I smiled as I woke up and walked outside. I encountered Kenshin and Dr. Gensai's granddaughters. "Oh! Good morning, Miss Ammara~!" the youngest said, smiling. I bowed. "Good morning, girls. You too, Kenshin," I said politely. He smiled. "We're making riceballs. Care to join us?" I smiled. "I'd love to," I replied. Riceballs were my favorite food! (Other than Miso soup, of course.) 

I sat beside the older of the two girls.

We sat there for almost 30 minutes, patting the rice into small balls. I demonstrated it for the girls a few times so they'd understand. Now, I was watching their work. "Like this, Miss Ammara?" the youngest said. I looked closely at it. "I don't know. What do you think, Kenshin?" I said, turning to him.

Kenshin stared at it for a while. "Perfect!" he said, smiling. Then, a bit of the riceball fell out and I smiled. Everyone makes mistakes, I thought. "It's great," I agreed. "I'm sure Yahiko and Kaoru-dono will like it." I gasped as I remembered something. I hadn't seen Yahiko and Kaoru all day! I looked up at Kenshin. "By the way, where are they?" I asked.

Kenshin smiled. "Training, of course." I sighed. "They've been at it for three days, Kenshin. Why hasn't Yahiko been listening to Kaoru?" He smiled. "He possibly thinks he's too proud to take Kaoru's advice," he replied. I nodded. When we encountered him before he became a student here, Yahiko informed us of his samurai bloodline. And it was because of his bloodline that he was full of such pride. But prideful or not, he should still listen his sensei!

"If I remember correctly," Kenshin said, his eyebrows raised in their usual way. "You were difficult to train as well." I blushed. "Now hold on just a-! I WAS NOT!!!!" I yelled, my face a bright tomato red. "You didn't listen to me at first, indeed you didn't," he said, smiling. I huffed angrily. I wasn't about to get into a fight with him, seeing as he admitted a short while ago that he thought of me as a daughter. "So what did you do to make me listen?" I wondered.

He smiled gently at me. "I simply was patient and waited for you. That I did." I smiled. "I guess I was a bit of trouble, wasn't I?" He chuckled. "Quite a bit." I laughed a little and just as I was about to reply, Yahiko broke (LITTERALLY BROKE) the door open.

He growled and crawled over to Kenshin and I. "Kenshin! I thought I came here to get stronger! I don't wanna learn this "Sword That Protects People" stuff! I wanna learn your techniques so I can defeat enemies!" Kenshin smiled and stood. "I do not intend to pass on my techniques to future generations, I'm afraid," he replied politely. "But why not?!" Yahiko asked angrily. "Your sensei is Miss Kaoru, Yahiko. Yes indeed."

With that said, Kenshin walked away. "But wait-!" Yahiko tried to go after Kenshin, and wound up tripping over his kimono.

Dr. Gensai's granddaughters held out the riceballs. "Have a riceball!" one said. "Riceball!" the other repeated. Yahiko growled and took the box of riceballs from my hands. "I'm done!" he yelled, running the other way. I turned to Kaoru.

"Kaoru-dono, go after him!" I said. "Why should I?!" I looked at her, slightly annoyed. "He's your student!" I yelled. "So what if he is?! I can't stand even LOOKING at him right now!!!!" She yelled, storming off. I sighed. Why couldn't Kaoru and Yahiko have the same relationship Kenshin and I have? It didn't make sense! I sighed sadly and Kenshin put his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry too much about it, Ammara-dono," he said, smiling. "Come and help me fix lunch for Miss Kaoru and Yahiko." I smiled and nodded. I grabbed the knife from the door and began slicing fish for sushi. On my right side, a stray cat meowed. Kenshin and I turned. I simply ignored him and Kenshin's eyebrows raised.

"Hey you!" he said. I turned to see the cat had one of my fish in its mouth. He tried to escape through the window, but the bars were too close together. Kenshin put the knife down and walked over to the cat. "That's Miss Kaoru's lunch you have there, I'll have you know! You'll give it back right now, if you please!!!!" he yelled, wrestling with the cat. I smiled and chuckled. "Kenshin, let him have the fish. I have plenty more." "KENSHIN, AMMARA, YOU'D BETTER CONFESS THE TRUTH, RIGHT NOW!!!!" Kaoru-dono yelled behind us.

