Disclaimer- I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. In this story, Miharu and Monoko (you will find out who they are soon, ARE mine (I made them up).

Warnings: This chapter will vary to T+16 or something. Well I don't know how to explain it. But short story: It's voilence discription will make you cry...unless your one of those hard people...I suggest to skip over the end! Sike...well not sike. There is a little sad a dramatic part to this chapter...well you can't say I didn't warn you.

Enjoy!

Like A Season, It Keeps Coming Back

Chapter 7: Two of Trillions

Kenshin's feet started to give out on him. He'd been running way too much. He looked down at the girl in his arms. "Every thing's going to be alright." Suddenly, the girls eyes began to open. Kenshin blinked. She had a frightened look on her face and began to fight him off.

"Get off me! Help, somebody, HELP!" Kenshin put her down. "No! You don't understand. I saved you. I was taking you to the hospital!" She stopped for minute and glared at him. "What?" Kenshin pointed to a building behind her. She turned to face it. It was the hospital. The girl tried to believe him but couldn't seem to shake it off. He understood that. He bowed to her and smiled. "Goodbye.", he spoke. He turned around and began to walk when called out to him.

"Hey!" Her voice still showed some fear. He could hear it cracking. "Yeah?" There was a short silence. "C-can...you...come with me?" Kenshin stared at her for a few moments and then smiled again. "Of course I can."

They walked towards the building. Once inside, Kenshin saved the girl some trouble and told the story to the clerk. After that, a nurse quickly came out and lead them to a small room where she asked her some questions about her bruises and how far they got. A doctor walked in shortly after the nurse left. He was kinda short and had a lot of grey hair. It was tied around with a bandana and he wore a white suit with some minor equipment tied to his jacket.

He smiled at her. "Why hello, there. I am Dr. Gensei. I will be treating you for the rest of your stay." She nodded. He stepped closer to her which caused her to jump back. She held on to Kenshin's arm. He sat beside her,trying to calm her down. She seemed to get used to him already. He didn't understand that but cheerfully gave her pity. The doctor stepped back, now notcing how bad it was. He talked at a far enough distance that he could be heard, and she could feel comfortable.

"Alright. I know that this must be a trauma for you right now, Ms..." He glanced down a clipboard. "..Ms. kino, but I must be aloud to see your bruises. Then I will be able to treat them." She looked at Kenshin. He nodded his head and followed her lead as she sat down in a chair beside the doctor.

---------

The girl stared up at the ceiling. They had been taken to a room upstairs along with some other patients. It seemed that she had signs of occuring pneumonia. She started to shiver and returned her stare at Kenshin. He sat in a chair next to her bed. He'd never liked hospitals. It braught back horrible memories for him.

The girl saw his uneasiness and tried to cheer him up. "Thank you." He turned to her. "Oh...it's no problem. I wouldn't just leave you there." She glanced at a blank T.V. screen that hung from the ceiling. "I never got your name. What is it?"

"Kenshin. Kenshin Himura. And yours?"

"Miharu Kino. I saw you...you faught them as if an instinct. I may have been blinded by fear, but there's no way I could've missed that." Kenshin smirked. "Heh. Yeah, let's just say...I've had practice." Miharu began to fiddle with a patch on a bruise. "You can leave if you wish. You don't have to stay now." Kenshin shook his head. "I'm not leaving you, Ms. Miharu. Not until I'm sure you're okay. Hospitals help your bruises and cuts, but they can't help your spirit. And besides...it's not like I'm wanted anywhere right now."

She smiled at his words. She'd just met this guy and already she doesn't want to part from him. "What do you mean? Surely you're not homeless...those clothes proove it." Kenshin chuckled. "Oh, no..I'm not. It's just that...well I got into an argument with my girlf--ex girlfriend now...and she never wants to see me again."

She put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't you worry about that, Kenshin. Everything will be okay. Life will go on. And who knows? Maybe you'll meet someone else."

He glanced down at her. Her brown eyes seemed to represent Earth itself...and her long black hair scattered over the pillows with a shean casted on it from the hallway lights. He smiled at her sight. This girl was probably the nicest he'd met in his life. But who was he to judge that now. This may be just her skin talking and not her heart.

Kenshin sat back and watched as the people walked back and forth. She spoke out again. "You're very uncomfortable. I can see it. You have had an experience here...it's better to let the secrets out then to suffer for keeping them in." He turned back to face her. "I'm not sure I should."

"Oh, you don't have to. I'm just saying. It's not like I would tell anyone. I mean...you just witnessed my darkest moment." Kenshin nodded. "I guess...you're right. I'll start when..."

