Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Based on a idea from Kill Bill Vol. 2
My father was the greatest samurai ever, he was the Shogun decapitater. He took the heads of 137 lords. He never feared the Shogun, but the Shogun feared him. When he would come home and see my Mother, he'd forget all about the killing, and about the war. When I would see him, I would see the strongest man alive. Though when I would reach for his touch, he would turn away.
One night, the Shogun decided to send their best fighters to decapitate my own Father. Father was in the best company surrounded by the Ishin Shishi, including Hitokiri Battosai. The Shogun invaded my home, and my Mother hid us in a safe box. When the fight was finally over and the screams stopped, we looked at the blood that was spilt.
Only one man survived the ambush, Hitokiri Battosai. And my father was decapitated for his sins against the Shogun. On that day, My mother and I buried him with our own two hands and only we, saw him.
Since that day, no one has come to the grave of Ryusama Hibototowa except for me. Every year, I would look at my fathers grave and think of all the lords he killed. 137... I would do better.
He put on his straw hat over his eyes and walked away, carrying a sword in his obi. Dressed in samurai clothes, and trousers, with bells on them to warn a Samurai was coming, he got on the back on the Silk Road, and continued his way back home. When he reached the end, he would be in China, it was only a boats trip away back to Tokyo. He looked at the ground the whole time, knowing what would await him in Tokyo...
Story
"Can you please lower the price? Just a little? I have a lot of people to feed." said the girl with her long black hair pulled up in a pony tail. She was holding many Daikon Radishes, that she knew were too expensive.
"No lowering prices!" yelled the Shop Master at her face. "They stay the same!"
"Fine!" yelled the girl. She put two back and paid for the one she had. "Times change, but prices sure don't!"
"Blame the system lady," said the shop keep. "And leave me out of it." She walked away out of spite
"Let's go Kenshin!" she yelled at a Red haired man holding Rice, Red Miso, and Salt. He turned to face her and smiled, on the left side of his cheek, a scar, shaped like a cross, hung in morn.
"Kaoru-dono, only one radish?" he asked the girl.
"I can't afford any more Kenshin!" she yelled at him. "The prices are getting to high around here, where is Yahiko?" She looked at a boy with black hair and brown almost red eyes, he was chatting with a girl at the noodle shop stand. He seemed only half interested in the Girl holding the radishes. "Yahiko! You don't have time to talk to girls!" The girl ran over and threw the radish at his head. The girl in the noodle shop laughed, the boy called Yahiko wasn't pleased.
"What the heck did you do that for!" he yelled at her.
"Your suppose to be helping with the shopping! Not talking to pretty girls!" yelled the Girl called Kaoru.
"Now now, don't be so mad Kaoru-dono." said the man named Kenshin.
"Hey! YOU! What do you think your doing carrying a sword around here!" yelled a guard with a deep voice. Kenshin froze and looked up at the guard to find, to his surprise, the guard was not speaking to him. Instead he was talking to a small boy, older than Yahiko, but younger than Kenshin. This boy was dressed in Samurai attire, with trousers that had bells on them, and a straw hat, used to keep the sun away from his face. "It's the Meiji Era and swords are banded! You are breaking the sword violation, and will be arrested!"
It seemed the guard was to deep into the boy that he completely bypassed Kenshin. The guard was wearing the normal guards uniform, but with a sword on his belt, and one of the most unique sheaths. The sheath was wood, polished black like the normal ones but with a Kanji engraving on the side. It said, "Swift Death To evil."
"The Shinsengumi code on honor!" thought Kenshin. "Kaoru-dono..."
"Yes," she said already knowing the question he was asking. "I recognize it too Kenshin, what should we do?" The boy just looked down, to keep his hat covering his eyes.
"Don't make me kill you in front of all these people." the boy said in a whisper so only the guard could hear, but Kenshin heard it. The, now powerless, guard was taken back by the boys tongue.
"You think you could beat a sword police officer?" said the guard. He drew his shining sword, a Saber. It had been used before no doubt, because of the cuts and the smell of blood still lingering on its blade, but because it has been used before it is weaker than a normal Saber.
"Kenshin," said Kaoru, looking worried and didn't take her gleaming eyes off the boy. "Should we do something?"
"Let us see when happens then." said Kenshin in a hushed stern tone. The boy merely chuckled, and looked up but a bit.