We turned. "Huh?" Immediately, Kaoru turned her back again. Kenshin smiled. "Ammara...I'm going to head into town for a bit and buy some tofu. We'll have a feast tonight. Do me a favor and watch over the place for me, will you?" I smiled. "You can count on me, Kenshin! That you can!" He smiled and ruffled my hair before leaving. "I'll be back soon, I promise." I nodded, and Kenshin left.

Kaoru turned and saw Dr. Gensai and I standing. "Where's Kenshin?" she asked. Dr. Gensai smiled and explained to Kaoru about the feast. I gasped, an ominous feeling washing over me. Something's wrong...I don't know what, but something bad is about to happen! Otusan, please hurry!  I thought desperately. "What? What do you want?" Dr. Gensai's voice asked from outside. I immediately ran outside, Kaoru at my heels.

I gasped as I saw two soldiers in front of Dr. Gensai. "Bring the person in charge of this school, immediately!" one ordered. "It isn't polite to ask for orders without introducing yourself."

The other officer growled and Kaoru and I came running. "Excuse me, what can I do for you? I'm the assistant master here. Is there something wrong? You're being awfully rude," she said, concerned. One of the police officers grabbed the hilt of his sword. I gasped. "Watch out, Kaoru-dono! These guys have actual swords!!!!!" I yelled. "We're police officers!" Kaoru scowled. "I sort of figured that by your uniforms," she said.  Then, the chief of police walked out of the carriage he was in. "Chief!" the officers said, saluting him. "We are looking for Kenshin Himura and Ammara Kai," he said. I stepped in front of Kaoru-dono and looked the chief in the eye.

"I'm Ammara Kai, sir," I said. "What do you want with me?" The two police officers ran up to me and handcuffed my hands behind my back. "What's the meaning of this?!" I asked angrily. The police chief glared at me. "Miss Kai, you are under arrest for carrying a sword, for high treason against the Meiji Government, for being reported as the Deadly Rose, and for associating with public enemy number 1: Battosai  the Manslayer!" I gasped. Kaoru-dono ran up.

"Hang on!!!!" she yelled. One of the officers threw her to the ground. "Don't!!!!! Miss Kaoru has nothing to do with this! I'll go with you if you promise not to hurt her!" I said. "Very well. If we take the Deadly Rose, Battosai will surely follow," the chief said.

Kaoru-dono tried to run after me and a police officer held her back. "Ammara, you can't!!!!" she yelled. I smiled. "Don't worry about me, Miss Kaoru. I'll be alright." I followed the chief into his carriage and we sat there a while. "You seem to be a respectable little girl, even for the Deadly Rose...Why are you hanging out with Battosai?" the chief asked. I turned away.

"That's really not your business, it's not," I said, scowling a little. The officer slapped me.  "Defending Battosai to the end, are you?" I refused to answer. He growled. "Whatever. As I said, since we've kidnapped you, Battosai will surely follow," he said as he turned away. I looked away. "He won't come. He's not even here. Knowing him, he's probably wandering once again." The chief smirked. "We'll see about that, Ms. Kai," he said. 

((Kenshin's POV))

I smiled as I walked through town with Dr. Gensai's granddaughters at my heels. Sometimes, they reminded me of Ammara when she was little. Always at my side, never leaving me for a second. I sighed. I truly wish Ammara could be that little again, that I do, I thought. "Hurry, hurry!" the oldest said. "Yeah, hurry up!" the youngest added. I smiled. "If you step too quickly, the tofu will fall apart, yes it will," I said. 

"That guy's carrying a sword!" a police officer said ahead of us. I looked up to see he was wearing a sword. The girls hid behind me, afraid. "You've got some nerve, mister! You're carrying a sword, which is in violation of the Anti-sword Acts!" he continued. "And in front of sword-carrying policemen, no less!" the other added. He then drew his sword from its sheath. "Let's have a match!" he said. "I'll let you go, should you win!" 

