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Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. Sorry I kind of didn't write it before. Forgive me….

Battousai(s)?

Before the Night

Preview

Seta Soujirou walked through the gate. He noticed Kaoru and Kenshin and smiled. They immediately let go of each other.

"Oh, no please continue," he said smiling.

Kaoru sat besides Soujirou rather upset. Kenshin smiled though he was rather embarrassed himself. Not only did Seta see him trying to advance on Kaoru, which he had no idea why he was there in the first place, but he let the battousai loose. His whole in tire body shook in fear every time he thought of it. What was worse was that he liked it….

Sano stared at Soujirou with death in his eyes. He might have been defeated before but not again, this time he seemed different though it was only a few days. Sano didn't like the difference in him but at the same time it wasn't tremendously disturbing. Soujirou smiled the same and talked the same and did everything almost the same but his attitude was slightly different. Sano looked at Soujirou as he was smiling at Kaoru. His smile was different… there was no way to explain it…it was filled with an expression of the utmost…something. His eyes were shining and no longer looked filled with the desire to kill but a desire to….

Sano gasped loudly. Kenshin looked over to him.

"Sano?" he asked concerned.

Sano shook his head. He looked slightly disturbed.

"Naw, Kenshin I'm fine," Sano replied. "Just thought I saw something I shouldn't have."

Kaoru tilted her head. Yahiko didn't understand one bit.

"Oy tori-atama! What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"Nothing damnit!" Sano yelled as he slammed his hands on to the table.

Yahiko just scowled. Soujirou kept his smile on the whole time.

"I'm a little curious though shishou," Kaoru started.

"SHIHOU!" Sano and Yahiko yelled. "What the hell!"

Soujirou smiled and Kaoru did the same. Kenshin looked disturbed.

"Would you care to explain?" he asked. He didn't have a clue what was going on and frankly he didn't like it. Seta-san was Kaoru's shishou? How could that be possible? He was working for Shishio all that time… and Kaoru was…. Was Kaoru here? He had completely forgotten when they came into the fight together. They looked awfully comfortable together. Kenshin always assumed that she just met him and asked him to lead her… and the way she fought with katanas pulled into the factor that she knew Seta…and also his technique! How could he forget? Kaoru knew the Shicuchi!

"Well," Soujirou began. He looked at Kaoru who looked positively frightened. "We lied to you."

"Understatement of the year Seta Soujirou," a familiar deep but greatly bored voice said.

The Kenshin-gumi all turned their heads. Saitou Hajime was in the house again and smoking too.

"What are you doing here!" Sano yelled. He cracked his knuckles. Saitou snorted.

"Like that is going to intimidate anyone, you idiot," Saitou said. "I'm here because I let myself in."

Kenshin looked in Saitou's direction. His eyes were fierce and for some reason unforgiving. He remembered Saitou's words when they were traveling home from Kyoto. He still wanted to fight with Kaoru. Was that the reason for his arrival?

"I came to listen in on the story. I figured that smile here would show up," Saitou said in his usual greatly bored voice.

Soujirou kept on smiling know that he was talking about him. Kaoru reluctantly invited him to sit with then. Kenshin stared all the while with fierce hatred. Saitou was too close to Kaoru while he was nearly two people away.

"So, let's get on with this. I haven't all day," Saitou said.

Kaoru's eyes twitched. How dare he! Soujirou just placed a hand on her shoulder and continued.

"As you know we lied to you. Kaoru isn't who she seems… and as for myself… I knew Kaoru far before even her father did."

Kenshin understood what that meant right off the back. Sano didn't however and inquired upon it.

"What do you mean you knew her before her father? That doesn't make any since," he said.

"Actually," Kenshin but in, "it makes quite a bit of sense. Kaoru, the one we know, might actually not be a Kamiya. Therefore her father, Kamiya-san might be a stepfather or someone she went to when her real parents were killed."

Soujirou smiled a bright smile.

