I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Ohkami is a friend of mine, ohkamimajin. This is based on an RP that Ohkami, I, and a few other people did a few years ago. In this fic, Saito is not married. Reviews are welcome, flames mean more s'mores! A double line means flash back.Solid line means scene change.

The pain engulfed me and I wanted to scream. But I couldn't, not now. Flames were engulfing my home; I had to get out. It was no use trying to save my family, Mibu's wolves had seen to that.

Outside I could hear the villagers screaming, someone was yelling water. I tried to get towards the voices, but the fire blocked my way. By now the smoke was starting to overcome me. There was no way out.

"No." I gasped.

A loud crack above me made my heart stop. I looked up to see one of the beams on the ceiling begin to fall. Quickly rolling away, it barely missed me. In front of me, I saw an opening the beam had created. Struggling to my feet, I managed to get through it.

Coughing, I managed to find my way to an old tree at the side of the yard. I collapsed underneath it and stared at my home, now completely engulfed by flames. There was nothing I could do, and I was so tired. Without realizing it, my eyes closed and I fell asleep.

The sunlight was warm on my eyelids. Slowly, I opened them and yawned. Then I caught sight of the smoldering ruins. Anger and fear coursed through my veins.

Who the hell do they think they are? My family never did anything to them! Out of the corner of my eye I could see something moving in the ruins. Several young men were foraging. One of them held up something; it was my father's sword!

"Hey you!" I yelled, standing up. "Get away from there!"

"Hey look." The one with the sword smiled. "It's the idiot samurai's daughter."

The rest of the group laughed.

"Leave that alone." I marched up to him.

"And who is going to make me?" He asked. "You?"

"If you don't leave now, yes."

I got into a fighting stance. The group laughed.

"You think you can beat me?"

I kept quiet.

"Alright, I'll humor you." He tossed me my father's sword before drawing his own. "You beat me, we'll leave."

The battle lasted less than five seconds. I had pinned the punk to the ground, and kicked away his sword.

"Now let that be a lesson." I growled, leaning towards him. "Never mess with the Togashi family. Now get."

They ran faster than our family cat chased by our Akita. I couldn't help but laugh as I saw them tripping over themselves to get away from me. Something moved behind me and I froze.

"You're an excellent fighter." A man said.

I spun around to see a tall, dark haired man. He was reasonably good looking, carried a katana and wore an old kimono. Instinctively, I got ready to fight.

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded.

"I am Souzou Sagara." He smiled. "The rebels sent me to recruit."

"What would they want with a woman?"

"We need someone to undertake a dangerous mission."

"Good luck."

"I noticed your skills."

"You said that already."

"Would you consider-"

"Working for you? No." I turned to look at the ruins. "The Shinsengumi thought my father was, now look at what's left."

"We need good fighters. Besides, if this is all that's left, you have nothing to lose."

"What if I don't want to work for you?" I glared at him. "I'm not nearly a good enough fighter anyway."

"We can train you."

"I'm a woman."

"That'll help us. They won't suspect you of working for us."

"What would I be doing?"

"We need someone to infiltrate the Shinsengumi."

"I won't be a whore."

"No, we need someone in the ranks, preferably close to the leaders."

"I'm sure there are dozens of young men who'd love to help you."

"We can't trust them, it's impossible to know who's working for the shogunate."

"Then why are you trusting me?"

"Because it's apparent the Shinsengumi don't like you. Besides, you're one of the best fighters I've seen in a long time."

I stood there for a moment, not knowing quite what to say. He was offering me a chance for revenge, revenge for what they'd done to my family.

"I've got nothing to lose." I said. "I'll do it."

"Alright." He smiled again. "Now, how about you tell me your name."

"Suki, Suki Togashi."

"Not anymore. We'll make sure that it is circulated through the town that you died in the fire. From now on, you are Izumi."

"What is your name?" A rather large man asked from the other side of the room.

"Michi Takihashi." I replied, looking straight ahead.

"You are the first woman to apply for the Shinsengumi."