My eyes narrowed slightly. "There are children here, so I would rather not." I smiled before continuing. "Besides, it's a reverse-blade sword," I said, retracting it from its sheath and showing them. "Reverse-blade sword?!" he spat. His partner laughed. "You couldn't slay a MOUSE with that dumb thing!" The officer baring his sword growled. "You WEAKLING!!!!" he yelled, slicing the box with the tofu open. "Don't waste our time!!!!" Then, the two soldiers walked away, laughing as they did so. 

The youngest whimpered and clung to me. "I'm scared," she said. I knelt down and ruffled her hair, the way I used to do when Ammara was little and scared, and smiled. "Don't worry," I said. "Those guys were bad, because you're supposed to APOLOGIZE when you knock something over or break something!" "Yeah, you have to apologize!" the youngest yelled. My eyes narrowed again. "That's a true statement, it is." 

"Clear the way for the police swordsman! Even babies must stop crying out of respect and fear for us!" they said. "Those are the police swordsman," I said. "You girls better head home. I'll take care of this, alright?" They nodded and walked home. I walked to wherever the Police Swordsmen were going and walked in that direction. 

((Yahiko's POV))

I sighed as I walked through the town. I couldn't find Kenshin anywhere and I'd been searching for nearly an hour! Where could he be?! I thought angrily. If I don't find him soon, something bad could happen to Kaoru! I was about to search the outskirts of town when I heard a commotion. There were policemen with swords attacking a man that looked like a beggar. "Dirty thief, take this!" one yelled, punching him. The thief flew backward into the shop and gasped for breath. "P...Please forgive my weakness. My mother is sick!" he begged. 

The swordsman walked over to him again and growled. "Silence!" he ordered. An old man, possibly the owner, appeared and stepped in front of the thief. "Please, sir...Let him go! Everything is alright! It's true he was stealing, but it was only a cheap hand towel!" he begged as well. One of the town's regular police stepped forward. "Thank you, but we can take over from here," he said. "The Police Swordsman don't need to be involved in such a menial affair." The captain of the swordsmen turned. "It looks like a third-rate town cop thinks he can tell us what to do," he said. "You say this because you know we're the ones from Satsuma?!" He drew his sword as he said that. 

The officer cowered. "N-no," he said. "It's just that-!" he was interrupted by the captain jabbing him in the forehead with the hilt of his sword. "Move along," the captain ordered. Two more officers ran up and helped the first one up. "Hey are you alright?" they asked. "We are and elite group of officers. We are the police swordsmen," the captain explained. "Unlike you weaklings, we are authorized to carry swords. We are officially charged to kill whenever it's necessary. So how 'bout it?! YOU WANNA FIGHT WITH US?!" 

I gasped as I saw the Police Swordsmen carry off, not only the thief, but the owner of the shop as well. "Wait a minute! Why are you taking away my father?!" the owner's daughter asked. "He was taking sides with a criminal!" the captain added. "Father no!!!" the woman yelled. "Move away!!" the officer yelled, tossing her aside. "No!!!" she yelled. "Somebody! Please help us! Please, you can see my father hasn't done anything wrong! He's innocent!" "Arrest the girl too," one of the officers said as he passed. 

Just when he was about to grab the woman, I growled. "Stop it!!!!" He turned. I brandished my bokuto (wooden sword) at him. "I don't know what's going on here, but it's obvious there's something wrong with you!!!!" I yelled, charging him. I managed to match him blow by blow until another officer kicked me into the wall. I grunted in pain as I collided with the wall. The old man and the thief were thrown beside me. The woman ran up to me and gasped. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned. 

The officer I fought smirked. "Teach these two a lesson. Execute them all!" he ordered. The woman, thief, old man, and I gasped. "Occasionally, it's necessary for us swordsmen to execute people at random to keep our skills sharp!" He turned away and laughed as he did so. A moment later, we were all tied up. "You ugly-! LET ME GO!!!!" I yelled angrily. The officer growled and threw me back against the wall. 