0-0-0-0

Tsubame and Yahiko hurried into his room to finish their interupted game of Soul Calibur II. Kaoru walked inside, alittle dazed from the quick kiss Sano layed on her, and plundged herself into the kitchen. She searched around for something to eat when the phone rang.

"(giggle)..there's no way Sano could've been home by now." She smiled at the remaining scent of his colone that was on her shirt. It seemed to orbit around her. She grabbed the phone and spoke cheerfully into it.

Hello?

Hey...>

Kenshin! You have some nerve calling here. Tonight of all nights too!

I know...I'm sorry. I just wanted to know if Sano was with you?>

What? No...and why would he need to speak with you anyhow?

It's about me not going to be at school Kendo training tomorrow. I need him to cover for me. is he there or not?>

No.

...alright then. Do you know if he turned on his cell yet?>

No. I can tell him if you'd like?

No...I got it. I need to speak with him about something anyway. Goodbye.>

Wait! Kenshin...!

Yeah?>

I-I...I'm...I mean...

Look. If it's about earlier, it's no biggy. You date Sano if you want. I have no control over you, Kamiya. Who you date is your decision.>

Really? Why!

I-I mean...why weren't you like this before?

Well...let's jsut say I'm preocupied...I have someone that can comfort me for the moment. And so do you. I'm cool with you dating Sano now, really. I'm sorry we can't continue but i must return to Miharu now. Goodbye Kaoru.>

...Goodbye.

(They hung up.) As Kaoru reached to hang up the phone she paused. Miharu? Did he say Miharu? That sounds like a girls name! Kenshin's with another girl already? She felt her blood begin to boil. But she shook herself. "No...I don't care. We will move on without each other. He has his life and I have mine."

She stomped down the hallway to Yahiko's room. Tsubame was laying chest first on the bed and Yahiko was sitting up-right lon the floor with his back again the edge. She sighed. "Well atleast they aren't in a big hurry to have romance...Thank goodness" She smiled and walked into her bedroom. She fell herself onto it. (yes, that doesn't make any sense...but..aw whatever.)

She lay there face-first on her pillow and gazed out the window. The sky had turned a navy blue now. Birds were now retreiting back to their nests or where ever it is that they were going. It was as if her life was changing along with the world. Everything went dark...and then eventually returned to light. It's like a dream. If I wake up...maybe this night will turn out to be so. She let out yet another sigh and closed her eyes.

"Just maybe..."

0-0-0-0

"Where are we going?" Sano kept his eyes on the road. "We're going to Kenshin's." Aoshi glanced at his friend. "Huh? Why?"

"Because."

Aoshi kept silent after that. Even though he wanted objected to it. About 15 minutes afterward, they arrived at a fairly big house. It was normal. Ilke a suburbian house kinda. Sano stared at it. The kights weren't off. And there's no way Kenshin would go to bed at this time. It was 9:00 p.m. He layed back in his leather-coated seat and sighed.

"That little..." His stared at the house as well. "Hmm...Himura is somewhere other than his house at this time? The last time he wasn't at home at this time was when he and Kamiy..." He cut himself off. Sano looked at him. "...when they slept together. You can say it. That happened before I met her."

Aoshi sighed. "So what now?"

"Now...we make sure that Kenshin's not screwing someone else.", he joked. "Huh? How are we supposed to find him?" Sano pulled out his phone and held it up to Aoshi. "It's an invention called the 'Cell Phone'."

Aoshi smirked. "Smart-ass." Sano laughed. "Yeah, well..." He started to dail a number. Someone picked up.

Hello?

Hey, where are you?>

What you mean? I've been tryin' to call you for the past 5 minutes.

Oh...my cell was off>

As I noticed.

So what did you need me for?>

I gave the message to Kaoru. I was going to tell ya to cover for me for kendo. I'm not gonna be there tonight.

Why?>

I'm helping a friend.

...okay...so I'll see ya tomorrow then?>

Well...yeah, I guess so. Seeya.

Bye.>

Sano hung the phone and turned to Aoshi, who was silentently listening. "He says he's helping a "Friend"." Aoshi and Sano exchanged glances. They shrugged and drove back to Sanosuke's house.

0-0-0-0

He walked silently towards the exit after saying goodnight to Miharu. She'd fallen asleep along time ago but whispered it in her ear. His red hair was now the color of the rain. A bit grey in the distance. He clenched his fingers inside his pockets.

Suddenly, a teenage boy pops out from an alley way. Kenshin notices him imediately and pauses. He looks up to find the same young man that had caused this incident with Miharu. He glared. "What the hell? Who are you...Why are you still here?" The boy brushed his blnde bangs from his face.

