Summer was in full swing.

The air was sweet and warm.

And Kaoru Kamiya was just finishing up some shopping at the nearby market. Many of the outlying farmers and bakers would congregate inside the bustling city of Tokyo every week and mothers and daughters would often flock to the market to procure their weekly bounty of vegetables, meat, fish, grain and other staples. Kaoru usually had Yahiko or Kenshin tag along to do the heavy lifting but when she had left hours ago, they were still busy cleaning and she decided she could go shopping alone.

It was a nice change for the dark haired girl but a part of her was curious if her dojo would still be standing when she returned. While she knew Yahiko was a good kid, she knew he could find trouble without even trying. Sano was off doing his own thing and Kaoru had a feeling he might be gambling or pestering Megumi who was helping Doctor Gensai. Thankfully her anxiety and worry was quelled by the knowledge that if anything went wrong, Kenshin would be able to handle it. She was so blessed to have crossed paths with the wanderer and she found herself being kept at night, from time to time, at the thought of him someday wandering off.

As the sun up above began to sink down towards the horizon, Kaoru passed by Tajima Dojo. The family had moved in a month or so back and Kaoru had only had sour interactions with the teachers and their students. Many of those who went ended up stealing and causing fights in the streets. To Kaoru, they were rotten and gave swordsmanship a bad name. There wasn't much the local authorities could do and most of the victims felt helpless to do anything themselves. Kaoru once had to intervene between a student from Tajima and an innocent father trying to get home with his six year old daughter.

In the end, she managed to get the student to back off but the incident never sat right with her.

It could have escalated and she was rather certain that next time, it wouldn't be so easy to calm the waters.

Kaoru glanced off as she heard the cries of students in pain. There were rumors that Takata Tajima abused his students and that alone only made things more complicated. How could someone intentionally harm their students was a concept far beyond her understanding. Kaoru forced herself to keep walking. She recalled he had a son, Ryuuto and a daughter, Satsumi. She worried about them but knew for now, she needed to get home before the sun set. As pretty as the walk would be, she knew she had hungry people waiting for her to get dinner made.

The woman passed by a sheet of paper attached to a building. The building itself was where people reported incidents and events but the wall outside was where people posted missing people, missing items, asking for manual labor and such. The flier which caught her eyes, was one saying there was going to be a tournament held in the next week and that anyone between the ages of 15-20 could sign up. There was space to do so and Kaoru noticed that Ryuuto Tajima had already listed his name. She swallowed hard and glanced around. As if on cue a tall man with long black hair walked down the dirt road, his sword in full view.

Immediately, Kaoru knew he was Ryuuto and noted his hair was swept down to cover his right eye and she wondered if it was hiding a bruise or other deep wound. He was alone and seemed rather confident, if not cocky even. When he saw her looking at the tournament, he smirked and walked toward her. "Little girls have no place among men." He sneered.

"My Kamiya Kasshin style is far superior to yours. Your family practices all sorts of criminal behavior and it's about time someone stood up to you and your horrible father!" Kaoru glared, not one to stand by and let someone mock her, much less females in general.

"I could end your life right here and now and no one would care." Ryuuto began to pull out his blade.

Though her arms were full with groceries, Kaoru knew she could still get hold of her wooden sword which was slung behind her. Still, it was evident that Ryuuto was already holding an advantage over her. He positioned his slim sharp blade and pointed it at Kaoru's exposed neck. She had on her usual pink kimono and knew in his mind, she wasn't a threat. She would give anything to prove him wrong and remind everyone that her dojo needed members and was not making the world a worse place.

It was a beautiful day and Kenshin was trying to get the chores done quickly so he could enjoy a way in the nice weather before it got dark. He probably would have been finished already if a certain young "samurai" had been a little more enthusiastic about his chores. "Ugh, why does Kaoru still have me scrubbing the floors like I'm some kind of maid."

