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Greetings, and thank you for checking out my story! Before anyone gets their hopes up too high, I'm posting this first chapter in an attempt to entice one of you lovely readers into being a beta-reader for it. I attempted to sift through the list of available betas currently offering their services on the site, but found the 400+ entries overwhelming and WAAAAY to time-consuming to do a thorough comb-through even a handful of them. (-; ) So, instead, I'm going to try a different approach.

As an alternative, I present to you the first chapter of a story I'm currently (and actively) working on. This way, you have a chance to see what kind of story I'm working on specifically, and we can skip that whole 'Are you interested? Maybe? Kind of interested? How about this?' phase. If you read this first chapter and enjoy it, then I think we're already half-way there to working together!

So, if I've peeked your interest with my offer, I invite you to go on ahead and read this first part. If you're really diggin' it and would be interested in working with me, see my follow-up notes at the bottom.

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin does not belong to me and I receive no compensation of any kind from this piece of fiction.

The Instinct – Chapter 1

Time was moving slowly, and he was beginning to get uncomfortable.

He glanced at his watch half sticking out of his tailored suit.

Quarter to eight.

Hiko resisted the urge to drum his fingers along his crossed forearms in a display of his impatience. This whole situation was infuriating, and was becoming downright insulting.

That son-of-a-bitch had better have a good reason for making him wait like this. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn't have even considered waiting as long as he had.

He hadn't expected to have to wait at all. Especially not at a funeral of all places.

On top of that, the funeral hadn't been at the dojo like he'd expected it to be. A curious decision, Hiko thought, considering no one would be using it now.

Although seeing how many people had attended so far, the dojo would have likely been too modest of an establishment to accommodate everyone. He lingered in the back part of the room observing, silent, and relatively unnoticed. Despite sitting in clear view, passersby crossed in front of him with little to no conscious awareness of his presence, even with his considerable height and size.

He glanced at his watch again – thirteen minutes to eight. He'd been waiting close to an hour without any sign of Dr. Gensai and it was trying his last bit patience. Another ten minutes and he would leave. Whatever that decrepit old doctor wanted to tell Hiko, he would have to come to Kyoto to do it.

Reserving his frustrations for later, he continued to scan the room for any sign of the short, inconsiderate geezer. Hiko had arrived after any kind of service that might have taken place, but there were still more people there than he expected to attend the funeral. Koshijirou was more popular than he'd thought. There was no lack of grieving in the room, and guests seemed to have come from every facet of the neighborhood. A number of younger men and boys had already passed through to pay their final respects to their now deceased kendo teacher, many struggling and failing to keep their composure in front of the alter. A troupe of elderly neighbors had come by earlier, dressed in traditional garb and performing the prayers of their ancestors. There were even entire families, from grandparent to grandchild that had come to mourn.

From what he could hear of the chatter, it sounded as though his late-sister's husband had been an active and cherished member of his community. Two younger women sat next to the altar, accepting condolences from the guests, and he wondered what kind of relation they could have had with the man.

The news had come unexpectedly from one of his correspondents here in Tokyo, directing him to an article in the newspaper on Koshijirou's unfortunate end. Being stabbed by a run-away robber was not the way Hiko expected an expert swordsman like Kamiya to go. Though it seemed suspicious, he hadn't given it too much thought. Unexpected deaths and accidents happened to humans all the time. And with his sister already out of the picture, there was no reason for him to be concerned of Koshijirou's fate any longer.

Until he received a phone call later that night.

Dr. Gensai and Hiko had not been on good speaking terms since his sister decided to leave and never come back –the old doctor having decided to go with her. They were even less so since her death almost ten years ago. They'd barely spoken in the last decade, and his phone call was an unwelcomed reminder of all that.

Conscious of the fact, the doctor kept his call courteous and short. Presuming Hiko had already heard the news, he didn't waste any time getting to the point of his call. 'I would like you to come to Tokyo,' he had requested, 'there are important things I must discuss with you. Things that Koshijirou and your sister left behind."

Though rarely so, he was admittedly surprised by the statement. Hiko couldn't think of anything the pair might have left for him. Their relationship was such that he'd only spoken with his sister a handful of times before her death, and he never contacted Koshijirou after. She'd hardly taken anything when she'd left, so there was nothing to return. Except for the dojo, Hiko couldn't imagine any issue that required his personal attention, but even that could have easily been handled without him.

Gensai refused to disclose any further information, but assured him it was of the utmost importance.

