Disclaimer: I don't own any rurouken characters.

Notes: All names are written in the japanese way (last name - first name). This fic ignores the events of the Jinchuu arc. But there will be spoiler on the Kenshin/Tomoe story (OAV 1 for the anime folk) in later chapters.

Thanks a lot to my beta, Siriusfan13, for her help and encouragements!

I hope you will enjoy this fic :-)

Summer Dream

"Even!"

"Odd!"

Staring fixedly at the little bowl, Sano was sweating. The gambler grinned with all his yellow teeth, for the sake of suspense - but not too long, some of his clients looked like too much frustration could result in a murder attempt. The dice were revealed.

"Five, six! Odd!"

Sano lowered his head. Obviously, it had to be, since he had placed his bet on even. This was his longest unlucky streak for years. He had asked Kenshin to come with him again, but the missy had heard him and the ferocious look on her face, along with the way she was playing with her bokken and gritting her teeth, had made her opinion on the question very clear. Predictably, his friend had smiled sheepishly and excused himself. So, Sano was broke. Definitely, completely, overwhelmingly broke.

"Man! I need the money!"

His companions laughed.

"You always need money, Sano!"

"Don't look so depressed!" Yoshie said, slapping him on the back. "Let's go to some other place and drink a cup of sake. I invite you."

"With the money you just won from me, you traitor!"

But he wouldn't complain so loud that his buddy would change his mind. They all left the gambling house for the empty streets of Tokyo. They landed, as usual, at the Yokohama, which was cheap and opened late. They took over a big table and soon enough, Sano wasn't thinking about his losses anymore. They had already drunk a bit at the gambling house, and it didn't take long before the discussion became the kind of loud, happy, slightly incoherent talk you make when the alcohol level gets a bit high.

They were arguing over whether Tatsu's currentgirlfriend really was cuter than the former one, or something alike, when Sano started to trail off the discussion. He sighed, looking off into the distance, thinking about how likely it was that Kaoru would beat him up if he came to the dojo for a free meal again. Huh. Well, she didn't hit hard enough to keep him away from a bowl of rice, anyway. And Kenshin was sure to cook enough for him.

He frowned as his eyes focused on the scene a few meters from him. A man was standing in front of a table where a woman was drinking alone. He was tall and quite drunk, the kind of loud and annoying guy laughing a lot about things that weren't really funny. The woman wasn't smiling. The drunk's buddies, at a nearby table, were shouting encouragements. Obviously, he had decided who would be in his bed tonight. Only the object of his attention didn't seem to agree with his plans.

It was rareenough to see a woman in such a place. They would usually stick to normal tea houses and daylight hours, especially if alone. That one looked like a traveler. A traveler with not much money; her kimono was about as tired as Sano's own jacket, and that was saying something. Maybe she didn't have enough for an inn, and was drinking here just to stay in a warm place.

The drunk, who was obviously blind to his complete lack of sex-appeal, sat down at her table with more suggestive stares and enthusiastic talk. The ex-fighter for hire couldn't hear what he was saying, but he could imagine. Yoshie bent to Sano.

"What do you think…" he said, pointing at the two. "Shouldn't we help her?"

"Nope," Sano replied with a yawn.

Yoshie stared at him.

"Why not?"

"'Cause she ain't gonna need it."

His friend, astonished, looked back at the woman. She was rather small, and too thin to look really beautiful. The man who was after her was no giant, but he had no need to be to dominate her completely.

"Sano…"

The street fighter had a faint smile while emptying his cup of sake. Frail she might be, but he had noticed the gleam of daggers up her sleeves, and if he wasn't mistaken, this long thing hidden under a cover next to her package was a katana. If a woman walking around with so many forbidden sharp weapons couldn't get rid of an idiot on her own, then he was the emperor of Japan.

"I bet you twenty yen he'll be picking up his teeth anytime soon."

"You're much more drunk than I thought. Do you even have twenty yen?"

