Disclaimer: …………. You don't wanna know what would happen to Kenshin if I was the creator of RK……………..

Author's Notes: Okay. This is probably going to be a very very very dark story. And I'm changing some stuff around, to try a new approach to the whole thing. Hope this isn't too dark and tormented for you readers and please leave me a review so I know.

Building the Hitokiri

Chapter 1- The Wound Is Made

'She had sat alone in the darkness

She had sat alone on the floor'

Her eyes stung with the salty moisture that was pent up inside, trying in vain not to burst through and cause more noise. Silent, pleading cries escaped her mouth but became caught in her throat before they could make a ruckus. Slowly, with only the silent sound of the movement of clothing, she adjusted herself in the gloom of the dark, foreboding room.

Legs outstretched before her,her arms hung loosely at her sides and bent forward once they touched down as her hair of dark chocolate flowed over her shoulder and concealed her face. Her back was rigid and her muscles ached, fresh bruises and cuts symbolizing her battle that was recently lost.

The frail body of this young, teenage girl was marred with scars of the past, as well as those of the new. Her mind chewed vigorously at the reasons why. The memories all seemed to bleed together, melding with one another to make everything appear to be one long, haunting nightmare. But this one stayed long after she had awakened, to the point it seemed she had never slept.

Had it always been this way? Was her life always this nightmare, replayed each time in more vivid and excruciating detail just to scare her?

Despite her appearance of stationary rest, her eyes shot around, picking up small details, trying to remember exactly where she was. Her head ached violently, the thinking and processing only feeding the pain. But she needed toknow where she was.

It was completely silent outside of the room. She sighed. That meant that her mother had gone willingly, watching how she herself had been in trouble when she attempted to stand her ground. Her mother had always been weak because her children were used against her. This was the only flaw she hated about her.

A gentle pressure on her arm alerted her to another presence in the room. She fought with herself not to flinch but failed miserably.

"Sakura?" came a quiet, worried voice of a young boy.

Her head popped up. Sakura's crystalline eyes caught red hair and violet eyes, and she knew instantly where she had been thrown.

The twin's room.

Sakura looked at them, her tears blocked away for their safety. They didn't need to know what she went through, and definently not what she took to spare them. Both looked at her expectantly, but unlike the many times before, Sakura couldn't bring herself to smile for them. She had no way to reassure them this time.

"Sakura?" asked the girl, who stood to the other side. "Are you okay? How… what did daddy do?"

Her head reeled with ways to explain the situation. Sakura knew she could always tell them the truth, but that would completely defeat her purpose of hiding these things from their young, fragile minds. She could lie again, like she always did, but Sakura had a feeling they knew. She had a feeling that no matter how long she hid them from it, underneath it all, they knew.

"I'll be fine, Akane." She lied. "Shinta… you don't need to worry, either."

Both seemed unfazed, but slowly Akane gave way to her sister's lie. She stood and hugged her, then crawled into her bed. Shinta didn't give way to his older sister, and waited for Akane to sleep before speaking up.

"Why do you lie?" Shinta asked, his voice quiet for more than one reason. "You may be able to get Akane to stop worrying, but I know."

Sakura stared at her younger brother, her blue eyes searching his.

"You're my sister." He told her calmly. "I'm supposed to protect you, not the other way around."

Sakura shook her head. "You shouldn't have to protect me. I'm your older sister, I should be…"

Shinta cut her off. "No! I am the male, so I should make sure you and Akane are not injured."

"I want to protect you." Sakura told him. "And I have to."

Shinta looked at her before sitting down finally. He folded his nimble legs beneath him, and stared ahead. Sakura's brown hair blew with the draft around her face, slowly stopping before picking up again. He got whacked in the face a few times and moved away.

"Why?" Shinta asked, clearly confused. "Why do you have to protect me and why do you want to?"

Sakura sighed and looked at her younger brother, trying to come up with the correct thing to say. She knew what she wanted to say, just not now she wished to word it. Shinta was clever; he could rip her words to shred until they fluttered away with the wind if he wanted to. Therefore, she had to be careful with her wording or suffer the consequences for failure.

