Disclaimer: As much as I wish I could say that I own the characters from Rurouni Kenshin, I can't. Legally anyway. So yeah, they're not mine, so don't bug me. Tho' I can say that I own the female character in this story, since I made her up.

Family Matters : The Hiko Reunion

Sunlight poured into the small home of Hiko Seijuro through the sole little window on the east side, falling over the muscular contours of the large-statured swordsman. His eyes opened slowly and adjusted to the light of the room, and he slowly leaned up to a sitting position. He glanced out the window at the position of the sun. Something was wrong. He never woke up this early.

He grudgingly got to his feet and sauntered over to the door. Opening the door, he stared down the dusty mountain road. Void of anything but dirt, as usual. But that was the way Hiko liked it. He attempted to shake the strange feeling he had as he went about his usual morning activities, but, to his annoyance, he failed to do so. Just as he was contemplating what he was going to do for breakfast, he heard someone walking up the path. He gripped his sword that had been leaning on a wall of his small house behind him and waited, confidently knowing he could take out anyone who happened to come up that path.

After a few seconds of the sound of sandals scraping dirt, Hiko already knew exactly who was coming. He rolled his eyes, muttered 'Baka denshi.', and went back to his breakfast dilemma. Within another half minute, Himura Kenshin made his way into view. The red-haired swordsman warily walked up to Hiko, who was already spinning a fish on a spit over a fire.

"Erm-" Kenshin began unsteadily before his sensei cut him off.

"I thought I told you not to bother me again."

"Well, you see--"

"If you want help with another fight, the answer is no."

"It's nothing like that, it's--"

"Stop stuttering and speak, baka denshi."

"I'm trying, de gozaru yo!"

Hiko glanced up from his fish. "Well, what is it?"

"It's just- . . .I needed to ask you something."

This gained Kenshin a flat look from his master.

"What is it now? Some other freak that wants to rule Japan from inside a few rolls of bandages?"

"No, it's about the Hiten Mitsurugi Style, in general, I suppose."

"What about it?"

"Well, . . .where did you learn it from?"

Hiko stared hard at the small swordsman. "Why do you--"

He trailed off, as he suddenly realized that he was no longer holding the fish that he had been eating moments before. He glanced briefly down at his empty right hand before looking up to see a woman, calmly sitting a few feet away, contentedly eating his fish. The fish that he had caught that morning. The fish that he had put forth effort, if only a little, to catch and cook.

Kenshin followed Hiko's gaze, and stared wide-eyed at the woman, wearing a sweatdrop.

Hiko glared over at the audacious woman with the gall to steal his breakfast. "Give that back, wench," he called over, thoroughly annoyed by the day's events thus far.

Kenshin blinked confusedly at the woman. "Miss Yumika? Wh-what are you doing here?"

Hiko surveyed the woman that his baka denshi had just called: 'Yumika'. She had long black hair, that was partially braided behind both of her ears, and partially back in a braid on the back of her head, with the remaining hair falling about her shoulders. She wore a deep blue yukata with creme-colored hakama, and blue socks to match her yukata with sandals. Her sparkling green eyes were squinted with happiness as she munched on the stolen fish. He also observed that she had a sword at her waist, tied onto her hakama.

At Kenshin's question, the woman had looked up at him. "Hiya, Kenshin! Y'know, you're one of the easiest people I've come across to follow."

"B-but--" Kenshin stuttered, surprise still upon him, "why did you follow me?"

"'Cause you said something last night about going to visit your sensei, and I wanted to meet him!" She finished off the last of the fish, licking the spit.

"Uh . . .well, this man is--"

"Hiko Seijuro. 13th master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style."

Hiko suppressed a twitch of his eye. "How do you know who I am, you fish-snatching wench?"

Yumika looked slightly hurt at this question. "You-. . .don't remember me?" Then she smirked, and added, "well, it has been ten years. You're getting forgetful in your--"

"Don't say it. I am not old."

"You're over forty. It's perfectly understandable to have memory loss . . ."

Kenshin, looking at the annoyance in Hiko's eyes, decided to intervene. "Well, ten years is a long time . . .I'm sure you've both changed quite a bit since then . . ."

"No, he hasn't changed one bit since the last time I saw him. Well, a bit taller, I suppose, but his attitude sure hasn't changed . . ."

"You're just spewing nonsense now," Hiko stated, getting more annoyed with this woman with every second she continued playing as though she knew who he was. "Everything that you've said thus far is merely information you could have squeezed from my baka denshi."

Yumika smiled, unafraid. "What can I tell you to make you believe that I saw you ten years ago?"

Hiko commended himself on his flawless memory. "You can tell me exactly why I was anywhere near you."

The black-haired woman didn't bat an eye before promptly answering. "You had just heard of the death of your father."

Hiko's eyes uncharacteristically went wide. He caught himself and narrowed his eyes before going on. "So you know that my father died about ten years ago. So what? That still doesn't prove much of anything to me."

"If I told you exactly how he died, then would you believe me, Hiko-oji?"

Hiko was barely able to refrain from twitching. "What did you just call me?!"

"Your father was killed by your brother, wasn't he? Well, guess what? Your dad was my grandfather!!"

Now Hiko wished he didn't have quite so good of a memory. "Oh no. You're not that daughter of my moron of a brother, are you?!"

Yumika giggled. "The one and only! So nice to see you again, Uncle Hiko!!"

* * * *

So there it be!! Tell me if I should keep going with it . . .or if it just stinks. Thanks muchly! *peaces out*