The doctor's tone of voice had held an edge of seriousness to it – the kind that indicated something may be just not quite right. Dr. Gensai was no fool - he would never dare ask such a powerful and important man as Hiko to personally attend to a matter that didn't require it. And especially not with all the bad blood that was between them. And so despite his reluctance and annoyance, Hiko agreed to the request. They agreed to meet at the funeral to be held in two days time, to avoid drawing too much attention to his visit in case someone caught wind of his trip.

So here he was…and now Dr. Gensai was nowhere to be found.

Hiko rumpled his nose ever so briefly. The room was overly warm from all the candles that were lit and the various scents of persons he'd caught a whiff of over the evening was starting to get to him. It was rare for him to be around this many humans for so long – especially ones he didn't know – and he didn't particularly like it.

A majority of the visitors had trickled out by now, many of them still with tears in their eyes and grief on their faces. In a small way, it comforted Hiko to know that his sister had at least married a well-respected and loved man. It wasn't a characteristic he was used to seeing in his day-to-day life, and it was a large reason Hiko ever tolerated the man being around his sister.

That had been a mistake.

He still didn't understand what kind of life it was his sister was looking for by running away with the fool. Something akin to normalcy? What was normalcy to them? They weren't even capable of having children. What kind of 'everyday life' were they expecting to create for themselves as a childless married couple, with no extended family to refer to, and living in an exceptionally above-average dojo on a mere kendo teacher's income?

He took a deep breath, irritated. None of that mattered anymore, and Hiko wasn't going to reflect on or consider their actions now that they were both dead. In fact, he was relieved he wouldn't have to worry about the pair anymore. The distress his sister had caused by disassociating herself from him and moving to the clan-neutral territory of Tokyo had long plagued Hiko. Without proper support or protection, any number of situations could have occurred. She wasn't just jeopardizing her and Koshijirou's life with her decision, but Hiko's as well, and all that he had built for them over the many decades. But she was stubborn to the bone. Hitomi was done with him, and their world, and nothing would bring her back.

And this was all she had to show for it, he thought bitterly. She and her lover were dead, for no reason other than her stubbornness.

Hiko sighed again. There was a bright side to all this. Things would likely return to the way they were before his sister's rebellion and its untimely end. Especially considering there were none of the feared repercussions.

He made another glance at his watch. Five more minutes.

Hiko's eyes went back to the two younger women sitting next to the altar. He'd been wondering about them all night, trying to guess what connection they would have had to Koshijirou to be in the position of accepting the condolences of others. They both wore the stereotypical black kimono, although their demeanors differed greatly. Only one was responsive to the guests as they expressed their apologies. She had brown hair, and had said thank you to him when he had gone up to the altar earlier to offer his prayer. In fact, it seemed her main purpose was to simply be supportive, as the girl next to her was apparently incapable of carrying out her duties at the altar. This second girl had sat most of the night unmoving, head bent forward with her long dark hair loose and covering most of her face.

Koshijirou had had no living relatives for as long as Hiko could remember, so it was a mystery as to who this dark-haired girl could be. She might have been a student at the kendo teacher's school, but he figured a more likely answer was that she had been Koshijirou's lover after his wife had passed.

'An awfully young lover for the fifty-year-old-plus man,' Hiko thought.

Currently, an older man dressed in traditional black kimono and hakama was kneeling before the anguished girl. He was talking to her quietly, and even laid a hand on her head. Her shoulders started to shake with small sobs until she eventually fell into the older man's arms and he embraced her comfortingly.

Hiko turned his eyes away from the scene and checked his watch again. Three more minutes. Still no sign of the doctor.

Deciding he'd had enough of being around humans for one night, Hiko made his way to the front entrance to retrieve his jacket. A small group hovered in front of the main entrance, talking quietly and discussing Koshijirou's death. It had been the classic scenario of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and plagued many here with the thought that it could have been one of them just as easily. He waited as a middle-aged woman helped her elderly mother into her jacket in front of the coat closet, all the while commenting on Koshijirou's untimely death.

"Poor Koshijirou," commented the daughter, disbelief and sorrow lacing her voice, "I can't believe he's gone."

"He was a good man," said the mother, putting her arm in the second sleeve her daughter held out. Her voice held the wisdom of one who had already seen a handful of those close to her meet their unfortunate demise. "A good man gone before his time."

"I wonder what's going to happen now…," the daughter remarked, handing her mother her gloves. "Who's going to run the dojo? Where will the students go?"

"They'll find another dojo, I'm sure," replied her mother. "At least until Kaoru can pull herself together enough to figure out what to do next."

"Oh, poor Kaoru. First her mother, and now this. It's awful. Just awful."

Hiko caught the last part of their conversation and listened more closely. Kaoru…. Was that the girl sitting solemnly next to the altar? Did she work at the dojo? Perhaps she was Koshijirou's successor and not his lover.