The murmurs from the crowd grew louder, as did their objections to this execution. "They're innocent!" one citizen said. The captain turned. "This is for the public good. By diminishing evil in its earliest form, we successfully prevent crimes from happening in the first place!" he said to the crowd. "You're the ones who are evil!!!" a man in the crowd said. His wife grabbed him by his shoulder. "Be quiet, dear, or they'll kill you too!" she said. 

Each officer that remained turned to the crowd, who cowered in fear at what they were capable of. No one dared to help out of fear of being executed as well. This isn't fair! I thought. The officer with a gap in his teeth and severe overbite walked up to us. "What's the matter? Not having fun anymore?!" he said, smirking. "Yeah! Lots of fun!" I said venomously. The captain turned to the officer. "Do it," he ordered. The officer nodded. "Right." He brandished his sword at me and I gasped. "Wait! No!" I yelled.

"Hey, hold on a second!" a man in the crowd said. I gasped as I saw Kenshin making his way through the crowd to the officers. "You mustn't!" a woman said to him as he walked. Kenshin's eyes were narrowed as he walked to the officers and their captain. "Kenshin!" I said. What was he thinking?! Was he trying to kill himself?! "No, Kenshin don't! Run away!!!" I yelled. "A lot of people are looking for you right now!!!" The officer pointed his sword in my face, inches from my throat. 

Kenshin continued walking until he reached the captain. "What do you want?" he asked, his eyes narrowed. "Name yourself!" Kenshin's eyes narrowed more. "Kenshin Himura," he said. The captain scowled. "Hm?" "All of the people here,"Kenshin said as he walked past the captain. "If any have truly committed a crime, I will personally repent for each of them." The captain scowled more. "Oh...So you disapprove of our methods, do you? To carry a sword in this prefix, one must be really sure of his swordsmanship." The guy holding the sword in front of me growled. "This guy is just a lump of jelly!" he said. "Yeah?" The captain said, turning to face Kenshin again. "I smell...Blood on him," he said. 

The captain pulled his sword and Kenshin didn't even flinch. Even when the sword was inches away from his face! He was amazing! 

-back at the dojo- 

((Ammara's POV))

One of the officers ran up to the captain outside the carriage. "Captain, I've found the guy! Red hair, with a cross-shaped scar on his cheek!" he announced. I gasped. Otusan was found! How?! "One who looks like the Battosai is fighting with the Swordsmen Police here in town!"I gasped. Otusan was in danger! I had to help him! I broke out of the carriage and ran with Miss Kaoru as fast as I possibly could with handcuffs on. 

We were fighting any police officer that dared stand in our way. "Kaoru-dono! We must hurry!" I said. "If Kenshin truly is fighting with the police, he could be in trouble!" Kaoru-dono nodded and turned to me. "Can you keep up like that?" I nodded. "I haven't been training my butt off with Kenshin for nothing!" I picked up the pace. Otusan...Wait for us! We'll be there soon! 

I picked up the pace and ran to the town. There, I saw the captain of the Police Swordsmen holding a sword to Kenshin's face. "Otusan!!!!" I yelled. One of the officers grabbed me before I could reach him and put a sword inches away from my heart. Otusan stood before the captain, unwavering and unafraid. "Go ahead," he said. "Draw your sword." "I decline," Otusan replied harshly. The captain scoffed and turned to the officer standing in front of a woman, an old man, an adult male, and Yahiko. "Begin...To execute them," he said plainly. "Right!" The officer raised his sword. Yahiko gasped.

"That's not fair!!!!" I said. The crowd yelled in agreement. "I don't give a damn whether you're police officers who can carry swords or not! That doesn't give you the right to slay innocent people whenever you want!!! That's why the law was crafted in the first place! To keep people like you from jeopardizing the peace!!!" I yelled. The crowd yells were louder and a few citizens had comments of their own. "She's right! Even if you are the police, what you're doing isn't right!!!" a man said. 

The captain smirked. "I must admit, it takes a whole lotta guts to insult the Police Swordsmen like that! You are sided with opposition to the government! You are allhereby under arrest!" he said. "Prepare your weapons." I gasped. "You can't do that! What gives you the right to dictate who lives and who doesn't?!" I yelled angrily. The swordsmen officers nearest to the crowd drew their swords. The crowd gasped. The captain smirked. 

