Chapter 1

The gray skies and light rain complemented the cold, autumn breeze in the city of Tokyo. The lights in every building were off and the streets were empty. The city itself looked barren and dull of life. Slow steady footsteps echoed soundlessly as someone wearing a long bluish-black cloak strode idly by. The person's footsteps ceased and stood motionless as five men dressed in black ran out of a small restaurant with their hands filled with large bags of money.

As the sixth man exited the restaurant he stopped and turned to his left to stare at the motionless stranger standing in the middle of the street. He slowly narrowed his eyes at the stranger and handed his bags of cash to one of his partners. Then walked up to the stranger. The man stood a couple feet from the cloaked figure and stared into the stranger's emerald green eyes.

"You saw us rob the restaurant. Didn't you?" asked the man as he continued to stare at the stranger.

"…" No response.

"Grrrrr…answer the question! Did you or did you not?" When the man still did not receive a response he growled low in his throat and reached his right hand to his left side and unsheathed his sword, holding it in front of him. Quickly, the stranger leaned back as the man swung his sword at him; the stranger caught the sword by the hilt and ripped it from the thief's hands.

The stranger began to slowly examine the sword while the thief stared at him with wide and fearful eyes. The thief was barely able to catch the sword as the stranger threw it back to him and shook his head in disappointment. "You are nothing but common thieves. You wouldn't even serve as a warm up. This is pathetic," said the stranger in a cold icy voice.

"W-what did you say? I'll show you who you're dealing with you son of a b--"

The thief was cut off as the stranger's foot made contact with his jaw, as the thief landed on the street with a loud thump, the stranger landed softly on the tips of his toes. The cloaked stranger picked the man up off the floor and socked him in the face, rendering him unconscious. When the stranger turned around to face the other thieves, they all dropped the bags and ran to their fallen leader, then rushed down the street as fast as they could.

Once they were out of view the stranger slowly walked up to the place where the thieves dropped the bags of money and began picking them up until she heard a soft, gentle voice. "E-excuse me. I uh…I own the restaurant they robbed and I want the money you have. If- if you don't give it to me then I'll call the cops."

The stranger swiftly turned around and walked up to the young lady wearing a waitress uniform and handed her the bags of money. When the stranger turned to leave the woman called out hesitantly, "Y-you're just handing it to me? Just like that?"

"Hai, I don't need any money. I'm just passin' through. Gomen nasai for the commotion I caused though," the stranger said as she took of the hood and smiled warmly at the woman. The woman was surprised to see a young woman in the bluish-black rob instead of a man. The woman reached into one of the bags and handed a yen to the woman. "Why are you giving this to me?" asked the young woman.

"Well, if it wasn't for you I probably wouldn't have gotten any of it back. I wanted to thank you. If you don't mind me asking… o-namae wa?"

"Iie, I don't mind at all, my name is Taeya. O-namae wa?" she said with a cheerful smile.

"Tae. My name is Tae, I own the Akabeko."

"Well Tae-san, arigatou gozaimasu for the money. I might stay here for awhile after all." Taeya slowly walked back up to Tae and stood in front of her as she began to talk again, "If you need any help at all Tae-san you just let me know, okay?"

Tae nodded her head and smiled at Taeya, as she turned to leave Tae called out, "Arigatou Taeya-san! Ja mata! Take care!"

I will! Jaa ne!" said Taeya as she continued to walk down the lonely streets of Tokyo, but not before realizing that the whole time she was with Tae, she was being watched. Taeya decided to act as if she hadn't noticed it at all and continued to walk down the street. When Taeya noticed the man following her was getting closer and closer to her she turned a corner and pressed her back against the wall as to catch the man off guard when he turned the corner after her.

Taeya's hand instantly went to her side and grasped the hilt of her sword hanging loosely at her hip ready to unsheathe it at any moment. Her grasp at the hilt of the sword tightened ever so slightly as she could hear her pursuer's footprints growing louder, indicating that he was close. The footsteps stopped at the corner and a man called out, "Oi, Sanosuke! What are you doing up so late, huh? I bet you were planning on gambling again, ne?"

"Iie, Katsu, what gave you that idea? I was just walking over to the dojo to see if I can stay there for awhile."

"Che, I should have known. Well I guess I'll see you tomorrow, ne?"

"Yeah, you will! Jaa ne!"

Sanosuke didn't move from his position until his friend was no longer in sight. Sanosuke took a step forward and his eyes widened slightly as a sword flew out from the corner and the blade almost touched the skin of his neck. Sanosuke looked at the corner and found a young girl walk silently from around the corner to stand in front of him.

"Why are you following me? Oh, and a quick answer would be great if you want me to spare your life," Taeya said coldly, a trace of venom hanging from her voice as she glared up at Sanosuke.

