Disclaimer- I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or the Olympics, I only wrote this because I didn't get a chance to do one when they were held in Sydney. (I live in Australia, about 18 hours drive from Sydney -, so please don't blame me if I'm a little biased.) Don't get me wrong though, the Athens games were fantastic…

Back to the plot! This is mainly a little story to help get over writers block, there may be more chapters later…

Meiji Olympics

The day dawned bright and clear as the Kenshin-gumi began the short walk to Kenshin's first event. 'Kaoru- dono, I'm not sure about this.' He said uncomfortably as he looked at the huge crowd that was gathering up ahead.

'Nonsense, Kenshin.' She said calmly as she pulled him by the arm towards the arena. 'I've already signed you up, and don't you dare complain.' She waved a finger in his face. 'After your last little battle with Saitoh, the main dojo was damaged almost beyond repair. This was the only way I could think of for you to pay me back.'

'But Kaoru-dono, I've heard that the Olympocs are supposed to be really hard to get into…' He tried feebly.

'Olympics, Kenshin.' She corrected him. 'Tae knows the manager of the current games, and she owed me a favour… so I asked her to…pull a few strings for me.' She laughed happily.

'oro…'Was the heartfelt reply. A masculine voice began speaking into a megaphone, the words echoing off the seats that had been raised in the form of an arena. 'Himura Kenshin, would you please report to the High Jump area as soon as possible? Himura Kenshin, to the High Jump area.'

He turned to face his raven-haired friend. 'Kaoru – dono, what exactly is high Jump?'

'Ano, the man at the registration podium told me.' She answered holding up one finger knowingly. 'He said it was a big pole suspended over a mat that people take turns to jump and it keeps getting higher.'

Kenshin's eyes scanned around to see what he could make of her vague description. 'I think I found it de gozaru yo!' he yelled before sprinting off.

The others followed at a more human pace.

Kenshin looked up at the pole, wow, he thought to himself. It's much higher than I thought it would be for the first jump. He was jolted out of his pondering by a voice through the loud speaker.

'The men's high jump will now begin, will the first athlete please attempt the jump?'

Kenshin looked around him quickly, none of the other people standing around him seemed very interested in becoming the first to attempt the height. In fact they seemed to be paying no attention to the loud speaker and were chatting among themselves.

'Oh well.' He muttered, steeling himself up for the jump. 'Here goes.' He took a deep breath took a quick couple of steps and leapt up and over the bar, easily clearing it, he then landed gracefully on the mat. He straightened up, breathing out slowly glad to have cleared the jump so easily, with the pressure of so many people watching. He then realised that the stadium was quiet…too quiet…MUCH too quiet.

He looked around quickly to see what had caused a stir so large it had shut up an entire stadium of people. He looked to his right to see the men who had been chatting between themselves before he jumped, staring at him with giant sweatdrops on their foreheads and their mouths open. 'Oro?' he asked, they didn't seem to be able to answer him, so he looked behind him, over his shoulder, to see a group of officials looking absolutely gob smacked, he turned looking to his left and saw Kaoru, Sano and Yahiko staring him down, he began to feel slightly frustrated that no one would tell him what he'd done wrong. 'What's the matter?' he asked finally after a few minutes of being stared at by a silent stadium full of people. 'It was only the first height, it's going to get higher than that!'

'Uuuh Kenshin?' Sano asked, finally breaking the silence.

'Yes?' Kenshin asked turning to face him.

Sano suddenly jerked his thumb over his shoulder at an object behind him. 'THAT is High Jump.'

Kenshin's eyes widened as he saw a much, MUCH lower bar. His eyes roved around the very scared looking group of would-be contestants, and as his eyes focussed on each one, they quickly lowered their eyes and backed all the way out of the stadium.

He turned slowly to face his friends again, 'If that.' He pointed to high jump. 'Is the event I was supposed to be in just now, then.' He pointed to the obscure other event in which his participation had well and truly freaked out an entire stadium full of people. 'What is that?'

'Allow me to field that one, Battousai.' Saitoh said as he sauntered up with a police uniform on and as close to a grin on his wolf-like face that Kenshin had ever seen. For some reason the sight of his old enemy grinning at his expense was NOT something that filled Kenshin with confidence.

'What you just participated in is called Pole Vault.' At Kenshin's lax expression the wolf continued, the grin he was trying so hard to wipe off his face stretching another few inches.

'The competitors using a very long bendable stick, run up and, by jamming the stick in a hole manage to propel themselves over the bar. YOU on the other hand.' He paused taking a deep puff on his cigarette to contain the laughter that was threatening to get out. 'YOU, simply looked around yourself like a tourist at a Tepanyaki stall, took two little steps and then just launched yourself over the bar as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.'

'It WAS nothing out of the ordinary Saitoh!' Kenshin snarled, his cheeks blushing a slight red.

'For you maybe, Mr Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, I can do laundry, introduce a new era and leap several meters unaided into the air all in one day.' Said the feared wolf of Mibu, sounding more like a taunting older brother.

He began to laugh quietly, as Kenshin's face shone red with embarrassment.

'The first height was 10m Battousai most ordinary people need some kind of help to get over a height of that magnitude.'

Sano, Kaoru and Yahiko began to laugh as well. Kenshin tried to glare at them, but with the shade of red his face was it wasn't very threatening.

He spun around to face the wolf square on. 'I would suggest that you don't pass comment on things you can't do yourself, Saitoh.' Kenshin told the older man with a very slight stress on the policeman's name.

