This is a teaser and introduction to my own ALTERNATE REALITY universe
which I've called "The Nightwitch Tales" -- think of it as Rurouni
Kenshin mixed with various supernatural and paranormal elements.
Other stories in this alternate reality are:
        "All in the Family"
        "Romancing the Wolf"
        "That Which Lingers"

This story takes place after the end of the Kyoto story arc.  After
that, it takes a sharp left turn into its own world.

As always, C&C is greatly appreciated!   ^_^

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    NIGHT VISITOR:  A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic by MadamHydra
======================================================================

---------------
Disclaimer
    All rights and privileges to Rurouni Kenshin belong to Nobuhiro
Watsuki, Shuiesha, Sony Music Entertainment, and associated parties.
The characters of these series are used WITHOUT permission for the
purpose of entertainment only.  This work of fiction is not meant for
sale or profit.  Original portion of the fiction included here is
considered to be the sole property and copyrighted to the author.

---------------
Text Conventions
    (  ) are character thoughts

**********************************************************************

    It was the night of the new moon.

    On the holy ground of a half-forgotten Shinto shrine, a quiet
conversation takes place in the shadows....
 
    "I want to know how she died," said a woman's voice, low and
husky.
 
    "Why ask me?"  The reply came in a bored and sarcastic masculine
drawl.
 
    "You were there."
 
    There was a sigh, then a glowing red tip of a cigarette briefly
illuminated an austere, narrow face.

    "Along with three other people.  Go bother them."

    "In your own words, 'Shinomori Aoshi has no idea what's going in
his own brain, much less anyone else's.'"

    "Hmph."

     "What else?  Oh yes.  'Sagara Sanosuke is an idiot.'"

    "Too true.  Well, if you really want to know the how and the why,
go ask Himura Battousai."

    "The Battousai...."  The woman's voice turned thoughtful.

    "Have fun talking to him."

--------------------------------

    Dressed only in a loose white bedrobe, Kenshin slowly crept
downstairs with less than his usual agility.  It was the middle of the
night but he was careful not to make a sound.  If the others found him
up and moving around, they'd put him back in bed -- by force, if
necessary.  Not that he didn't appreciate his friends' concern and
attention, but he wanted a little time to himself... and there was
something very relaxing about sitting outside on a quiet night.

    At the bottom of the stairs, he stopped to catch his breath.  He
was nowhere close to full recovery.  The slightest physical exertion
reminded of how close he had come to dying during that final duel with
Shishio.

    After a short rest, he silently made his way toward the back of
the Shirobeko restaurant.  He slid open one last door and looked out
on a simple but well-tended garden.  Kenshin gingerly eased himself
down onto the wooden deck and propped himself against one of the
sturdy wooden posts.

    It was the night of the new moon.  Although the sky was clear, the
starlight was pale and weak, leaving much of his surroundings shrouded
in velvety shadows.  There was just a hint of a breeze in the cool
night air, just enough to stir the thin layer of mist clinging to the
ground.

    Kenshin released a quiet, appreciative sigh.  Closing his eyes, he
let his mind drift.  Unmeasured time passed as he sat there in a
semi-doze, listening to the soft croak of frogs and the murmur of
running water.
 
    "I've been waiting to talk to you, Himura-san."
 
    His eyes sprang open in surprise.  As he sat bolt upright, the
abrupt movement brought a sharp, stabbing pain in his side, but he
ignored it as he stared at the woman standing several yards away -- a
woman that looked uncannily like Yumi Komagata.  For a stunned moment,
he wondered if he was dreaming or delirious with fever.  As the shock
gradually faded, Kenshin realized that the woman before him was not
Shishio's dead lover... but there was an unmistakable resemblance.

    "Oro?"
 
    Like Yumi, the woman wore a kimono loosely tied in the front.
However, her shoulders were decorously covered.  And unlike Yumi's
artfully casual hairstyle, the visitor's hair was neatly and precisely
arranged in a bun.

    ....but she wore a string of dark blue-green beads in her hair,
just like Yumi....

