The beginning...

*SPOILERS* Very huge, spoilers. This is a whole synopsis of the OAV! GO AWAY IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS!

Tomoe Yukishiro-Yukishiro Tomoe (Pronounced to-mo-e yew-key-sheer-ro) Say "Tomoe" with the "e" very fast and that's it ^^

Age: 18 years

Eyes: Black

Hair: Black

Skin: Pale peach

Tomoe was the oldest child of a wealthy family that lived peacefully in Edo (now Tokyo), Japan. Tomoe 's mother died while giving birth to her little brother, Enishi, and Tomoe was left to raise him as if he were her own. Enishi nearly worshipped his sister and threw violent tantrums whenever she never payed attention to him. When she was around 16 or 17 her childhood sweetheart Akira Kiyosato proposed to her, she was very happy. Because of her inability to express her joy, Kiyosato thought that she was angry with him, and went to join the revolution as a bodyguard to a high class warrior of the Shogunate. He did this to impress her and make her happy with him. Sadly, Kiyosato was murdered brutally one cold night in Kyoto by an assasan who worked for the Choshu Ishin Shishi, whose name was Kenshin. Before dying Kiyosato was able to mark Kenshin 's cheek, beginning the cross shaped scar.

  Kiyosato

Tomoe blamed herself for Kiyosato's death and left Edo for Kyoto, set on revenge for the death of her love. She joined the Yaminobu, a small group set on revenge for the murder of Shigekura (the man Kiyosato was protecting) and the restoration of the Shogunate rule. One day she sees Kenshin in the streets of Kyoto, and for a brief moment their eyes meet, and Kenshin looks away. That night Tomoe drinks a little too much sake and while walking home, she sees Kenshin finish off an Oniwabanshu ninja, slicing him in two. Tomoe is dazed by the site of so much blood, and some of it spatters on her clothes. It is raining. Kenshin does not know whether to kill her or not, she is a witness. She looks up blearily at Kenshin and says, "You remarkably made it rain...rain of blood." And she collapses into Kenshin's arms.

From that night on their fates are entwined. Kenshin brings her back to the Inn where he is staying and since there are no rooms left Kenshin lets Tomoe sleep in his room on his futon. Kenshin sleeps sitting up, cradling his sword. He dreams of him about to kill her by putting his sword through her throat. Tomoe wakes up and begins to work at the Inn and Kenshin goes to find her. When he asks her name and turns to him and says, "Tomoe. My name is Tomoe." (NOTE: Tomoe knows that Kenshin killed her fiancee but he doesn't know)

The other members of the Ishin Shishi tease Kenshin about dragging a "whore" into his rooms and he defends her angrily, saying she is not a whore. Kenshin's mind becomes attached to her, but he never admits it. Days pass and Tomoe does her chores quietly. One night Katsura Kogoro, Kenshin 's leader, calls Tomoe to his rooms and asks her to be Kenshin 's sheath. By sheath he means keep him happy and protect his soul, and Tomoe agrees. In August the festival arrives and she asks Kenshin to escort her, and Kenshin says yes, even though he knows that the Shishen Gumi (the Ishin Shishi's enemy) is planning a raid that night.

Kenshin

Tomoe and Kenshin drink sake together and talk. The conversation leads to Kenshin 's scar. Tomoe says she wonders what his victims see before he kills them. She says he kills to make others happy, but she can't imagine it makes him happy. Kenshin says he kills only knowing he has to, not why he has to. The raid begins and Kenshin races outside taking Tomoe by the hand. They go into an alleyway where a group of the Shishen Gumi are waiting. Kenshin attacks, but not before hearing Tomoe say that a sword needs a good sheath, and he understands and that she will not leave until she has seen Kenshin kill with her own two eyes. Kenshin slaughters the warriors and looks back at Tomoe, who is watching with quiet horror.

 "A sword needs a good sheath."

