Me: Ok...so i ALMOST made Okita the wonderful cute bishie from PMK X3...but i resisted the urge and gave him the looks he had in Samurai X...and in this fic Souji will be enforced as a BETTER fighter than Saitoh so. Ok and i'm sorry for the slow updates. I Promise! That i will not abandon this fic like i have all my others and for once will finish a fic so please bear with me with the slow updates because they will come.

Disclaimer: Meh. You know the drill. Just read chappy one.

It was late afternoon by the time Akito and Kenshin had finished their meal at the shirobeko and finished the 'grand tour' of Kyoto. The sun loomed high above them, warming their flesh as they walked on down the road, the hustle and bustle of the markets filling the streets to the brim. Akito continued to jabber away about the various sights and sounds of Kyoto, occasionally calling back distant memories from when he was a child and re telling them dramatically. Kenshin caught him in one of these moments and tilted his head to look at him.

"So, Akito-san? Does that mean you have been here ever since childhood?" he asked politely as Akito took a breath to launch into another re-telling of how he came across the finest sword-smith in Kyoto.

Pausing, Akito slowed his pace and nodded. "Yep, born and bred, as they would say" he answered thoughtfully, a strange look of warmth appearing in his eyes as he cast is glance around the crowded street.

"Move!" urged a young man behind them as he clambered to the side of the street, casting wild glances back down the road behind them as he joined the masses parting for a group of men who were parading silently down the street.

Narrowing his eyes, Akito caught Kenshin by the sleeve and dragged him under the cloth entrance of a nearby ramen shop. Kenshin, utterly bewildered tensed at the sudden touch but quickly suppressed his natural urges to shove Akito away and followed quickly.

Whispers broke out around them as the group of three passed them, not even bothering to glance at the gathered crowd. A sudden hiss of breath caught Kenshis attention and he glanced up at Akitos thin-lipped face.

"That is Okita Souji" he whispered to kenshin bitterly, bending down to his level "First captain of the Shinesngumi"

The Shinsengumi…

Craning his head slightly he let his eyes rest upon the Shinsengumi captain.

Brown hair swept up in an elegant top knot cascaded down his back. Piercing brown eyes swept the crowd before fixing firmly on the road ahead, pointedly ignoring the fearful whispers and glances he received from the crowd. However on his lips, was a strange half-smile and in his eyes shone a gleam of amusement that Kenshin had never seen before. Souji Okita was supposed to be one of the most skilled swordsmen in the Shinsengumi, not to mention the most blood-thirsty.

And yet…he looked perfectly content.

Overall the Shinsengumi captain appeared to have an air of innocence around him, his stature small yet oddly imposing.

For some reason Kenshin couldn't bring himself to be afraid of Souji Okita like everyone else. He felt himself more…intrigued…than anything else.

As the captain and the two other members of the Shinsengumi passed by Akito let out a hiss of breath and caught Kenshin by the arm. "I think we better head back now" he said grinning, tilting his head towards the slowly setting sun.

Kenshin tore his eyes away from the back of the captain and smiled at Akito.

"Of course"

Much to Akitos surprise, Kenshin was the one that led them through the crowds and back to the inn before the sun had even finished setting.

Grand tour indeed.

"I swear it was amazing!"

"He's just a boy!"

"How could he be so sharp at such a young age?"

"Impossible"

As Kenshin and Akito stepped through the enterance after Ookami, hushed conversations abruptly ceased and curious glances were sent in their direction.

Kenshin regareded the errie silence for no more than a few seconds before brushing it off and hastily heading back for his room. At least they weren't calling him some form of sea food anymore. As he reached the bottom of the steps and was about to scurry into his room a voice broke through the silence and reached him before he could escape.

"Hey, Kenshin right?"

Kenshin spun on his heel and looked up into the eyes of the man who adressed him.

Senkaku stared back.

Kenshin smiled tightlyand nodded to the imposing man that stood over him.

Senkaku sighed and bowed his head "Well i'm Senkaku, we pretty much got off on the wrong foot didn't we" he said with a small smile. "Well i was supposed to give you a message from Iizuka-san, he's supposed to breif you tonight" he continued, his posture a little less intimidating.

Kenshin bowed formally "Thankyou" he said sincerely and hurried off as Senkaku gestured down the hall where Iizuka would be waiting.

"Tommorow night!"

Iizuka ruffled slightly at the silent boys outburst, his deep brown hair glistening in the light provided by the few lamps placed around the room. "Why yes, the sooner the better" he said casually, his words light and clinically impersonal as his eyes took in the short statured boy before him.

Kenshin coughed in discomfort and bowed his head slightly in apology before turning his piercing gaze back upon Iizuka. Apparantley, Iizuka-san was the field commander for Katsura and would be doing the 'clean up' -- Kenshin could guess what that meant-- for his assinations.

But tommorow?...

He shifted looked down at the black envelope placed before him.

Black.

Like death.

Tommorow night Kenshin Himura would kill ffor the first time.

The thought seemed unfamiliar to him, it's not that it made him uncomfortable, but...it was just different.

Iizuka sighed and pushed the envelope towards the boy. "Inside is the name and where you will find him" he explained seriously, examining the effect these words had on the boy.

This black envelope was someones death sentence. He half-feared openeing it, but half of him was driven by a strange sense of curiosity.

Kenshin plucked the letter from the ground and hastily tucked it away in his sleeve. Iizuka nodded in approval "Now get some sleep tonight Kenshin" he said seriously, and with no more words for him rose and left.

Kenshin was quite surprised how quickly that meeting had gone, like Iizuka was afraid someone was listening or something. He had come in, sat down, recieved instructions and was on his way. But really, what else was he expecting? A formal introduction? A simple 'how are you going'? Kenshin had come to recieve his orders and had done so...but...was everything so clinical here?

Kenshin sighed and rose too from the ground, burning the face of Iizuka deep within his mind. His brown hair to his narrow black eyes and serious yet seemingly exhausted face. He could vivdly remember the bags that circled his eyes and the strong smell of sake that filled the small room.

Still full from his lunch at the Shirobeko, Kenshin purposefully strode past the dining hall and back to his room, recalling the smallest details of kyoto that he had seen today. But everytime he sat with his back to the side of the window sill, his leg dangling off the edge, his thoughts always strayed back to the Shinsengumi captain.

Souji Okita's face kept popping up in his mind giving him that same amused smile as he had seen on the streets of Kyoto. Why was he so difficult to shove away into the back of his mind.

That night, the small hours that Kenshin slept were not filled with worrying nightmares.

Alright this is a really short one and i'm so sorry ;;;

Hitokiri Yumemi: Thankyou very much ; I'll try and update faster next time.

HitokiriBattosaiess: Your right! It is hard! I always used my homework as an excuse to stay on the comp and just read fanfics off of word instead X3 Thankyou!

CHIBIKenshinta-chan( ): Thankyou for your reviews! I hope you like Souji Okita coz he's gonna be a big part of this fic hint hint X3. Thankyou so much! I know...poor Kenny T-T

Haku Baikou: Thankyou for your review! I'm so glad you read it, i have been following your fic 'Against a sea of troubles' for a long time now, i was the one who typed in caps and made a spelling mistake XP Sorry about that. "Descent into madness'? Yes i have read that, it's very good and after re-rading my own fic i realize that you are in fact correct, it is similar. However this fic is going in a much different direction (I hope anyway --)

Please review you guys!