…did I?" after clearing his mind, he finally remembered who it was. "Makimachi Misao…we only met once…what is she doing here in the middle of the night?" Soujiro said to himself as he hid nearby.

"Four against a single girl, ha, and you even call yourselves men," Misao shouted as she drew a kunai from her back. "He-he, you sound awfully confident even if your gang's not around," The leader said as he brushed his long beard. His left hand lay steadily on the sheath of his long katana. "You and your friends have long ruined our business here in Kyoto…it's time for a pay back,"

"Hehehehe , let's tear her apart, she's not going to get away from what her gang has done…," The other bandits were very eager to attack. Their eyes focused on Misao as they played with their daggers.

"These guys really give me the creeps...I am at a disadvantage. I only hope they aren't that good to beat the hell out of me. He-he Business you say, sorry I don't recall any business which includes robbing out traders and merchants or killing innocent civilians passing through this path…we were right to stop you guys. Ha! And a single Oni gang member especially me is enough to beat you all," This boasting has gotten to the nerves of the bandits and their leader ordered the attack.

"Kill her…,"

All at once, the three subordinates attacked her. One headed straight forward while the other two went on both sides. A forward thrust came towards Misao but she quickly dodged it. The other two attacked on her right and left and was a close call if Misao didn't back flipped high enough letting the daggers slice through nothing but air that made the two goons bump into one another.

"Ha-ha…these guys suck…I'll just have to do this and…Ugh!" She was about to draw several kunais at her back but a neck chop suddenly came from her rear making her fall to the ground. "How…," She was puzzled on who did it but upon seeing the leader's absence, she knew she was somehow intentionally rushed in order let the leader slip to her rear. "damn…my body can't move…," The chop didn't make her unconscious but her body became numb making her immobile at the moment.

"He-he, we knew how quick your reflexes were but underestimating us was just foolish. We may not be as good as you think but we still use our heads. Hehehe," Misao looked with helplessness as the bandits around him grinned and laughed sinisterly. "Bye-bye..," The leader drew his long katana and gripped it with two hands. He pointed it at the young girl's back and without hesitation began to thrust downwards. "Haa!"

"…at this rate…it's over for me…someone pls help…Aoshi…," Tears flowed from her eyes as she closed them and wait helplessly for the tip of the sword to pierce her back.

But the sword never came down; a medium sized stone flew out of the trees and hit the leader directly on the face making him outbalanced and fall back, letting go of the long sword he held in his hands.

Then with great speed, someone came into the scene and grabbed the long katana that was about to fall on the ground.

"W-who are you! Don't inter-" The leader who was hit in the face never again stood up as he received a strike on the stomach. "Kitsume-san! Why you..!" All of the remaining goons attacked the unidentified person. Reversing the long sword, the mysterious rescuer easily slashed through the two goons then finishing the last one with a strike that made the goon fly in mid-air.

The four bandits immediately regained consciousness after a short while. They all quickly stood up and ran aimlessly away from the area. "We'll be back! You here me!" The leader shouted as they disappeared into the darkness.

Misao heard everything but kept her eyes closed. Her savior threw away the long sword and approached her. He came near where Misao was facing and slowly got her up. Misao slowly opened her eyes. She saw at first a blurry image which looked like Aoshi.

"Aoshi?"

But then when it slowly cleared up it wasn't Aoshi but one of Kenshin's strongest enemies. He stared at her with his blue eyes and smiled which made the young Oni gang leader remember his name. "Sorry if it I wasn't Shinomori-san, you're lucky I was in the area or else you'd be dead by now…,"

"Soujiro…Seta! Ugh.," She exclaimed and felt the pain on her nape. "Easy…Makimachi-san, you took quite a blow there," Misao thought that she should be cautious since he was indeed the Tenken who fought Battousai. "W-why did you save me? Aren't you part of Shishio's men? What are doing here in Kyoto?"

"That's history…, I am now just a wanderer like Himura-san was. Anyway, why did that group of bandits seem very angry at you?" he asked.

"Well…since the conflict with Shishio Makoto came to an end. The Oni gang has returned to restoring peace in this town. Let's just say they are one of those we frequently encounter. They are the group which ambushes everyone who passes here, stealing then after that killing their victims; that's their style. Recently, it has been quiet around here so the old man and the others decided somehow to take a vacation somewhere. I didn't come along hoping that…I could spend some time more with Aoshi but…that baka…he left me saying he would just visit someone and come back as soon as possible. But it has been months since he left…Well, actually it has been a lifetime since he left because ever since I was just a nobody for him…" Misao suddenly stopped and Soujiro sensed she remembered something painful.

"Hoping what?"

Misao came to her senses and swayed her head sideways. "Oh nothing…,"

"You know, I could've saved you earlier but since knowing the Oni gang is strong, I thought you could handle them all but well…," Soujiro smiled changing the subject.

Misao was surprised at what he said. "Baka! What! You were already around before I went down and you didn't save me! What kind of a man you are!" She shouted angrily at the boy in front of him who just chuckled at her. "Sorry, you we're boasting you could take them all that's why I just watched, he-he," He said in a sarcastic manner.

Misao made an annoyed face at what he said. "Is he naïve or that's just the way he is…he should've rescued me earlier on! Well, at least he saved me, I should thank him..," Calming down, she slowly also smiled and bowed. "Seta Soujiro…Thank you…," Soujiro smiled in return and gave his hand. "No problem…well I think you should go to town and have that neck of yours checked. Though, I doubt the doctor would be still awake at this hour…,"

Misao looked the hand for a second and looked back the face of her smiling savior.

"I just don't know why but I feel weird talking to him…We haven't met really...but I feel comfort. Right now, I think I could trust him…," She grabbed the hand in front of her and at the same time said.

"Sure, let's go…,"

to be continued.

CoA's endnote: Wow, I haven't written anything new over the year. I hate myself for that but I guess I am starting to type or write again. Hope it continues on. Well, even though this is a re-written version, I think I made a lot of changes. I hope it is better than the first version. I hope also that new readers or old readers will appreciate it. Anyway, Please do make a review. A review please not a flame. I need critics who will make me improve myself not to destroy without any sense.

04/18/05