"Shinta, you know the saying 'like father, like son', right?" she asked, waiting for his response. It came in a subtle nod. "Do you wish to be like your father? I don't want you to end up like him. You're a good kid, full of innocence that should never be destroyed. You shouldn't end up like him."

Her brother glared. "Father wasn't always this way."

Sakura nodded. "No, but you can't deny what he is. A monster. Ever since… I can't even remember why this all started to begin with."

"I would never strike another without reason." Shinta assured her.

Sakura looked at him. "You say that now, but your still young. Your ways may change and I find the only way to protect you is to hide you from how he is."

She awaited a response from him. Sakura, all though suffering from her natural anxiety, did not look away. She knew that he was not someone she needed to fear. The response she had given him was a logical one; clear of her dark, saddening voice and words, yet still a lot for a ten-year-old to grasp immediately.

So calmly, she sat.

Only her younger siblings could see her stronger side, but that could only last so long. Eventually, Sakura knew, after Shinta left to his bed and slept, she would run out to her best friend, Sae, for aide and support. Just like she always did. It was hard to take care of yourself when you were busy taking care of everyone else.

Face bent with lines by his brows to signalize his thought process, Shinta tried vainly to digest his sister's words. He thought through each word with careful precision, trying to decide exactly what he wanted to say in response. Shinta gave his sister a weary look.

"I don't like you getting hurt on my behalf, Sakura." He told her. "Even if you are my older sister."

"Go to sleep Shinta." Sakura said, standing up from her position. "I'll tuck you in, okay?"

Shinta's mood brightened at the prospect of actually being tucked in. He may be ten-years-old, but this had been a rare occurrence when he was younger. He accepted it whenever he could now. Shinta hurried over to his bed without further argument.

Sakura grinned happily. At least this could alleviate his fears for the night. She walked over, despite her pain, and slowly knelt besides her brother. She took a hold of his blankets, and pulled them slowly up to his chin. He snuggled deeper into the sea of sheets until he became comfortable.

"Don't worry, okay Shinta? One day, things will get better." Sakura kissed his forehead and then walked to the other side of the room.

She waited, in the gloom, collecting her thoughts and resting her body. The ache of standing slowly subsided into numbness, and Sakura continued waiting. I through the hazy dimness, with only the small threads of light peaking in through cracks in walls where the moon shone most bright, she saw that Shinta, indeed, had fallen asleep.

Collecting her nerves, she stood and inched toward the doorway. Her whole body listened for any indication that her father was up and about. A quiet snoring told her that he was sleeping near. Shakily she set her sweaty palm upon the doorknob. As she did she prayed she was being quiet enough not to wake her doom. Quiet as possible she pulled the creaky door open, closing her eyes in case a pair of angry black ones tried to glare at her.

Slowly, she cracked her right aquamarine eye, relieved that she saw no one. Sakura crept out, slowly closing the door to offer the minimum amount of protection to her siblings while she was gone. Slinking down the hall, she spotted the door. Her hand flew over the doorknob.

And then she heard a grunt and heavy feet dragging along the floor. Sakura's hair stood on end and from where she stood, she could see down the hall. She saw the large, dark looking figure closing in, and she froze in her movements.

Heart racing, body shutting down, and mind preparing her for the worst case scenerio, adrenaline rushed through her veins, urging and screaming for her to run. Sakura's head felt light, and her eyes widened into cerulean pools of fear and dread. All that ran through her head was the question of if she could put up with another battle that night. Sakura tried vainly to get control over herself.

Finally, she realized that whoever it was had slowed down. Without thinking, she had opened the door, shut it and sprinted off into the cool night, despite how the cold air attacked her throat. Sakura ran until she arrived somewhere she would be safe from her father. She stopped, her heart racing, hearing a thumping sound within her ear that came with the access blood that flowed through her body.

She was at Sae's front door. Her hand hovered it ina fist, prepared to knock, when it flew open.