Kenshin chuckled softly at the boy's indignation. "If you are above scrubbing the floor, then perhaps you are also above walking on it." Yahiko grit his teeth and got back to work, grumbling to himself, while Kenshin just smiled gently. He wasn't sure when exactly he had become accustomed to the routine chores and rhythm of the Kamiya Kasshin dojo, but for the first time since his days as the battousai, he felt like he had a home. Sure, he had set his head down in many places during his travels, but nobody had made him feel as welcome or as comfortable as Kaoru. Indeed, Tokyo had it's fair share of strife, but he felt that his life here was worth fighting every now and then for.

With the chores finished, Kenshin decided to go for a walk through the city, and perhaps meet up with Kaoru to help her take care of the groceries. The sword he wore on his side always seemed to attract attention, but recently it seemed to stir up some apprehension among the citizens. A new group of swordsman had moved in, flaunting their skills about aggressively, and that caused people to become nervous around anyone carrying a real sword. It was unfortunate, but there was really nothing Kenshin could do about it short of crashing their dojo and running them out of town. However, he would refrain from that so long as no innocents were being harmed...

And then Kenshin saw a young man brazenly pointing his sword at Kaoru's neck, and he knew that Kaoru wasn't the kind of woman to back down from something like that. He decided to head over and defuse the situation before a sword fight broke out in the middle of the street. "Excuse me," Kenshin said, walking up to the assailant with a pleasant expression. "Would you mind putting your sword away? You're scaring people who just want to go about their business."

Ryuuto kept his sword aimed at Kaoru's neck, but slowly rolled his eyes towards Kenshin, and then towards the sword at his side. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" Ryuuto said.

Kenshin blinked and gave Ryuuto a blank expression. "I haven't the slightest idea..."

Ryuuto smirked. "You're talking to Tajima Ryuuto, number one disciple of the Tajima dojo. And just who the hell are you?"

"Oh, I'm just a wanderer," Kenshin said, maintaining his pleasant tone.

"Well then, Mr. Wanderer, I'll make a deal with you. If you bow down and show me proper respect, I won't stain this girl's kimono with her blood."

Kenshin thought about the proposition briefly. He was pretty certain that he could disarm this upstart with ease, but that would likely just start a feud with the dojo, and a feud was the last thing this city, and Kaoru, needed. So, he decided to oblige and see if Ryuuto was a man of his word. "So, I bow to you and you'll put your sword away without any trouble? Alright, sounds simple enough." Still, maintaining his pleasant expression, Kenshin got on his knees and gave a proper bow.

Ryuuto immediately busted out laughing. He kept his sword out but took it away from Kaoru's neck, and then placed his foot atop Kenshin's head. "A weakling like you doesn't deserve to carry a sword. Go ahead and eat some dirt for me!"

In her mind, Kaoru was already beginning to think of a few scenarios in which the outcome was in her favor. She knew the man was cocky and that would have to be his undoing all the same. Her eyes narrowed at the man as she looked him over, trying to see if she could spot a physical weakness she could exploit. Of course his stance was solid and his footing wasn't likely to be shaken. Her only conclusion as that she needed to put some distance between the two of them in order to land a blow to subdue the man to allow her to get away. In the back of her mind, she already knew she would be signing up for the tournament. Not only did it offer considerable sum to the winner but now she wanted to ensure the pride of the Kamiya dojo was kept in tact. And with people like Ryuuto entering, she knew it wouldn't be an easy victory but it would be well worth the struggle.

A familiar sound reached her ears and Kaoru immediately perked up.

She wanted to swoon at the notion of him coming to rescue her. But at the same time she wanted to berate him for interfering in her own fight with Ryuuto. So clearly, the stubborn woman was torn between being delighted and being somewhat embarrassed. Kaoru watched as Kenshin came over to them and tried to get Ryuuto to back off. The two exchanged names, well Kenshin refrained from using his, asserting he was just a wanderer. Kaoru looked from him, back to Ryuuto to see whether or not the riled man was buying that story.