Or both.

The elderly mother looped her arm through her daughter's for support as they began to walk away. "Kaoru is a strong girl," she stated. "Koshijirou raised her well. It may take quite some time, but Kaoru will persevere. In the meantime, we must give her all the support we can."

Hiko watched the pair slowly walk away, now more confused by their comments. Raised her? Had Koshijirou taken in the girl after his wife's death? It certainly sounded like something the generous man would do.

Koshijirou and Hitomi knew they would never be able to have children. Biologically, they were too incompatible as species to reproduce. And Hitomi had never spoken of wanting any after deciding to marry Koshijirou anyways. At most, they might have been able to adopt. However, adoption often meant rigorous interviews and evaluations of the couple before they'd be considered eligible for a child. They didn't need that sort of deeper look into their background. Nor did they need to put another life in danger. This Kaoru must be a pupil or apprentice of some sort. Perhaps Koshijirou had taken the girl in as an orphan if her mother had died.

He wondered…could she have something to do with the important thing Koshijirou and Hitomi had left behind for him?

Hiko scowled at the idea and squashed that train of thought before it could develop further. He still had no clue as to what it was Dr. Gensai wanted to discuss with him. Without proper evidence or information, Hiko didn't need to go worrying about problems he didn't even know existed or not.

Although, that thought only served to bring him back to his real problem, which was where the hell was Dr. Gensai? The man had called him up here for something important, and he wanted to know what it was, dammit.

An unnerving inkling started to cultivate in the back of Hiko's consciousness. Dr. Gensai knew better than to make him wait. More importantly, he was far closer to Koshijirou than Hiko was and therefore should have been in attendance at the funeral regardless – which he was not.

Something was beginning to feel not quite right.

With the doctor being a no show, perhaps Hiko could gather his own hints for the time being. Learning more about this Kaoru girl might be a good start. Quickly grabbing his coat and putting it on, he pursued the two women out the door.

The air was crisp and cold in the early winter evening, and snow was falling lightly. The pair hadn't made it far as the elderly woman slowly descended down the temple steps one at a time with the help of her daughter.

Hiko quickly caught up, coming to situate himself on the unoccupied side of the elderly mother. "May I offer you some assistance," he asked, extending his arm out.

They were surprised by his sudden appearance, but stopped and stared for a few moments after he spoke. He smiled at them charmingly, letting his pheromones wash over them. The affect was immediate, the two women melting and swooning ever so slightly at his smile. They graciously took in his appearance, from his high-quality, tailored suit to his broad shoulders, and captivating eyes. Eyes he knew they were staring at a little more than one normally would. As they should.

He nodded at his arm, indicating his offer again, and the elderly women quickly accepted.

"Oh my, thank you," she said happily.

"I wouldn't want you to slip now," Hiko returned, helping her until they'd reached the bottom.

The women thanked him again and bowed several times, but made no move to walk away. The mother was still holding onto his arm lightly with her fingers.

"Thank you, sir. My, I don't believe we've met before. Are you from around here?" she asked poignantly.

"No, I am not," Hiko responded. He washed them with another layer of enchantment, and with a slight bow, introduced himself. "My name is Hiko Seijuurou. A pleasure to meet your acquaintances."

The women smiled and laughed sheepishly.

"A pleasure to meet you, too," replied the daughter. "My name is Imagawa Chiyo, and this is my mother, Harumi." They bowed again. "Were you attending the funeral just now?"

"I was."

"Oh, I see," said the daughter, as if trying to figure out how she could have missed him. "There were so many people earlier; we must not have noticed you. How do you know Kamiya-san?

"We're old friends," he vaguely answered, "from before he moved to Tokyo."

"Oh, really," they responded, looking at each other with surprise. They began to remark quietly on the popularity of Koshijirou, for what sounded like the second time that night.

"Actually, I was wondering if I might ask you lovely ladies a question or two." He looked at them expectantly, waiting momentarily for their full attention, of which they eagerly gave. "Admittedly, I haven't been in touch much with Koshijirou since his wife died, to whom I was very close to. Can you tell me - who was the girl sitting by the altar? The one with the dark hair?"

The two women looked at each other with confused expressions and then back to him. "Who, Kaoru-chan?" the daughter asked.

"Yes," he confirmed. So, that was Kaoru.

"You should know who that is!" the mother exclaimed, patting his arm tenderly. "If you knew Michiko-dono, than surely you met their daughter Kaoru." The daughter, Chiyo, nodded in earnest agreement.

Michiko…? Ah, yes, the name Hitomi had adopted when she moved to Tokyo. Hiko narrowed his eyes. Had he really just heard them correctly? Hitomi's daughter…?

