A/N: I'm a real sucker for what ifs and student – teacher relationships. So here is a short thing from last year's rk week on tumblr, with our lovely protagonist. Rarely do I engage myself with him. So have at it.

But why didn't he dodge?

As the sixteen-year-old swordsman made his usual rounds around Kyoto, he came upon an ugly sight. He never appreciated bullying, too so his statement was quick to be made. "Please stop this at once; one side or the other doesn't matter. Leave on your own free wills, and you'll leave with your life."

There were four men with their swords already drawn, towering over a woman and a boy; if their colours and facial features were any indication, the two were related by blood. The four, not so much but some sort of relationship, like camaraderie, must be connecting them, for their movements supplemented each other's almost perfectly. Despite having their swords drawn, too they seemed to wield them more like sticks, to frighten, than blades to cut. One of the few reasons he hadn't already attacked.

But once the words were spoken, they weren't adhered. If anything, the four men laughed! Well, that was to be expected really; no one ever listened to him from the first try. They considered him a boy, a young one, a fledging; one with no real power, spouting nonsense. But he wasn't really speaking nonsense; what he said was morally and logically sound. Yet those men chose to overlook that, on account of his none-threatening appearance. How ironic that if these were inversed, he looked powerful but said the wrong thing, they'd listen to him in a heartbeat.

Heh, if master was here, they'd be running away before he even finished his sentence; then again, if master was the one in front of them, they'd already be dead, probably. Master liked to give no warning and do away with evildoers. He himself had a more…mellow approach than that. Give them the chance to repent, he always preached. You only give your enemy the chance to spot you, his master would counter but he'd remind him they were so quick, what did it really matter? Then master would counter by saying one day he might find someone who would be too powerful and-

…but what good anyone does remembering all these? Shaking his head a tiny bit, sighing his frustrations away, he took slow steps towards the men. He didn't draw his own sword because a) he really hoped they'd do him the favour of turning tail and run as soon as he would show them his god-like speed

God like speed that he taught him so why didn't he just dodge?

and b) if they wouldn't, he'd use a battou-jutsu to take them out swiftly. That would also ensure the two people's safety – now – behind them.

He outright ignored all of the insulting and poking fun at his age, height and whatnot and without paying the slightest attention to their jeers, he decided it was time to stun them into silence. The muscles in his entire body tensed; all it took was a BLINK and he was gone from their line of sight! He watched as their faces turned from amusement, to surprise, to wonder, to nerves and then—

—their eyes turned collectively to their right, head following only after they caught a glimpse of him standing behind the man on the far side, disappointed, sighing yet again only this once a little too visibly. Pure, sheer fear gripped their hearts and they tried to react, but it was futile because "I thought I told you to please leave."

and BLINK and he was right in front of them, hands crossed, with the same comical expression of being let down! "I even said please, come on. Leave, would you?"

Terror was etched on their faces; strangled cries for help and chocked "monster! He's a monster" could be heard from all four of them as they lamely ran away, tripping over their own feet! It took at least ten seconds for them to clear the place and for him to be sure this family of two would not be targeted by them at some later point, as he could hear their very fast to disappear footsteps. Sighing yet again, he inwardly thanked Buddha he didn't have to draw his sword and send him any more people this instance.

But why didn't he dodge?

"Young man, you saved us; thank you very much." The woman said, as expressionless as ever, giving a deep bow. Her language was polite and formal, despite the apathy in her pale face. "We were lost here in Kyoto while we were looking for the Takagi inn my fiancé stays at; we owe you a great debt."

The Takagi inn she said so her fiancé must be fighting with the side of the Bakufu…not that it had anything to do with him.

"No we don't!" the boy burst out stubbornly, as he completely ignored the redhead who just saved them. "I could have taken them down all by myself nee-sama! If this young man had let me," and this was the only instance the black haired boy acknowledged him "I'd have shown you what a good brother I can be!"

Ah, so he's her younger brother.

"But even so, you wouldn't have been able to do it scotch-free, so let's both thank this young man properly, alright?"

Red rose to his cheeks, visible despite the lack of natural or artificial light, and puffed them up in defiance yet obvious intent to comply under his sister's stern gaze. She must have been a decade older than her brother, maybe a little less – only a couple of years older than the swordsman –, yet she still looked way too dignified in her kimono compared to him, in his improperly worn one. The swordsman felt a smile rise to his cheeks, but fought it back.

"Fine! Thank you stranger."

"You are most welcome. And what's your-?" He bent down to his height to rub his head…only to have the child bite him! "Owowowow!" he fought for the freedom of his hand but the boy wouldn't badge!

"Release him immediately!" despite the urgency in her tone, her volume didn't really rise…yet, reluctantly, he did. "Please excuse him, he's just protective…"

"N-no problem," he replied while trying to relieve his hand from the pain, now an apologetic smile on his lips "and you don't owe me anything. This is why I patrol the streets, to stop things like these from happening."

"How noble of you."

He could swear he saw the boy mouth mockingly the same line, but he disregarded it. "Not at all; please, don't think anything of this. Would you like me to escort you to your inn and your fiancé safely?"

She gave a deeper bow, this once forcing her brother to bow with her. "…I would be delighted if you would."

