Opium Dreams

A mysterious woman arrives in Tokyo . She has the face of an innocent, but behind her peaceful amber eyes lie dark secrets she alone knew...

The young woman looked around, her eyes resting first on a tall man wearing a white, flowing gi. She was riveted by the black script written on its back. \"Evil,\" it said. The man slowly turned and she lifted her eyes. When their gazes met, something unknown sparked within their depths.

She quickly broke contact, glancing down at another man who was calmly sipping his cup of tea, seemingly unaware of the commotion caused by her arrival. She noticed that he had striking red hair and his face, though handsome, was marred with an \"X\"-shaped scar across the left cheek. Her gaze dropped to the sword by his side. This was no ordinary sword. It was the sword of a samurai.

Suddenly, the young woman ran towards Kenshin and threw herself in his arms. Stunned, Kenshin could do nothing but try to balance his cup and keep the tea from spilling.

\"Please help me!\" The young woman cried, her voice muffled by Kenshin\'s robe. There was a puzzled expression on the swordsman\'s face but he was still unable to bring himself to say anything. Just then, three evil-looking men entered the restaurant, following the girl in. They were carrying swords held tightly in their gnarled hands.

\"Bitch! Come here!\" One of the men shouted. He was wearing a short ponytail that lightly touched his collar.

\"Yeah, bitch! Get over here!\" Another one said, his left eye covered by a soiled bandage.

The third man also entered but he did not say anything. This one stayed in the sidelines, allowing his companions to do the talking. His appearance was extremely odd -- eyes huge, mouth wide, and nose small and pointy. Looking at him, one would be sharply reminded of a rodent. The man continued to observe the proceedings, keeping himself distant but watchful.

The two men harassed the girl, calling her by all sorts of name. Soon their insults became too much so that the young woman was not able to hold back her tears anymore. After a few moments, Sano stepped forward.

All his life, Sano had lived off the streets. He knew almost nothing about chivalry or honor. What he did know was those who were strong had the responsibility of defending the weak. He shared this principle with Kenshin and this was the reason why they became friends in the first place, even though their personalities were as opposite as night or day. At nineteen, Sagara Sanosuke was a jaded person but some beliefs, he still held dear.

\"Hey, you!\" Ponytail said, glaring at Sano and lifting his sword up in a threatening gesture. \"Stay out of this!\"

Sano snorted. He stared at the man, his dark eyes boring deep making the man squirm inside. Ponytail saw that there was no emotion in Sano\'s eyes. There was nothing there but his reflection. He hesitated but behind him, his companion, Left Eye moved forward to attack.

Sano saw the man behind Ponytail and he anticipated his move. Sure enough, the one-eyed man attacked his left side and Sano was able to avoid the blade of his sword completely. He whirled, clenching his right fist. He pushed and his hand connected with Left Eye\'s lower jaw, knocking out several of his teeth.

Ponytail uttered a cry as he saw his companion fall. Then clutching his sword, he made a downward slash. Sano\'s gi was torn at the shoulders, sliced by the sharp blade of the man\'s weapon. Spurred on by the success of his initial attack, Ponytail made another slash and another while Sano continued to dodge his blows, his tall lithe frame moving gracefully. Finally, the man was exhausted and his moves began to slow down. Sano took this opportunity and balled his hands. He let out a vicious blow with his right fist, hitting the man in the stomach and completely winding him. He then followed this with an uppercut and a quick jab. Ponytail slumped to the floor with a soft thud.

From the sidelines, three brisk claps were issued. Sano turned towards the sound, eyes fierce and teeth bared as he breathed deeply through his mouth.