"Sabers are weak and unreliable," said the boy. "They brake to easy, and what I can tell yours in about to."
"Do you wish to fight or not?" asked the impatient guard. His sword was moving slightly in his hands, to make sure to keep the boy on edge.
By now, everyone was looking to see what the boy would say. This had happened before on the same streets, but to a man who had swordsmanship far past that of a human. And now, he was one of the people standing, waiting, hardly breathing, to see if a fight would brake or something else...
The boy looked at the crowd, without lifting his head any higher. It seemed like ages, but it was only a few seconds. His eyes scanned the crowd for something, almost as if he was looking for a particular person. Kaoru held onto Kenshin's arm, he could feel her shaking. Then the boy sighed, closed his eyes, and turned his back on the guard.
"I do not have to fight you, it is not your body that I seek." he said silently, and walked off. The guards face was red with rage. This boy had the ego, the audacity, to step down from his challenge. Then the boy stopped, and turned back around. "It is your head."
With that, the boy whiplashed around and turned right to face the guard. It was no longer than half a second, when the boy unsheathed his sword and took a direct swing at the guards neck. No blocking, not even thinking about blind spots, just a full on swing. The crowd women screamed, the children started crying, and the men looked on in horror, as the boy picked up the head of the guard. And there, not even two steps away, was the guards headless, lifeless body. Blood spilled from his open neck and the crowd ran away in fear. The only one left standing was Kenshin, trying to be pulled away by Kaoru and Yahiko.
The boy grabbed the guards head by his hair and walked over to the body. He looked up and down it and sheathed his sword. He grabbed the guards sheath, and broke it over his knee. Kenshin was surprised on how the boys knee did not shatter into bits, for a sheath is made to withstand even the sharpest of swords. The boy spit on the body of the guard, but before he left he stuck the tip of his sword in the guards back and wrote something down. Then he walked right in front of Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko, his hands still covered in blood.
Kaoru looked at him with fear and disgust, Yahiko didn't even want to look upon him, Kenshin on the other hand wanted to see his face. For he knew that if he saw his face, he would be able to tell more about this boy, like why he would so gruesomely decapitate a guard. The boy stopped right in front of Kenshin, as if frozen in time. He slowly and steadily took off his straw hat, that he wore to keep his face from human view.
Black hair spilled forth like a raging river from the heavens. The hair was so long, that it reached down to the middle of his back in a ponytail. Tied with a simple black tie, it seemed to shine an aura of blue amongst them, while still maintaining its true Japanese black. His eyes, though looking right into Kenshin's, seemed lost and uncertain of where to go or what to believe in. His eyes, were the color of Ireland green grass, with wet fall leaves that had fallen on it. A truly unique color from one born in Japan. His face seemed untouched from time, as if he had found the fountain of youth and had taken a sip. Though his voice depicted that of someone who was older 15, he had the face of a child. So soft and untouched by the hands of growing up, and held a certain unnamed beauty that only a woman could have such a face. But this was no woman. His face was rounded, but not like others. It seemed to have an end point, so it was in the shape of a mans heart. All men who came before this boy were merely just servants to his face now. Kenshin looked in awe, and curiosity. Kaoru couldn't quite believe that something that looks like that would cause such a gruesome horror. The boy, not taking his eyes from Kenshin, rolled the head to Kenshin's feet.
"I should look like someone you knew." said the boy. "You know who that was I take it?"
"Yes, one of the followers of the Caption of the Shinsengumi unit 3."
"A follower of Saito Hajime." the boy said, agreeing with Kenshin. A flush of embarrassment was shown in his eyes. The boy put back on the hat, that covered his perfect face, and walked on a way towards the East Sea Road. He stopped a moment and looked back at Kenshin, Yahiko couldn't help but look at the boy. "I won't stop you, you can follow me, tell the police, do what you wish." He turned his whole body around and looked at Kenshin. "I won't kill you, and that is a promise."
"Kenshin!" yelled Kaoru, Kenshin turned his head away from the boy and saw what was written on the guards headless corpse. "138, what do you think that means?" Kenshin looked back at the boy and saw that he was already gone.
It was morning, and everyone was doing chores. Kaoru was dusting the dojo and sweeping the floors, Yahiko was cleaning the training floor, and Sanosuke was cutting wood. Kenshin, stopped doing laundry and looked at the sky. His mind was clouded thoughts, and not even laundry could clear his mind. His lavender eyes had shown that his mind was not thinking of something unworthy of time, like what to make for dinner.