They meet up with Katsura Kogoro, who tells them to go to Otsu in the countryside, where they will pose as husband and wife until the Ishin Shishi gives them the word to move on. That night Kenshin and Tomoe leave Kyoto before it burns to the ground, and make their way to Otsu, and their new life.

          The countryside...

Kenshin and Tomoe begin their life together. It is very quiet and peaceful. They sell medicine to make themselves look like a hypothecary and his wife. At night they eat the meals Tomoe cooks. Tomoe spends most of her time writing in her diary, which she carries with her everywhere. They grow plants and live very simply, but few words are ever exchanged between them. Tomoe begins to love Kenshin, who she now sees as not only an cold blooded assasain, but as a young man who really does have a softness to him. She knows he killed her fiancee, Kiyosato, but she can't bring herself to hate him.

 Enishi

One day after about two months of living together Tomoe's little brother Enishi makes his way to their home. Tomoe is shocked to see her little brother as he greets her happily. Tomoe introduces him to Kenshin, but Enishi glares at him very hatefully. Kenshin leaves the cottage to leave the two siblings together and then Enishi tells her that the Yaminobu plan is all set to murder Kenshin. All Tomoe has to do is give them the word. Tomoe tells her brother to leave them and Enishi begins to sob, yelling at her that Kenshin is the one who murdered Kiyosato and that she is being stupid to love him. Seized by jealousy and anger Enishi leaves, leaving Tomoe very confused and distressed.

Time passes and still Tomoe cares about Kenshin and she cannot help it, even if he was the one that murdered Kiyosato. Winter comes and it begins to snow. That night Tomoe tells Kenshin of her family, Kiyosato's murder, and how unhappy she was when she heard. Not long later, Tomoe begins to cry and she and Kenshin hold each other in their arms.

They spend the night together and Kenshin tells her that he will ensure her happiness forever. He tells her he must atone for all the lives he ruined and he wants her to come along with him and that he wants to be with her forever. For the first time, Tomoe smiles happily and her eyes shimmer, and she tells him yes. She then leans against him and he puts his leans his head against her.

They sleep on the same futon for the first time and Tomoe gets up. She puts her hair back and puts on her perfume. She looks at Kenshin and tells herself she loves him and that she has never been this happy. She will always love Kiyosato, but now she can love Kenshin, too. She leaves their small home to go to the Yaminobu to deliver a false report to save Kenshin 's life.

          The cross shape scar...

Tomoe heads to the Yaminobu 's hideout. She is very final about her decision to be with Kenshin. As she approaches the hideout Enishi looks out behind a tree, holding the umbrella Tomoe gave him, and he smiles. Now he can go home with her to Edo.

She goes into the hideout and finds the hideout's leader sitting in front of a statue of Buddha. She asks where are the others and the leader tells her that they are hiding, waiting for Battousai to come. She is now leading him to them and her part is finished. Tomoe becomes afraid and angry, telling him he was supposed to wait for her orders. The leader tells her women are weak and she is only a pawn in a larger scheme to kill Battousai and ensure the eternal rule of the Shogunate. Tomoe reaches into the obi of her kimono and draws out a small sword and is about to attack but the leader shoves her down and takes the small sword "kodachi" from her. He says she is pathetic to have fallen in love and that she is betraying Kiyosato 's memory. Once Battousai is dead he will deal with her. Tomoe tries to bite her tongue to kill herself but the leader puts his fingers in her mouth to stop her. Killing herself won't help Kenshin, the Hitokiri Battousai, the murderer.