"Alright! Follow me then…" as they walked side by side, there was a long time there was silence between them and his mind wandered to dangerous places.

Why didn't he. Just. Dodge?

A forced smile appeared on his lips. "My name is Himura Kenshin, self-proclaimed cleaner of the streets of Kyoto" he exclaimed with conviction. "And you are…?"

"My name is Yukishiro Tomoe; this is my little brother Enishi. We are heading to my fiancé Kyosato Akira, maybe you know him…?"

"Ah yes! I run into him yesterday; brave man. He helped, well, I helped him defeat a group of murderers; unaffiliated with the war, those, simply villains living their disturbing fantasies in this turbulent time. While people fight for their ideals and get killed in the line of duty from both sides, there are ticks that feed off the chaos of the times to satisfy their twisted needs. Those are the ones I'm hunting down and disposing daily."

"I see…how come you did not join a side?"

"Well…I originally meant to, but my teacher was very adamant about staying there, succeeding him; only then would I know the true teaching of my school…and he was right. Now I know my sword is meant to safeguard, to help people; sides don't matter. So long as they hurt another and put innocent people at risk, they deserve my judgment."

"How…free."

A sad smile graced Kenshin's face, but it was heartfelt. "He did always say our swordsmanship is the epitome of freedom; and those who are truly free, they have the true power. Not necessarily in terms of strength, but he surely was the strongest."

"Was? What happened to him…if you don't mind my asking?"

"He…fell, sadly. And he was gone forever."

He fell from his own pupil's sword. The bastard had smiled his smuggest smirk ever and looked at Kenshin with all his arrogance. See, he'd said then, full of airs despite the blood trickling a path down his mouth, I am the best. And you, Kenshin, you are my masterpiece. Farewell my student and use our techniques wisely. And he could only look on horrified and small, as his huge master stood there speaking with a long, diagonal cut across his body, from shoulder to – nearly – hip, seemingly unbothered by it. So don't sweat it too much; this is the fate of every man bearing the name of Hiko Seijuro. And now it's yours…but do master a favour and live on as Kenshin for many years to come. Then, he fell to the ground hard, flatly on his face. The blood loss was already too much and the cut too deep; when Kenshin got around to try and treat him, he had already expired. What haunted him to this day though, was the ghost of the smile playing on his lips, his last expression, burnt into memory forever: gone was the simpering and replaced with the most sincere, loving smile he had ever seen him give to anyone.

Why couldn't he just dodge? What, two years ago he practically made him submit to staying by force just so he could throw his life away later? Did he want to die by Kenshin's hand? It was obvious by the shape and how deep was the wound, he never made even an attempt to block. Why? Just because all the previous ones were killed on the succession, it didn't mean he should die, too—he wouldn't have called him selfish! He would have just been happy to have his master alive and well, so he could return from time to time and relay news. Why the guilt? He didn't deserve to die, he hadn't killed bad people; even if the amount was a lot, it was still…righteous! And now what was he supposed to do with all these feelings? How could he be happy without his master, his…his well, father. He was the only man he even remembered anymore. Why…why did he have to set him free? This ultimate freedom—he didn't like it. Sometimes, some shackles are good to have. Not all shackles are chains; some are ropes that pull you up when you feel down. And some are bandages that help your wounds.

Now, he had neither.

"Well, if he was all that strong how could he have fallen on the first place? Did he trip? Did someone push him?"

"What Kenshin-san meant was he was killed."

"Even worse! How did he get killed if—?"

"Sometimes the strongest feel lonely in this world. That is when they allow their opponents to end their loneliness, I believe." Kenshin said sagely, the same sad smile still on his face. But it became a little brighter once he encountered the boy's questioning eyes. "Practically it means though he could, he just didn't want to dodge."

"Oh…but then that means he wanted to die…"

"Enishi, please don't pick into this any further…"

"Nah, it's alright," he dismissed with a wave and an even brighter smile "he's young but he seems to understand. I guess being the strongest also means being the loneliest; which is why it's very important to surround yourself with people you consider your equals…because too much strength can be destructive, especially if there isn't any control exerted over it."

"I see…well, I'm not the strongest yet, but when I become, I will always have nee-sama around to keep me grounded! And…that annoying fiancé of yours. If you chose him after all, he must be good for something. Right?"

Something inside Kenshin felt brittle, vulnerable but so resolute all in that same moment; unwittingly, he had made a very big decision that day: this young black haired boy, with the terrible manners yet infinite love for all things that had to do with his sister, he would be his disciple. In the future. Once the boy matured a little and the war was over, he would train him into the finest of swordsmen.

He swore on the name of Hiko Seijuro the fourteenth he now carried on his back.

A/N: I love Hiko. Also, I do think he is a tiny bit suicidal, all who carry the name must be, if they are knowingly train a person for so long, only to be killed by them. And honestly, this version of events is one I am almost confident would have played out in case Hiko hadn't allowed Kenshin to leave. But Hiten Mitsurugi is freedom, Hiko the Thirteenth, from what we have been informed in the story, is the most Hiten Mitsurugi user to have ever Hiten Mitsurugi'd so I take it he's big on allowing people to make their own decisions, even if they are incredibly wrong - and he knows it - .

Hope I entertained you lovelies! See you next time. Kisses,
FAI~!