The characters of Rurouni Kenshin do not be belong to me. They are the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Jump Comics, Sony, Media Blasters. You all know the drill =D

Chapter 1:  Chance Encounters in the Night

A young man stopped on a Kyoto street and looked up into the sky with a sigh, feeling the first drops of rain falling onto his face and hair. Seta Soujirou had always hated rain. It reminded him too much of his past. Shaking his head in a melancholy gesture, the storm didn’t stop a smile from breaking out over his face as he continued walking down the street. Somehow he had ended up in Kyoto again after leaving the city five years ago. Had it been that long since his fateful fight with Himura-san? Now he was a wandering rurouni, trying to atone for his previous sins as Shishio’s right hand man…

A cry pierced the air around him as Soujirou heard the scream of a child. His head snapping up, he rushed towards the sound and came upon the most disturbing scene. A small boy of about eight years old sat on the wet ground, his form rolled up in a tight ball, head tucked into his chest. A large burly man advanced upon him with a sword.

“Alright brat, you’re going to pay for stealing food from my restaurant! Nobody gets the better of me, especially a little runt like you,” he growled as the young boy continued to shiver in fear.

Soujiro rushed forward but suddenly another voice penetrated the darkness of the night.

“I wouldn’t do that.” A small form in a dark cloak stepped forward, the small farm casting long shadows in the moonlight.

“Who the hell are you?” growled the large man in annoyance. “This isn’t any of your business.”

“Then I’ll make it my business. Stupid moron.” The cloaked fighter stepped into a defensive stance as he dodged swing from the burly attacker.

“You’re so puny. You think you can defeat me?” snorted the restaurant-owner as he swung his sword once more. Soujirou’s eyes widened as he saw the blade connect and the smaller fighter clutch his shoulder. He stepped forward to help but suddenly a flash of steel caught his eye. The cloaked figure’s sword suddenly appeared out of nowhere and made contact with his opponent’s throat, the force of the blow sending him flying against the side of a building. His large body slid to the ground with a loud thud and remained still.

Soujirou’s ever-present smile faded a bit as he heard a “damn” muttered in annoyance while the small man glanced at his shoulder. Looking up from his injury he stepped towards the child who sat staring up at him in fear. “Hey kid, you okay?”

The small boy only nodded, his eyes widening with fright.

“What did you do to tick that idiot off anyway?”

Large eyes grew even wider in a small cherubic face. “I…I…my mother’s sick and she needs food to get better. I just wanted to find something for her to eat…we didn’t have any money…” his shaky voice trailed off in fear.

The man reached into the folds of his cloak and pulled out a pouch, which obviously contained more than a few coins. “Here kid. Take this and get your mother some food. And if you need any help, see that restaurant over there? It’s called the Shirobeko. Go there and ask for Sae, she’ll help you out.”

The boy nodded, taking the pouch of money scurrying off. Suddenly, he stopped and ran back to fling his arms around the mysterious man’s waist. “Arigatou,” he mumbled. The cloaked figure chuckled, watching the boy run off into the night. Soujirou grinned to himself in the dark and watched the man slide his sword back into its saya. Then he turned to where Soujirou stood hidden by the shadows, crossing his arms across his chest.

“You can come out now. And don’t even think of trying anything funny.” The voice held a thread of impatience.

Soujirou stepped out from the darkness, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, but I was just passing by and I saw…” he stopped talking as he saw the stranger sway on his feet. Rushing forward, he caught him just before he hit the ground.

“I guess he must have lost a lot of blood,” thought Soujirou to himself as he glanced quickly at the shoulder wound. The hood of the stranger’s cloak fell back, causing the young rurouni to gasp in shock. Soujiro found himself staring not at the face of a man, but an extraordinarily beautiful young woman. After a moment’s hesitation and a hasty glance at the injury, the young man made up his mind and picked up the small figure in his arms, heading in the direction of the nearest inn.

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Soujirou sat by the futon, staring down at the girl’s face with a mixture of curiosity and amazement. After reaching the inn and summoning a doctor to care for her wound, he found himself wondering what kind of girl would be wandering around the dark streets of Kyoto by herself. Shaking his dark head, he made to stand up when a sudden rustling sound caught his attention

Turning back to the futon he found the girl wide awake. Long dark hair fell loosely down her back and large blue eyes stared unflinchingly back at him. Something about her eyes prodded at his memory but he couldn’t quite figure out what it was…

With a glare she asked him, “What am I doing here?”

Smiling, Soujirou replied, “You fainted. I brought you here so that a doctor could look you over, but he says you’ll be fine after some rest.”

The girl mulled over his words for a short moment, her eyes growing less hostile while still remaining wary. “So why did you help me? You didn’t have to, you know.”

The young man shrugged. “I really don’t know. I just couldn’t bring myself to leave you there, especially since you were injured.”

“How nice of you,” muttered the girl drily, her voice reflecting more than a subtle hint of sarcasm. “So are you going to tell me who you are?”

“My name’s Seta Soujirou.”

“I’m Kasume. Nice to meet you Soujirou-san.” She sighed, leaning back against the pillows. “I’m feeling perfectly well now, so you’re free to leave whenever you want. It’s late and I’m sure your friends and family are wondering where you are.”

Another smile crossed the young man’s face, but Kasume could see a tinge of sadness in his eyes before it quickly disappeared. “It’s not a problem. I’ve been a wanderer for the past few years so I doubt anybody’s waiting for me.”

Kasume’s eyes fell to the sword at his side. “You’re a rurouni aren’t you?”

“I guess you could say that, Kasume-san.”

She made a face at him and grimaced. “Please don’t call me that. Plain Kasume is just fine.” Soujirou noticed that her eyes were beginning to drift closed, so he stood up to leave.

“You should get some rest now. The doctor said you lost a bit of blood and you shouldn’t exert yourself. My room is just next door if you need anything. Good night.” He walked across the room to the door, but stopped at the sound of Kasume’s voice.

“Good night, Soujirou-san. And thank you.”