    "Forgive my intrusion at this unseemly hour, Himura-san, but I
wish to speak to you about the circumstances surrounding Yumi
Komagata's death."
 
    "If I may ask, who are you?"  Kenshin cocked his head a bit and
gave her a mild, inquisitive look.
 
    "I am Maki.  Yumi's... older sister."  The introduction was
accompanied by an elegant bow of her head.
 
    From the physical resemblance, it was clear that the two women
were closely related.  But Maki certainly didn't look like she was
older than Yumi.  Then again, Kenshin knew all too well how deceptive
appearances could be.

    "I see."

    Kenshin sensed something....  There was a hint of danger about
Maki... a lethal edge to her beauty that Yumi never had.  His visitor
didn't appear to be armed but that didn't mean much.  He was in no
condition to fend off any sort of assault, much less an attack from a
skilled assassin -- especially if what he suspected about Maki was
true.  Worse still, his sakabatou was upstairs in his bedroom....

    He had had a very few fleeting encounters with women such as Maki
before.  Female hitokiri were exceedingly rare and all the more
dangerous because of it.  He had the scars to prove it.  Deception,
disguise, and surprise were some of their main weapons -- much more so
than for men.

    (So why is she letting me read her so easily?)

    From the faint smile on Maki's face, she seemed to know exactly
what was going through his mind.  But she said nothing, apparently
content to merely talk... for the moment.

    "May I?"  She gestured to a place beside him.

    "Oh, excuse me.  Certainly."

    She stepped upon the wooden patio, turned to face him, and
gracefully knelt down several feet away.  Noting the paleness in his
face, she said, "Again, I ask that you pardon my imposition.  I'm
sorry that you're not feeling your best but I am impatient for some
answers."

    With a calm but alert look on his face, he said, "If I may be so
rude, why did you come at this hour?  It is not the usual time for
visitors."

    "I had been away traveling for some time.  I heard of my sister's
death only recently."  She gazed out over the gradually thickening
mist covering the garden pond.  "And I wanted to speak to you
privately."

    She turned back toward him.  "Your friends have been guarding your
privacy very fiercely.  I've seen them fending off the police,
high-ranking government officials, and untold other intruders who have
tried to see you.  Their loyalty and enthusiusm are to commended."

    "They're very dear to me."  There was no point in trying to hide
his feelings.  Not from this woman.

    "With reason, I'm sure.  Which is why I chose this particular time
to visit.  My business is with you and you alone.  It's best if we
have no unfortunate interruptions... or interference."

    Kenshin went still, then with a slight bow of his head, he quietly
said, "I appreciate your consideration.  Thank you.  I will do my best
to return the favor."

    His eyes narrowed ever so slightly as Maki reached into her
sleeve.  However, she merely pulled out a small crystal ball and
cradled it in her hand

    "Then to the matter at hand.  What happened to my sister and how
did she come to die?"  Maki's serene voice did nothing to mask her
demand for answers.

    He looked down at his hands and his fingers curled slightly, as if
remembering the feel and texture of an object he had recently held.
He sighed quietly, then for the very first time, Kenshin began to tell
his own version of the events leading up to the final battle with
Shishio.

    His story turned out to be a curious blend of honesty and
discretion.  His description of Yumi's words and actions was detailed
and thorough, showing a talent for observation and analysis that few
could match.  But other events not directly involving Maki's sister --
his battles with Aoshi Shinomori and Seta Soujiro, for example --
received only the briefest of mentions.

    Maki allowed him to tell his story in his own way, listening very
intently and making her own deductions from what Kenshin said -- and
what he did not say.  Occasionally, her fingers would idly stroke the
little crystal bauble in her hands.

    "...then Yumi stepped between us and pleaded with me to stop
fighting."  Kenshin abruptly fell silent.

    "Did you kill her for her interference?" Maki calmly asked.

    He stiffened and turned just a bit paler.

    She answered his unspoken question.  "Yes.  I was here in Kyoto
throughout the Bakumatsu no Douran."

    "...."