Her heart was racing, though she wasn't worried for Kenshin's safety, or hers now that he had arrived. The woman was still rather on edge, considering she still had a sword pressing into the side of her neck. She was rather determined to prove to the brat that his way of the sword was one of destruction and shame. "What?" She couldn't help but blurt out when he wanted Kenshin to bow to him. "No, you don't have to!" She protested, not enjoying the fact that Ryuuto would only have his ego even more inflated.

He was using his sword as a weapon, not just in the physical sense but also in the emotional sense.

Kenshin was quick to comply and move to the ground, offering a humble respect for Ryuuto. Kaoru glared at the man who began to cackle. Thankfully he did remove the sword from her neck but then placed his foot atop Kenshin's head. That was more than enough for Kaoru to take. She quickly tossed her groceries to the side of the road and grabbed hold of her sword and held it in front of her. Her dojo practiced the art of defending the weak and empowering them.

And while Kenshin was not weak by any means, Ryuuto needn't know that. And Kaoru was now itching to teach the guy a lesson in manners and respect for not just women, but humanity in general. "You are just a bully!" She snapped at Ryuuto and swung forward. Ryuuto quickly brought up his sword to meet hers before it connected with his right shoulder blade.

"And you're a worthless bitch." He laughed and pushed her backwards.

Kaoru dug her shoes into the dirt road and pushed his steal blade off of her wooden and lunged again.

This time she landed a blow on the left side of his head, hitting him in the ear. She knew that would be enough to throw off his balance and to disorient him. Ryuuto let out a groan and quickly put a hand to his ear to check whether or not he was bleeding but he wasn't. Kaoru was against killing but she still knew certain areas and pressure points which would deal special damage to her opponents. He looked from her to Kenshin and decided they weren't worth the trouble. "Your blood will stain my blade but not today." Ryuuto swore.

"If you're not as weak and cowardly as you look, I'll see you in the tournament." He said and then left, going back the way he came, walking a bit unevenly. Kaoru sighed and glanced to her food, hoping some of it was salvageable. Then she looked to Kenshin, knowing he had wanted to avoid a confrontation.

Though she knew she should apologize to him, she couldn't. Instead she decided to ask for his help. "Will you train me?" She could tell he had been holding back. And she also knew her practice going up against those with real swords was limited. If anyone could help her, it would be Kenshin. "I'm going to enter the tournament and prove to him and everyone else that his way of the sword is flawed and without merit." Kaoru said as she quickly scribbled her own name on the sheet, as it had some ink and a quill attached to it. She turned back to Kenshin, knowing she couldn't win without his help.

"Oro?" Kenshin looked up with a dazed expression once he heard the clack of wood against steel. He knew that Kaoru was brave, but he hadn't expected her to lash out like that when nobody was in any real danger. The whole point of his plan was to prevent a fight and save the groceries that were now scattered on the floor. With a sigh Kenshin stood up and brushed himself off, watching the brief exchange between Kaoru and Ryuuto with his hand on his sword, ready to jump in and break it up before anyone got hurt.

Kenshin was impressed that Kaoru was standing up to someone with a steel blade, and that she was actually able to block the strike without her own blade breaking. Ryuuto seemed to have the advantage in power, and his technique was aggressive, but refined. He was a little worried seeing that, but his aggressive style left an opening that Kaoru quickly seized. It was a sturdy smack to the side of his head, and had Kaoru been wielding a sword like his, he would have been severely maimed, if not killed. Still, it seemed that the blow was enough to break his resolve and he took off swearing vengeance.

With the fight over, Kenshin gave a look of dismay at the vegetables littering the ground, but it seemed Kaoru was still heated up and, without hesitation, signed herself up for some local tournament. She was then just as quick to ask him for help to train. "Well, I'll certainly do whatever I can to help you, Miss Kaoru, but the Hiten Mitsurugi style is not well suited to wooden blades. Perhaps I could give you some advice on your techniques to help you improve. But right now there's something more important we need to take care of." Kenshin pointed to the food that was spilled all over the ground.