It had been but two days since the boy had shaken up the town. News came out in the paper that he was supposedly a assassin, hired by the government, to get rid of the unuseable guards. Kenshin knew better than that, that was the wrong question to ask, the question was...
"Why did he not care whether I told the police or not? And why did he ask me to follow him?" Kenshin asked himself out loud. A burly man standing behind him, while taking a bunch of logs over to the bath, overheard the questions asked. The man set down the wood and took a seat next to Kenshin. The burly man leaned on his arms and looked at the sky, he squinted his brown eyes as his eyes drifted towards the sun. He wiped the sweat from his forehead while moving the brown, rooster like, hair from his face.
"This kid sounds like a real not job if you ask me." said the burly man.
"Sano," said Kenshin in a worry toned voice. "Do you know the name Ryusama Hibototowa?" Sanosuke put his hand to his head, trying to remember.
"Wasn't he the Ishin Shishi's decapitater?" asked Sanosuke, the name was burning a hole through his brain.
"The what?" asked Kaoru behind them, she dropped her broom and looked at Kenshin. "The decapitater...?" Kenshin nodded his head.
"On a night that we where suppose to be celebrating a victory battle, that we were." Kenshin leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, a sign that he was going to tell a story about his past. Kaoru called Yahiko away from cleaning, and they all sat, like little school children around Kenshin, waiting for him to go on.
"Well now if it wasn't for our Decapitater over here!" said a drunk swordsman. His eyes stained with sake, and his mouth on a never ending ramble. He patted Ryusama on the back with a loud slap. "We would still have to deal with those pesky lords!"
Everyone around the table laughed. Someone was in the corner, keeping hushed to himself. He was quietly waiting for the evening to be over. Celebrating small victories was not what he was into.
"And if it wasn't for Himura Battosai over there!" yelled the drunk again, this time raising his glass high enough for Kenshin to see it. "We would have to deal with...everyone else!" the men laughed, and drank their sake down. Kenshin looked out the window to the cool night, it was a full moon but the clouds covered it, so it was dark. Kenshin did not trust the night.
"Seikei!" yelled One man very loudly at his own boy. A small child came running into the room, almost tripping onto thin arm. Ryusama tisked his teeth and disdained him. He raised his empty bottle of sake and shook it. "Do you hear that?"
"What?" asked the frail boy, he was only a child and did not understand what a man was like when he was drunk.
"Nothing! That is my point! Bring another bottle and be quick about it!" Ryusama yelled at his son. The boy bowed and ran off to the kitchen to fetch another bottle. Ryusama looked at Kenshin whose eyes where outside, but ears where listening in. "Himura, come have a drink with us! You deserve it! I only killed 137 but you... you kill 1 million men... in one night!" The frail small child brought back a new bottle of sake. Ryusama took it with a tug, and looked at the boy. "Why did it take you so long?"
"I had only been gone for less than a minute Father." said the boy, his voice was that of a seven year olds, although he was much taller and more built.
"Useless boy," he opened the bottle of sake, and glared at him. "Well... what are you waiting for? Go on! It is a mans time, not time for a silly little boy." he bowed and walked away. "I'll tell you one thing, the only thing that boy will be good for it looking like a woman."
"Someone's here." said Kenshin. He could sense the new chi, one of dark murder.
Without even a second to spare Kenshin quickly cut the candle with his sword and waited in the dark for the enemy. Ryusama hastily put down the bottle of sake, and drew his sword. It seemed, to Kenshin, that the fear of a fight shook the sake out of him. The others however...
"Himura! Stop being so parniod!" yelled the drunk Samurai. He stood up and almost shook back down, but kept his ground. Just then, out of the corner of Kenshin's eye, he could make out the drunk samurai falling to ground with a large slash down his back. Blood spilled almost as if someone had knocked down a barrel of it, and a battle had begun.
The other Samurai were finally waken from their drunken states enough to draw their swords. Kenshin and Ryusama were the only ones with a clear enough mind and a clear enough eyes to actually see the enemies they fought. A man came at Kenshin, reckless with his sword, and swung blindly as if almost hoping to hit him. Kenshin blocked these attacks with ease, while Ryusama had a hard time keeping up with his enemies. The other samurai tried their hardest while the sake consumed their bodies, silently killing them while they tried to block. They killed not for lack of skill, but of sake. Kenshin killed the man, and looked over at Ryusama. Someone had cut his leg, so now he was limping trying to hurt someone. Kenshin blindly ran over to help Ryusama, when his arm was cut by another man. Kenshin dealt him a hard blow, which lead to death. He reached Ryusama as fast as he could.
