-1Rain fell much like a waterfall, yet young Sakura walked slowly with no destination in mind. In this cold weather ,she could catch her death, but she smiled a plan smile, thinking her happy thoughts. Her old uniform was torn and covered with mud, it was a Seki-ho uniform, the old army that had met a untimely death and framing. It was about nine o'clock and she was lost in a large forest that she had once known by heart. As a cold breeze danced past her shivering body her smile went with it. Her sad eyes looked towards the clouded skies.

"Father..."she mumbled from her cold lips. The young daughter of the fallen Captain Sozo Sagara wandered cold and lost, a forgotten soul she was. The night sky could not be seen through the heavy grey clouds that stayed in the sky overhead.

Sakura leaned heavily on a old pine tree. She couldn't help but remember her father, his caring brown eyes and his sweet smile, and the faces of the other men who served under him in the troop. The young woman slowly slid to the ground shivering from winters harsh bite.

"Where would I be if the Seki-ho still lived? Would my father be proud of me and live in the old home? Would I still known Sanosuke and Katsu? " she spoke softly. Sakura was only 18 and she had lost everything when she was at the small age of 8, still she had learned how to fight from a old hermit who lived with his sake and his pottery. Now she was lost, trying to find a man who was suppose to save her from everything, like old times.

With the cold wind blowing at her, she couldn't move, causing a tear to fall from her deep blue eyes. Her thick black hair rested in a soaked braid and her bangs hung in her face much like her fathers did ,even with a red head band. She wore his old uniform that he had left at their old home, where she had stayed a few months ago in till she had become wanted by the law and she gave her home to a great servant who had taken care of it. If only her father could help her now before she would die of cold.

"Kenshin why are we walking in the forest? Its freak'n cold out here!" yelled a seeming angry Sanosuke Sagara.

Our hero with the cross shaped scar walked through a cold, drenched forest with his old friend Sanosuke, though he hadn't told him why they were walking through it. The forest was outside of their home city and Kenshin knew where he was. Earlier that day he had felt like he was being watched, in fact he had felt that all week. He had felt the presents leave so he followed it only to get close enough to hear a argument and a gun shot . Now he was walking through the forest looking for the wounded fighter who he might have had to fight, Kenshin would explain it all later to Sano, but for right now, he was looking for a forgotten fighter.

Sanosuke sighed wanting to yell more but he was so cold. " Kenshin, you know little missy's gonna kill us when we get back...Where are we? I think I'm lost..." He said in his paranoid voice.

"That's not hard for you Sano!" yelled a kid who was walking with them, Little Yahiko.

"Why are you following us still?" asked Sanosuke.

"He can follow us if he wants. I know there is no danger here..."said Kenshin, his eyes different and cold.

The group of fighters walked in the same foot steps of the forgotten Sakura. Kenshin knew where she was and felt her once strong fighting spirit withering away. It was true Sakura had been killing imperialist fighters. Of course she had to, a new gang had been made up of people who hated the imperialists, sons and daughters of dead warriors. Yet they had ordered Sakura to kill people, a few imperialist officials, but she said no because they wanted her to kill a man slayer. But she had watched him for a week and realized that he wasn't like the stories. In fact she saw him fight some crazy man with weird eyes. But Sakura told the leader of this and she ran, because of the fight that threatened to ensue, yet that one bullet had struck her in the side. So now Sakura was lost, tired, and wounded. Her poor bandaging didn't help much. She began to black out, but saw something though the many trees, a man in a reddish pink shirt with a sword on his hip in the far distance.

Kenshin looked at Sano as he felt three other people around, "Sano, could you take Yahiko back to the dojo...I feel much anger in the air. I will be back later tonight. Make sure Dr. Gensia is there."

Sanosuke asked no questions because of the look in Kenshin's eyes. He knew that Kenshin was going to fight, but why would Kenshin want the doctor, he was to good of a fighter for that. Yahiko looked angry because he wasn't going to fight with Kenshin. Sano looked at Kenshin wondering what he was thinking. But Sano followed him a few steps, a few more minutes, just incase of a ambush.

The group of fighters walked for a few more minutes before Yahiko noticed blood on the ground. His eyes grew large and he swiftly looked at Kenshin. It would seem that our hero already had seen the blood and kept walking, following the crimson trail of blood drops, till finally Kenshin saw her, a pale looking fighter covered with blood, rain water, and mud. All three of them stopped dead in their tracks.

"Is this why we came out here?" asked Sano who hadn't seen the Seki-ho uniform.

Kenshin looked at him," Sano, I need you to run to get Dr. Gensai...Yahiko, run back to the Dojo and inform Miss Kaoru that we will have a wounded guest tonight." He looked very serious do to the fact that this woman could die right here right now.

"Alright Kenshin, as long as you know what'cha do'n," said Sano as he began to run back to town.

Yahiko looked at Kenshin, "Is she going to be ok?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well I'm not going to leave you here alone," said a stubborn Yahiko.

Our hero walked over to the sleeping Sakura. He knelt down and touched her face, she was burning up. Kenshin then looked at her wound though the dirty bandages. It wasnt a bad gun wound, but every gun wound was bad, it was more cleaner then most. It would heal...but if he didn't get her to the dojo soon she wouldn't make it. He slowly and gently lifted her.

"Put me down you bandit..." she mumbled not even opening her eyes.

"Bandits we are not," Kenshin said slowly and kindly, " we are here to help, that we are."

She didn't speak again. But Kenshin heard rustling leaves and such. He knew there were more people. Kenshin quickened his pace, making sure that Yahiko was walking close, till they were back in town, three miles from where they had found her. Fortunately the fighters around them didn't attack and let Kenshin leave their sight. Perhaps to leave the fighting for later. Or they thought that the woman was dead. But still Kenshin rushed to the dojo, not looking back, pretending that he didn't know he had been being watched. Now he had to worry about the life in his arms. The woman who's breathing was a effort. He knew that if he didn't get to the dojo soon, he would have failed this woman.