Without chastising Kaoru for causing chaos in the city streets, he calmly went over and started picking the groceries up and salvaging as much as he could. "I suppose most of it will still be good, but we'll need to wash it. It would be a shame if we let a man like that make our food go to waste, don't you agree Miss Kaoru?" He gave the young swordsman a pleasant smile even as he cleaned up her mess. Once he gathered everything up, he started heading back to the dojo with it, walking beside Kaoru.

He was quite for a while, simply enjoying the fresh weather and musing to himself, but eventually he said, "I think it will be good for someone to stand up to that dojo. Show them that strength isn't something to be flaunted, but rather something to be used to protect the weak. Show them that there is more to swordsmanship than just powerful techniques. And..." He looked at Kaoru and smiled. "Show them that the Kamiya Kasshin style is worthy of respect."

Kaoru knew her actions might have caused some disappointment in Kenshin but shouldn't help herself.

She knew she should have better resolve but she hated seeing someone bully someone else, even if it was something minor and non-life threatening.

Her eyes moved to where his attention was: on the groceries. "Oh. You're right..." She hoped some of them could be salvaged but it was apparent that the rice was beyond salvation. The vegetables, fruits and some of the wrapped meat were picked up by Kenshin while she stood back and listened. He was right, they couldn't let the guy cause further disruption to them but she was still pretty on edge and could only grumble to herself. The Tajima clan was already causing strife in the city and she hoped her little confrontation wouldn't cause someone innocent unnecessary harm.

Sighing, she finally felt her temper lessening. "You're right." She gave him a nod finally. In the back of her mind, she knew his fighting style was different in numerous ways but she knew he could still lend his knowledge to her. He was very clever, after all he did survive the Revolution. The auburn haired man soon finished and they headed back to their own dojo. Her thoughts were still somewhat rattled, even though her mood had settled back to its usual contended state.

Even though the altercation hadn't escalated, she knew it could have, quite easily. She was certain the man beside her disapproved of her action and that was a terrible thing to consider. The last thing Kaoru wanted was to disappoint someone she admired and cared for. While they walked, the woman thought about what to say or if she should just leave the incident behind and not bring it up. Before she could say anything herself, Kenshin spoke up and said how good it would be to have someone finally stand up and prove that Tajima's ways were flawed and could be better used to protect people.

When he finished by saying her own style could earn such respect, she gave him a wide smile. His words really meant a lot to her, as did his own opinions. It was a great relief to know he wasn't upset, even if they had differing ideas about handling some situations. "Thank you, Kenshin." She said. To her, Ryuuto and his father seemed to only understand things taught through the sword so if she had to go that route, so be it. "Of course, your help will be very vital to proving our point." She told him. As the Kamiya dojo came into view, she glanced at the food in his arms. "Why don't we make dinner together?" She suggested. "We could grill up some chicken and vegetables."

She could already hear Yahiko's stomach growling.

Kenshin was glad to see Kaoru's usual cheerful demeanor return as they talked, and was more than happy to help with the dinner. Though, it would feel odd calling something a dinner without rice, but he supposed that couldn't be helped. "Certainly, Miss Kaoru," Kenshin said as they approached the dojo. "Grilled chicken and vegetables sound great. Though, I'm not sure what to tell Yahiko about the rice. If he hears that the Tajima dojo is the reason for it he might start trouble with them... Let's just tell him that I dropped it." He gave Kaoru a pleasant smile and sure enough Yahiko was there waiting for them.

"What took you so long?" The young samurai complained. "I'm starving over here!"

Kenshin just gave a pleasant laugh. "I'm sure you mean 'thank you for picking up groceries so we can eat.' We're going to grill some chicken and vegetables, so we'll be eating soon."