Sano just grinned. Yoshie sighed.

"All right…"

"I just won twenty yen!" Sano shouted. "Let's have some more sake, that's on me."

"Hey, wait…"

Yoshie was interrupted by a loud crash and turned around. The man was now head on the table. The young woman was standing behind him, painfully twisting his arm with her right hand while the left one was holding one of her short daggers against his throat. The drinking house had fallen into deep silence.

A cheerful voice interrupted it.

"Now, young man, tell me. Do you want to die?"

The drunk, who was putting all his effort in keeping his head high so as not to rest his throat against the blade, barely managed to utter:

"No, miss."

"Then what is it that you want?"

"No harm, miss," he pleaded. "Ju… Just a bit of fun…"

She appeared to consider this.

"Fun? Really? Then let's have some fun together, what about it?"

She looked like she was waiting for him to express his delight at having his shoulder nearly dislocated while being an inch away from having his throat cut. Behind her back, the drunk's friends where standing up, some of them picking up empty jugs to have something to hit with. Yoshie stood up as well, worried. The woman grinned even more.

"Look! It seems your friends want to play, too!" She said to her poor victim.

There was a loud crash as she sent him flying into his angry buddies. Sano stretched with another yawn, then made his hands creak.

"Do you think she'll leave me some?" He asked his friend.

But by then Yoshie had already retreated behind a table, while the whole place was breaking into a confused exchange of fists and flying cups.

Of course, Sano couldn't possibly go all out, not when most of his opponents could hardly fight properly and had too much alcohol in blood to walk straight anyway. Still, it was some fun. Idiots who needed to learn manners were always welcome with him. He was busy knocking two of them against each other, when something metallic suddenly gleamed at the edge of his vision.

His fist hit the man so brutally that he crashed in the wall on the other side of the room. But it turned out Sano had still held back too much with that one. He wasn't unconscious yet and his hand was still holding the gun. Swearing, his face full of blood, he pointed it at the fighter.

A thrown dagger pinned his arm to the wall before he could fire, and he lost the weapon with a scream. Sano turned around. The woman who had started the fight was walking towards him. Any trace of cheerfulness had gone from her face. She looked utterly furious.

She took her dagger back without any concern for the new painful scream of her opponent, then threw him back on his feet.

"Disappear from my sight," she hissed.

She turned to Sano.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault, I always…"

She looked at the devastated bar and the unconscious bodies lying around. Obviously, all the customers who were still able to walk had decided to run away.

"Crap," she muttered. "I did it again."

A shelve full of jugs crashed loudly on the ground. She had a sigh of regret, maybe for the wasted sake.

"What do you mean, again?" asked Sano, amused. "Does it always end like this when you take a drink?"

"Is there a back door here?" she interrupted. "There must be one."

"Sure. Why do you ask?"

But he didn't wait for her answer as he heard policemen's whistles in the distance. He swore. She picked up her things and they started to run. The cops weren't going to ask who had started the fight and why. If they got caught, they would spend the night in a cell and possibly would have to pay for the destroyed furniture, which wasn't likely to make Sano's pockets any less empty. They escaped through the back door, but one of the guys they had beaten up was waiting there for them and shouted, attracting the patrol. Sano sent him to sleep with a solid punch and lead the way through the narrow streets, speeding up. He decided to head south to lose them in the small alleys, but she stopped him and forced him back in the shadow of a porch.

"They're already there," she whispered. "And they're coming from the other side too."

"Then it leaves the roofs."

They helped each other up the wall and disappeared in the night, as silently as possible.

Ten minutes later, they were both sitting on the roof of a storehouse. The policemen had given up and the night had calmed down.

"What a troublesome woman you are," Sano laughed. "I haven't been in such a mess since I gave up being a fighter for hire. And I haven't even done anything this time. Who are you anyway?"

"Just a traveler."

He laughed even louder.