"Oi, onna, clam down! I wasn't following you at all," Sanosuke raised his hands over his head to show he meant no harm. "My name's Sanosuke, sorry I scared you Miss…"

"You don't need to know, Sanosuke. If you were not after me then why were you walking in the same direction I was for half an hour, hmmm?"

"Che, like I said before, nothing. I was walking to Kamya Dojo and you happened to be going that way. I was trying to catch up to you and see what business you had at the dojo is all," said Sanosuke…a little too simply.

"Hontou desu ka? What did you want to know? What business is it of yours whether I was going to the dojo or not?"

Sanosuke swallowed nervously as Taeya's grip on her katana tightened and pressed against Sanosuke's neck a little. "Well, before I go on…kirei…would you mind removing your sword from my throat? It is hard to try and talk while not being sure if you know how to handle that sword or not."

"How do I know you won't try anything stupid, huh?" Taeya asked with a tiny hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"How 'bout I give you my word as a fighter? Will that gain me at least a little trust?"

"Jaa, I guess," Taeya said with a shrug as she slowly withdrew her sword and sheathed it, then stood straight to look at him in the eyes, noticing that he was around three inches taller than she was.

"O-namea wa?" Sanosuke said with his cocky grin.

"Hmph. Taeya, now answer my question baka!" she spat coldly.

"Yare yare, you are a short tempered one aren't you?" Sano said as he shook his head slightly from side to side.

"Rrrrrr… do you want to see how short tempered I am you…you…ROOSTER HEAD!" Taeya shouted as she reached into her obi and pulled out a couple of her kunai and held them up in front of her.

Sanosuke shook his head furiously and watched as Taeya slowly put them back in her obi. 'Damn, her attitude changed so fast, she is strange,' Sanosuke looked at her with a wide eyed confusion and doubt but recovered fast enough to answer her earlier question before she had the chance to yell at him again. "Listen, I was headed to the dojo, just like I said and you kept walking the same direction I was and after awhile I got suspicious, hn, who wouldn't when you're warring those swords on your hips."

"So? Your point being?" Taeya asked a little paranoid.

"W-what do you mean, 'what's my point?' aren't you after Kenshin or something?"

"KENSHIN! Y-you know Kenshin! Oh, Kamisama, thank you!" Taeya shouted as a bright and hopeful smile appeared on her face.

"Y-you mean you weren't after Kenshin?" Sanosuke said dryly as he continued to stare at her a little doubtfully. He saw Taeya shake her head from side to side and began to talk a little fast.

"You don't understand! I thought Himura was dead! I was looking for him all over Japan and… and… recently I heard rumors about a strong swordsman that protected people with his sword and had a cross shaped scar on his left cheek and I figured it had to be Himura! You have got to take me to him…uhh…Sanosuke. Please I've got to talk to him, it's been so long, and I wanna know what that ahou has been up to these past years in the Meiji! Please Sanosuke!"

"Che, alright I guess it's no big deal. You might want to watch out for Kaoru though, especially if she thinks you like Kenshin."

"What exactly is Kaoru to Kenshin?" asked Taeya a little confused.

"Well…Kenshin likes her a lot and she likes him too but they don't admit their feelings for each other." Sano said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh, well, I'll fix that in no time. Just watch!" she said as she smiled sweetly at Sano.

Sano smiled back at her and put his arm around her waist, "Yeah well, let's go. It's getting pretty late and I'm starving."

Taeya grabbed his arm from around her waist and twisted it as she answered Sano. "Don't touch me tori na atama. Do it again and I'll break your arm off!"

"Alright, sorry. Kami…why does Kenshin have to know chicks that are so violent?"

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Anyway, you must be, like, twenty-five if you know Kenshin." Sano said sarcastically. Unfortunately, Taeya didn't hear the sarcasm in his voice.

"Dame! Dou iu koto da? Bakayorou, I'm only nineteen!" exclaimed Taeya as she turned to stare at Sano.

"Gomen, gomen! I didn't mean to upset you missy, I was only kidding! Can't you take a joke? You don't even look like your nineteen, you look more like sixteen."

"Well, you shouldn't assume such things,Sanosuke," Taeya said as some of the coldness she had in her voice before slightly returned.

"How 'bout you just call me Sano, 'right? Everyone else does."

"Whatever, Sano," she said as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Hey, c'mon, don't be mad, I said I was sorry. Come on Kirei, let's get to the dojo and get something to eat, ne?"

"Humph, fine. And I told you not to call me that!" she said as she and Sano continued to walk to the dojo. "Himura is staying at the dojo, ne? Do you think he'll recognize me when he sees me?"

"Well, I'm not sure, but I guess we'll find out when we got to the dojo. Oh, by the way, how did you meet Kenshin?"

