[Edit] Updated to include Kenshin being mistaken for a cross-dressing woman.
The Battousai in Danger
"So, how old were you back then?"
"Fifteen. No cross-shaped scar on my cheek. It was perhaps six months before I met Tomoe."
The Battousai's eyes, lethal and golden, surveyed his surroundings. An odd chill hovered in the air, and the streets were strangely quiet. Dusk had just fallen, and it was twilight hour - that time when the sky was tinted with an eerie shade of blue and new shadows had fallen like nascent demons on the ground.
This job had been one that only he could have carried out; the high-ranking target, fearful of his safety, had hired an army of master swordsmen and gunmen as bodyguards. The Battousai was no stranger to the demanding task of wiping out hundreds by himself, but inevitably he had wearied.
Yes, the job had been accomplished. Yes, the target was now dead, slain without mercy after the deaths of his protectors. And yet, the Battousai had been gravely wounded. His fingers clutched desperately at the gaping laceration across his chest, attempting to staunch the flow of blood.
It was his fault. He had been overconfident after he had killed the target. Believing that the task was done, he had allowed his guard to drop for that single instant. Sensing his unpreparedness, a swordsman had leapt from behind a door, surprising the fatigued Battousai with a well-aimed slice across his chest. The attack had connected, searing blood in its path.
"Oh no!" Kaoru sat upright, fully absorbed in the story. She leaned forward, head resting on her hands, and watched him with worry. "You were hurt!"
"Yes, I was," Kenshin nodded, calm as ever. "It took all the strength I had to escape, that it did."
"That's terrible!" Kaoru exclaimed. "I'm so sorry!"
"Don't be. I might have deserved it."
The Battousai knew that he would soon attract attention. A swordsman, bruised and dripping with blood, could not evade notice. After the assassination of such a high-ranking target, the streets would soon be swarming with police with one intent only: bringing the killer to justice.
The streets remained empty, scarcely a person in sight, and the Battousai swore under his breath. He couldn't blend into the crowd, for there was no crowd. If he remained here, at such a close distance to the place of the assassination, the police would find him for sure. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem, but right now he was in no shape to take out more than fifty... He desperately needed a safe haven, or in the very least a place to hide.
Suddenly, a fresh wave of pain shot through the Battousai, and he abruptly dropped to his knees from blood loss. This wasn't good. He remained crouched for a couple more seconds, trying to ignore the weariness descending on his shoulders and the agony coursing through his body.
Feeling a watchful gaze with his practiced intuition, he looked up. A shadowy figure stood about fifteen buildings away, barely visible, and yet the Battousai knew that exactly who that was.
A policeman, who darted once more into the darkness.
His time was running out.
"You know, I'd always thought that you never got wounded, that you always escaped without difficulty," Kaoru said, sounding concerned. "But here, first you get slashed across the chest and lose a horrendous amount of blood, and then you're all alone with no help, and now a policeman sees you!"
A new thought came to mind, and she smiled. "I wish I had been there! I would have done whatever I could to help you!"
Kenshin was dubious as to how much she would have been able to help, but, eager for her contentment, he smiled and nodded. "I'm sure I could have used your aid, Miss Kaoru."
"But now you're all alone, and it's getting to be nighttime...being an assassin must be really scary."
"It's especially frightening when you realize that I was weary after fighting hundreds of master swordsmen," Kenshin observed, becoming serious. "If a group of swordsmen had attacked me then, it was only a matter of time before I collapsed from exhaustion."
"Oh, Kenshin!"
The Battousai forced himself to stand, and with what remained of his strength he sprinted away. He didn't have much time before a squad of armed policemen swept this area, looking for a swordsman who matched his description.
Leaning against a wall, he paused to catch his breath and consider his options.
"Miss!" A female voice cried, "What in the world are you doing in those men's clothes!"
Kaoru barely restrained her laughter. "Oh, Kenshin! You mean to tell me that she actually mistook you for a girl?"
"I avoided thinking about it at the time," Kenshin said humbly, "but the truth is that I was much more feminine than I would have liked to admit." He seemed to have come to terms with this statement, and treated the subject with a humorous self-depreciation.
"And why is that?"
"For one thing, the way I walked. I had a very light tread that was suited for vanishing into the night, making my footsteps unheard and my shadow unseen. It's perfect for an assassin, but it's not really that masculine."
"I think it is!" Kaoru blurted, and immediately mentally smacked herself on the forehead.
"Why, thank you Miss Kaoru!" Kenshin smiled happily, oblivious to the slight flush rising on her face. "And then there's my height. I was younger, much younger than I am now. It's only natural that, with my height and slender build, I didn't really fit among the tall, muscular warriors. Mistaking me for a woman in man's clothing, especially from a distance, would be quite possible."
The Battousai turned around slowly to find the source of the voice, indignation and anger seething in his stomach. Men's clothes! I am no woman! I am the Battousai, a legendary assassin!
A young woman with stylishly cut, short black hair carried a hefty basket which, judging from the delicious smell, seemed to be filled with fresh dumplings. She knelt to place the box on the ground and hurried to his side, presumably to give him a lecture on the evils of cross-dressing.
"What makes you think that it's appropriate to go out in public like that?" The young woman demanded, hands on her hips. "Girl, let me give you some advice. Do you want...to be mistaken for...a..."
Her voice faltered as the Battousai's deep, violent amber eyes rose to meet hers. For the first time, she took in his blood-covered hands, his tattered clothes, and the sword at his hip.
"Oh," she stammered, "Forgive me! I...I...ah, I'm...I'm so sorry! I didn't mean...I didn't mean to..."
He knew that he could dispose of her in an instant. Yet, if he did so, the police would recognize the marks of his sword and know that he had been here.
"Hey!" Kaoru cut in. "The only reason why you didn't kill a defenseless girl was because you knew you would be caught if you did?"
Kenshin looked down, as if in shame. "I'm sorry... I had been taught nothing else. Kill or be killed. Even though I was trying to create a new era with my sword, I didn't pause to consider the lives of innocents when I was younger. I saw them as sacrifices for the greater good."
"Well, it's a good thing you changed." Kaoru huffed. "I don't think I would have liked the old you at all."
"It's all right," the Battousai said curtly to the embarrassed girl. It wasn't his usual style to show mercy, especially for such a direct affront to his dignity, but he had no choice.
"Who are you?" She asked curiously.
The Battousai remained silent, scanning the streets for policemen.
"Trying to be mysterious, I see," she observed, an edge of sarcasm tinging her voice. "Whatever. Well then, have it your way. I'm Cho."
The Battousai's mind flew through his options with a cold, efficient brutality. His options of escape were limited, no matter where he ran, and he hardly had the time to stand and converse with this girl. He needed to disappear, and fast.
"You're hurt! I won't have you running away so you can get into more trouble." She frowned at him sternly. "I don't know what you've been doing, but you can't stay on your feet for long like that. Come with me. We're going to get help. Besides, I have dumplings, and maybe, if you behave, I'll let you have some."
The Battousai's eyes widened in surprise as she boldly seized his hand, picked up the basket, and began walking briskly down the street.