"Are you kidding me? You carry three swords, you fight like an expert and you can feel ki at a distance I've only ever seen from first class swordsmen. If you're just a traveler, then I'm a school kid."

She had a faint smile and lay back on the roof.

"You think too much of me. Beating up some clumsy idiots is hardly a performance. And it's not like I have achieved anything else in my life. Going here and there, doing small jobs, getting drunk, picking fights. End of the story."

Sano lay down at her side.

"Same here. Well, I kinda gave up beating up people. At least most of the time. Sanosuke's the name. Sagara Sanosuke."

"Sannan Yoko."

She poured the last drops of sake in her cup.

"You didn't leave me much,"she complained.

"That's because you're drunk already."

"So are you."

"Absolutely not true."

"Prove it."

Some more sake was enthusiastically ordered in order to establish it. They were both already knocked down by all the alcohol, but Sano didn't feel like going home yet.

"You're really something", she said. "I've never met anyone like you before."

She had a strange, dreamy gaze, as if watching straight through him. For some reason, Sano reddened a bit.

"What do you mean?"

"You have such a ki. A strong, calm force. And so completely, foolishly unguarded. It's like you're just raw strength standing there without a care in the world. If I ever fight you, you've got to remind menot to go bare handed."

He laughed nervously, filling their cups once more.

"I've never met a woman like you before, neither."

"In any case," she said thoughtfully, "you don't seem to be as evil as you claim to be."

"Huh? Oh, you mean the sign on my back? Ah, well…"

And because he didn't really know her, because the sake was good and the night warm, he felt like telling her. He talked about Sagara Souzo of the Sekihoutai, about the hopes they carried for the small people, about the wandering nights with huge dreams. And he told about the betrayal of the imperialists. The "evil" sign and the exposed heads. The humiliation and pain. The burning rage.

Hardly noticing, he said more than he had actually planed to.

And there was something in her gaze, as she listened to him, something like deep understanding. For some reason, he was comfortable explaining all that. She felt… close.

"What about you?" He concluded.

"Me?"

And although her tone was light, there was self-derision here.

"You. Why are you traveling around picking fights?"

She shrugged. The smile on her lips held more bitterness than joy.

"Can't seem to help it."

"You angry at something, too?"

For a moment, she just looked at her sake, as if trying to decide whether drinking any more would help at this point.

"Yes," she whispered.

And he knew it instantly, at the way she avoided his gaze. He knew that this anger was keeping her from breathing freely, that it made her want to scream, that she was hitting people just to forget it, exactly as he had done himself for years before meeting Kenshin. This woman who looked like a kid and fought like a man was just like he used to be.

"My father and my brother," she explained in a breath. "They were killed in front of me."

Her gaze, lost in the distance, remembered an instant an unstoppable sword striking swiftly, faster than a heartbeat.

"But it's no use", Sano said with a nostalgic look at the table. "'Cause they're dead already. The time to save them is over."

How much they said, how much sake there was and how they made it home, neither of them could completely remember it. Sano could not recall wondering if she would go home with him. By the time they left the bar, it was obvious that she would. And when he woke up and found her in his arms, it was like coming from an odd dream and finding out that it was all true.

It was strange to watch her sleep. There was a deep quietness in her that hadn't been there the other night. She moved, slowly waking up, and the distant feeling of peace was soon over. Opening her eyes, she tried to sit in the futon, but gave up.

"How much did I drink?" she moaned.

"Too much."

And so did I, he thought while looking around for that medicine against hangover that vixen had once given to him. That had been way too much sake. Who had paid for it anyway? He had probably put it all on Yoshie's tab again. He finally found the small powder bag in a corner under some old clothes.

"Give me the water over there, will you?"

She wordlessly handed the bucket over and waited as he prepared the drink. She gratefully took the cup he gave her and took a sip.

"Never gonna drink again", Sano groaned.

"I usually say that in the morning too", she answered with a short laugh. "Never seems to last until evening."

