Prologue

By Crystal Snowflakes

Author's Notes: Revised chapters should be up weekly or bimonthly. Once all chapter have been revised, the new chapters will be updated less frequently unless I am very inspired to write them. Storyline will change... Especially the relationship between Soujiro and Toshiko. I think I rushed the relationship a little too much the first time :P

Disclaimers: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki and not to Crystal Snowflakes.

His blue eyes stared up at the stormy sky, a smile presently on his lips... He closed his eyes, hiding those abnormally emotionless eyes from the world as he listened to the splatter of rain... He listened as each and every drop plunged into the ground as his mind drifted back to that one night...

It was raining on that night so long ago...

He remembered the night he had killed his foster family in cold blood... He remembered the way he had cried... He remembered the night he had lost his innocence, but everything he had done was right...

Right?

After all... The strong live and the weak die...

And yet... The strongest man in all of Japan, the Hitokiri Battousai, the man feared by all... He had told him that it was wrong to think that way... When he had lost to the infamous Battousai a year ago, he had thought that he was wrong... He had thought that what Shishio Makoto taught was wrong...

But life wasn't so easy. Just because you won a fight did not mean that you were right, and just because you lost a fight did not mean you were wrong either.

Then what is right? And what is wrong?

Truly, he really had no idea. He had a long way to go, a lot of things to learn... And one of them was to understand human emotions... And it really was hard... It was harder than any assassinations he had to do for Shishio-san... It was harder than any training he had done.

So here he was, in the rain, following the footsteps of the former Battousai... More than a decade ago, the Hitokiri Battousai had gone on a journey to rediscover himself... To find the truth...

And yet, even after a whole year, he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. It had been there for more than a decade, and to try to get it to go away after a year was not quite possible... He could find his smile wavering at times, but never gone.

Opening his eyes, he remembered the way Shishio-san had asked him if he had cried. He had said no. Crying was for those who were weak, and he wanted to be strong... He didn't want to suffer anymore... he didn't want to be hit for no reason, he didn't want to be punished for things he hadn't done... He was sick of people treating him badly... And so, with a lie, his life had changed drastically, just like that.

Shishio-san had taken him under his wing, training him, teaching him the way of life...

The strong live and the weak die... The weak only serve as food for those who are strong...

Why did it sound so wrong when he heard it the first time? And why was it that only a few months ago, he had collapsed due to a high fever and was saved by two old ladies? Surely, he was stronger than them... They were food, right? But how come they helped him? How come when he was sick and weak, the old ladies didn't kill him, but nursed him back to health. They hadn't minded his intrusion, and would have let him stayed if he had wanted to.

Life really is a mystery...

He continued walking in the rain, his clothes drenched and sticking to him like a second skin. And abruptly, he stopped in his tracks, then touched his katana at his side... He had managed to stop killing... But sometimes, it had been hard. He was a killer... A feared killer... The best of the Juppon-Gatana. And there was that one time, when that man had pissed him off so much that Soujiro had decided that he had no right to live. That had been his first kill in a while. That had been the first time after the battle with Himura-san that he had felt those things called emotions. Anger.

He suddenly found his eyes watery and he shut them tightly.

It's the water... The water is getting into my eyes...

He gritted his teeth and wondered what Shishio-san would say when he saw him crying in the middle of nowhere, pitying himself...

A sudden weight on his back brushed all his thoughts away. Nani? As he turned around, he found himself face to face with someone that was simply... He didn't know how to describe. Although she had no make up, and she was simple, she was beautiful... Her dark hair was draping past her shoulders, clinging to her face because of the rain, her brown eyes were full of alarm and fear, yet bright...

"G-Gomen nasai!" Her eyes widened as she realized that she was clutching onto the boy's gi.

The smiling boy looked down , "Daijoubu?" He asked friendlily.

She nodded, "Daijoubu... Ano..." Before she could finish her sentence, eight men came running onto the road from the forest. When they caught sight of her, they grinned... A malicious grin.

Soujiro's eyes narrowed at the sight. "Are they after you?" he asked. At her nod, he stood in front of her, as if protecting her with his life.

"I rather you don't get involved in this!" She said, her eyes drifting from the protective boy and the men that were after her.