    "I know Yumi was not the first woman to step before your sword in
an effort to shield someone.  And that time, the Hitokiri Battousai
did not hesitate to strike.  Not at all."

    Kenshin lifted his head and met her cool stare with a quiet, sad
look of his own.

    "You... were there?"

    "Yes.  What a man has done before, he might do again... which is
why I ask you now.  Did you kill my sister Yumi?"

    "No, I did not kill her."

    "Then who did?"

    "It was Shishio.  He used her body to conceal his attack until the
very last moment."

    Maki's lips thinned.  "I should have expected that she'd die at
the hands of one of her... patrons."
 
    "You disapprove of her choice of lifestyle."
 
    Her voice now contained a harsh edge.  "She chose to become a
whore, a kept woman.  An expensive whore, perhaps, but one never the
less.  There are certain dangers inherent in such a life, especially
if one consorts with the powerful and ambitious."

    "Forgive me, but to Yumi, Shishio was much more than just another
powerful patron.  She truly loved him.  And in his own way, Shishio
loved her, also.  She knew him and he knew her.  She was willing to
sacrifice her life to protect Shishio and to give him an advantage
that could lead to his victory.  She offered her life and he
accepted."

    (And she very nearly succeeded.  In that one sword stroke, Shishio
came so close to victory.  If I hadn't pulled back at that very last
moment....)

    Kenshin would never forget the sight of his opponent's serrated
blade erupting from Yumi's chest.  Unconsciously, his hand drifted to
his stomach, where Shishio's attack had come dangerously close to
gutting him.

    "So you're saying that she was happy to die."

    "Yes...."

    "You don't seem to approve of my sister's decision."

    "It's not my place to approve or not.  But if I'd had the
slightest idea what she was up to,... I would have tried to stop her."

    "And you don't hate her?  After all, it appears that you very
nearly died because of her actions."

    "She was trying to defend the man she loved in the only way she
knew how.  How could I hate her for that?  I'm just sorry that she
couldn't think of a better way to save Shishio Mokoto's life."

    "So....  Yumi died happy and in the arms of the man she loved."
Maki sighed, then looked at Kenshin.

    "Yes."

    "Why the sad look?  Everything you've said indicates that her
death was hardly your fault.  Unfortunately, Yumi had always been very
reckless and headstrong.  Now that you've told me what happened, it
all makes sense."

    "I...."

    Maki sighed quietly.  "Yumi was born with certain disadvantages...
ones that caused a rift between herself and the rest of the family.
That rift opened early in her life and never healed.  Rather then
endure the pity of her relatives, she chose to leave and make her own
way in the world.  We had hoped that she would eventually return to
us...."  She shrugged.  "But I suppose that was not meant to be."

    "Perhaps.  But I can't help regret the loss of her life."

    She cocked her head slightly and gave Kenshin a long, steady look
as she slipped her little crystal orb back into her sleeve.

    "You've changed a great deal since the Bakumatsu no Douran, Himura
Battousai."

    Kenshin give her a small, wistful smile.

    "I am now just Himura Kenshin.  A rurouni."

    "And a man sworn not kill."  It was not a question.

    He nodded once.  "I've killed enough for ten lifetimes.  It has
taken me much too long to learn to value the lives of others properly.
 And it has taken me even longer to learn to value my own."

    Maki folded her hands together, placed them on the floor, and
bowed deeply in his direction.  "I thank you for the truth and your
honesty.  Rest assured that I consider this matter closed.  My family
will abide by my decision."

    Kenshin blinked in a mixture of surprise and relief, then returned
the bow in full, despite the nagging pain of his injuries.  He said,
"You're very welcome."

    She gave him a warm smile, then suddenly reached out and waved her
hand in front of his eyes.  With that gesture, Kenshin instantly went
unconscious.  Maki caught his limp body and gently pulled him up into
her arms.

--------------------------------

    She had not lied to Himura.  She was indeed Yumi's older sister...
older by well over a century.