Sano didn't answer. He was too busy staring at her. He hadn't seen her that well in the darkness of night. But now she was sitting upright, naked in the morning light. She saw his expression and paled a bit. Then smiled.

"I told you I picked fights. Not all of them went well."

"That one looks like it went awfully wrong."

He pointed at an old but deep scar running from her right shoulder to her belly. There were others too, but they didn't look half as serious. She took another sip and had a relieved sigh as the after effects of alcohol slowly left her. She fell back on the futon.

"Yeah, I was lucky that time. Do you have anything to eat, by any chance?"

"Nope."

"It's a shame."

"I think so, too."

Food… yeah, food was a great idea. The sun was already quite high, so breakfast was probably over at the dojo. Since he was completely broke, and Yoko didn't look like she had any money either, that left the Akabeko.

"Let's go to the restaurant. I'm treating you."

She opened her eyes and looked at him, incredulous.

"You are?"

So, he was treating her at the Akabeko. Tae had sighed, but she had let them in while muttering something about interest rates. She was too generous for her own good. Or at least, Sano hoped she was. What were interest rates anyway?

"Do you really intend to pay the bill?" Yoko asked with a concerned look.

She was eating slowly and carefully, despite the obvious fact that she was hungry, very much reminding him of Kenshin. That and the katana she was keeping around told him she was probably from some samurai family. These people would eat their own sandals before they would come to the idea of selling the damn sword. Sano, on his side of the table, was emptying his bowl with no regard whatsoever for things as ridiculous as manners, which just got in the way between you and the meal. He swallowed his full mouth of food.

"Some day, I will." He replied with dignity.

"I feel sorry for the people here."

"Shut up and eat."

She didn't seem to want to argue too much with that and picked some more beef.

"Say, you're not from here, are you?" He asked when he was finished, enjoying a cup of hot tea.

"No, I just arrived last night."

"What about I show you the sights of Tokyo, then, hey?"

Her expression darkened. Her hands were nervously playing with her sticks. Ever since she had woken up in the morning, there had been some distant worry in her eyes.

"You're very kind, but… there is something… I have to do…"

Something to do, hey? Sano couldn't help but get a bad feeling about words like that. What kind of agenda could a vagrant have?

"Do you? I thought you were just a vagabond. What's the fun of wandering if you can't even take a day off?" he said, grinning.

"A… day off?"

"Give me one day to get your mind off serious stuff involving weapons, okay? You can do whatever you have to do tomorrow. What do you think?"

He stood up and reached his hand to her. Yoko looked up at him, uncertain. Then she laughed, and that sound made him feel strangely warm and happy.

"Alright," she said. "One day."

"I think we're lost," Yoko said, slightly amused.

"Of course we're not. I know exactly where we are," Sano protested.

"Do you?"

"I'm just not quite sure where that is. Er… Let's get higher, so I can have a better look around."

They went up a small hill until they could see above the roofs of the city. They were on the outside of Tokyo. From there, they could see a good part of that side of town. The sun was shining and the sight was really nice.

"So? I told you I knew the best places."

"You don't even know how we got there."

"Does it matter?"

She grinned and let herself fall in the grass.

"No. The view is definitely interesting. What is this building other there?"

He sat next to her and looked at what she was pointing at.

"Ah, that's the department of internal affairs. A bunch of corrupted idiots decide stuff in there. I sneaked in once."

He bit his lip. He was getting a bit carried away. He still didn't know that much about her and the police could have some questions to ask, if they learned about this.

But she was looking quietly at the sky, as if trying to read something from the clouds.

"Really? What for?" she asked.

"Well… I was trying, er, to make it explode. I mean, not seriously. Er… Mostly, I was quite angry at them for being useless fat imperialists. Anyway, in the end I didn't do it. It was a stupid idea."

She laughed.

"It's nice you realized it in time."

