Disclaimer: I do not own the Anime or it's characters. All rights go to the creator of the anime Rurouni Kenshin.
GhostAs Saitou moved through the courtyard he noted that the lights that had lit the yard when he'd left had been destroyed, covering most of the courtyard in a blanket of shadows. A crashing sound from the front of the building had Saitou creeping along the shadows towards the front gate. As he rounded the corner he could clearly see the reason for the commotion; the assassin from the forest had just destroyed the front doors keeping them from reaching him as quickly. Saitou stepped from the shadows his hand on his sword ready for a fight.
The Ghost stopped short, he'd intended to jump over the wall after he'd made sure the officers wouldn't be following him. He smiled evilly under the cloth covering his face, the Mibu Wolf. While he knew she'd be angry if he'd attacked Hibari or the Battousai he didn't know what she'd do if he fought the wolf. True that at one time she'd respected him, but that was then and this was now, things had changed. He'd have to see if the fight would be worth the chance of upsetting her. He really didn't care if he upset her really it was just so hard for him to get out and play when she was pissed with him. And he did want to play, but if she got angry she got angry.
Saitou's eyes narrowed as the Ghost matched his stance as he reached for his sword, bloodlust dancing in his red eyes. Saitou drew his sword intending to end this problem once and for all. By the sounds coming from what was left of the front doors it would be a while before anyone else would be showing up, giving him time to fight without anyone getting in the way. That was unless someone was actually smart enough to use the side door by the storage area, witch happened to be designed to look just like the rest of the wall on the out side and said door came out right behind the Ghost.
The Ghost smiled to him self, he knew the wolf's fighting habits well and he'd purposely given the wolf enough room to use his Gatotsu. He'd seen the wolf use it before he'd even seen the Battousai dodge it once, now that had been a fight worth witching even if he'd almost been caught. As predicted Saitou dropped into the stance needed to perform the Gatotsu, this was going to be such fun. He hissed quietly sensing the intrusion that was coming even before the hidden door behind him opened.
"Don't." Hibari yelled his face pale from running through the building to get outside. The Ghost straitened but kept his gaze on the man he'd wanted to be fighting.
"You have what you asked for, and you've seen to your revenge so leave." Hibari said finding his voice and courage as Kenshin came up behind him.
The Ghost turned his eyes to Hibari and blinked. "Riku always said you had courage." His voice was much lower then it had been.
It was Hibari's turn to blink "You knew him?"
"I did… but it's not him I did this for."
"If Kairi had asked I would've given it to her a long time ago." Hibari said knowing the only family Riku had left was his younger sister.
"That's assuming you could hear her." Came his cold reply.
"What do you mean by that?" Hibari demanded.
"Its easy to take a life… even more so when its your own." The Ghost said bitterly as he disappeared over the wall.
The Hibari slumped to the ground, 'Suicide! But she'd been so young!'
XXXXXXXXXXXHe moved quickly down the streets getting as far away as possible, before he took a moment to gather his thoughts he'd half excepted to see the Mibu Wolf but not the Battousai, she would be angry with him in the morning but it couldn't be helped. He slowed hearing someone up ahead. The noise was coming from a small dojo its front yard lit by a single candle. A young boy was out practicing his swordsmen-ship alone.
He stopped and watched for a moment, the boy was dedicated he'd give him that. Movement from the back of the dojo caught his eye; slowly a young man came out of the dojo smiling. "What are you doing up this late," he asked, "Come inside and get some rest."
"Just a little longer," beamed the little boy. "Brother do you think that if I can finish my lessons in time for your next trip to Kyoto that I can go with you? Please brother!" begged the little boy staring at his older brother with big eyes.
The Ghost smiled sadly remembering a similar night long ago.
XXXXXXXXXXX"Brother!" yelled a child running into the forest's clearing.
The young man smiled and hugged his younger sister. "It's been too long! Its good to see you." She was growing fast, she could easily pass as a teenager with how tall she'd gotten while he'd been gone. And with her haircut as it was she looked like a boy. But even with everything that changed her forest green eye still sparkled with mischief, thou not as brightly as they once did.
"Look!" she said letting go of him and walking over to the rock he'd been sitting on and picked up his sword, she slid it in place. Slowly watching the placement of her feet, she moved in to the new stance removing the sword from its sheath, slowly making sure her movements were precise she began to show him what she'd learned. About half way through she froze, hearing the first twig snap, some one was coming.
"Go hide in the woods NOW!" He ordered her quietly…
He snapped from his thoughts hearing footsteps coming closer. "If you continue to follow me you won't be able to see the sunrise… Battousai." said the Ghost vanishing like he'd never really been there at all.
Kenshin stopped something was wrong with what he'd just seen, there was something there he hadn't seen sense the revolution, and he had the strong impression that he'd been looking at a different person from the one he'd confronted earlier that night.
XXXXXXXXXXXIt was early afternoon too early for a large crowd to be at the Akebeko so Kenshin and his friends all sat around a beef pot talking about the strange letter Kenshin had received that morning, telling him in the fewest words possible that his master was coming to visit him soon. His master either hadn't thought about the time it would take the letter to reach him or he hadn't cared, because the date the letter gave for him to visit was in fact the day he received it. Another words TODAY!