    Poor Yumi.  Born without a Nightwitch's powers or a Nightwitch's
longevity, Maki's youngest sister had been doomed to only a few short
decades of life.  The pity she endured finally drove Yumi into leaving
the clan in order to make her life among mortals.  Maki could
understand that,... but the fact that she had chosen to become a
pleasure woman still grated on Maki's nerves.

    Her sister might have been a whore estranged from her family.  But
Yumi was still a Nightwitch and her wrongful death was still a matter
worthy of vengeance.

    However, it was now clear that Himura Kenshin had not been at
fault.  If there had been any fault, it lay in Shishio's all-consuming
ambitions and Yumi's own intemperate passions.

    Oh, some in the clan might quibble about her decision, but the
rights of a blood sister, especially an elder blood sister, outranked
the rights of other clan sisters.  And if she chose to forego her
claim to vengeance, then all in the clan must also do so.

    But as for Shishio,...  He might be in Hell, but that did not
necessarily mean that he was entirely out of Maki's reach....

    Well, that was a matter for further consideration.

    Maki was not one bit surprised that Yumi had been willing to give
up her life to secure victory for her lover.  It was bad enough that
Yumi had been unable to fight or hold her own among her own family...
but to be unable to do so against mere mortals....  Yumi's sense of
impotence and helplessness must have been nearly unbearable.

    On a whim, Maki reached out and pulled the string from Kenshin's
hair, releasing the long red strands from its ponytail.  As she idly
ran her fingers through the thick, soft hair cascading over her lap,
she wondered if he'd remember their conversation.

    Or would he think of it as a mere dream of a weary mind?

    Carrying him as easily as a child, she rose to her feet and
stepped down into the garden.  With a single, effortless leap, Maki
reached the Shirobeko's roof.  Two more jumps brought her to his
bedroom.  As she placed him on his futon and pulled up the bedcovers,
she murmured in his ear, "Yumi always loved blue flowers."

    She sat beside him for a little while, thoughtfully running her
fingers through his hair.  Before leaving, Maki carefully tugged a few
hairs free and wrapped the long red strands around her wrist.  She
took one last look, then disappeared out the window into the night,
leaving a quietly sleeping Kenshin behind.

--------------------------------

    In the forest clearings stood a small, plain shack, shrouded by
the early morning mist.  Next to the shack was a pottery kiln, its
fires unlit.  And on a log positioned directly in front of the kiln
sat a man in a white cape, leisurely sipping sake.

    "I saw your little redhead, Seijuro."
 
    "So?"  The man slowly turned to look at the woman standing behind
him.
 
    Maki smiled slightly.  "Don't worry.  I didn't hurt him."
 
    Seijuro Hiko, thirteenth successor of the Hiten Mitsuruguri Ryu
school, merely lifted an eyebrow.  But Maki was fairly certain that he
was sighing with relief behind that unbelievably arrogant exterior.

    "You should be proud of him.  He's changed a lot since I last saw
him.  Very interesting."

    Hiko turned his attention back to his jug of sake.  "Bah.  He's
been nothing but trouble since the day I found him."

    She walked around the clearing, casually inspecting a pot here, a
dish there....

    "He has an amazing will to live, despite all odds."
 
    "Certainly took him long enough to realize it.  Idiot."

    She smiled in amusement.  "And he'll definitely need it,
considering who and what he is.  I suppose you haven't told him?"

    "If he hasn't figured out by now that he's different from other
people, he's more of a moron than I imagined."

    "Kenshin's still very, very young... practically a baby, really."

 
    "Hmph.  Sometimes the only way a stubborn child learns is by
getting burned."

    "Yes, but some burns can be fatal," she politely remarked.

    "If he dies so easily, he doesn't deserve to be a student of
mine."  He sounded rather insulted.

    "But he refuses to take the lives of others," Maki remarked
thoughtfully.

    "I've given him all the tools he needs to survive and succeed in
life.  What he does with them is his own business.  I've got much
better things to do than hold his hand for the next couple of
centuries."

    She shook her head ruefully.  "That's what I adore about you,
Seijuro... your selfless and loving attitude."

    Hiko snorted and muttered, "You should talk.... cousin."

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