"Yeah… I kind of have an extra insurance against stupid ideas," he replied, remembering Kenshin standing in front of him that night.

"It's true this government is wicked," she said in a more serious tone. "But if bombs and swords could make the world any better, we would live in paradise right now, wouldn't we?"

"That's true. I guess sometimes I'm just annoyed at myself for not doing more."

She had a thin smile.

"The heroes of this age are doctors, school teachers and reporters. Fighters are outmoded."

"If you really think that, why are you carrying a katana, then?"

She had slipped the sword at her belt when they had left the main streets. It was unnerving him a bit. Many people still had them, for various reasons. To claim a status they had lost, to impress or frighten other people, or as a way to show provocation towards the government who had forbidden them. But Yoko was wearing hers like a craftsman would carry a hammer at his belt: because although it wasn't needed right now, it was bound to be necessary at some point.

She hesitated. Her hand went nervously along the hilt. For an instant, Sano had the feeling she was shaking but she quickly retired her hand, looking cheerful again.

"I guess I just can't give up. I'm… not quite done with things of the past, yet."

"So you get drunk," he concluded.

"Well… Yes."

"I know how you feel."

"I suppose you do, Sanosuke of the Sekihoutai."

They stayed a moment there in silence, following their own trail of thought. This girl carrying too many weapons, she was up to something, he could feel it. The sun was getting low and in an hour or two, it would be night. She had said one day. She was going to walk away. And then, she would do something stupid. He was sure of that. He didn't want her to.

He got up.

"Come with me, let's eat supper before it gets dark."

"Are you planning to invite me in another restaurant? If you get yourself in more debts, you'll get in trouble."

He grinned.

"That's what she says all the time, too."

"You will like these guys. They're nice people. And there's always something to eat, although you might prefer to starve if Kaoru's doing the cooking herself again. Ah, here we are…"

"Kamiya dojo," Yoko read under her breath.

A young woman in kendo training clothes and a shinai in her hand opened the doors.

"Oh, it's you," she said at Sano.

Obviously, she had been looking forward to find someone else behind the door, but the fighter ignored this.

"Hi, Missy. The lady's name here is Yoko. She arrived in Tokyo today. Yoko, that's Kaoru."

Kaoru looked at the newcomer, surprised. Yoko bowed.

"Nice to meet you, Kaoru-san."

Kaoru answered her greeting, her smile back on her lips, and invited her in. Yoko followed her in the dojo where a young boy named Yahiko was doing his kata.

"Make yourself useful and go prepare some tea, you freeloader!" Kaoru shouted at him. "You're finished for today. You can clean the dojo later."

"Where is Kenshin anyway?" Sano asked while Yahiko disappeared, rambling something about slave drivers.

"He's out buying dinner. We will eat when he gets back."

She turned back to Yoko, who was looking at the now empty training room.

"You're a swordsman too, Yoko-san?" She asked, noticing the katana.

"I suppose you could say so," she replied, apparently lost in her thoughts. "So, this is your dojo?"

There was something reverent in her tone as she said the word dojo, as if talking of something of a high value, which made Kaoru blush a bit. People usually mocked the abandoned place.

"Well, it's small," she said, half apologetic. "Yahiko is the only student right now."

"He seems to be doing well, though," Yoko said with an appreciative smile.

To Sano's surprise, Kaoru beamed with pride.

"Yes, he is."

When Kenshin got back, bent under the weight of Kaoru's long shopping list, he was surprised to hear the colliding sound of shinai in the dojo, although Yahiko was sitting outside with Sanosuke. He let his load on the ground with a sigh of relief. Yahiko and Sano, seeing him come back with dinner, greeted him with exaggerated enthusiasm and came running to have a look at his purchases. Kenshin glanced at the dojo with curiosity. Two people were fighting in there. One of them was with no doubt Kaoru, but the other one?

"Who is here?" he asked.

"Sanosuke's girlfriend," Yahiko grinned before being knocked out by Sano.

