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Prologue

"Next."

The scarred man couldn't have looked more intimidating if he tried. Tall, burly, and dressed head to toe in dark armor. One of his hands hovered over the hilt of his katana as if he expected the children to pull out knives and attack him. The 'not all there' look in his eyes just made things worse. Some samurai got that way. Too many battles and they never really came all the way back.

Shinta flinched, clinging more tightly to his older sister's hand as the scowling visage passed over them. He wanted his Mother, with her kind eyes and gentle hands, but she wasn't there. She would never be there again. Neither would his Father, or his older brother. It was just him and Ai now.

The double doors swung open and the pair walked through, stopping a respectful distance from the lord. Clenching his hands into fists, the small redhead did his best to bow as Ai had instructed him. However, he wasn't sure how well he had done.

"Senju-sama," the older child greeted, not raising her gaze from his feet. She knew the score. Two children could not hold a household together. Fact. Simple fact. But that didn't stop the teenager from hoping. Maybe, just maybe, the lord would be merciful. Surely couples had lost children when the disease swept through the area. Perhaps someone would be willing to take them in. It was not to be.

Hmm, the man made a thoughtful sound as he considered the children. "The girl can be trained as a maid," he said as though the two orphans were not even in the room, signaling the scribe to record his decision. Some of the woman at the castle were getting up there in years. "But the other . . ." His voice trailed off.

"You," Senju snapped after a moment of silence that seemed far longer than it actually was. The tone of his voice causing Shinta to jump. "Look at me boy."

Hesitantly the five year old raised his head to meet the other's gaze. Revealing a pale heart shaped face and deep violet eyes. He shifted uncomfortably as the adults stared, but even at his young age knew better than to look away. They were nobles, and he was only a peasant.

The lord gasped. He had never seen such eyes. Beautiful, absolutely beautiful, and combined with that hair. Then he smirked, it was not a pleasant expression. "Call Gono," he ordered, already imagining the wealth this transaction would bring him.

Noo! Terror swept through Ai's body. Not him. The teenager knew about Gono. Knew exactly what happened to his so called merchandise. "Please my Lord," she choked dropping to her knees. "Please don't sell my brother. I'll do anything. Anything." Being a slave of any kind was bad enough, but this . . .

She resisted the urge to hurl as Senju's lecherous gaze roamed over her immature body. Even with the faint tremors that wracked her frame and the dark circles under her eyes, an aftermath of the sickness that had nearly claimed her life, it wasn't hard to see the promise of beauty hidden beneath.

The lord hesitated. It was tempting, very tempting. But not quite as good as the money he could get from the brat. Besides, there was nothing stopping him from ordering the chit to his bed later.

Unconsciously he lipped his lips, feeling the first stirring of arousal. He had always liked his women young. However, this was not the time. Business before pleasure as they say. "No," Senju decided, leaning back on what was basically a small throne. "I think not."

Ai forgot herself. Rushing up the steps to grab the older man by the sleeve. "You can't! He's only a . . ." She never finished her sentence.

"Get your filthy hands off me peasant!" Senju caught the girl with a vicious backhand. A blow which lifted her frail body completely off the ground. She hit the stairs hard, rolling down the last few steps. But the girl said nothing. She didn't scream nor did she so much as twitch once she had come to a stop. After a moment, it became clear Ai didn't even breath.

Her brother was at her side instantly. "Sister?" too small hands cradled the still head. "Sister, wake up." The older, more experienced, Kenshin would have known there was nothing to be done. Weakened as she was, the thirteen year old girl had died instantly from the fall. Her neck snapped like a twig.

"Ai," the boy shook her again, more desperately. "Ai!" Soft violet eyes flooding with tears as he realized the truth. He was alone now, completely alone. Shinta didn't really understand what his sister had been so upset about. He was too young. But he did know it must be bad.

The boy screamed as a man grabbed him around the middle, roughly dragging him away from the body of his last family member. The only one besides himself to survive the cholera that had swept through their small village. "Let go of me!" he shouted, gaining nothing but a rough slap to the face for his troubles.

"Be careful not to leave any marks," came the callous voice of his sister's killer. "We don't want to drive down the price. Looks like his don't come cheap."

Shinta twisted in the guard's grasp to glare at the lord. "I'll kill you," he snarled, only half aware of what he was saying. A hint of amber appearing in the dragon like orbs for the very first time. "Kill you!"

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It occurs to me I have made Senju an even bigger bastard than I meant to

Oh well, that just means I don't have to feel bad about setting Battousai on him

Also, for those who don't understand the last bit

In some myths dragon's eyes were said to change color due to their moods

Hope you enjoyed and please review

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