"Very good, Himura-san. Very good indeed," he said. "Let us continue. Well, Kaoru and I met," Soujirou chuckled, "right after we found her covered in blood." He let room for gasps and curious looks. Then he continued. "It is not what you may think," Soujirou looked over at Kenshin, "…or it might very well be what you think. Kaoru was much like me when she was young. Her family wasn't like mine but she killed to survive. That is when we came upon her. It was raining, much like in my own life. Kaoru was sitting on the ground with a dagger in her hand. She looked up at us with a smile. I found it rather curios. Shishio-sama had said girls were quite sensitive and blood never suited them. He too found that she was intriguing. He invited her along, this was after of course I had my abilities tweaked and sharpened." Kaoru sat still with her gaze down towards the floor. Soujirou continued.

"Some more stuff happened but that doesn't really matter does it? Later Kaoru was being trained by master Shishio and myself. That is when she learned the Shicuchi technique…it seemed that she had it in her all a long. When she met you guys you assumed she was sixteen or she told you, yes?" the Kenshin-gumi nodded. Soujirou chuckled. "Well in fact she really nineteen. Her skills in deception are magnificent I must say. And Shishio-sama started to notice how beautiful she was getting and wanted her. Luckily and not so lucky for her I noticed and as quick as I could I tried to finish her training." Soujirou chuckled again. Kaoru was still looking down and her fingers. Kenshin glanced at her and wondered what was wrong. Saitou, amazingly enough, patiently waited for the Tenken to continue. Sano and Soujirou chuckled again and continued.

"Unfortunately I couldn't finish her training and Shishio couldn't overcome his passions." Kenshin's eyes flashed amber at that statement. Soujirou noticed and didn't really mind.

"I'm quite proud of my kaiwaii deshi however and she injured him and then ran away. I found her under Shishio-sama's instructions, and of my own free will, and then I had to let her go. She ran away to the Kamiya household. I knew of this but told Shishio-sama I didn't know where she went to. Quite lucky for her their daughter about the same age as us had just died in her sleep and Kaoru took her place perfectly…. There I left her be and didn't see her again for years….until now that is. So that is the story."

Soujirou was smiling and so was Kaoru after she put up her head.

Everyone was silent to digest the information. Kaoru grew up with Shishio? She learned the Shicuchi from Soujirou and she…she…killed…? Kenshin didn't know what to think. His mind went crazy for a second. Everything he knew of Kaoru wasn't real? Everything he figured up to now wasn't real and Kaoru…Kaoru…who was she really? She lied…was it to hide from everyone? From Shishio? What had Shishio done? What was he going to do? Saitou spoke up first.

"I wasn't too surprised to find out you were lying, but what I am surprised to find out is that our tanuki trained with Shishio Makoto… really," Saitou said quietly, "I'm going to have to fight you now, knowing you trained with the best and all."

Kenshin glared.

"This is no time to be thinking like that!" he said. "Kaoru-dono…how do you feel about all of this…?"

Kaoru looked into his eyes and got lost. They drew her into submission.

"I feel fine now that it's over. You know everything of importance about me and I don't mind at all," Kaoru replied. "The real question, Kenshin, is how do you feel about this?"

Kenshin remained silent.

"I know I am damn confused, but if you're still going to be my teacher I don't give a rat's ass."

Kaoru smiled.

"Alright Yahiko," she replied.

Sano spoke up next.

"Yeah right, you are one complex chick Jou-chan, but right now, if you stay, 'cause I know you're thinking of leaving, I don't give a fuck about your past."

Kaoru grinned.

"Alright tori-atama!" she said. Soujirou smiled it was getting to that time where he shove off, after of course the big show.

Kenshin looked past Kaoru a little. It was….surprising to say the least. Kaoru was still the innocent girl he knew. And he still…he still….

Kenshin got up quickly.

"Excuse me," he said quietly.

Kaoru looked shocked. She watched him retreat and said his name. She shot up as well and Soujirou grabbed her arm.

"Are you really going to follow him? Knowing what he might say?" Soujirou asked quietly.

Kaoru ripped out his hand and ran to follow Kenshin.

Soujirou watched her go with a sort of sad smile on his face. After they were finished she would finish…before he left….