"I met him when I was eight years old, the Imperialists had—hey wait a minute…why should I tell you? That's non of your business!"

"Alright, don't tell me, it's not like I really care anyway. We're here." Sano said flatly as he opened the front gate to the dojo.

"Arigatou Sano, for letting me walk with you…and for apologizing for what you said about my age," Taeya said as she lowered her eyes so Sano couldn't see her very light blush.

"Nah, it was no problem at all. I really enjoyed your company. Wait here for a sec while I get Kenshin, 'right?"

"Yeah, sure," said Taeya as she watched Sano walk into the dojo and disappear around the corner. She turned around and looked up at the full moon and star filled night as her thoughts began to wonder freely now that she wasn't around Sanosuke.

'Wow, I can't believe I'll be seeing Kenshin again after so long. Last time we met…was the last time we ever saw each other…we said we would see each other in no time at all after the mission, but…but we never did. That night was awful, I didn't even want to go on that mission, I had wanted to go with Kenshin to fight against the Shinsengumi. He encouraged me to go with the imperialists to Shimosuwa. Wait! I think that's where I met Sano! It has to be! But…he didn't even know my name before I told him so…how could I know him?'

Her thoughts were interrupted as her ears picked up the sound of two pairs of footsteps coming close to her. She turned and was greeted by Sanosuke and a red headed man. A wide and happy smile sprang up on Taeya's face and she hurled her self at Kenshin and trapped him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh Kenshin, it's been s-such a long time!" Taeya said as she struggled silently with herself to keep the moisture from building in her eyes.

"Indeed it has Taeya-dono. I haven't forgotten you at all, though you sure have changed dramatically compared to the little girl I fought with. Why don't we go inside and talk? It's getting a little chilly out here." Kenshin turned and began walking back inside the dojo. Taeya looked after Kenshin for awhile and then followed Sano's lead and walked after him, her and Sano walking side by side as they entered the dojo.

As Kenshin sat down next to Kaoru, Taeya noticed a small boy around eleven years old sitting down next to Kaoru and immediately took him as Kaoru's brother. She blinked silently as she realized that she and Sano were already seated. Sano was sitting across from her and she could feel his glare. She pulled herself back to her earlier thoughts of Sanosuke. 'I can almost swear I have seen him somewhere before tonight, I just can't put my finger on it. Alright Taeya, think…if you have seen him somewhere it would have been sometime during the revolution so--"

"…Taeya-dono?"

Taeya snapped from her revere as she heard Kenshin's questioning voice. She mentally shook her head and sighed. "Gomen nasai Kenshin. What where you saying just now?"

"I asked if you were feeling alright. You don't seem like the little girl I knew. Unless this is a new personality of yours?"

"Iie, I still have the same confusing attitude and personality I've always had," she said happily as she smiled at Kenshin and then slowly looked at Kaoru.

"Your name is Kaoru, ne?"

"Hai, I own this dojo."

"So…you must be a martial arts teacher, ne? It must be pretty good knowing that your technique will continue through the generations."

"Hai…hai it is very nice," said Kaoru sweetly.

"Is he your student?"

"Yahiko? Hai, he is," Kaoru said as she looked at Yahiko.

"Is she your sensei, Yahiko?"

"Unfortunately, yeah…she is. I don't see why Kenshin sticks around for this ugly hag. She can hardly fight and compared to you she looks like a little kid," Yahiko said as he smirked over at Kaoru.

"What! Why you ungrateful little brat…and how dare you say that to me! I'll throw you out in the streets faster than you can blink an eyelid! On top of that, I won't give you anything to eat!" shouted Kaoru angrily at Yahiko. Taeya couldn't help but smile at the two, relieved that the tension and discomfort of the room began to disappear.

"Hay…Kenshin? How 'bout you tell me what you have done during the years I've been away?" she asked seriously.

Kenshin smiled at her, "Now that sound a little more like the little girl I knew. Though I admit, when you were little, you were only serious when you wanted to find something out. Do you happen to have a hidden motive Taeya-dono?"

Taeya smiled and stared at Kenshin as she spoke, "Kenshin, you know me better than that! If I wanted to know something in particular I'd just ask you."

"Well that is true isn't it? Alright, do you want me to start with how I met Kaoru?"

"Hai, I was going to ask you start from there. It should be very interesting, ne?"

"Indeed," said Kenshin as he slowly sipped his tea and then put it down in front of him as he began to inform Taeya of everything that has happened up until today. All the while, Sanosuke was staring at Taeya, noticing that she had removed her cloak. He also noticed that she was wearing an outfit close to what looked like a ninja's. Her skin looked smooth and had a light brown tan. Her hair was very long and was pitch black, much like the moonless night when numerous clouds cover the stars and you cant see five feet in front of you. He looked into her bright emerald green eyes and soon found himself unable to pull his gaze from her eyes.