"Oro?"

"I brought a friend," the fighter explained, slightly red. "The missy and her seem to get along well."

Kenshin left them behind to have a look inside. The two women were engaged in a fight. He could only see the visitor's back. She was holding a shinai, but there was a katana at her side. Kaoru was sweating heavily and had a concentrated look on her face. Then her gaze met his. She smiled.

"Kenshin! You're back! Let's stop it, then, Yoko-san. I'm exhausted!"

She went away to get a towel while her opponent turned back to look at the newcomer. Kenshin and Yoko both froze, their eyes widening. In perfect synchronization, their hands reached to their swords but they both stopped before touching the hilt, intently staring at each other.

For a second, they remained completely still, ready to draw, tensed like two cats about to leap.

"No." Yoko whispered. "Not now. Not here."

"Kenshin!" Kaoru called, unaware of what was happening behind her back. "I'll take a bath now. Can you take care of dinner?"

Both of them started at the cheerful order, like children surprised fighting by a parent.

"Kaoru-dono…"

"I'll help you," Yoko said quickly.

"Oro?"

But the young woman was already heading for the courtyard. She lifted a basket and looked back at Kenshin.

"Please show the way."

They both let their load on the shelves of the kitchen. For a moment, they remained here in silence, not looking at each other. The young woman took a knife and Kenshin's hand went instantly to his sword, but she merely reached for the vegetables and started reducing them to little squares with fast, fierce movements. He watched her, feeling stupid and worried at the same time.

"Make yourself useful and light the fire, will you?"

Kenshin, confused, picked up some wood and busied himself with the oven. He was at a loss for words. The whole situation was so absurd that he was nearly sure he was going to wake up from a dream soon. This person couldn't possibly be in this kitchen and actually cook dinner for them. It was as surrealas having Saito singing a Christmas song.

"I need some fresh water."

"But… Well…"

She glared at him.

"Yes. Water. Sure."

Maybe he had fever or something. He picked up the bucket and went to the pond while his puzzled mind was catching up with reality. Sano's girlfriend? How long had they known each other? Had she known about his link with Sano when she had met him? Probably not. She looked just as shocked as himself.

When he brought the water back to the kitchen, she took it off his hands, filled the pot over the fire, then started to add the vegetables and various spices. Once finished, she took a sake jug from the shelves, poured a cup and drank it straight. Her hands were slightly shaking.

Finally recovering his composure, Kenshin broke the silence.

"This is between the both of us," he said in a low voice. "I don't want to involve any of them."

"I don't plan to do so, either," she replied.

"What do you want?"

She hesitated.

"We will settle this," she said in a very quiet tone. "But not today. I promised Sano this day. It can wait until tomorrow. Will you keep this secret from him until then?"

She was avoiding his eyes. What a strange request. He thought about it. A day. Could the both of them really manage that? Do as if nothing had happened, as if the past never existed, as if it was a normal evening with friends? As if it was all just a dream. Yes. Like a strange summer dream.

"I will."

The weather was good and although night was falling, it was warm enough outside, and they all sat in the courtyard in front of the dojo. Sano beamed when he saw dinner arriving; Yahiko grabbed the older man by his vest to hold him back and they began fighting for the food while the others started eating more quietly. Yoko watched Kenshin look at them with affection and meekly try to separate them. And while they spoke and joked and ate, she noticed, at hundreds of little signs, how much all of them where looking up to him.

This bloody, bloody murderer…

…Who was not very frightening right now on account of being hit on the head with a shinai by a ten years old. It was disturbing, to intrude so suddenly in the private life of a man who she had hated for so long. She hadn't meant to be welcomed in such a place like a friend.

"Some more rice, Yoko-san?" asked Kaoru, handing the plate to her.

"Oh… er… yes, thank you."

