The soft ringing of a bell could be heard, and it struck fear to the two men walking side by side in the dark alley. That bell was the trademark of the long-dead Reiyama Ryumiko, who struck fear into the hearts of all when she still held the post as the leader of the Shinsen-Gumi's First Division. They could still remember the time they'd gossiped about her pregnancy, immediately, she killed their friend with throwing her katana at him. The memory was devastating, but the main question was, who was the one carrying her sword?
There was no time for questions. The cracking of a whip could be heard, and they felt extreme pain on their chests. They saw before their eyes a tall woman, with amber eyes and wielding the dreaded katana of Ryumiko. Beside her was a man with red hair and the same amber eyes, he was shorter than she was, but they could sense that his Ki was more powerful.
"Who are you?" one of them asked. His voice was shaking, fear noticeably showed through his facial expressions.
"What do you have to do with the Iron Wolf-Maiden of Mibu?" asked the other
"Servants of the Bakufu" said Miryu in a deadly honey and poison-laced voice. "We come to deliver Tenchu" Quickly, she went into her battle-stance.
"Prepare for your death!" Kenshin shouted.
The pair advanced on the two men with speeds that seemed impossible to be accomplished by everyday humans. They weren't even able to scream when they saw their headless bodies for three seconds, and then everything went dark. Splatters of blood were everywhere. The whole ordeal was over in only seconds.
Having finished their work, they went back the Choushu headquarters. Miryu was silent. She seemed shocked that they guessed a connection between her and her mother. If that was so, the Shinsen-Gumi would make the first move to being her to the Bakufu's side, which she did not want to. She wanted to wreak revenge on the Bakufu as her mother not only did not receive thanks for her services; it was blind to the evil deeds of its more high-positioned officials. She couldn't believe why her grandfather still maintained the Shinsen-Gumi for the Bakufu, but she knew without them, killing the Bakufu supporters would be boring work.
"Miryu, are you alright?" Kenshin asked, noticing her shocked expression.
"It's nothing, Kenshin. I just had a few thoughts about my grandfather and mother, that's all"
"What did Shishou say about them when you went to visit him?" Kenshin asked. He was never the one who asked those questions, but he knew he had to ask, for now it concerns their enemies.
"I'll tell you when we get back to the head-quarters" she said, which she did when they got into their room after changing into fresh clothes and discarding their blood-stained ones. "My mother was the famous Shinsen-Gumi captain, Reiyama Ryumiko, more famously known as the Iron Wolf-Maiden of Mibu, naturally, my grandfather is Reiyama Reiji, the founder and financier of the Shinsen-Gumi"
"You mean that the Shinsen-Gumi has higher leaders than Kondou Isami and Hijikata Toshizo?" Kenshin exclaimed, "And he's your grandfather?"
"Yes, what's more is that my father was the intended heir of Tsubasa Akarou, my paternal grandfather. The Tsubasa clan was famous for being circulators of opium and weapons illegally shipped from America and Germany. My mother and Shishou were lovers, but she was forced to marry my father due to settle a feud between both my grandfathers. In the end, she killed my father after giving birth to me. Shishou raised and trained me ever since"
Kenshin was slightly shocked by the revelation, but he at least now he was clear on why Hiko had treated Miryu slightly better than he was. Hiko loved Miryu like his own daughter, although her father was another man. Why not, since her mother was the love of his life, and he was the first thing she saw at the moment of her birth? There was no point to get jealous of their relationship now, as it was similar to that of a father and daughter.