After awhile, Yahiko noticed that Sano was drooling slightly at what held his attention. He followed Sano's eyes and found that he was looking at Taeya and quickly smacked him upside the head.

Sano rubbed the back of his head as he glared down at Yahiko, "Oi! What you do that for you little brat? It hurt!" he whispered.

"Baka! I know she's beautiful and all, but you might not want to drool and make yourself look like a fool!"

"Damare! Mind your own damn business! I don't tell you that you look like an idiot when ever you talk to Tsubame!" Sano hissed.

"What!" yelled Yahiko as he immediately stopped and looked around. Everyone was now looking at him and Sano and Yahiko felt embarrassed as he sat back down. "Gomen," whispered Yahiko.

When Kenshin had finished informing Taeya of what had happened while she was away, he turned and looked kindly at her. Taeya smiled uncomfortably back at Kenshin and then looked nervously back at Kaoru.

"Taeya, are you okay?" asked Sano in a semi worried voice.

Taeya nodded slowly and then cleared her throat to speak. "Kaoru…would you mind if I stayed here for a while? If you need any help around the dojo I would be more than happy to help you out," Taeya said pleadingly.

Kaoru smiled warmly at her and answered, "Of course you can stay here! I would really appreciate if you would cook…I'm not that good. Are you tired? I'll show you to your room if you want."

"I am tired Kaoru. Could you please show me where I will be sleeping?"

Sanosuke's head jerked a little to the left and he spoke to Taeya softly, "C'mon Taeya, you have to at least to tell us some of your adventures, or at least how you met Kenshin."

"I would love to…but I really am tired and would like to get some sleep," she said tiredly and a little sadly.

"Don't worry about it Taeya-dono, you could tell us what you have been up to tomorrow, ne?" asked Kenshin.

"Hai, I promise," Taeya slowly stood up and bowed to them as Kaoru stood to show her where she was to sleep.

"Oyasume nasai, Taeya," said Kaoru sweetly.

"Night Kaoru. Arigato again for allowing me to stay."

"It's not a problem at all. You just get some rest," Kaoru said as she closed the door and left.

Taeya looked up to the ceiling as countless thoughts began swimming in her head. She sighed heavily, 'Hearing Kenshin talk about everything that's happened…brought back some memories. Poor guy, he must feel awful inside; he hides everything inside and…I can still feel how he actually feels about the past. That's the reason why Kenshin and me got along so well. He was always so serious, no one knew what was on his mind, but I knew how he felt about everything. I hid what I felt under my smile and cheerfulness, yet…he always knew how bad I felt…and it's no different now.'

Taeya took in a shaky breath and shifted so that she was resting on her left side, her long ebony hair loose and hanging over her shoulder. The very moment she closed her eyes, painful memories of the past began haunting her. Images of countless slain men littered the battlefield with blood covering the once green grass; swords pierced their chest and arms. All men slain by her hands. Taeya dropped her swords and sank to her knees. Everywhere she looked at was stained with blood; she hesitantly looked down at her hands to find that they too were completely covered with the crimson blood of the fallen men. She shook her head slightly as tears began to form in the corner of her eyes. She yelled horrified at the scene and looked around to see that the scenery had changed.

She saw an eight-year-old version of herself running around, her mother and father running after her.

'Okaa-san, Otou-san! You can't catch me! I'm faster than you!"

'Oh we'll see about that musume!'

After a while, her mother had caught her and was swinging her around in her arms. Her father came up to her and began tickling her. The three laughed innocently as they played.

Tears stung at Taeya's eyes she basked in the memory. Suddenly the sky turned dark as her mother and father stood up and began to walk away from her. 'No! Don't go! Please, Okaa-san…don't go! Otou-san…I need you! Onegai!' Blood suddenly began to pour out of the sky like a heavy rain, but Taeya remained looking at the spot where she and her family had played moments ago. 'Please…come back.' The rain continued to poor down on Taeya but she remained glued to the same spot she had been standing with her parents, her eyes wide and her lips slightly parted as she pleaded the heavens to return her to her family.

"Onegai, come back." Sano heard Taeya whimper painfully from inside her room and assumed that she was dreaming. 'She must have been through a lot. I wonder what Kenshin said that suddenly made her want to leave and go to sleep?' Sano walked to his room, which happened to be across from Taeya's. 'I guess I'll ask her tomorrow if she doesn't mind. Maybe she'll like a little tour of Tokyo.'

How did u like?? Was it any good??? Please tell me in your review and sorry if it's not all that great. This is my first RK piece I have ever done. For some reason I stick to Inuyasha. . Thanx for reading!