He glanced at her, "Don't worry... I won't let you get harmed, if that's what you're afraid of."

"No, that's not it... I'm afraid—"

"Little boy, get out of here. You don't want to die, do you?" A man sniggered.

Soujiro raised his eyebrow, the smile still present on his face, "Maa maa... Little boy?" He gave a small chuckle, "Iie... I'll have you know that I'm nineteen already. As for dying, I'm afraid I'm not afraid of death." At this, he gave a wider grin, "And if you treasure your life, you would leave, right now, without coming near the girl."

The girl's eyes widened, then narrowed as she hissed, "I don't know who you are, but are you crazy? Do you have any idea who these people are? They'll kill you!"

Soujiro gave a smile at the girl hiding behind him, "I don't know who they are... But you certainly don't know who I am either."

"Don't be an idiot, boy." A man spoke up, "We just need her, she ran away from us. I don't enjoy killing or harming innocents. We don't need little boys like you to be waving a katana around like you know what you're doing."

"At least we agree to one thing. I do not enjoy harming or the killing of innocents. Leave when you have the chance." Soujiro smiled brightly again.

The first man spoke up, "You're starting to piss me off, boy. Wipe that smile off your face."

Soujiro's eyes gave a glint of amusement, "Only the strongest man in Japan has ever managed to wipe this smile off my face... But you are welcomed to try."

The man's eyes narrowed angrily, "You piss me off." Without another second, he raised his sword, and rush towards Soujiro...

...Only to have him disappear.

"I'm here." The young adult waved, now at the back of the group, the girl in his arms.

"Nani!" Many shouted, confused.

Soujiro grinned again, "That, was Shukuchi." He looked around, "And just to let you know, if I were so inclined, I could have killed the leader of your little group..."

At this, the leader fell down on the soaking ground, knocked out.

"But seeing that I do not enjoy killing anymore." He emphasized, "I will leave you alive..." His voice lowered dangerously, "But do not tempt me. Leave this girl alone." He let the girl down from his arms...

...And looked up to find seven men scrambling away and one laying on the floor.

"Maa maa..." Soujiro said to himself, "This one's going to get a cold when he gets up." He looked at the girl, "Are you all right?"

She was looking at him, confused, "Who... What are you?"

"What am I?" Soujiro repeated the question, his eyebrows knit in concentration, "Hmm... Good question. I'm just a rurouni helping those in need... We'll, we're near the next town and seeing that you don't have anywhere to go and you're as drenched as I do, do you want to join me...?"

"Yukishiro Toshiko." She smiled, "Thank you for saving me... And I would love to join you, but I have nothing to repay you with..."

He chuckled again, "Don't worry. I can only hope you don't bother sharing a room with me."

"Arigatou." She looked down as she followed Soujiro, "Ano... Would you mind telling me your name?"

Soujiro's eyes widened, "Ah! I forgot to tell you! Please excuse me." He gave a boyish grin, "Seta Soujiro, rurouni."

After they had gotten a room and had filled their stomachs, Soujiro studied the young girl. "So, Yukishiro-san... Why were you being chased by eight men?"

Toshiko looked down at the floor, "Toshiko will do fine, Seta-san..."

"Soujiro." He insisted.

She nodded, "Soujiro-san..." She looked up at the ceiling, "My mother died giving birth to me... My older sister raised me until she left for Kyoto during the Bakumatsu and never came back... My brother soon left, so my father raised me. He died of an illness recently and I was forced to live on the streets... And they sold me to a brothel..." Her eyes became watery. "I just couldn't stand it... I was raised to be honourable... And yet... Things that happened in those places... I just couldn't stand it, so I did the only thing I could. I ran away."

"And then you ran into me." Soujiro filled in.

Toshiko nodded, "And there was a thing I had wanted to do... I promise my sister fifteen years ago that I would visit her..."

"Fifteen years ago..." Soujiro said thoughtfully.

"One year before the Bakumatsu ended..." She paused slightly, then looked at her hands, "...Ano, just out of curiousity... Were you crying when I bumped into you?"

He looked shocked for a mere second before his usual smile took place...

The truth was... The truth was... I was crying. I may have been smiling, but I was crying... Crying because they wouldn't love me... Crying because they wouldn't love who I was... Crying because that no matter how I had tried to please them, they were never satisfied. I was crying because nobody cared or loved me... I was crying because nobody protected me...

