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Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin, and most of the characters related to and featuring in the following fictional stories are property of creator and master manga artist Watsuki Nobuhiro, and no copyright infringement was intended in any way in the creation of these projects. Used without permission.

Light of the Snow-Red Village
Part IV - The Third Candle: Arrival in Tokyo - Chapter 1

You still my heart
And you take my breath away
Would you take me in
Would you take me deeper now

Two words. Two simple, strangely formed words, a mixture of fear and duty, reminder of shadows of the past.

"Mmph." the young girl stirred slightly, the voice barely registering through her consciousness. "'M'wake. I'm awake..."

The soft hand on her shoulder shook slightly, and someone chuckled. "Sessha believes you, musume, but the ojiisan has a few doubts. Perhaps if you open your eyes..."

Hikari snapped awake, glancing up into her father's face. "Tousan? Are we there already?"

Kenshin smiled tenderly. "Aa. Take a look around, ume-chan. We have arrived in Tokyo."

She rubbed her eyes and took a quick look at her surroundings. In the distance, Tokyo didn't seem much different from any of the other towns they had been to, other than the fact that it was much larger. Her eyes widened; 'So big...'

"'Scuse me, ojouchan," the old man's voice called from behind her, "If you could kindly step down, I need to unload."

She blinked, then nodded tiredly. Kenshin helped her out of the wagon, turning to the elderly farmer who had generously offered them a ride to the capital. "I'm very grateful for your assistance, ojiisan. If there is anything you need help with-?"

The old man waved the off. "No, go on your way, Rurouni-san. I have family to help me. It's a tempting offer, but I have lazy children who need to be put to work." He winked, shooting a downward glance at Hikari. "And you have a tired child who needs to be put to bed."

"'M'wake," she mumbled absently, gazing at the buildings. The old man laughed quietly, and Kenshin just smiled again. "Tousan... there are so many."

"Aa," he repeated, kneeling down in front of her. "It's still a good hour's journey to the city, and you look very tired."

She looked as if she were about to object, but her eyelids drooped and she climbed on his back, slumping over immediately. "Hai tousan... oyasumi, ojiisan..."

Kenshin bowed slightly, Hikari's arms curling around his neck. "Thank you again, ojiisan."

Tap. Tap. Tap. Footfalls, loud and rushed, hurrying through the streets. Chasing, chasing.

"Hikari, I'm sorry to wake you again, but I need to get into our bag," Kenshin murmured into his daughter's ear, gently lowering himself so she could climb down.

Blearily she let herself drop, yawning and settling to the ground beside him. "Is there an inn nearby, or will we be sleeping outside again?"

He glanced into his folded wallet, and winced. "It seems that outside is best for us today, I'm afraid. Tomorrow we can search around to see if there's an odd job we can take while we're in town."

She nodded uncaringly, rising to her feet. "Okay. But the sooner the better; I'm tired!"

Her words were almost a whine, and Kenshin rubbed her shoulder softly. "Soon, ume-chan. It shouldn't be long."

Both father and daughter froze where they were, Hikari's eyes startled wide. Kenshin turned his head to meet the speaker, one hand still on Hikari's shoulder, and the other coming to rest on the hilt of his sword. Hikari reached up towards her shinai.

There was a young woman running towards them, a bokken in her hands and anger in her eyes. She swung the weapon towards Kenshin, calling out a challenge, and Kenshin dodged away, pulling Hikari with him. His eyes narrowed sharply, and the sakabatou was half-drawn by the time he spoke, as his attacker recovered and whirled towards him again. "Stop," he called, cautious and puzzled, "What are you accusing me of?"

The woman hesitated, sending a confused look towards the girl who pressed herself against his body, a wary determination in her eyes. "A - eh? Aren't you the Battousai, who's been slaughtering people in the streets these past few days?"

Kenshin relaxed visibly, carefully sliding his sword back into the saya. "I think you've confused me with someone else. I'm merely a wanderer, here with my daughter. We've just arrived in town, and I've killed no one."

The woman pursed her lips in distaste, lowering her bokken. "I suppose not... not with that child, anyway. But you're carrying a sword, even when they've been banned for two years! I'm still suspicious."

Hikari rolled her eyes. "Geez, what kind of woman are you? Attacking random people in the middle of the night? That's crazy."

Kenshin stood between them hastily. "Maa, maa, let's not fight here. If you want to look at my sword, then here," he pulled it from the sheath and held it out in front of him, "See for yourself. It can't kill anyone."

The woman inspected the sword briefly, stunned. "Oh! A reversed-edge? That's so strange..." Before she could continue, a high-pitched howl suddenly sounded in the air, and she snapped to attention, listening. "A police whistle? It must be him! I'll get him this time!"

Kenshin and Hikari watched her rush off, then glanced at each other. "Looks like trouble," Hikari stated obviously.

She let a small smile appear on her face at the prospect of a possible battle, and the two took off after the woman.

'Nothing more than a fly,' the huge, burly man, brandishing a forbidden katana, thought with a brief scowl beneath his mask, gazing at the woman standing just behind the downed police officers. 'It's hard to believe this girl is the only thing standing in the way of me owning her dojo...'

The woman charged him, her form skilled but hardly adequate to deal with his power. He dodged her easily, slashing his sword towards her, and was rewarded with a thin spray of blood against the ground as it sliced her arm. She cried out in pain and surprise, falling against the wall of the closest Tokyo building, and he sneered in disgust, approaching her. 'I'll be glad to see her go...'

The man, known as Hiruma Gohei to only a few men of late, froze, eyes startled wide, as the voice spoke softly from behind him. He turned, wracking his brain to try and imagine when the stranger had appeared and failing miserably. "Who are you?"