"But why is he coming? It's not like he's the visiting type!" Kaoru was saying a little stressed over what was happening. Kenshin turned to look at her, he couldn't argue with her on that point this was very strange behavior for his master. He was about to answer when he felt it, a strong swordsmen spirit and it was getting close to them.
When the door to the Akebeko slid open Kenshin saw the one who had caused it. It appeared to be a young man; wearing a black cloak its hood was down showing a head of short brown hair. He looked towards their booth his deep green eyes locked with Kenshin's momentarily before he turned and sat in the booth across from them. He seemed distant and aloof but Kenshin sensed something familiar about him.
After a moment Tsubame went over to the booth to get his order. "What can I get for you Sir?" she asked.
Sota smiled at the girl in front of her "Just some green tea for now… Haru'd kill me if I started without her." she said with mirth in her voice. The child smiled at this and left to get her order. After she'd came back with her tea Sota tried to relax the last few days had been hell, she hated big cities. She just had to remember why she was here, her charge was getting married soon and she'd come to reacquaint herself with the man asking for her hand. She remembered that he'd been born in the village she'd moved Haru to, but he'd moved to Tokyo two years ago looking for a good job which he'd found. They'd be a good mach for each other, and he was the only one she trusted to take over looking after Haru for her.
The next person to enter the dinning establishment was a young woman, when she came into the Akebeko every one could see that she had been hurt, she had a black eye and a split lip. Sota was out of the booth in an instant, once at her side she started looking over the girl's face. "Haru what happened?" she asked firmly Haru looked her in the eye and gave a couscous smile as not to reopen her lip.
"I'm fine, Sota. Kaly took care of it." Haru said trying it calm her down it wasn't hard to see how angry her guardian was over the fact she'd been hurt. Sota continued to look her over very carefully before taking a step back.
"Come sit." Said Sota softly motioning to the booth she'd just been sitting at. "Little miss could you get a new glass for us when you get a chance?"
"Hai Sir." Said Tsubame going into the back for a second glass. They waited silently for her to return; when she set the glass in front of Haru she nodded her thanks as Tsubame left to attend to another booth. Haru watched as her guardian slowly filled her cup with tea, she was clearly trying to regain her calm balance.
"How's Kaly?" Sota asked suddenly, sure she'd seen Kaly this morning but the mundane question helped bring things back into focus. She'd have to ask why he'd forgotten to tell her that Haru had been hurt next time she saw him.
"He's well." Haru said with a small smile, "I'm going to see him later this afternoon after I see the Inspector about what happened." The last part came out in a rush knowing the reaction the information would cause.
Sota's head jerked up from her tea. "Which Inspector?" Her voice was hard and her eyes had lightened to more of a yellow then her usual green color. The sudden change startled Haru she wasn't use to seeing this side of Sota. "I'm sorry I snapped at you." She said softly her eyes tracking over everyone in the room, looking for possible threats.
"It's fine I know your just looking out for me, Sota. Even after all these years people still hate and fear the group father was with, only now that most of them are dead no one is around to protect the families left behind." Haru said sadly thinking of all those she'd seen mistreated just for supporting the Shinsengumi. "I was asked to meet the Inspector alone." Haru said after a moment,
"Which Inspector?" Sota asked with a soft voice.
"Um Inspector… Inspector Fujita I think."
Kenshin had been listing to Kaoru list thing that needed to be done before his master arrived, even thou they had no idea what time he would be coming, but when he heard Saitou's new name used he turned his attain to the booth across from them.
"You are NOT going near that… that man with out someone with you!" Sota said suddenly very cold and her voice was firm leaving no room for argument.
Haru knew she wasn't going to win this one by the look in her guardian's eyes. "I don't suppose you brought anything else with you." At Sota's shaking head she sighed, "Well I guess you'll just have to use some of Kaly's clothes. You look like a criminal in that thing." Haru said with a bit of mirth.
Sota smiled at that 'Bad choice of words, Haru.'
Kenshin turned his attention back to what was being discussed in his booth as the couple's talk went to what the young lady had been doing in the past few months as they ate. Little about the young man was said.
As Sota was getting the money from with in her gi Haru asked the one question she wished she'd never have to answer. "What have you been doing for money all this time, Sota?"
"It's what I have left from the revolution." Sota said softly it was the only thing she could say and still keep Haru safe.
Haru had a good idea what Sota had done to get that money but this only confirmed what she suspected. "I have something to do later, so we'll split up after the meeting, if that's alright?" Sota asked.
"Hai. Are you going to stay for diner this time?" Haru asked hopeful.
"If nothing goes wrong then Hai!" said Sota with a small smile as they left.
"KENSHIN?" yelled Kaoru, she was getting mad she had been trying to talk to him for ten minutes now and he'd just sat there listing in on the booth across from them.
Kenshin turned to look at Kaoru. "Hai Miss Kaoru." he said with a smile not realizing his attention had moved again.
"What are we going to do about Hiko, Kenshin?" she asked again.
"Master will come if he said he would. That he will… We will just have to make this trip as painless as possible…" he said wryly.
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