D/C: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

Hi! Me again! Thank you all for the reviews! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I was kinda busy…point is, I'm not busy now and I managed to update chapter 2…so, happy reading!

Chapter 2:

Spring of 1879

Last night I did some serious thinking…and I managed to continue with that during the twelve hours of labor I've been forced to put up with today…don't ask how I managed to think clearly with the warden's whip on my back the entire time…I just did.

I've been thinking about my life, about what I achieved in it, about what I did…and I've been wondering whether it was worthwhile or not. I mean, seriously, what have I achieved in it? My whole life had been full of blood and murder…I saw my parents being murdered, I saw my sister being murdered, I, myself, murdered the family which had took me in and cared for me after my sister's death, and then I gathered around my own troop and together we've murdered people just for fun and practice…

Speaking of my troop…I wonder what had happened to them after I got imprisoned. Did they die? Did they get imprisoned themselves? Those guys where the nearest thing I've had to a family after Tomoe's death…they were truly loyal and remained by my side till the very end…

I've done some more thinking on my duel with Battousai…I've been trying to find out why he had offered to let me take his life even though he had won the battle fair and square. He said that if killing him would make me smile, he would gladly let me do it…but why? Why would he want to give me that pleasure after all the trouble I've caused him? Why? And to think that I almost did it if it weren't for Kaoru…what does that make me? A cold-blooded killer. And what does that make Battousai? Much as I hate to admit it, it makes him a selfless person, a selfless, gallant person, that's what.

Would killing Battousai have made Tomoe proud of me? Would that have made her smile upon me? Or would she have hated me for it? As I look back into the years, I remember them together; Tomoe and Battousai. Those two were madly in love with each other; any fool could've seen that. Why she loved him, I don't know, point is she did…she sacrificed herself so he would continue to live…he killed her, although he says he didn't. He explained to me that he never saw Tomoe coming in front of him until it was too late…ha! A likely tale!

But Battousai, too, loved Tomoe dearly, and that made me think over his words. What if he really hadn't meant to kill Tomoe? What if he really had done it by mistake? What if…? I really don't have any answer…if Tomoe were here, she'd give me answers, but she isn't…she's dead.

My lunatic of a cell companion had made plans to escape, he had reached to some of his gang members and together worked a plan which will help him escape…don't ask how he did it; he might be experienced in escaping prisons and that's what made it easy for him…as for me, I've never had to escape any prison before, I was never imprisoned.

Anyway, he asked me if I wanted to come along. You know what I said? No, I didn't say yes. I said no. I said I didn't want to escape. I told him that I wanted to stay here in this cell and never go out. I bet he thought I was as much of a lunatic as I thought he was. But I wasn't crazy; I had my reasons for wanting to stay. I wanted to stay because I had no reason to escape.

That man probably has friends, troops and maybe family out there…he might have work and robberies and forgeries which he still hadn't carried out. Me? I don't have any family; any family I used to have is deceased. Friends? I don't have any friends…Kaoru was as closest to the term friend as I could have, but she still won't accept me in if I came to her doorstep. Troops? My troop is probably dead by now. Work? I don't have any work left to do…the only work I wanted to accomplish had been a total failure. So, you see, there's really nothing waiting for me out there in the world; I've even lost my thirst to kill Battousai…

No, I'm not crazy…I'm perfectly sane as far as I'm concerned.

He said he's going to escape today, he asked me again repeatedly if I want to come with him, but I gave him a solid "no". And when I did, he'd shake his head and mutter something under his breath. His offer hadn't tempted me on bit, because my mind is set on staying, and nothing he says will ever change my mind.

He's pacing in circles around the cell before me while I'm writing this entry now. The warden has called the lights-out ages ago, and I've had to sit and write this by the candle-light. Suddenly, we hear some low voices on the other side of the cell wall, and we see a hook being thrown through the iron bars of the small window. It caught around one of the bars, and whoever was on the other side started to pull; they were going to wrench the bars out of their place so my companion can escape. Not a bright plan, but…

My companion's gone. I had watched as they pulled out two of the iron bars, leaving a space wide enough for him to squeeze through. He had bid me farewell before climbing through the window, and had asked me again to come with him, but, again, I refused. He just shook his head in exasperation then, wished me luck, and left. I'm all alone in this little cell now.

You know, come to think of it, the man wasn't that bad, he was actually good at heart. Pity I didn't appreciate that any sooner or I'd have more entertaining days here in this gloomy place.

I've suddenly realized something. Now that he had escaped, the warden and the other guards will come and question me about it…even worse, they might put the blame on me…and what will they do then? Will they execute me? Will they…?

Uh-oh, I hear footsteps coming down the corridor…many footsteps; they must've found out he had escaped…I think I'd better finish this off now…or they might take it and shred it to pieces…

A/N: Ok, how did this chappie grab you? Was it good enough? I really hope you liked it, because if you did, then I expect a review from you ! Wait for my next chappie!

-ZEN.