"My father was killed by those bastard rebels. They need to be eradicated. I believe it doesn't matter whether you're male or female, as long as you can fight."

"Very true, very true." He mumbled, looking down at a paper in front of him. "Well, it seems that you defeated Captain Soji in your mock battle. Very impressive. It may be unorthodox, but I would like for you to join the Shinsengumi."

"Thank you Sir." I bowed to him.

"You will be joining the 3rd Unit, Captain-"

Just then, the door slid open. A tall, dark haired man came in and bowed to the man.

"My apologies Captain Isami." He said.

"Oh, I was just talking about you Saitou. This is Michi Takihashi, she will be joining your unit."

"Of course Sir."

Captain Isami made me wait outside while he talked to Saitou. When they were done, Saitou stepped outside and turned to me.

"Come, I will show you were you are going to sleep."

He led me through the compound.

"You must be very good if they decided to allow you membership."

"I guess so."

"Have you ever killed anyone before?"

"No, but there are several people I would like to see dead."

"Well, rest up." He told me as we reached an old building. "You're patrolling tonight."

The day flew by and soon it was night. I met the rest of the unit at the gate. My heart was racing as we headed out. All of the past months of training were kicking in, my instincts were heightened and I glanced around me.

A scream broke the night air. The group around me froze for a moment before sprinting off in the direction of it. I followed them as they ran. We came to a restaurant, a young woman stood outside, sobbing. She pointed at something behind me and I whirled around.

There was a man standing in the shadows. He broke into a grin when he saw me.

"Oh look, a woman in Shinsengumi clothes. They must be running out of men willing to work for this stupid government. You must be good. Let's test you."

He lunged at me. It didn't feel like it was I reacting, more like I was watching it. My sword was drawn and the next thing I knew, he was on the ground, blood flowing from his neck and his head rolling off into the bushes. The woman screamed again.

My heart was racing and my hands were probably shaking. A feeling of euphoria engulfed me. It felt so good. I closed my eyes. Amazing.

My Sakabato cut through the bamboo without a problem. The strike had met its mark and now I turned to the next target. Three down, four, five, I kept going. Finally I stood back; there were splinters of bamboo everywhere.

My heart was still pounding, but I didn't notice. Something moved behind me and I spun around, my sword drawn. It was Jime.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned, sheathing my sword.

"I couldn't find you Izumi."

"Maybe there is a reason for that."

"What are you talking about?"

"Leave me alone."

"Izumi?"

"You heard me." I growled.

He took a step towards me. In a flash my sword was drawn and heading towards his neck. It clashed against his, but I took no notice, only striking again. Each time he blocked, but I kept going. Then, my sword was knocked from my grasp and he grabbed me. I struggled for a moment before stopping.

"Izumi." He whispered, pulling me to him.

"I'm sorry."

"Why are you doing this?"

"I have to get as close as I can to Kitsune Majin in order to be able to defeat Denique Nex."

"You sound like Battousai."

"It's true."

"What's wrong with fighting the way you have for the past ten years?"

"I can't see."

"Tell me the real reason."

"I can't keep living like that." I sighed. "I'm just fooling myself. I'm not Izumi Takihashi; I'm the Kitsune Majin. A killer."

"No you aren't."

"Really? This is what I've always been, ever since the Shinsengumi killed my family. Suki Togashi, Izumi, and Michi Takihashi are all dead."

"No they aren't." He spun me around to face him.

"Don't pull that."

"What?"

"I won't be hurt again."

I pushed him away and strode towards the palace. Something caught my eye as I moved towards the door. Ohkami and Sano were standing in a corner smiling at each other.

"I love you." Sano smiled.

"I love you more." Ohkami smiled back.

"No, I love you more."

"No, I do."

"Ohkami." He laughed.

"I know, we love each other the same."

There was a pang in my heart and I turned away.

"Enjoy it while it lasts." I muttered, glancing back at them. "Because it won't for long."

A/N: Next chapter will be out soon. Other than that, I hope everyone enjoyed.