"Sakura, what happened?" asked a hazel-eyed, dark haired girl. "I could feel you running here. What did he do?"

Sakura stared at her best and only friend with wide yes. She knew Sae had a strange gift when it came to her--- she always knew when she was running over or needed her help, no matter what. It had all started a long time ago, when fate decided to drop the two into the hands of loyalty, even though they didn't know each other. Sae had always said she had just felt that Sakura needed her help that day.

Sae took a tight hold of Sakura's arm where there were no apparent injuries and pulled her in out of the cold. Sakura obliged instinctively and allowed Sae to pull her into the living area. Leaving her friend there, Sae ran off to get the medicine. Obediently Sakura sat still and waited around nervously.

Sae returned a few moments later, gently cradling the supplies she would need to clean Sakura's wounds.She placed them beside her then commanded that Sakura face her again. Doing as she was told, Sakura felt Saetakeher face in her hands, going over her wounds with her eyes before shaking her head. She reached for a cool cloth and dipped it into some warm water. Sakura winced at the sting the cloth produced.

"Did you fight him this time?" Sae asked, her eyes watching as she cleaned the dirty slices in Sakura's skin.

Sakura simply nodded as a response. She didn't need to talk. Sae was sure to give her a lecture like she always did and she learned that it was no use to argue. Sae would always win their verbal arguments. Once, Sakura had found humor in the thought of Shinta and Sae arguing. But now was not a time for such musings.

"Sakura, he goes easier on you when you don't fight back." Sae explained. "Sometimes you need to learn when to back down. You could save your life one of these days. You keep placing more stress upon your body."

"I have to fight back." Sakura responded.

Sae's hazel eyes glared at Sakura, her anger and worry evident as she gently cleaned the bruises and scrapes on Sakura's arms. Her mouth was a thin, firm line. She pressed roughly but not too rough, against a small scrape as her form of silent punishment.

Sakura jumped.

"He'd go easier if you didn't fight. It only angers him more. It's his anger that causes him to beat you." Sae explained.

Sakura shot her a look of being lost. "So basically he's angry because of me. If I left, do you think he'd continue to beat my mother, Shinta, and Akane?"

Sae shook her head. "No. It would only make him more loathsome toward them and his abuse would probably get worse."

Sakura dissected through Sae's words and tried to see if they held some alterior meaning. They usually did. Today it was that her leaving would hurt Shinta and Akane.

"How about if I died?" Sakura questioned quickly.

Sae threw down her rag in a rage; her normally gentle hazel eyes seemed hurt by the words, but they also held back her anger with strong restraints. Her hands fisted together and her knuckles turned white with the pressure she applied. Sakura blinked but her lost expression never changed.

"Don't you dare speak like that!" Sae hissed, standing so she cowered angrily above her. "Death does nothing, it only makes everything worse! I know you want this all to end, but think about it logically. If you died, who would protect Akane and Shinta? Shinta would give himself to protect Akane and your mother, just like you would do for them. Dying is only going to worsen the ways in which they're hurt. I don't believe you want to die. If you did, you wouldn't come to me when you're hurt."

Sakura stared disbelievingly at her friend. Her words had been strong and hostile, but not towards her. Sae's anger was directed at Sakura's father, the root of the whole problem. Her words were directed at the start of the pain, and her mind wheeled with ways to express it gently.

'Sae is too gentle at times' Sakura thought.

Sakura dropped her head and her body began heaving with painful sobs. Her hands flew to her face and covered her eyes in a fruitless attempt at restraining her tears. They continued to fall unchecked from her eyes and through her fingers, stinging her cuts with the salty moisture. Her body shook, and Sae wrapped her arms around her gently.

Sakura cried on her friends shoulder, forgetting her need to be strong. Now was hertime to feel weak and seek the refuge of another, it was her turn to hide and her turn to release. Emotions pent up over years of a never-ending sleep, a continuous nightmare, poured from her soul. The broken spirit she held inside ripped away at her as if it was an angry, wounded bird fighting for freedom. Her tears were not spread just for herself, but for her entire being, for Shinta, for Akane, for her mother. She cried for them all.