Saitoh stopped laughing. 'Are you suggesting Battousai, that I, feared Wolf of Mibu could not jump over that.' He pointed at the 10m high bar that had birds flying around it. 'Feeble piece of wood?!'

Kenshin crossed his arms over his chest. 'Actions speak louder than words, de gozaru yo.' Was the Rurouni's thinly veiled challenge.

Saitoh stared at the redhead for a moment before ripping off his police issued jacket and marching quickly towards the bar. He threw the jacket over his shoulder in a rage, not hearing the muffled 'Oompf' or the string of curses that followed it as it hit Sanosuke square in the face. 'I'll show him.' He muttered as he began to jog towards the bar.

'He looks serious.' Yahiko stated as Saitoh began to sprint in earnest at the bar.

Saitoh's battle cry began when he had reached about halfway, with each step it grew in volume and intensity.

"AARRGGGHHHHHHHH!!!'

He jumped.

The crowd was silent as the policeman sailed gracefully towards the bar. Saitoh's battle cry continued as he flew upwards, the crowd gasped as one when he began the downhill plummet, without even making it halfway to the 10m bar. The fearsome battle cry turned into a girlish scream, as he landed on the blue safety mat. The silence was broken only by Kenshin's soft chuckles.

'Ummm…' kaoru started 'Do you think he's ok?'

Kenshin was about to answer, when the Ex- Wolf of Mibu stood up suddenly and fwipped his slightly mussed hair back into place. He reached into his pants pocket to retrieve a cigarette. He completely ignored the fact that the weight of a very tall and muscular swordsman had fallen five metres directly onto it, and simply moulded it back into shape.

'And that's how it's done, Battousai.' Saitoh told his old enemy with an inscrutable little smile on his face.

'Aaahhh… you missed.' Yahiko pointed out gently, as though worried about the taller man's sanity. 'You only made it halfway…'

Saitoh turned to the young boy, clearly thinking fast while attempting desperately to cling to some of his dignity.

'To the untrained eye, boy.' Saitoh smirked. 'Look there.' He turned to look at the bar still suspended over their heads.

The whole crowd silently turned expecting the bar to snap into two neat halves as an after effect of the Shinsengumi's lightning fast speed.

1 Whole minute later

'Nothing's happening.' Sano pointed out.

'Your missing my point,' Saitoh said, looking as though he desperately wanted to stamp his foot. 'It was what led up to and what followed that truly shows who won.'

'Oh yes,' Kenshin added with a perfectly straight face. 'Your battle cry was very impressive, especially towards the end how it went all high pitched and feminine… very scary.' He nodded wisely, as did most of the men in the crowd.

'I'll show you feminine, girly-man!' Saitoh growled.

Kenshin raised one eyebrow and said nothing.

Saitoh paused, as he realised what he'd said 'In 80 years that is going to be very harsh.' He told the group in general.

'Oh, good.' Yahiko said encouragingly. 'because now it's just really lame…'

Saitoh looked for a moment as though he was trying to find something to say to that. He failed.

'I think we both know who the real winner here was Battousai.' He informed the slight, red-head as he walked away, calling over his shoulder as he went. 'Anytime you'd like a rematch come and find me. Maybe I'll go easy on you.'

Kenshin shrugged, 'How about now?' He inquired politely.

Saitoh stopped suddenly before his retreat suddenly became a lot faster, 'Not now, I have … business to attend to…' He muttered as he half ran out of the arena.

Silence once again filled the stadium as the policeman disappeared through the gate.

The loudspeaker voice cleared its throat awkwardly, 'Would Himura Kenshin please come and collect his prizes for the Men's Pole Vault and Men's High Jump?'

Kenshin walked to the booth, while the man continued. 'As Himura- san was the only competitor in both events he will win first, second and third in both.' Kenshin sweatdropped.

'The prizes for the first places are a years worth of free food at the Akabeko.' Yahiko yelled and punched the air.

'Second prizes are,' He paused, before whistling loudly. 'Quite a reasonable sum of money.' Kaoru laughed 'Now we can fix the dojo, and all thanks to me and Tae-san.'

Kenshin sweatdropped.

'And third prize,'

Sano leant forward expectantly. Jouchan got the money for the dojo, Yahiko got the free food at the akabeko, (not that I'll say no when they invite me) my finely tuned gambling instincts are telling me that the last prize will be something that I'll really like! He thought. He began to grin, already picturing himself so happy with the third prize that he would punch the air like Yahiko had done.

'Weekend trips on the Steam train to Yokohama.' Sano fell to the ground.

He handed Kenshin the vouchers and money and the crowd began to leave, looking at Kenshin curiously as they passed him. Kenshin and his friends joined the crowd, and were out of the gate when they heard the loudspeaker declare an end to the first day of the Meiji Olympics.

'That went much better than I thought it would.' Kaoru said happily waving the money. 'I could really use that new kitchen stove that Michino-san was talking about the other day, she said you can cook inside with it!'

She looked at the money in her hands and frowned a little. 'There's not quite enough here though.' She perked up suddenly. 'Sano, do you remember how you broke the dojo gate the other day?' He sweatdropped. 'I know what you can do to repay me now!'

A/N- I finally put up another chapter of something! I have such terrible writers block that even this little piece didn't come out properly. TT, but I figure if I keep going with this story it might fade and my writingness (see I told you it was bad OO) might come back…

Please read and review… this one would appreciate it, good reviews help make writers block disappear.