"Don't come crying to me, little girl. You brought this upon yourselves," he said, smirking more. I growled angrily. "Kill them," the captain ordered. The soldiers ran after the citizens, their swords raised and aimed to kill. I gasped as the officer raised his blade over my heart. "OTUSAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I yelled. 

 In a flash of light and silver, Kenshin drew his sakabato. "You will not harm these people with even an inch of your dirty blades!" he said angrily. My eyes widened. "Otusan..." He'd been hiding his murderous nature since when he met me. Could he be turning into Battosai again? I thought. He pointed his sword at them. "If you want to taste the ground, feel free to attack me," he said. The captain drew his sword across my arm. I screamed in pain. Blood dripped onto the sword and he smirked.

"Self defense has been established," he said. Then, he licked my blood from the sword. I cringed as I watched. This guy was disgusting! "Kill him," he ordered. The soldiers charged Kenshin with a mighy roar. Kenshin swiftly went into offense mode and attacked the soldiers, bringing the down in the blink of an eye. I smiled. Otusan wasn't turning into Battosai if he was defending these people with a sakabato! He was just being his courteous self!

Everyone gasped, including Yahiko at Kenshin's speed. Kenshin tipped his sword to the side and turned to the captain as his men fell. "It's just you and me now," he said. The captain growled. "First of all, I want you to swear an oath that you'll never harm innocent townspeople again as long as you live. Then, you may arrest me on grounds for carrying a sword in public or assaulting an officer of the law," Kenshin said. I gasped. "Otusan, what are you doing?!" I yelled. The captain raised his sword and growled again. "Are you CRAZY?! I'll never make such an oath!" 

I gasped as I looked over and saw Kaoru-dono in the crowd. "Kenshin..." she said softly. Then, out of nowhere, the police officers that we had taken down before ran at her and chased her into the crowd again. "It's Battosai the Manslayer and the Deadly Rose!" the captain yelled. I watched as the captain of the Swordsmen Police charged Kenshin. "Please win..." I said softly. "You have to win, Otusan!!!!!!!" 

"NOW YOU DIE!!!!!!!!!!" he yelled. In an instant, Kenshin dodged the attack, raising his sword. In a swift movement, he hit the captain in the side. The man fell faster than a tree in the forest. The crowd cheered and mobbed Kenshin. "Otusan, you did it!!!!" I yelled, glomping him. (AN:At this point, she was free of her handcuffs.) "Oro?!" Otusan said as he fell backward. I giggled. "You're my hero, Otusan!" I said, smiling. 

He smiled. "Thank you, but-!" I gasped as Kaoru was squished between us. "Kenshin, you've got to run! The police are looking for you and Ammara!" she said. "The cops are right over there, you two gotta get out of here!!!" Yahiko added. They dragged us through the crowd and gasped as the police surrounded us. "Now we've got you!" the captain said. "You two are fugitives from the law, and wanted by the police! Arrest them!" "Yessir!" the policeman next to us said.

They grabbed me, Kaoru, Kenshin, and Yahiko. "Hey!!!!" I said. "Hold it!" a voice said. We turned to see a man who looked like the chief of the police. "Your Excellency!" the captain said, saluting him. "Judging by the crowd's reaction, it's obvious who was serving justice here. Release them at once!" he said. The officers let us go, gasping as they did so.

"See too it that those men are severely punished for their transgressions," the man ordered.  "Yessir!" the officers said as they saluted and left. The man walked up to Kenshin and smiled. "Himura," he said, smiling. "We finally meet again. I've been searching for you for ten years now." Otusan smiled and turned to the man. "That's a fine mustache you've grown....Yamagata." I gasped. Otusan and this guy KNEW each other?! But how?!

