From: "P. Rico" Hello, All Be warned, I'm attempting a serious fic again. I hope you all enjoy it. BTW, Madam Hydra, I am sooooo happy to here you're working on TWL again. I can't wait for the next part. Disclaimer: As much as I would like it, they are not mine. ******************** By Chance An RK fan fic by P.Rico ------ 17 year old Shinomori Aoshi ran through the forest on the out skirts of Aizu followed closely by four older men. "Damn!" he thought as he dodged another onslaught of kunai. "How did this happen?" What had started out as a routine scouting mission had turned into a fight for his life. The Oniwabanshuu had been keeping a close eye on a rival clan who was suspected on making trouble for the Western merchants who dared to venture on the new market of Japan. The Oniwabanshuu had taken it upon themselves to find a stop these renegade ninja. Aoshi winced as a kunai grazed his shoulder. Normally, he would have had no problem shaking them off. But his injuries were slowing him down. Especially the deep cut on his side that was bleeding steadily. It seemed the enemy was keeping as close an eye on the Oniwabanshuu as the Oniwabanshuu was on them. The information they had received was false. The enemy had laid a trap and he fell right into it. Half of him wished he had brought some of the others with him so they could have given him a hand. The other half was grateful he didn't. He was a fool to fall into the trap, he wasn't about to let anybody fall with him. "But if I don't do something quick," he thought. "They'll be looking for a new Okashira. Maybe they won't get such a foolish one this time." --- 13 year old Takani Megumi trudged through the dark forest. "Why did I have to get the herbs for otousan?" she muttered to herself. "Why couldn't neesan have gotten them?" She jumped as she heard something snap. "Get ahold of yourself, Megumi." She had been coming to this part of the forest with her father and brother for as long as she could remember, but whenever she came alone, the forest seemed darker and more mysterious. And today, she couldn't explain it but the forest seemed almost...evil. She shook of that thought and began looking around for the herbs. She found them where they always grew. She immediately kneeled down and began pulling them up. "The sooner I collect them," she thought, stuffing the herbs in a bag. "The sooner I can get out of this creepy place." --- Aoshi couldn't sense anybody following him. But he didn't trust his sensed right now. Not when he had other distractions. He kept up his pace the best he could, ignoring the pain in his side. He broke through the foliage into a small clearing and tripped over something. He managed to keep his footing and was aware of a small yelp. "Watch it," he heard an angry female voice say. He turned to see a girl rising to her feet. Cold blue eyes met warm brown eyes as the two young people regarded each other. --- Megumi was, at first, angry at the stranger for being so clumsy. But her anger soon turned to concern when she saw the battered young man. His clothing was unlike any she had ever seen. His face partially hidden by a blue-ish colored scarf. But what perhaps caught her attention the most was the small sword at his side. --- Aoshi quickly looked over the girl. She was wearing a medical smock over a kimono but looked far to young to be a doctor. Aoshi figured she had to be a nurse. When she took a step forward, he instinctively stepped back. "I won't hurt you," she said calmly. "I want to help." --- Although is was difficult to see in the dark forest, and with his dark clothing, Megumi noticed that he appeared to be bleeding heavily from his side. "If I can get him to come with me," she thought, "I can take him to otousan for treatment." "You need medical attention," she said to him. "My father is a doctor." The young man remained silent for a long while. Finally, he spoke. "You should leave this place immediately." With that, he dove back into the forest. "Matte!" she cried out, but he was already gone. "How odd." She looked in the direction the young man took of in for a while before going back to gathering herbs. It wasn't long before she heard somebody approaching her. She turned around, thinking he might have come back but instead found herself facing four men. Their faces were completely hidden by black masks. "Well," said one approaching her. "What have we here?" --- Aoshi leaned against a tree in an attempt to catch her breath. "I have to keep going," he thought. But he felt dizzy and nauseated. He took one final breath then straightened up. He was about to get going when he heard a scream. "What?" he stiffened. "That girl, the