Will You Promise Me Something?

On with the disclaimer:

Just to recap with everybody I DO NOT OWN RUROUNI KENSHIN in either the first or second sense so these characters are not mine, they are that idiot Watsuki’s, the man who forces them to do stupid things (may I mention pirates?), making Kenshin worshipers cry or in some instances SCREAM AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS! I AM MAKING ABSOLUTELY NO MONEY OFF OF THIS! Okay I think I’m done bitching…this is the second chapter by the way, so if you haven’t read Will you promise me something? Then please either go back and read it or be completely lost and continue with thischapter anyway….ENJOY THE FIC!


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The hot humid air around one of the city’s many dojo’s was filled with contrasting noises, the most distinct of which being the laughter of children and the constant thud of a knife connecting with wood.

The source of the latter sound, stood in the dojo’s kitchen, butcher knife firmly in hand, chopping ingredients for her latest culinary attempt. The bright patterns on her kimono were no reflection of her mood. Both the carrots and the board underneath were feeling her wrath.

To say that Kaoru didn’t like her new houseguest would be a gross understatement. She would have gladly helped Sano wrench her limb from limb. Continuous flash backs returned her to the scene of the rurouni bleeding on the ground, the shadow of that woman looming over him. She’s a murderer! A hired assassin! She tried to kill him! She’s dead! Kaoru was now visibly glaring at her meal as if it were the ill-omened Akeiko.

Of course, this train of thought automatically lead her to the cause of the fury that had been engulfing her for the past week. Kenshin begged me to let her stay. He actually pleaded! Why? I know what he told me…, but thatcan’t be right! It cut her to the core that Akeiko had rushed into her home and taken Kenshin out from under her. Kaoru felt indescribable elation, when Kenshin had actually come to her, his eyes not cold for once. But it was a disappointment when that turned out only to be for her new boarder and not for her. Kenshin had said that this woman was more important to him than anything. She’d still refused. Then he went too far, he said that he loved Akeiko. It was all too much. After all Kaoru had been pursuing him since he saved her from that stupid Hiruma. And not just kinda, sorta making hints, but leaping up and down with a sign in front of his face. Yet she’d made absolutely no progress. Not a speck.

Kaoru hated competition; she didn’t know why, she just did. More specifically

she hated this type of competition. However, she’d invested too much in Kenshin to allow for hasty retreat, and her pride wouldn’t let her back down. Rage flared up in her. I’ll protect him. Some ex-Bakumatsu…girl isn’t going to have him!

“You know if you keep hacking at that board, all you’re gonna end up with is sawdust.”

The female voice snapped Kaoru out of her obsessive behaviour. She glanced at the cutting board. It now had a huge piece carved out of it. She realized she must have been stabbing the thing in pure frustration for at least 5 minutes. It was her rotten luck that Akeiko -of all people-had to see her mistake. Kaoru attempted a sweet smile and threw a frailly masked friendly look to the former assassin.

“Thank you for pointing that out, Akeiko-san.” Her tone was as controlled and formal as she could muster, which was sadly pathetic,“I don’t know where my head was.”

Kaoru took a moment to examine the hitokiri. The knee length navy kimono she wore, clearly contrasting with the vibrancy of Kaoru’s own wardrobe, justified her slut status in the mind of the teenage girl, only a hooker would wear something that short. The armoured gloves still remained on Akeiko’s hands despite the peaceful surroundings and her sword still hung at her hip. It never bothered Kaoru that Kenshin always had his sakabato on hand but this weapon was meant for death. It was like a silent threat, a menacing presence that made her heart beat faster. As if she was a hunted animal. She’d never been afraid of anyone in her entire life, Akeiko scared her. Almost at a carnal level. Kaoru feared her irrationality.

She clutched the knife tightly, her knuckles turning white with the pressureThe thought of Kenshin, loosened her grip. The last thing she wanted was his hatred. If having this loathsome woman under her roof was what she’d have to do to keep Kenshin happy then so be it. Her hands were tied.

Akeiko smiled weakly, leaving the room, her footsteps echoing down the hall. Kaoru went back to her cooking; wishing more fervently than ever that the Battousai was a figment of her imagination…


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Yahiko brought his weapon down repeatedly. The practice hall rang with the sound of slicing wind and strained breathing.. This was part of his daily routine, but now it was serving a more important purpose, mainly to clear his head. The boy could still hear Kaoru’s screams from that night, still see the images of Kenshin lying helpless. It left him with a predictable fear, and more alarmingly, a sense of insecurity.

