Hey, everyone. I'm back. This is my first Rurouni Kenshin story. I'm sure this type of story has been done before, but I am still going to write it. Actually, I published this story about three months ago, just before my internet quit. So I decided to rewrite it. The plot is a little different. I felt that it could be improved a lot. It has the same principle, but you might want to reread it. It's more of a serious side then a comedy. I'm not the best as far as writing comedy. There is some comic relief. I'm not totally boring. Well, in the words of the Gorillaz' Noodle, here we go.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Rurouni Kenshin (As if you didn't know that already).

Summary: The story takes place during the war to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate. Kenshin Himura is still the great Battousai the Manslayer. After Tomoe died, Kenshin thought he would never love again. He continued to be a manslayer to hide the pain. When one of his missions forces him to cross paths with Kaoru Kamiya, will he be able to keep his bitter side, or will he fall in love again? But most importantly, will he be able to protect himself from Kaoru's temper?

Dedication: This is the first time I've ever done this, but I thought I had to. Animelover, this story is dedicated to you.

The Mission

It was a cold, moonless night. For once in a long time, Kyoto's soil had not been stained with blood. Fighting had started to slow down. The Meji army had started to take control of the city and, most importantly, had been able to defeat most of the shogun's soldiers. They still had a long way to go before the government was overthrown, but it seemed definite that the Tokugawa Shogunate would die. Pretty soon it would be nothing more than a memory. But for now, there were things to take care of. The Meji government left that work to a secret force of samurais called the Ishin Shishi (1).

Katsura (2) was the leader of these samurais. And on this night, he was meeting with a very skilled and powerful assassin. He wasn't too fond of meeting in dark places where he could be attacked easily. The shogun could have sent an assassin of his own to kill him. But he knew if they did send someone, the man he was meeting with would easily dispose of them. He trusted the samurai with his life, for he had served him well.

Katsura walked under the dock as the waves crashed against the shore. In the shadows of the pier stood a man in a dark blue kimono and white hakama. He kept his left had on his sword, ready to attack at a moment's notice if needed. His long red hair was pulled into a high ponytail. His purple eyes were calm but cold.

But the most distinguishing characteristic about this samurai was the scar on his left cheek. One line he received from a daimyo guard and the other from his love. This is why he was known as Samurai X. He was feared by many but known by few. Only this scar could identify him. He was the best assassin Japan had ever known, fighting with the Hiten Mitsurugi style. He could cut a man down in one swing and would take on anyone, just as long as there was a reason for them to die, although he didn't mind killing anyone that got in the way of his target. And like all assassins, Battousai the Manslayer never wasted time. He stepped out of the shadows to great his friend.

"It has been a long time, Katsura. Are we close to ending this horrid war?"

"I thought you enjoyed killing so much," Katsura stated with a smile. Battousai's eye narrowed. He wished nothing more than to live in peace. But as long as the Shogun continued to treat the people unfairly, he would fight for their freedom. "We have a long way to go, but victory should be ours within two years at the most. For now, I have a job for you. You will enjoy this."

"Cut to the chase," Battousai said impatiently. Katsura sighed and pulled out an envelope.

"The master of the Kamiya Kasshin style was a captain for the Meji army. When he thought it was safe, he fled Kyoto and returned to Edo. The army has named him a deserter and a traitor to our cause. He should be easy to find. He might have guards, but they shouldn't pose as a threat to you. You will travel to Edo and execute him. Then you will return to the meeting spot with proof of his death. I will see you in a few days." The samurai bowed and started to walk off, but his boss stopped him. "Battousai, I don't want anyone to find out about us. Make sure you kill everyone." Battousai didn't turn at the command.

"I understand," he finally uttered. He then began his journey to Edo, the capital of Japan.

A young woman watched as the cherry blossoms fell from the trees. It was a warm, peaceful night. She was grateful for her father's return. It had been almost two years since she had seen him last. He had left to fight the federalists and had finally returned. She had no idea what had happened in Kyoto, but she couldn't care less. All she cared about was her father's safety. He was finally home. It was funny, though. He asked for no celebration and would never talk of how the war was going. It didn't matter to her. She was just happy to have her family back.

"Kaoru," a man's voice rang through the dojo. Kaoru turned around to meet her father's eyes. She smiled as she ran to embrace him. "Kaoru, what are you doing out here? It is dangerous."

"Don't worry, father. I am the assistant master of the Kamiya Kasshin style. I'll take them out with one blow." Her father laughed at this comment. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It seems like yesterday you held your first wooden sword. Now you are seventeen. Pretty soon you will have to marry. Let's just hope your husband can handle you. Let's go inside. It's going to get cold." They started to walk in when Kaoru realized that she had dropped her hair comb. She could never leave it behind. It had a lily carved into it and was painted to match her dark blue eyes. Her mother gave it to her before she died when she was seven (3). She found it and brushed the dirt off. Just then, she heard shouts coming from inside the dojo. She would never forget the sight she saw when she ran in.

Her father had his back to her and was fighting a samurai. He went to attack him. He was fast, but not fast enough. The samurai dodged him and cut through his middle. As he completed the cut, blood splashed on Kaoru's purple kimono and face. Her eyes were wide in fear, and her face pail from shock. She watched as her father's body fell into the pool of blood.

The red-haired samurai looked at the girl with surprise. She wasn't screaming or running. He thought for a moment. Should I kill her? Katsura told me to eliminate everyone. But she's just a girl. The samurai watched as the girl walked towards him.

"You…father…why…" She wasn't making any sense. Had she gone insane? Battousai thought. He quickly dropped his sword as she started to fall to the ground and caught her in his arms. She had fainted from the shock. As he examined her face, he noticed her pale, delicate complexion and her perfect lips. She was very beautiful, nothing like the girls he had seen. The only one that could match her beauty was…

"Tomoe." He laid the girl down on her back and wiped the blood from her face. He then wiped the blood from his sword and sheathed it. He looked at the slaughtered man. He still had his scroll of duty. That would surely be enough proof. He grabbed and flew out of the dojo, hoping that the young girl would be alright.

Phew! That took a lot of time. I hoped you liked the first chapter. The next one will have more of Kaoru in it.

I decided to have little footnotes for all of you. I did a little research on Rurouni Kenshin. If you have any questions about anything else, I'll try to help out as best as I can.

1. The Ishin Shishi were the "patriots" of Japan during the Meji Revolution who fought the shogun so power could be restored to the Emperor of Japan.

2. Katsura was a leader of the Ishin Shishi in the Trust/Betrayal OVA for Samurai X. He first hired Kenshin to kill when he was a teenager. Katsura was always found of Kenshin, so I thought I would bring him back.

3. I'm not exactly sure how old Kaoru was when her mother died. In the Reflection OVA and TV series, she looks to be around seven and that seems to be the age when kids lose their parents in Anime.

That's pretty much it. Thanks for reading. It would even be better if you review. You might see your name at the end of my chapters. What a great motive! Well, cya.