While she continued to sob, Sae finished cleaning and dressing her exposed wounds, and checked her over once more. Sakura's tears slowly subsided and she glanced up toward Sae, her blue eyes puffy and red from the tears.

"I hate this part," Sae confided in a whisper, "but you have to go back home."

She stood, and closed her eyes, trying vainly to push out the horrid, fear stricken view of her friend. Sakura shouldn't go back, Sae knew, but she had not where to go. She couldn't stay with her. Sae had a hard enough time keeping herself afloat after her parents died and her sister moved to Tokyo. There was no way she could hide Sakura and take care of her at the same time.

"Maybe I'll see you." Sakura whispered before she walked outside.

Deciding there never was a real reason to rush back, Sakura sulked along slowly.

---

Shinta stirred slightly in his sleep, waking up to the sound of creeping footsteps outside of his bedroom door. He sat up slowly, looking at the dim light, which shone through the cracks around the doorframe and the door. He saw shadows; silhouettes of people moving almost mechanically slow outside. Immediately he checked to be sure Akane was still near. She was still asleep, even if she tossed her head vigorously in her apparent nightmare.

A loud crash sent his wandering attentions back towards the door. He saw something land next to the doorway, a small cry of pain slinking into the room. Shinta threw back his thin blanket and stalked silently toward the door, his ears perking to any sounds that came from the hall outside.

"Where did you think you were going?" came an angry, gruff voice.

Shinta shuddered at the sound of his father speaking so maliciously to someone.

"None of your business, bast… I mean father." Came the weak reply from Sakura.

His eyes widened, shock instilling his body as he eavesdropped on the conversation, taking place outside of his and Akane's room. Sakura was going to be beaten for the second time that night, Shinta knew it. Part of him wanted to burst out of the room, but he knew Sakura had locked the doors to protect him and Akane. All he could do was listen and pray.

"Don't you dare speak back to me!" came the homicidal reply, followed by the deathly sound of flesh and bone against wood. "You are not permitted to leave this house!"

The shadows moved and Shinta watched them, his hands clenched into the cloth of his yukata as he listened. Fear fluttered around and thickened the air with tension when Sakura groaned.

"I went to Sae's to get some bandages." Sakura responded.

"Does it look like you need bandages? I don't see any blood! I don't see any bruises!"

Sakura began to tear up. "Yes, sir."

"I asked you a question!" he yelled. "Would you like to answer?"

"No, sir, I do not see any need for bandages." Sakura state in utter defeat.

"Let me show you want blood looks like!" he seethed.

Shinta heard the sound of porcelain shattering against the floor, and recognized it as the vase they were all careful around. It was the only thing mother had left of her happier days of childhood. All the children were sure to take care of it.

"Why did you break that?" Sakura questioned in shock.

"Because," her father replied viciously, "I'm going to teach you a lesson."

Shinta kept his eyes glued to the shadows moving behind his door. Someone bumped roughly up against the rice paper door, and then another closed in. His eyes widened when he heard a hand digging through he apparent rubble left in the vases wake, and then a scream. It sounded gurgled, like bubbles of some liquid had stifled the inhuman sound.

One shadow slumped against its restraint. Someone pushed the body that was against the door and it tore through the thin rice paper, a head, shoulders, and torso tumbling in front of Shinta. His eyes grew wide as the body fell ungraciously to the floor before him. Immediate recognition filled his features as tears began to build up in his eyes. The head of the person rolled to face him, eyes wide and lifeless as blood continued to seep from the porcelain lodged murderously in the person's throat. Bubbles escaped around it, mixing with her brown hair that pooled around.

"Sakura…" Shinta whispered.

Another person shoved their way through the large hole in the paper door, making it bigger. Shinta set his attentions to that person instead of Sakura, who lay dead upon his bedroom floor. The person was his father, pulling his sobbing mother into the room. He tossed her over towards Akane, who had finally woken with the sound of the opening door. She was trapped now beneath her mother.