After all, to Yahiko, Kenshin was more than some rurouni. He was an unbeatable force, he was invincible. At least until a week ago. Yahiko paused for a moment and sat on the wood floor, his green hakama contrasting with the brightness of the room. Kenshin is the best around…how could some woman almost kill him?

The youth’s mind was flooded by a multitude of questions stemming from this one. How could Kenshin just forgive her? How could he let a killer run around the dojo? Why is this woman so special?

Yahiko shook his head. Kenshin was a good man, and as such, he trusted his judgement. If the rurouni would vouch for Akeiko then she mustn’t be too bad. She must have good points and some morals. He put complete faith in the swordsman’s decisions. After all, he needed something to cling to. His parents were gone, the yakuza had betrayed him. It appeared the only people he could count on were Kaoru and Kenshin. The latter being his idol in both strength and character, the former a girl who though caring enough, wasn’t practical.

A cough interrupted Yahiko’s contemplation of his speculations. Akeiko slowly stepped into the room. She seemed so sure of herself. It made the apprentice grimace in disgust; he hated people with superiority complexes. He tensed up and raised his practice sword slightly off the floor. If she’d come to fight, he was ready.

“You’re pretty good for a kid,” Akeiko began. “I can see Kenshin didn’t make up those stories.”

“What’d he tell you?” He replied in a harried tone. Getting up, Yahiko faced the hitokiri, leaning on his sword.

The woman laughed. “Touchy aren’t we? Ten years is a long time, he’s just trying to fill me in.”

“I guess.” Bitterness prevented the youth from uttering anything more. The attempted murder of Kenshin was not an event to be forgotten, even if the rurouni wanted them to all “make friends”. He’d spoken to everyone about it. Akeiko was an old friend of his, who was going to stay on. The whole fight had been a misunderstanding, a past grudge that had now been “neatly” settled. Yahiko didn’t buy that story. He didn’t buy Akeiko either. There was a malicious air about her, something that went beyond the revolution.

The hitokiri sighed, “I know you hate me. I’m not an idiot. Listen, I’m going to ask you to trust me anyway. I’d good reason to do what I did. I don’t expect you to understand.”

“Understand? Understand that you sliced through Kenshin’s throat and don’t feel bad about it? Understand that you think you can just move in here after that?” Yahiko shouted, his face flushed with anger.

Akeiko was still collected and her voice displayed a smoothness that simply angered the apprentice more. “You place your trust well Yahiko, and someday I’d like to earn it.”

She moved gratefully toward the door, leaving the boy more muddled than ever. He was struck by the realization that she actually might care about the rurouni. Her eyes gave her away, within their cold and calculated stare was sadness. Yahiko’d seen the same look before…he’d seen it in Kenshin’s battle glare.

“Akeiko-san…” An apologetic stammer broke from the young student.

“Just Ake-chan if you don’t mind, Akeiko-chan is too ugly and formal. Not to mention a too many syllables.” She responded, smiling gently. It didn’t seem forced like the rurouni’s occasional reactions, but instead was the most genuine expression Yahiko had seen in ages-between the yakuza, and the tanooki’s constant mood swings.

The woman’s slim figure was bathed in sunlight as it exited the practice hall. Yahiko watched her leave.

“Maybe I can live with her.” He whispered.


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“Yes, their recoveries were remarkable, but I suppose that the injuries weren’t life threatening,” Dr. Gensai said. He was paying more attention to his grandchildren playing in the dojo’s yard than to Megumi.

“They were severe enough! Of course, if it hadn’t been for the sakabato and Kaoru we’d have had two corpses to deal with,” She responded, an edge to her voice.

For the last week Megumi had been stewing in a mixture of anger and jealousy the likes of which she had never experienced. She detested this Akeiko. For the double reason that she’d threatened Ken-san’s life and made it clear he was really with her. Emotions became merely a tangled ball in the pit of Megumi’s stomach. She cared for this man, her redeemer who had forced her to live up to her sins, but it was obvious the feeling wasn’t mutual. It had been hard enough trying get the rurouni’s attention, now she had to do battle with a woman just as stubborn and yet twice as intelligent and ruthless as the other competition.