must have found here." He quickly, but quietly, backtracked his steps. He found them in the same clearing. The girl was up against a tree surrounded by three of his pursuers. The fourth was looking around the small clearing. "I don't know," the girl was saying. "I didn't see anybody." "Sir, there's blood here." The leader walked over to the spot Aoshi had been standing on only a few moments before. "It's fresh," he said then walked back toward the girl. "I think your not telling me something. Why don't we try again. It would be such a shame if something happened to that cute face of yours." Aoshi made his decision. He wasn't going to let this girl suffer because of his stupidity. He leaped out of his hiding place and pulled out his kodachi. "I believe you're looking for me." The four men turned toward him. "Oniwabanshuu," said the leader. "You're dead." "Run, girl!" Aoshi yelled. They attacked. The fight was brutal. But it appeared that they had underestimated him, or he had overestimated them. Either way, the battle ended with the four men lying dead at his feet. Aoshi fell to the ground, clutching his side and gasping for air. Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and instinctively went for his dropped kodachi. --- Megumi saw the young man go for his sword. She reached out and placed her had over his. The young man glanced at her warily. "I'm not going to hurt you," she said. "I told you to run," he said. "I wasn't about to leave you here in this condition." Megumi gripped his arm firmly and helped him to his feet. He rose, sword in hand, but kept a lose grip. "There's a cabin not far from here," she told him. "We'll go there so I can bandage you up. Then I'll go get my father and brother so they can take you back to our clinic in town." The young man didn't reply. --- Aoshi allowed the girl to lead him to the small cabin. When inside, she sat him down on the cold wooden floor. Without saying a word, she removed his scarf, then suddenly pulled back. "Gomen," she said quietly. "But I need you to remove you're shirt." Aoshi nodded and, with help from the girl, preceeded to remove his vest and shirt. The girl then pushed him down and began her examination. --- Megumi looked over the young man's slender body. He was covered with numerous cuts and bruises, but what concerned her the most was the large gash at his right side. "I need something to bandage it with," she thought. She looked at his scarf, but then decided to use her smock instead. She removed her smock and began ripping it into strips with the young man's sword. She immediately set to work. She noticed that he was watching her with half-closed eyes. When Megumi finished she quickly examined her work. It was crude, but it would keep him from bleeding to death while she went for help. "I'm going to get my father now," she told him. "I'll be right back." He nodded and closed his eyes. Megumi checked the bandages one last time, then set off toward her family's clinic. --- Aoshi felt the girl leave and opened his eyes. She said she was going to get her family to help him. He couldn't allow that. He had already put her in danger once before. The more contact she and her family had with him, the more danger they'd be in. He slowly sat up and reached for his shirt. --- "Hurry, hurry, Oniisan." Megumi ran as best she could in her kimono toward the cabin. Her brother was right behind her. He father had been busy with another patient when she arrived. They reached the cabin and Megumi thew open the door, only to find it empty. "So where is he?" Megumi turned back toward her brother. "He was right here." Megumi's brother walked into the cabin and noticed a fresh blood stain on the floor. "Looks like he left." He looked up and saw Megumi holding a blue cloth. "What's that?" "The scarf he wore," she replied "He must have left it." She felt her brother place a hand on her shoulder and looked up. "Come on," he said. "Let's go home." End ***************************** Okay, what do you think? Go ahead, be harsh, I can take it ^-^. I got this idea from a doujinshi (sp?) I saw online that had Megumi and Kenshin having a chance encounter in the forest when Kenshin was still the Battousai. I'm currently writing a follow up story. I have most of it written so maybe I'll have it up some time next week. Thanks for reading. --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- GRAB THE GATOR! FREE SOFTWARE DOES ALL THE TYPING FOR YOU! Tired of filling out forms and remembering passwords? Gator fills in forms and passwords with just one click! Comes with $50 in free coupons! Click Here ------------------------------------------------------------------------