He finally saw Ryusama on the floor, his legs had been cut, and he was begging for mercy. Kenshin looked from the ground onto the man above Ryusama. This man had the face of a old one, wrinkles throughout his face that seemed like crevasse. The man had hair on his face, in a beard, it wasn't that long, but brown with a strange shine. He had a softness in his eyes that was not the same of a killer, the soft chocolate brown of the Japanese. His uniform was that of the Shogun, not Shinsengumi. A pale blue with a samurai trousers, the old man looked at Kenshin without expression. Kenshin didn't move, he just looked at the man. Soon, the old man looked back down at the cowering Ryusama, and touched the tip of his sword to Ryusama's neck.
"Ryusama Hibtotowa," said the old man. His voice was soothing, almost as if he was lulling a baby to sleep, with a deep curl that gave you the tingle in your spine when he spoke. "You and all your comrades, have commented crimes against the Shogun and therefore, are to be decapitated." The old man stabbed his sword with force into Ryusama's neck and held it there a while, to hold onto the pain as much as possible. Kenshin cringed. The old man finally ended Ryusama's suffering with one small slash.
Ryusama's head rolled to Kenshin's feet, and he looked at it. His eyes read terror and horror so fierce... while his face was completely pale. Which was pretty obvious considering all of the blood that had been split. The old man looked at Kenshin, and smiled. His teeth were yellow and ready to rot out of his head. Kenshin held up his sword, and the old man simply opened the door to the hut and walked out. He shut the door as soft as if he was afraid to wake the dead bodies.
"Father..." asked the small frail boy, whose named escaped Kenshin at that moment. Kenshin turned toward the boy, and watched how his eyes grew in horror to see that his whole house was painted in his Fathers blood.
Kenshin paused and looked at the faces of everyone. Kaoru looked as if she was about to let out a cry of sorrow as well as hatred for the person who tried to kill them. Yahiko looked at though his stomach had been turned upside down, and he was about to throw up. Yahiko had never heard a description of that magnitude before, and was seeing almost as much as if he had really been there. Sanosuke looked like normal, he flicked a leaf that had fallen onto his shoulder and barely moved an inch.
"Go on... Kenshin." said Kaoru, straining herself to hold back many tears.
"After the young boy, whose named was Seikei, had come into the room, Ryusama's wife came to shield his eyes but it was already to late, that it was. He already saw enough blood shed to destroy his life. He went by his father and picked him up by his hands, and dragged him to the outside. His mother came after him, and they dug up his grave with their own hands."
"So you think that the boy we saw is this Seikei?" asked Yahiko. "Then that's why he wouldn't kill you!"
"It also explains why he would ask you to follow him back to Kyoto, maybe he wanted to catch up." said Sanosuke. He rolled down his sleeves.
"I don't think giving Kenshin a head is exactly a way to say 'Hey! Haven't seen you in a while, you wanna get a cup of tea?'!" yelled Kaoru, she was venting her feelings.
"Kaoru-dono," said Kenshin, it was meant to be a way to calm her down but his tone suggested something else. Kaoru stopped talking and looked at Kenshin. "Seikei grew up in a world of blood and killing, that he did. The only way he knows how to do things is to kill, that he does."
"Excuse me." said a small voice coming from the front of the dojo entrance. Everyone looked at the girl that looked like a Geisha without her make up.
She had on a very fine kimono, the color of green sea with silk fish swimming down around her feet. Her obi was a deep sea blue with green lining, these color blues brought out the strange color in her eyes, of that which was blue as well. Her hair was tied in a very impressive style, instead of the usual ponytail. Her black hair was tied into what looked like a bun with a spilt in the middle to separated the two sides of her head. Her face was soft and smooth, and had no scars, or anything to speak of. Her face seemed to shine with happiness, and love, while at the same time showed hunger and drowsiness. Her lips full, and her eyes almonds, she seemed to be someone with great Japanese beauty. As she walked over, her pace was that of a floating like grace that gave her the appearance that she was an angel. Her zori clicked on the hard ground as she walked. Yahiko commented she was cute, and Kaoru's mind filled with jealousy. She bowed a deep bow to everyone and held up a piece of paper. "I am looking for a Kenshin Himura-san."