How could Kenshin, who devoted his life to atonement, possibly feel anything other than disgust for this murderess? Akeiko didn’t seem ashamed to cut down her victims, and wasn’t exactly looking for any forgiveness. A killer to the very core. She was reminded of the opium underworld, where morality didn’t exist. It made her realize her own hypocrisy. How many people had she treated because of her?

Megumi tried to remember the conversation the three of them had had. All she came up with were the “thank yous” from both patients, and some feeble excuse for the confrontation. The doctor could clearly recall the dialogue she’d with Kenshin after the woman had left. She’d begged him to reconsider, warning of mental breakdown if Akeiko was permitted to linger. He’d ignored her disapproval, merely insisting that the opposite was true, punctuating his argument with a cold stare. Her advice was not wanted.

Presently, Megumi noticed a form step onto the porch. Akeiko lit a cigarette and sat down; her legs crossed and elbow resting on a knee. A thin layer of smoke spread out above her head. Smokes too…who’s this woman again?

“She’s special,” said Dr.Gensai, noticing his assistant’s distraction, “but I’ve a feeling everything will be normal soon.”

“Yes.” Nodding Megumi still watched her reluctant patient. For the first time in her life, she actually regretted the obligations her craft imposed on her. A hitokiri’s life was certainly one not worth saving...


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As Sano approached the dojo’s porch, he prepared himself for the worse. He couldn’t predict the unpredictable. She was manipulative to be sure, and had to be master at it to drag Kenshin into her plot so easily. Well, she wasn’t fooling him. After all a former fight merchant knows damn well when someone is pulling the line. A grudge? Was he really supposed to believe that bullshit? No way. There was something else there.

He took a deep breath of the thick smoky air, broke out hacking for a few seconds, and then sat beside Akeiko. The tension and pollution in the air was so intense it suffocated him, as he offered her a bowl of stew. He was gonna figure out her game if it killed him.

“You hungry?” Sano was using his most casual of tones, but some hatred must have sunk it, because all he got back was his own mood reflected back at him, she took it with a blank stare, cautiously.

The atmosphere was still as she nodded and took a mouthful. Sano definitely did not expect what happened next. She chewed it for awhile, then her face contorted, eyes widened.

Abruptly, the hitokiri leapt up and spit the food onto the sand of the yard, sputtering in disgust. “What the hell? Did you make this, ‘cause I swear it’s the foulest substance known to man!” She still spat trying to rid her mouth of saliva along with anything reminiscent of the stew’s taste.

Sano doubled over laughing so loud he choked on more smoke, and started hacking again. This assassin who had held such dignified mystery as to be almost untouchable, who was so calculated and skilled, was now reduced to a normal young woman cursing and giving several childish exclamations of “YUCK!”

Someone too blunt to scheme anything. Too honest. He reasoned, regaining his composure enough to respond.

“The little missy made it so you’d better get used to it. That’s the only stuff you’re gonna get unless Kenshin cooks.”

“Ugh, I never thought you could screw up something as simple as stew, but she proved me wrong. And…I hope Kenshin doesn’t actually cook. Ew.” They smiled at each other, Sano could feel a wall between them crumble. The tension disappeared, and soon they began speaking as if they were old friends.

They spoke of only platonic subjects at first, then moved onto more interesting ones, Sano filled her in on what Kenshin had been up to for the few months he’d known him. This included their how Sano had first met the swordsman, a little about their fight, some stuff about Kaoru, Megumi, everybody. Before he knew it, the brawler had laid everything he knew about absolutely anyone on the table, and had lost the greater part of the afternoon. Feeling secure enough in the general good will, Sano ventured further.

“Okay, now that I’ve spilled my guts, I’d appreciate it if you told me about you and Kenshin, really,” Sano gnawed on his fishbone, glancing sideways at Akeiko.

“You really wanna know?” She unconsciously clutched at her neck. He noticed a scar running down the left side of her throat, from jaw to collarbone. Quickly he averted his eyes, but Akeiko still noticed and laughed lightly. “I’ll get to the scar later, it’s a long story.” She lit a fresh cigarette and brushed her bangs out of her face. After a sigh, she got on with the story.

“Kenshin and I both fought in the revolution as members of the Ishin Shishi.”

“But you’re a woman!” For some reason she seemed kinda angry, Sano decided to shut up before he said anything else.