"My name is Monoko. Is she okay?"

Kenshin sofened his temper. "Yeah, physically anyway. Mentally...and self-consiously, she may never heal." Those words seem to break the boy down. He fell to his knees and began to sob. Kenshin hated to hear a man cry. He hated to hear anyone cry. He stepped closer to him and knelt down. The boy kept on crying.

"I-...I didn't want to do it! I didn't, I sware! It wasn't my idea...they said...they said that this is what most men do to survive around here..steal, rob...and rape. I didn't know that it would be like this.."

"What! Be like what! You raped an innocent girl! She was the same age as you and me! No woman should be abused in any way whats so ever! You may have poisoned her soul forever because you didn't know it would turn out this way? Well how exactly did you picture this turning out! HA!"

The boy stared at him. His eyes were a sadened blue. "I-GaspI...I-I didn't want to!I didn't have a choice."

"Youalways have a choice"

"Not in my case, you don't! Lord Shishio will kill mybrother if I am to disobey him!" Kenshin froze. He'd heard that name somewhere...he knew it...he just couldn't figure out where from. "This Shishio..he ordered you to rape a girl you don't even know?"

He shook his head. "No...he just told us t-..." Kenshin looked at his hesitation. "What? Told you to what?"

"I cannot reveal any more."

Kenshin grabbed the blonde boy by his collar and held him above him. The boy shrugged to get free. Kenshin's eyes were now cold and blue. "Who is this Lord Shishio?"

"I cannot!"

"You WILL, or I will kill you myself!"

It was now the boys turn to freeze. His voice was so cold...he knew that he wasn't dealing with an angry boyfrien anymore. He had no choice but to tell him. "Okay, okay! I'll spill..but...you have to put me down first!"

Kenshin released him. "Alright. But you try to run and I'll hunt you down." He shook. Tears began to fall from the boy's face again. "Lord Shishio...he is a ruthless man from my experience and rumors. He captured me and the rest of my family from our house in Arizona. He took us to this weird place. I couldn't see much because of the lights...but I knew that I didn't exactly feel at home there..."

"Then he showed himself. He was accompanied by two body gaurds. He was covered in bandages. Completely to be exact. Not one inch of skin was shown execpt his eyes. But the small skin around that was a burned color. My father stood up to him. He begged to let the family go and to take him. But he didn't listen. He seperated all of us and we were given jobs. The one's that couldn't do them were killed. I was one of the few that survived. And after a while...when all were to met up again. I was also the only one of my family left."

His voice started to crack and tears fell harder. Kenshin held his breath.

"That bastard...killed off my entire family. All but one...my little brother, Suzo." He shivered. "I remember it like it was yesterday. Suzo ran up to me crying...he hung onto me...he asked me where mommy and daddy and our sister was. I started to cry right on the spot." Kenshin's eyes now began to water.

"I tried so hard to make it sound easy to explain but...there was no good side to it. He looked up at me and started to cry. He started shouting: "Mommy! Daddy!", but no one came...he eventually stopped shouting, choking on his own tears...he was too young...I was too young,...no one should have to go through what we did!...So we had no other choice than to obey him. We had no where to go...and no one knew where we were...we had to stay and do that batard's damn biding!"

"He teamed me up with these low-lived punks. We were given an order to kill a Miharu Kiro. I denied it...but I was ignored. Shishio threatened me with my brother's life if I didn't go along. And I couldn't let my brother die...never. So I went along with it...the only reason it was like this was because they made me. They said that I have to prove myself to them by doing that...I didn't want to...but my brother came first to me." The boy held his head up to face Kenshin's...who was now in a sobing fit.

"I can't abandon my little brother...I won't. I'm never going to forgive myself for what I did to Miharu. But...my family comes first. I'm sorry." He turned around and began to walk away.

Kenshin looked up. He wanted to say something ignorant back to him but...this kid looked like he'd been through enough."Hey!" He stopped. "Shishio doesn't know where you are now...why not run away? Your safe aren't you?" The boy shook his his head.

"I am..but my little brother's not. And even if Shishio doesn't know where you are, he'll find you. He'll make sure of it."

To Be Continued...

A/N: I just wanna add one more thing: You all know how hard it is out there in the world. Some kids are worse off than 'Monoko'. Yes, I made up Monoko and his life history but it still teaches/reminds people of the people we have on our planet and what they are capable of.

Ending sentence- This chapter really makes you hate Shishio, ha? Lol. Well that's what he gets for trying to kill Kenshin in the series! Hahaha, I'm so weird. PLEASE REVIEW