"Yes?" asked Kenshin. The girl looked at him, and Kenshin could sense her mood change from that of a relaxed one to a fearful one. She bowed toward Kenshin, and handed him the small piece of paper.
Battousai,
Why are you not in Kyoto, I would have thought that you would come by now? I wish to show you something. I know you can remember me, how could you forget my girlish face, and my Father how he teased it so. I sent you a present, her name is Chiyo, she is one of my maids, enjoy.
Seikei.
"Is Seikei-san your master?" asked Kenshin.
"Somewhat," replied Chiyo, she stopped this part of the conversation by adjusting her sleeve. "Master Seikei trusts me with everything, such as bringing back the man of which he highly talks about."
"Oro?"
"I am not to leave your side until we reach Kyoto." said Chiyo. "That is something Seikei made me promise." Chiyo kneeled on the ground and looked at Kenshin. She seemed so helpless in Kenshin's eyes, lost within a world of anger and blood. He wondered if she was happy being Seikei's servant. "When will we leave Himura-san?"
"Never." said Kaoru in a weakened tone. Her voice was shaking and not as stern as she had hoped. "I won't go back to Kyoto, and neither will Kenshin. That place holds only bad memories." Chiyo looked toward the ground in silence, but quietly added.
"I would never see home again." Everyone looked at her. "I am ordered by my Master to bring Himura-san back, if I do not, I cannot return back."
Kenshin looked at her face, it looked like she was about to cry, but held back her tears out of fear. She must have known that Kenshin was Battousai the manslayer, and was scared to even cry in his presence. She held her head down in morn, as if she longed to go back to Kyoto so much that she would do anything to go back.
"I'll take you back." rang a voice, not from Kenshin, nor Kaoru. Yahiko's voice rang clear through the silence. Chiyo looked up at Yahiko's face, and felt a blush on her cheeks. "If Kenshin doesn't want to go back, I'll take you myself."
"Thank you young one." she said, Yahiko's face was red with anger but he dare not lash out at her face. He sat erect in his spot. "But, only Himura-san can bring me back."
"Stay here one night," said Sanosuke, joining the conversation. Chiyo looked at him and blushed, for in her eyes, he was quite handsome. "And let the Missy and Kenshin figure out what to do." He looked at Kenshin. "Of course Yahiko and I get a say in it too."
"Wonderful!" said Chiyo, trying her best to sound cheerful. "One more days stay shouldn't hurt anyone."
"No Kenshin, I won't let you go right to that gruesome child!" yelled Kaoru, she knew that Kenshin could beat Seikei, but fear for his life, as her feelings shone through her anger.
"Kenshin can defend himself Kaoru!" yelled Yahiko. "You don't need to be his mother!"
"Now now Yahiko-kun, Kaoru-dono, don't I get a say in what I do?" he chuckled a little, to try and lighten the mood but, it did little good.
"Kenshin," said Kaoru in a sad worried tone. "This isn't some game, Seikei is dangerous, so much that he even put his own made to do his job."
"He probably thought that if he came himself, you would die from fear." said Sanosuke. Kaoru tried to throw chopsticks at him, but he dodged them with ease.
"I am not afraid of him!" she yelled. Chiyo just continued to eat her food, thinking that this was the normal way food was eaten around here. "I am afraid of what he can do."
"I really think Kenshin is a big enough boy to go to Kyoto without you, Kaoru." said Yahiko.
"And also that if anything happens Kenshin can win a sword fight against him." added Sanosuke.
"Kaoru-dono, at least to take Chiyo-dono home." said Kenshin.
"Would you like me to dance?" asked Chiyo. They all stopped the conversation and looked at her. Chiyo set down her bowl of rice and looked up, all unsure of what she was asking. "When things become crowed with anger, sadness, and fear, Master Seikei asks me to dance to lighten the mood. Would you like me to dance?"
"I don't think a dance would-" said Kaoru.
"I think a dance is a wonderful idea, that it is." Kenshin cut off Kaoru. "Do you have a shamisen with you Chiyo-dono?" Chiyo nodded her head, and went to the front of the dojo. Behind the tall door way of which all who entered the dojo with, Chiyo pulled out a small black box. She walked back over to the group and bowed in apology, for not telling them of the hidden shamisen.