"Her daughter?" Hiko questioned again. "I've never met her. Is she adopted?"

The women gasped slightly. "Heavens no!" cried the daughter. "Absolutely not! Why would you think she's adopted?"

Now it was Hiko's turn to be taken a back. He quickly tried to explain himself, "I didn't think could have children. I thought perhaps-"

"If you don't believe us, then go ask Dr. Gensai yourself!" the mother said. "He delivered her himself! What a sweet little baby, she was. Looks just like her mother!"

Years of practice prevented Hiko from visually expressing the shock he currently felt by the mother's comments. Dr. Gensai, Hiko thought angrily, gears starting to turn ever so slightly in his mind. That small inkling in his gut was starting to balloon into a much more serious suspicion.

"And where is Dr. Gensai this evening?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing slightly. His voice had lost some of the charm it had earlier.

The two stopped to ponder, clearly trying to recall when and if they had seen the good doctor this evening.

"My…now that you mention it," the daughter began, "I don't believe I've seen him."

"No, I haven't either," the mother agreed. "How odd…"

"I see," Hiko said. "Well, thank you for answering my questions. Travel safely."

Before he could take his leave, though, the elderly mother suddenly gripped his forearm tightly in a sign to stop.

"Wait," she said, continuing to hold on to him firmly. Her gaze had become more critical and was looking over his face carefully. With the temple fully lit behind them, there was plenty of light for her to see him clearly. "You're face looks awfully familiar…how did you know Koshijirou again?"

Hiko felt his eyebrows furrow in annoyance. "Old friends," he answered curtly, stepping back somewhat to pull himself out of the woman's clutches. "Excuse me." He bowed curtly, ending the conversation there and bid the two a good evening. Heading off towards the West gate of the temple where his car was waiting for him, he moved quickly out of their sight.

An uncomfortable tenseness began to form between Hiko's eyebrows. Perhaps Koshijirou's death was something to look into after all. Especially if what he had just heard was true. A daughter? Impossible. Hitomi would never have been able to breed with a human. Those two women may not have known that, but he did. And he didn't much appreciate the older woman's curiosity of his face. Although….if the older woman had known Hitomi well enough to recognize her features in his own, he may not be able to write off her statement about Kaoru as uninformed babble so easily.

There had to be some other sort of explanation – something to connect what he knew to be a fact and what those women had just told him. He approached the vehicle, already reaching for his phone. He needed to find Dr. Gensai immediately.

The driver opened the back door to the car as Hiko approached and he entered swiftly. Without delay, he attempted to call Dr. Gensai, but the phone rang until the answering machine message played. He hung up, and considered his next move.

His driver entered in the front, and sat patiently waiting for instructions.

Hiko considered Dr. Gensai's words again. Things Koshijirou and your sister left behind. Could Kaoru have been the thing he meant? Could she truly be Hitomi's daughter? Maybe she had slept with another of their kind after all so she could become pregnant. But, would Koshijirou have accepted that? And if she had, surely she knew the risk she was taking birthing another full-blood.

There were too many questions building without answers. Something akin to alarm was budding inside him. But, the important thing right now was figuring out whether or not Kaoru was, in fact, Hitomi's real biological daughter. The answer to which meant that he would either have nothing to worry about, or everything to worry about.

Hiko gave his driver an address.

"Take me there," he ordered, all charm from before now completely gone.

If Dr. Gensai wasn't coming to him, then Hiko would have to go to him.

I hope that this piece has been enough to entice at least one of you wonderful readers into possibly helping me with the rest of this story! If you are interested, here are a couple of other things I'd like you to know when considering beta-ing for this story.

1.) I'm not looking for perfection so much as a fresh eye. As a beta, I'd like you to be able to tell me if the story capture's your attention, flows fairly smoothly, and avoids any major plot holes. I read this chapter probably 5 times myself, and I need a keen eye to point out what I'm missing as the author.

2.) I'm flexible and understanding to other's schedules, but I would love to work with someone who can get back to me fairly quickly. When the creative juices are flowing, I like to make the most of it – and being able to get quick confirmation on the way the story is going is good for keeping the momentum flowing as well.

3.) I want to write out this entire story before publishing it on the website, so that I have a completed work ready to roll out to the general audience. So, if while working on the story we decide we need to go back to the beginning and change some things, we can do that!

I really have no background in creative writing outside of fanfiction, so I am open-minded to what others have to teach me. I am soooo excited to work with a beta – I think the best stories on this site are ones with a proof-reader – and feel that with another person's help, we could really make this story a good one. If you're interested, please send me a review or PM.

Hope to hear from you soon!