Finally, he nodded, "...Hai."

"Gomen nasai... I really don't mean to be so nosy."

He gave her a smile, "Don't worry about it... Moving on, what was it that you promise your sister?"

Slowly, she took a letter out of her sleeve. The envelope was yellow and stains could be seen clearly. "Fifteen years ago... Neechan got married after she went to Kyoto. I don't know why she went there out of the blue because no one told me. I asked Otousan later, but he never replied... I had wanted to go visit her, but Otousan never allowed me... I wanted to search for her, and when Otousan died, I knew this was the only chance I'd get... I don't have any family members left, except Neechan and Niichan... But I don't know where Niichan is... So I decided to go visit Neechan and her husband..." Looking at the letter, she handed it to the former Tenken.

Soujiro took the letter and read it out loud...

Toshiko-chan,

By the time you read this, you would be no older than three
and would probably not read this yet... I wanted to let you
know that I am very happy here... Kyoto is a dangerous place
though, so I would rather you not come. My husband's name
is Kenshin. He's very good with children, so I'm sure that if
you come, he'll play with you... I'd also like to let you know
that I'm pregnant... I'm so happy, but unfortunately, I
haven't told Kenshin yet. I haven't found the right time to...
Toshiko-chan, this letter is meant for you to read, and only
you...

The sole reason for sending this letter is that... I want you
to live life to the fullest... Love who you fall in love with, no
matter his background, age or whatever. The Bakumatsu
is dragging on and I do not know when it will end, but at
the end, if I can, I will come back to Edo and visit you. I
might not ever see you again... And if I don't, please...
Take the advice.

Sayonara,
Himura Tomoe.

By the time he finished the letter, his eyes were wide with shock, Himura Tomoe? "Himura... Kenshin..." He muttered to himself. Himura-san had a wife? And she was pregnant? If that was the case, the child would just be a little younger than himself... But there was no one in the Aoiya that was close... There was that Myojin Yahiko... Machimachi Misao... Kamiya Kaoru... Sagara Sanosuke. Anyone else does not belong in that age group and I'm sure those four have no blood relations with Himura-san... Was it possible that Himura-san does not know either? If so, where is his wife? And since when had the Hitokiri Battousai married during the Bakumatsu? And even if he did... He would be married when he was... That would be too young...

"Oneechan was pregnant." Toshiko smiled beautifully, "That would probably make the child just three to four years younger than I am..." She suddenly noticed the shocked look on the boy's face, "Soujiro-san...?"

He composed himself, "Hai?" He asked, his bright smile back in place.

"Do you know this Kenshin? Himura Kenshin? And do you know Neechan?"

Not only was the Tenken curious, but he was also wondering what kind of trouble he was getting into... Telling her that he knew Himura Kenshin would probably lead her to asking him to lead her, and if that was the case, he didn't mind much. After all, he is a rurouni... But he knew that if he had to lead Toshiko to Himura Kenshin, he would meet Saitou Hajime, the beloved scrawny cop that everyone loved. Grimacing inwardly, he finally nodded. "Hai."

"Is there... Is there any way you can tell me where they are and take me there?"

Soujiro nodded.

She laughed, "Arigatou, Soujiro-san!" She grinned, "So are we going to go tomorrow?"

Soujiro nodded, "We're going to get some provision for the trip first, then we'll go to Tokyo by passing a few towns as well as Kyoto, then finally arriving at Tokyo." He winced inwardly. He knew that passing those small towns also meant passing his hometown, as well as Kyoto. Those were two places he did not want to go... He continued talking as if nothing had disturbed his mind, "We should really go to sleep, in that case. It will be a long trip, and we're going to need all the sleep we can get."

Toshiko nodded, "All right... Oyasumi, Soujiro-san."

"Oyasumi nasai."

Author's Notes: There! It's finally done! I'm actually going to revise and finish one of the first fics I've written on fanfiction. net. Wow, it's a miracle :) Anyways, hope you enjoyed the much more descriptive chapter... It has gone from 1700 words to 2600 :) Either way, see you later!

-Crystal Snowflakes

Wednesday, March 23, 2005