"Do you play the shamisen, Himura-san?" asked Chiyo as she started to place all the parts in their places.
"I dabble." laughed Kenshin. Kaoru looked at Kenshin and was mad at once that, he had made a clever joke with someone he had just met.
When Chiyo finished putting together the shamisen, it looked like a small western guitar, but a shamisen is quite different. For one it is a helping smaller than a guitar, it also has a thin wooden neck with three large pegs at the end. The body itself is just a small wooden box with cat skin stretched over it. The beauty of this instrument is that it can be taken apart and put into a box, which is how it is usually carried around. Chiyo handed the shamisen to Kenshin, in a gingerly way.
"Himura-san, do you know the song Summers Rain?" asked Chiyo.
"A little." said Kenshin. He held the shamisen on his lap and held the thin neck with his fingers. Kaoru looked at Kenshin, never before had he looked. He looked like a completely different person than one who holds a sword, or one who wanders. He looked like a lonely musician, playing for change, but a handsome one at that. Kaoru blushed at this image, and turned to watch Chiyo.
Chiyo took two fans from her obi, and held them out arms length. The story of Summers Rain was that, a lonely girl was walking in the summers night when it began to rain, the girl was soaked and tried to find shelter under a tree, a man made of the summer rain come up to her and her loneliness vanished. As Kenshin struck the first cord, Chiyo took her left hand and put it over her chest. As Kenshin played on, she had taken the part of the girl who was lonely. This made Kaoru feel sad all over again. Yahiko watched the dance but was more interested in Chiyo's face, she showed no expression. Sanosuke didn't much care for dancing. At the end of her dance, they all clapped for her and she bowed in thanks.
"Himura-san," said Chiyo. "You are a wonderful shamisen player."
"You are a wonderful dancer Chiyo-dono, that you are. You would make a very fine Geisha, that you would." Kenshin smiled.
"He never said something like that to me." said Kaoru under her breath, for only the most beautiful women were chosen to be Geishas.
"I only safe these things for Master Seikei." said Chiyo. "He needs them, especially after a night of beheading."
"Night of beheading?" asked Sanosuke. Chiyo looked at him, as if he was so arrogant to not know what that means.
"Master Seikei said that I reminded him of his Mother," she said with tears in her voice. "For when he looks upon my face, he forgets that his hands are stained with the blood of men. All he seems to know is that I am right in front of him, and all he wants to do is..."
"Chiyo-san!" Kaoru broke. "Not in front of Yahiko-kun."
"Chiyo-dono," Kenshin asked, Chiyo looked from the ground to Kenshin.
"Sometimes," Chiyo continued. "He takes me to the room where he keeps them."
"The heads!" asked Yahiko. Chiyo nodded.
"I am afraid that the sight of blood just makes him..." Chiyo couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She covered her face with her hands, and shook her head, Himura-san had to know. "Sometimes, he makes me watch. He says it feels like heaven when their heads come down to the ground. But I hear some nights, he sits in his room and let out a cry. Asking himself why he does this." Chiyo looked at Kenshin, her eyes big and red, tears streaming down her soft face. "I thought that you, Himura-san, can brake him free from this hell. For he talks of you so highly, he'll listen to you, and maybe stop." she looked back at the ground, her vison blurry with her tears. "He said he surpassed his father, 138. He wants to do better, he wants to show his father he could."
Kenshin went over and hugged Chiyo, as if to comfort her, for this was a sensitive spot in both their hearts. "You love Seikei-kun, don't you?" asked Kenshin. Chiyo nodded her head, and fell into Kenshin's chest. Kaoru was instantly jealous of Chiyo, for Kenshin never held her like that. He only picked her up as a way of avoiding harm, not to comfort her when she was crying.
"You can stay in this room." said Kaoru, she opened the door behind her, with haste. Chiyo pulled away from Kenshin, and wiped her tears away from her face. She bowed thanks to Kaoru and took her shamisen in with her.
After Chiyo closed the paper door, Kenshin looked at all of them. Kaoru looked mad, her face was cringed and her nose was bunched up. Yahiko looked surprised, his eyes were wide and his mouth was opened. Sanosuke looked right at Kenshin, he silently agreed to what Kenshin was thinking.
"Kaoru-dono," said Kenshin. Kaoru's face softened. "I have no choice. I must go to Kyoto and stop Seikei from killing, that I must."
To be continued in chapter 2