 

Kenshin has woken up and finds Tomoe gone. He opens the door and his old friend Iizuka is waiting. He tells Kenshin that Tomoe is a traitor and has gone into the mountains to report to them. Kenshin 's scar begins to bleed. Kenshin runs to get Tomoe 's diary and reads the first entry, which says that her fiancee has been murdered. Kenshin realizes it was he who murdered Tomoe 's fiancee. He sets off after Tomoe, not knowing that Iizuka is just helping the Yaminobu, and that Iizuka is betraying Kenshin to earn some money. (coward... -_-)

Kenshin fights off the awaiting Yaminobu members, but not with full stregnth. He is in a daze of confusion and he is hallucinating, fighting with himself whether to kill Tomoe or not. He loves her and yet he thinks that she is trying to kill him. His ears are bleeding since the loud noises have teared his eardrums and he isn't seeing things right. He day dreams about Katsura, the Inn keeper, the flower lady. There are blood red petals swirling all around him and he keeps remembering the murder of Kiyosato and how Kiyosato begged to live and and uttered "To..mo...e" before dying.

He gets to the hideout and fights with the leader. The leader had the upper hand and is beating Kenshin into a bloody pulp. Kenshin doesn't have full focus so he is loosing, his will to live completely gone. Tomoe comes too and looks outside. She sees them fighting and she falls down and covers her ears with her eyes swimming with tears. She opens them and sees Kiyosato standing next to the statue of Buddha, holding out a red blossom. He is covered in blood, but strangely enough, he is smiling at her. Tomoe nods in a silent understanding and gets up.

Kenshin and the Yaminobu leader are still going at it, but Kenshin is still obviously loosing. With final effort, Kenshin draws his sword and runs at the Yaminobu leader. He tells himself he couldn't protect Tomoe. "I tried to protect you...but then I...you..."

 

He suddenly smells white plum perfume, and he feels Tomoe 's hands cover his eyes. She tells him that he would've been happy with just some land and seeds to plant. Kenshin turns around in his dreams and expects to see Tomoe standing there, but instead he sees a grave with a wooden cross with Tomoe 's blue shawl wrapped around it. He says to himself, "To...mo..e. TOMOE!"

Kenshin brings down his sword with all his strength, but opening his eyes he sees his cutting through the Yaminobu leader...and Tomoe. Tomoe is inbetween both men, grabbing the kodachi from the Yaminobu 's hand. Kenshin is in shock as both Tomoe and the Yaminobu leader fall apart, the Yaminobu leader dead. Kenshin catchs Tomoe and looks at her with tears forming in his eyes. Tomoe groans in pain and looks up at him. Their eyes meet. She reaches up her unwounded arm and gently slashes another scar through the one Kiyosato already made. Her eyes swim with tears as little drops of blood land on her face from Kenshin 's new wound.

"I am so sorry...my darling," are her final words, and she dies. Kenshin 's eyes widen in shock and he begins to sob and cradles Tomoe in his arms. Enishi watches from the forest, dropping Tomoe 's umbrella and his eyes are huge with shock.

Kenshin manages to bring Tomoe 's body back to his home and for two weeks leaves it there. He bathes her body and puts her in a fresh white robe. His own wounds are healing and he tells Tomoe 's corpse that she is snow free from her pain. Katsura Kogoro comes to their home and seeing Tomoe dead bows his head. He tells Kenshin that she was meant to be his sheath, to guard his soul from complete destruction and to somehow make him happy. He tells Kenshin he is no longer his assasain but now he has a new one, Shishi-o Makoto. It cuts to a scene where Shishi-o is killing Iizuka who was about to leave Japan on a ship. Katsura says the Iizuka was the traitor. Kenshin only nods. Now Kenshin is not needed as an assasain, but if he will he might serve as still helping the restoration of Japan. Kenshin says yes, but after he gives up his sword to no more killing. He will atone for his sins with Tomoe as his inspiration. Katsura nods sorrowfully and leaves him. Kenshin dresses and burns the house down with Tomoe 's corpse in it.

A few months pass and the revolution is almost done. It is raining and Kenshin is sitting under a tree for protection. Tomoe 's ghost reaches out behind him, and wraps her arms around him.

 

          Disclaimer

All images belong to The Rurouni Kenshin Screen Capture Archive. Thank you ^_^ All characters and plotline are copyright to Watsuki Nobuhiro, none of them belong to me or any other part of this site. All of the writing belongs to me, with tidbits of information (names and such) to other websites. Domo!