She tried to prevent her eyes from wandering in Kenshin's direction, concentrating instead on Kaoru's light conversation. Yoko had instantly liked the girl. She had a good heart and a strong spirit. She had to, what with running her dojo on her own and feeding this bunch of freeloaders, although she was hardly an adult yet. And under her blunt ways, she was also very tactful, quickly avoiding any topic Yoko seemed uncomfortable with, like wherever she had learned kenjutsu, or whatever she was doing with her life right now. Chatting with her was pleasant and easy.

It helped her to forget the sound of Himura Kenshin laughing with Sano. The deep friendship between those two was so obvious that Yoko felt her heart miss a beat every time they exchanged words. Why, why, why on earth? Why did he have to be this assassin's best friend?

Himura looked so… normal. Even a bit of a fool, letting himself being pushed around like that, speaking in such a humble tone in his magenta gi. However… there was still something intently worrying about him. Something sharp. Although she never met his eyes, she constantly had the feeling that he was watching her. The both of them were keeping their swords very close.

Someone sat at her side and slapped her on the back.

"Stop looking so worried. You promised me to relax for today."

Sano… Sano had such a huge, comforting presence. It was like the space around him became all his, a warm and safe place where tragedies, past and future, had no place. How could this man who she didn't know have such a talent in calming her down? Now that his hand was on her shoulder, the presence of Himura Kenshin, along with the rest of the world, was suddenly unimportant. Yes, it was all like a dream… Like a strange summer dream.

But it was bound to end soon.

"Please come again whenever you wish."

Yoko bowed low to Kaoru, thanking her for her hospitality, while Sano just waived with a smile.

"Good night, Missy, Kenshin. See you tomorrow."

They both walked away in silence in the fresh night. Kaoru watched them, half amused, half affectionate.

"Don't you think they're cute?" she said to Kenshin. "It's the first time Sano brings a woman here. They look like they really do care for each other, too."

"They do, don't they…"

A look at Kenshin's smile was enough for Kaoru to know that something was wrong. He was worried, but he was trying to hide it from her, it was written all over his face. She knew her wanderer by now.

"What is it, Kenshin?" she asked carefully.

He looked at her hesitantly. Usually, he would talk about something like that with Sano. But the street fighter wasn't an option now. And also…

It was alright to protect her from his past as long as he had been looking at their relationship like at a halt on the wanderer's road. But since the events in Kyoto… Things were different. He was settling down. He was starting to accept the idea to stay here for good, to remain at her side. He knew it was also what she wished for.

However, if that was going to happen, he had to share more with her than he had done until now. Until then, he had kept mostly silent about his past, and she had dealt with it by dismissing it as something too old to be talked about. For her, these were things that had happened when she was a very young girl, a long time ago. She had said that it all didn't matter to her. But was she truly accepting the idea to live with an ex-murderer? Or was she merely closing her eyes on a truth she didn't want to see? Was she going to wake up in ten years to finally contemplate the reality about the man she had taken at her side?

At this point, just saying that someone's past didn't matter wasn't enough anymore. She had to understand what it truly meant. The implications of what he had done. The consequences of murder. He owed her this truth. So that she really could choose. He took her hand and she looked up at him, surprised. He led her back in front of the dojo to sit. She followed him silently, waiting for him to speak.

"Kaoru-dono," he started, trying to find the right words. "Yoko-dono and I, we know each other."

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"Really? But why…"

"We know each other… from the revolution."

"What?" she whispered. "No! I don't believe you! You have to be mistaken! She's even younger than you are! She would have been…"

"A child."

He was staring straight ahead, lost in recollection. A broken umbrella in a sea of blood…

Now it was too late to stop himself, but he was scared to keep talking. Ten years long, he had been running away from the cold Kyoto nights. He could, by now, face his faults and his remorse. But he had never been able to face the dark place in his heart where the ruthless Himura Battousai was buried, the rage of the assassin child walking on the edge of insanity.

When he started to speak again, his voice was so low that she could hardly hear it.

"She was in the wrong place, at the wrong time…"