The short, red-haired man who had addressed him gazed back at him, his eyes fierce and angry. "My name wouldn't be important to someone like you. I'll repeat myself only once: lower your sword, or I'll do it for you."

Gohei growled, teeth grinding in anger. "You have no right to order me around. Do you know who I am, boy? I am the Hitokiri Battousai, dreaded warrior of the Bakumatsu! How dare you try to threaten me!"

The smaller swordsman in front of him closed his eyes briefly, placing one hand on the hilt of the sword at his side. "Your form is far too sloppy to be a Bakumatsu shadow assassin. You'd have been killed a thousand times."

A sudden scuffle from behind caught Gohei's attention, and when he looked, he realized with a curse that his earlier target had disappeared. Gazing further up the street, he saw the woman being led away at a jog by a young girl with a shinai at her back. He shouted a furious demand for them to stop, and was outraged to see the girl turn back and stick her tongue out at him. When he attempted to follow, he was struck from behind, sending him sprawling to the ground with a groan. He pulled his face from the dirt and saw the red-headed swordsman sheath his sword, send him a short, unruffled glare, then hurry down the alleys after the others. Gohei cursed again, with no small amount of vehemence, and smashed the ground with his fist. Reaching out beside him, he took a hold of his sword and shoved himself to his feet.

'That damn Kamiya girl... I'll get her - and that arrogant samurai - for making a fool out of me...'

Hikari smiled slightly as she helped the young woman escape, carefully avoiding contact with the wound on her arm. "I wouldn't worry. My father can handle anything."

The woman shook her head. "You don't understand. This is Battousai, the legendary assassin! He's killed hundreds of people easily, and now he's slaughtering innocent lives on the streets in the name of my dojo! I'll never forgive him. What a demon-"

Hikari grasped the woman's uninjured arm and pulled her to a stop, her eyes irritated and defensive. "Hey, now! Be quiet about things you don't know!"

"Hikari-chan, why have you stopped?" They pair looked over to see Kenshin hurrying towards them, his sword unsheathed at his side.

Kenshin shook his head. "Iie. I wanted to be sure you two could escape. He won't be following us, so it's all right for now."

The young woman with them stared at him in astonishment. "H-how did you get away?"

His eyes flitted towards her, puzzled. "I think I should be asking why you're challenging this so-called Battousai, when even the sword-bearing police couldn't handle him."

The woman lowered her head. "I couldn't just let him continue... well, come to my dojo. I'll explain there; I guess I owe you that much, for helping me."

The Kamiya dojo lay not far away from the alleys where they had met, and the woman explained her plight while Kenshin tended to her arm and Hikari tried hard not to doze off in the corner. "My name is Kamiya Kaoru, and my father has upheld this dojo for a very long time, teaching the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu - the sword that protects life. He managed to keep it running, even though it has always been small, and since my mother passed away I've been a student of it as well. Currently I run the dojo as the assistant master."

She nodded, closing her eyes and continuing. "This Battousai came several months ago and began the street killings. All my students left in fear of the name, and no one in town wants to have anything to do with me. He claims to be from my school, the school that protects! It's ridiculous, and I can't allow him to stain our name any longer!"

Kenshin shook his head. "This may be so... I don't believe you should be fighting him. His skills are far superior to your own."

"Don't get angry," he stood with a slight smile. "I'm saying that to help you. Someone will take care of this, but with that injury you shouldn't be fighting anyone. The name of a school isn't worth your life."

Kaoru shook her head fiercely, pulling her sleeve back over her shoulder. "The Kamiya Kasshin school was brought into the Meiji era by my father, who survived the violence of the Bakumatsu. He wasn't a killer and always fought for his beliefs. But as a member of the sword-bearing police, he was sent to the Southwest war half a year ago. The place where he died was far from the ideal world he hoped for. This man who calls himself Hitokiri Battousai has already killed more than ten people. The name of the Kamiya Kasshin School, the school left to me by my father, is being degraded by a murderer." She glared at him, bitterness and outrage livid on her features. "I guess a rurouni like you wouldn't understand."

He looked back at her, and she was surprised to find a flicker of hurt in his eyes. Then, as if only a dream, it vanished, and he smiled brightly. "Well, it's really up to you. But I'd suggest you act with more caution next time, especially with that wounded arm. Your ideal is a joke if you can't protect yourself from death."

Kaoru bit her lip at his remark, unsure of how to take it, then rubbed the arm he had tended with a guilty expression. "Um... would you like to stay here, at my dojo? I haven't really thanked you, and you two don't look like you have anywhere else to go..."

"I don't care," she waved him off, "Doesn't everyone have something in their past they don't want to share? That must be why you're wandering, isn't it?"

She sent a sideways glance to Hikari, then giggled. "Well, it seems as if someone has already made herself at home, so you'd better stay the night at least."

The surprise reappearing on his face, he turned to find Hikari sprawled on the floor of the dojo, sleeping peaceably, one hand still curled around her shinai. He smiled again, tender and apologetic. "Sumanei. She's very tired today, and it's been a long trip."

Kenshin rubbed the back of his head nervously, sending a guilty look towards the bag resting beside his daughter. "Well..."

Kaoru shook her head, moving closer to stand in front of him, waving a finger insistently. "Then that settles it! You'll stay here for the night. That poor girl... here, I'll take you to a room where you can sleep."

Turning away, she began to walk down the hall without waiting for him. He watched her for a moment, genuinely puzzled and at the same time, touched, then carefully picked up his daughter and followed.