Megumi yawned widely as she tossed sticks into the cheerfully burning fire in front of her.  The sun was setting amongst a myriad of pinks and oranges and a breeze drifted through the trees with a wistful sigh. It was hard to believe a year had passed since she left Kyoto. She missed everyone and felt a little strange now that she was on her own but it had been time. Megumi couldn’t rely on everyone else forever.

The fish she caught earlier fit easily enough over the sticks she had cleaned at a stream and were roasting gently in the fire. Part of her training in the mountains, had been learning how to rough it in the woods and so far it seemed she was doing fairly well. After she was done eating she would scout the area and see if there were any hot springs nearby so she could bathe.

Megumi shuddered. Three days had passed since her last bath and she imagined she didn’t smell all that great. Like her mother, she had the tendency to take care about her appearance. She may have been a swordsmen but she was still a woman after all. The next town was another two days away and she did not relish entering it smelling like a filthy bandit. Sighing, she picked up the fish on their sticks and blew on their charred flesh to cool them. Megumi dug around in her pack for her flask of water and sat down on the fallen log nearby. The fish turned out surprisingly good for someone who couldn’t cook. Finished with the meal, she wiped her hands on her hakama, and walked a little ways away from her camp and scanned the area. She thought she could barely make out steam rising in the distance. Luck was with her, it was probably a hot spring. She trudged back to her camp to grab a towel and one of the few changes of clothes she had and went to the spring.

The hot water was nice on her tense muscles and especially her feet, which were sore from tramping up the side of a mountain all day. She wondered if Kenji had set out on a journey too. Hopefully he did not let himself be over come with his anger towards their father. It was pointless to be angry with one who was already dead. Why hold a grudge over someone who had moved on? Sometimes Megumi did not understand her brother. He sought eternal glory and prestige that would surpass their father. It was almost as if by doing so Kenji would somehow be able to spite their father.

What he failed to realize was their father did not come by the infamous reputation as the Hitokiri Battousai without a high price. He did not fight in the revolution to achieve greatness, he did so to help people. Their father was pure of heart and by taking lives during the revolution, he suffered greatly with guilt the rest of his life. That was what awaited Kenji if he continued down the path of senseless self-destruction. When Megumi looked in his eyes and beneath the anger she saw the same swordsman spirit as their father, but in every other aspect he was very much like their mother. The same rash temper and recklessness.

“HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP ME!”

Megumi’s head shot up and she looked around trying to find the source of the voice. It sounded desperate and terrified. She reached for a towel. Megumi would do whatever she could. It was after all the reason she set out from Kyoto in the first place. She dried herself off hurriedly and slipped on her clothes, fastening the obi at her waist.

“HELP ME!”

She snatched up the sakabattou and ran barefoot in the direction where she sensed the ki spiking alarmingly.
The sun had set by now, so Megumi was able to slip under the shadow of the trees stealthily until she saw the light of a torch. Four men in cracked and dilapidated armor were surrounding a frightened man in a threadbare kimono.

“Enough of your screaming old man, the boss isn’t happy with you. You borrowed money from him to help your sick wife and you haven’t paid him back.” One of the men jabbed his sword into the crouched man’s face.

“O-onegaishimasu, I’ll have your money in another month. I just need a little more time.”

“Old man, the money was due back a week ago. You know what happens to those who cannot repay their debt to Takayama-sama.” The man raised his sword above the cowering man. “They become prey for the Ryuu squad. After we’re done with you we’ll go finish off the old lady.”

Unable to bare listening to the arrogant man anymore, Megumi stepped out of the shadows. “You shouldn’t be giving innocent folks a hard time, that you should not. The man said he would pay you in a month, so why not wait until then?”

The man whirled around and scowled at her. “Who are you?!”

“My name is Himura Megumi and I will be your opponent tonight unless you let the man go.”

“Himura?” The man sneered looking her up and down assessing her. “You have a lot of nerve interrupting the Ryuu squad, boy. This is not the business of a penniless rurouni. Why don’t you move along and I’ll forgive your impudence.”

“That I am afraid is something I cannot do.” Megumi crouched into the stance for the Ryu Sou Sen. It was a fairly strong attack, but it would be necessary to take out these men. They looked like weak bandits, but in actuality they were probably better skilled with a blade. She hoped to take them all out using the one attack. Taking a deep breath she calmed herself and waited.

The man who had spoken to her was apparently the leader and nodded to his men. “I don’t want to waste my time on such a scrawny weakling. I’ll leave him to you.”

An amused smile curved her mouth. She took back her assessment of their skill. The men were charging blindly with their swords raised high, leaving several areas unguarded. Their reactions would be slow, making the Ryu Sou Sen the perfect move. When they were within two feet of her, she drew the sakabattou and was gone in an instant. Before they could move a flash of silver streaked through the air, as the sakabattou hit each and every opponent, knocking them unconscious.

The leader’s jaw dropped in disbelief at the sight of his men falling. “H-how? You can’t possibly be human.”

“I assure you that I am.” Megumi said calmly, sheathing the sword. “Now take your men and return to your lord. Unless of course, you wish to be defeated by myself as well.”

“Don’t think this is over rurouni. You have not seen the last of the Ryuu squad.” The man threatened and ran off, leaving his unconscious men behind.

“Of that I have no doubt.” Megumi helped the old man up and led him away from the clearing and back to her camp.

“Arigatou gozaimasu, young lad. You shouldn’t have troubled yourself over me, now you have the Ryuu squad as enemies.” The old man sat wearily on the fallen log, frowning at Megumi.

“It was no trouble sir. I am a rurouni but I also carry the sakabattou. It’s a sword to protect people from injustices.” She saw no reason to correct the man about her gender. It seemed everyone she came across thought she was man, save the man Soujiro. Megumi was getting used to it.

“I borrowed money from Takayama-sama despite the warnings I received from people who heard of dealings their friends made with him in the past. The majority of the people who had, disappeared and never returned. He is the wealthiest inhabitant of our town of Kohaku. Kohaku is small and most of the people are just getting by. My wife is ill and needed money for medicine that was expensive and can only be found in the large cities. I was supposed to pay him back a week ago but the harvest was poor this year and I had to use most of it to pay our taxes. Now I have the Ryuu squad after my wife and I.”
“How far away is this town?” She asked while pulling a spare flask out of her pack and filling it with water.

“About two days away.”

It was as Megumi suspected. So the town she was heading to was where this ‘Takayama-sama’ presided.
She would take care of him and see that a message got to Kyoto police about the man. “This Takayama-sama is exploiting your town. I will accompany you back and see that he is justly punished.”

“But, young lad, it is too dangerous. The Ryuu squad is powerful and would slaughter you in an instant. I can’t ask anymore of you. You have already saved my life.”

“Did you not see how I took out those men with one attack? Surely they can’t be all that dangerous if I could do that.”

He accepted the flask of water she offered gratefully. “You are strong lad, but there is one known as Ryuu Shishou who is known to kill ten men with a single swing. He is the leader of the Ryuu squad and has never been defeated. As it is, Takayama-sama has been rumored to be involved with a syndicate from the continent. Do not let your arrogance blind you or it will get you killed.”

“I understand your concerns sir, but I cannot travel on knowing this man is taking advantage of innocent folks such as yourself.”

The man nodded sadly and continued to sip his water.

‘Gomen, Misao Oba-san. I will not be able to follow your advice this time and dress like a woman entering this town.’ For all intensive purposes it would be easier if they mistook Megumi for her father. Then maybe Takayama and his goons would be too frightened knowing the ‘Hitokiri Battousai’ was entering their town, to actually cause any bloodshed.