“That doesn’t matter when you know hiten mitsurugi ryu. Katsura hired me when I had some…family troubles. Anyway, those men were utter idiots, the lot of them. I had to beat them off with a stick, if you know what I mean. No one took me seriously except for Kenshin, we hated each other at first.”

“What the hell? You were on the same side.”

“Competition. We were trying to outdo one another in the same style, if that makes sense. Nevertheless, eventually the both of us realized how alike we were. Kenshin and I were extremely young, alone, and caught in war that we didn’t really understand. Then stuff happened…and yeah…ya know…”

“So were you together together?”

Akeiko laughed sharply, “You wanna know if we were screwing, eh?”

Sano leaned backwards slightly, taken off guard by the bluntness of the phrase, but she didn’t seem ruffled in the slightest, so he decided not to hide his curiosity. He nodded.

“Yes we were. And there wasn’t a man in the Ishin Shishi who didn’t know it. Kenshin used to get so angry when anyone even hinted at the obvious. It was kinda amusing to see him fly off the handle. By the end, I was staying in his room, for both protection and the other, more enjoyable, reason. That bastard Katsura loathed the relationship. He wanted someone who could “control” Kenshin’s behaviour; and I apparently wasn’t encouraging what he wanted. Grr… Anyway, that’s why he separated us later.”

She took a drag from her cigarette and Sano watched as her expression changed from nostalgia to pain.

“The Shinsengumi began to close in on us which screwed us over entirely, especially after we hit them with a wave of attacks. Katsura was expecting a disaster, and he wanted to save at least one of his most skilled fighters for the coming push...at least I think that’s what he said, so he decided to send Kenshin away from Kyoto with some retarded whore who had been working at the house for a few weeks. Fucking bitch! She’s who I’ve the real fucking grudge against!” Akeiko’s face darkened in anger, but only for a moment. “But that’s isn’t my story to tell. Just know that bitch is the reason Kenshin’s the emotional mess he is today…

“Okay back to the topic…no more tangents. I begged Katsura to let me go with him but he refused. I cried damn it, but that fucking bastard still did nothing! All I could do was watch my lover disappear in the sunset complete with accessorizing whore. I didn’t see him again ‘til months later, after I had been run ragged with the slaughter of the Bakumatsu. I’m talking like 16 hour days here. He had a new cross-shaped scar, but I didn’t even get a chance to talk to him about it. The leader of Shinsengumi squad three, Saitou Hajime sliced my throat before I could say anything.” She pointed to the scar. “It’s really hard to make any noise with hacked vocal cords. Kenshin saw the whole thing and assumed I was dead. I managed to drag my ass back to the Ishin Shishi in time to save myself. When I got better asshole Katsura, told me the Battousai had been killed by the wolves of Mibu. That bastard knew different. And by the time I discovered this and could get around Katsura, Kenshin was long gone. I finished out the war, and then started doing government assassinations to make ends meet. I found out through the grapevine where Kenshin was and I took a job in Tokyo to investigate the rumour. All I found was an impostor. He looked likethe Battousai, and sounded like the Battousai but was in fact some stupid rurouni. Years ago during the chaos, Kenshin and I made a vow that one of us would avenge the other’s death, if it ever came to that. When I got here I was seeing the death of the man I loved, I decided to keep my end of the bargain. However, from your assorted stories, I see that the Battousai is still very much alive and I was wrong. I hope you understand where I’m coming from.”

She concluded her narrative by grinding out her cigarette butt and lighting another smoke. There were a few moments of silence as Sano digested what he’d heard. He considered the story from every angle, but he couldn’t find a contradiction. It didn’t seem as if she were lying, and more strangely, she made sense!

“Can’t say I like what you did to my buddy last week,” he began, “but I guess I can see how you’d be angry. You know Kenshin in a completely different way. I saw you cry before; I know you must still care about him. So with that out of the way,” Sano extended his right hand toward Akeiko, “Sagara Sanosuke at your service. Ask me for a whatever, my friends always do.”

She shook his hand gladly.

Both laughed nervously.

“It’s nice to have at least one person that likes me.” Akeiko said breaking the handshake. “I’m not very popular right now.”

“What makes you say that?”, Sano queried.

“Maybe it’s the fact that I’m sleeping in the shed.”, was the bitter response.

“That’s a bit harsh, but the little missy likes Kenshin…and you’re kinda in the way.” Sano was strangely sympathetic.