"You will pay your respect! Do you understand to whom you're speaking?!" the captain asked. "You still don't understand!" Yamagata-sama snapped. "You stand before a full-fledged hero who has saved the lives of many Imperialists. You will treat him accordingly!" Otusan smiled more. "Yamagata...?" Kaoru said, her eyes wide. "ARITOMO YAMAGATA?!"  "What is it? I mean, is this guy supposed to be important, or something like that?" Yahiko asked. "Don't you know anything?! Aritomo Yamagata is LORD of the Meiji Imperial Army! He's one of the most powerful leaders there is in Japan right now!" Kaoru-dono snapped, holding Yahiko by his collar. 

"There is a carriage waiting for us over there," Yamagata-sama said. "I have something I must speak to you about." "Can't we discuss it right here?" Otusan asked. Yamagata-sama smiled. "That's just like you, Himura," he said. "It's true that without you, the revolution most likely would never have happened. I would like to welcome you as an officer in the Imperial Army as one who helped create this era." We (Kaoru, Kenshin, and I) gasped.

"Your comrades from the Revolution are waiting impatiently for your return," Yamagata-sama said. "There is one important piece missing that will give our country power. You!" I stood in front of Otusan and glared at Yamagata-sama. "Well they can wait longer!" I said. "Otusan wants nothing to do with you or anyone else from the police force!" Otusan was silent. He knew I needed to vent my anger. I cried as memories from my past invaded my mind. My parents bodies lifeless in the snow, blood flowing from them. "I've already lost more than one person I care about to the ravages of war...I WON'T LOSE ANOTHER!!!" I yelled, tears falling from my face like rain. 

Otusan put a hand on my shoulder and turned to Yamagata-sama. "Unfortunately, I have no desire to hold a government office as a reward for manslaughter," he said, smiling. "Plus, my daughter needs me." My eyes brightened as tears of joy fell from them. "Otusan..." Yamagata-sama's eyes narrowed. "I see...So it's true. Your disappearance and adopting this girl is a result of your defiance to never kill again," he said. "You may regret that you took people's lives, but that was one noble aspect of the Revolution. If they won't acknowledge that, I'll use my authority-" He was interrupted by Otusan, who said, "To force them to do it." 

Yamagata-sama's eyes widened. "Huh?" Otusan smiled. "That is the very train of thought...That creates corrupt men like them," he said. "We once fought together for an ideal with our swords. It wasn't for power or for glory, but to create a peaceful world. Where people could live without fear. And if you should forget about that...Then what did we fight the Revolution for?" With that said, Otusan walked away,with me, Kaoru, and Yahiko in tow. 

"Himura," Yamagata-sama said. Otusan stopped walking, but didn't turn. "The times have changed," Yamagata-sama said. "It is the Meiji Era now, and because of the sword law, the samurai are gone. You must realize that one man with one sword can't make a difference!" "Even if it is only the handful of people I meet on the street or in my home...I can still protect them with one sword." Then, we walked away.

"A sword to protect people?" Then, Yahiko gasped. "Kenshin!" Otusan turned, smiling. "What you are going to learn now is not the sword of a Manslayer. But a sword that protects people," he said. Yahiko smiled and nodded a bit. "Become stronger," Otusan said. "Using the Kasshin Style." "To protect...Other people," Yahiko said, smiling.  Otusan nodded and Kaoru smiled a bit. "Aw, what the heck! I guess I'll let Kaoru be my sensei! Ow!" he said as Kaoru-dono pushed him back. "Oh yeah?! What are you talking about?! You've been MY student since the beginning of all this!" she said. 

He growled and ran up to her. "Don't treat me like a KID!" he yelled. Then, he was pushed back again. "You ARE a kid!" Kaoru said. The argument went on and on and Otusan just smiled. He handed me a cloth to put over my wounded arm. "Here, Ammara-dono," he said. "Use that to cover your wound." I nodded and placed the bandage carefully over my wound. "You were very brave today, Ammara," he said. "Standing up for those innocent people like that." I blushed. "I was only doing what you would've done, Otusan," I admitted. He smiled and patted the top of my head gently. "Nevertheless, there are no words to express how proud I am of you...Watashi no musume (my daughter)." I smiled and looked up at Otusan proudly.

Someday...I'm gonna be just like you are now, Otusan!  I thought.

To be continued..!