Shinta watched helplessly in the corner as his mother flung herself over Akane, trying desperately to spare her from the fate that Sakura now lay in as her skin turned to a deathly white. His father advanced upon them, and Shinta attempted to move but found himself glued to the place in which he was a spectator.

His mother was held at gunpoint until she moved. Akane tired vainly to hide beneath the blankets, afraid of the scene around her and the one that was bound to come. A hand gripped her tightly beneath her blankets, and yanked her up into the air by their hand. Her father glowered down at her.

"I'm sorry daddy… please don't hurt me daddy… don't hurt momma…" she pleaded with him, her eyes moist as he held her above the ground by her now aching arm.

He cocked the gun in his hand. The gun was only in his possession since he was a police officer around the city of Kyoto, and they were the only ones allowed to carry them. He held it close to Akane's temple, listening to her pleads for mercy.

"Be quiet, you little runt." He demanded.

"No…" Shinta's mother cried.

Bang.

Akane fell the floor, one side of her skull demolished as her life flew away from her. Shinta stared in utter shock, wondering if his father even realized he was in the room. His father dropped the gun and reached for the small kitchen knife he held in his tie that closed his clothing, before throwing hiswife onto the bed. She cried and begged for him to stop as he climbed above her, holding her down with the knife against her throat. She cried, her tears mixing with Akane's blood that soaked the blankets on the bed.

Shinta looked around for something to protect his mother. He had failed his sisters, but he wasn't going to fail his mother too. He found a small dagger lying in the hall. Stepping over Sakura's body he grasped it, unsheathing it and then walking back into the room. He controlled his anger as he walked to the backside of his father, who was sitting up on his mother while she squirmed beneath him and tried to push him off. He heard her cry as the kitchen knife his father held pierce through her arm, and then her other arm, before he lifted it above him.

"Don't fight me!" his father screamed at her.

"Please… don't… little Shinta…" she stated, not pleading with her husband but her son.

Shinta jumped with the dagger, embedding it into his father back, inches away from his spine. His father fell, the knife he was holding piercing through his wife's chest. She screamed once before she fell silent. Shinta pulled the knife from his father's back quickly, and held it to him.

'I killed him,' he thought to himself.

"Momma!" Shinta cried, walking back towards the two bodies lying on Akane's bed.

His father stirred and stood up. Shinta fell to his bottom behind his father as he stood, turning to face him. His eyes were angry and nearly red with a look Shinta had never before seen. All he could do was hold the dagger out before him.

"You little bastard." He stated, nearing him. "And to think I was going to spare you because you could carry on the name Himura."

Shinta crawled away slowly, looking with fear stricken eyes at his father as he fell upon Sakura's body near the door. Shock instilling him with the sudden chill of death that filled his body, he scrambled out the door before his father could kill him in that room along with his sisters and mother.

He stood once he was out in the hall, and he began toheadtoward the door that would lead him out onto the streets. He could hear his father racing after him and he ran quickly, hiding behind a tree. He watched as he flew out into the street, his eyes scanning the area.

"I'm going to find you Shinta!" he screamed. "When I do I'm going to kill you. But until then, I'm going to report those murders of your sisters and mother, of whom you slaughtered in cold carnage."

Shinta watched as his father marched off towards the police station. Not sure what else to do, Shinta turned and ran straight into the forest, blocking the branches that scratched his face and sliced into his arms. He ran as far as he could away from the life he used to have, the one that Sakura had fought so hard to protect him from now being the one that infested his body. He ran away from the death that now surrounded his home, away from the people who would be searching for him now after his father lied about the killings.

He had nowhere to go, so all he could do was run. And that's what he did, he ran as fast as his feet would take him, as long as he could, before he dropped to the ground in painful sobs, crying over his broken life and the loss of those he held most dear.

Author's Notes: As you can see I changed most of the RK tale in this story. I'm tyring to keep all the correct characters but I'm probably going to do some age changing (as I have already done. Shinta was 8 when he met Hiko and now he's 10, so there's some age changing there). But I hope you all liked this.

Luv and hugs,

Crystal Renee