“That and she’s afraid of me like everyone else.”, her voice was harsh and vehement.

“Well, I’m not scared; after all I can kick your ass.” He smiled smugly, folding his arms.

“That was an isolated incident. I was distracted and you used a cheap move.”

“Did not!” Sano stood up and pulled his hands out of his pockets, Akeiko didn’t move a muscle just puffed on her cigarette.

“Just face it, you suck.” She said casually, watching as Sano’s eyes immediately narrowed into a death glare.

“No, you suck!” he yelled.

“You suck!” Akeiko raised her voice to a more argumentative tone.

“Well, you suck Kenshin!” He knew that was a mistake right after he said it. He could see the anger boiling over in the hitokiri. Her eyes narrowed. This wasn’t gonna be good.

In an instant she had disappeared. Sano, knowing the basic attacks of the hiten mitsurugi ryu style by now, looked above him. “Taste foot jerkwad!” All he saw before the multitude of stars was the underside of a sandal.

“No hard feelings, Sano. You deserved that.” Akeiko’s voice overpowered some of the pounding in his head. He simply proceeded to rub the lump on his cranium.

She sauntered across the yard, as Sano nursed his injured skull and his bruised ego. Good friends are hard to come by…


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A soap bubble floated in the air, halting its journey in front of Kenshin’s face.

“Oro.” He said as the thin membrane popped. Ayame and Suzume giggled, admiring their work.

“Success!” They cried in unison, waving straws in the air. Kenshin laughed and began to resume his task. He took a sheet out of the wooden tub and stretched it out.

“Snow white!” the rurouni smiled widely, the girls repeated the phrase, mimicking him. After hanging the piece of laundry on the line, there was only one more to be scrubbed. Kenshin kneeled back on the ground and began washing, noticing the children grab handfuls of suds. They stood on either side of him and began patting the soap onto his head, moulding it into the shape of two rabbit ears.

“Bunny! Bunny!” The kids squealed cheerfully.

“Now, now.” Kenshin laughed with them. Moments like this made him forget his past.

A shadow spread across the ground, a figure loomed. The rurouni looked up, careful not to disturb the sud ears. Akeiko just stood there, her hip out, arms folded, a lit cigarette poised between two fingers. She exhaled, sending smoke into the air. Ayame and Suzume promptly grew silent and dashed for cover behind their playmate. Akeiko scoffed and flicked some ash. On her face was a look of completely disgust, she rolled her eyes. Coldly walking past Kenshin, she unlatched the gate and went outside, heading to town.

The kids stared after her in fear for a long time, making sure she was really gone.

“Ken-ni that lady is creepy!” Suzume cried tugging at his sleeve.

“Yeah…creepy,” little Ayame chimed in, “can’t you make her go away Ken-ni?”

“I can’t,” the rurouni answered,“she’s a special friend of mine.”

“Like Sano right?” asked the inquisitive young Ayame.

Kenshin laughed, “No, not like Sano. Ake-chan is….well…uh...”

“She’s Ken-ni’s girlfriend! They kiss and hold hands, Ayame!” Suzume interrupted with a shriek. Both girls stuck out their tongues and started to run circles around the rurouni. “Ew! That’s gross! Couties!”

Kenshin turned a bright shade of red, almost the colour of his hair. Trying to cover up his embarrassment, he buried himself in his washing. Akeiko’s reaction confused him, but that wasn’t anything unusual. She’d agreed to stay, that’s all he needed to understand. Sure, the road ahead was long and arduous, then again building a bridge over a ten-year-old pit of lies was not supposed to be easy.

The rurouni listened to the sounds of the dojo, Sano brawling with Yahiko. Kenshin had overheard most of the confrontation between the fight merchant and Akeiko, voices as loud and obnoxious as theirs carry well. Megumi was still speaking with the doctor, and Kaoru was still grumbling loudly in the kitchen. Akeiko was wrong. The life he led now was normal. Her presence hadn’t changed that in the slightest…only completed it…

To Be Continued…

Author’s Notes: YAY! THE SECOND INSTALLMENT IS COMPLETE! Sorry this chapter is kinda boring but yeah I cannot wait to start the Kyoto Arc…IT’S GONNA BE AWESOME! So I promise that soon! I wish I'd have set this up so Akeiko could have kicked pirate ass and made that story better…but then again it’s done now and filler is quite unfixable!

Hitokiri Hitensai