"I just hope you're the one cooking, Kenshin," Yahiko said. "Kaoru always burns the chicken."

Before another fight could break out that would destroy even more of their groceries, Kenshin began preparing the food. He peeled some carrots and put them on the grill along with some leeks and their chicken. He sat with a serene expression as he cooked, as if living out a domestic life was how he meditated. In a way, it was. These simple mundane tasks were a welcome escape from his bloody past. Even with the trouble that popped up from time to time, he felt at peace here, free from the bloodshed and violence of the Revolution. A simple tournament was a far cry from the violence he knew. Sure, tempers would flare and rivalries would brew, but a form of combat with plenty of rules and no killing could not compare to the raw viciousness he knew. However, he wondered if the Tajima dojo wanted to keep it that way...

"Miss Kaoru," Kenshin said quietly as they cooked. "Be careful in the tournament. I have no doubt that you'll do well with your swordsmanship, but I have a feeling you'll need more than that to win. Remember who it is you're up against. I'm sure they don't like being held back by tournament rules. They'll use any way to think of to hurt you. Even though it's just a tournament, you'd best fight as though your life is on the line."

It was mostly Kaoru's fault their rice had been carelessly discarded. Though she also blamed Ryuuto Tajima. Still, having Kenshin take the brunt of Yahiko's impending tantrum was something she was hesitant to encourage. Still, at this point there was little point in crying over spilled rice. "I'll have to go back out tomorrow and see if I can get us some more." With money tight, she had a feeling she'd need to do a few odd jobs around town before she could go back to the market and procure more rice.

When Yahiko spotted them enter the grounds, he was quick to complain about how long he had been waiting.

"You're so ungrateful, Yahiko." Kaoru's face turned a slight red as she felt pretty embarrassed to have such a stubborn student. Kenshin chimed in by correcting Yahiko in a more calm manner. Kaoru couldn't help but give Kenshin a sympathetic look. Yahiko was her student but it was often Kenshin who had to even out the tension between her and her student. Still, Kaoru sighed and felt the temperature in her cheeks fall back to normal but that was quickly useless as Yahiko once again complained, this time about her cooking skills.

"You're lucky you're even getting chicken!" Kaoru snapped and charged after Yahiko who managed to evade her clutches. Before she got further sidetracked, she remembered she wished to aid Kenshin with preparing dinner. She just shook her fist at Yahiko who had gone into hiding. Kaoru knew someday he'd respect her, she just wished that day would arrive a little quicker.

Making her way back to where Kenshin was stationed, she seasoned the chicken and placed beside the vegetables which Kenshin had just placed on the small grill outside. Kaoru knew it would be about five or six minutes before she needed to tend to the meat so she allowed her mind to wander back to Yahiko and whether or not she was being the best teacher she could be. The last thing she wanted to do was to become someone like Tajima and resort to severe punishments. The notion of causing her own students harm as punishment was one she couldn't even grasp, as annoying as a certain brat could be.

Kenshin spoke up, asking her to be careful. She wasn't going in to be reckless but before she could assure the man sitting beside her, he continued. He mentioned that those she may be up against may surely try certain tactics forbidden by the rules in order to win. She gave a small nod in understanding. "That's why I'd really prefer if you helped me train for such unpredictable circumstances." She pointed out to him with another calm smile.

Deep down, she was certain that if she was ever in harm's way, truly in harm's way, Kenshin would act.

But she also knew she couldn't count on his kindness in lieu of the possibility of her being unable to defend herself. Kaoru knew she would need to be level headed and decisive with her moves. She glanced back down and used the nearby chopsticks to flip the chicken so it could finish cooking. "Are you free tonight after dinner?" She asked him, unsure if he had other things to do. Sometimes he did wander off into town or elsewhere so she decided it would be easier to just ask directly than to assume one way or the other. Already she was thinking of a way to repay him for his time. Would she be able to bake something?