Chapter 2

Megumi stood and quietly retreated, giving the wounded man some space. He needed sleep now. As she closed the door to his room, a huddle of people looked sheepishly at her. She questioned the group irritably, "What do you want?"

Kaoru spoke first. "How's the old man?"

"Actually, he's not that old," Megumi murmured snappishly, putting her finger to her lips in a plea for silence. She motioned for the group to follow her away. Once she was satisfied with the distance, she turned and said, "He needs sleep, and being noisy won't help." Megumi glanced at Kenshin and amended, "He'll be fine. He just needs to rest for a month or so, and his bones will mend. He'll be able to fight again."

Kenshin smiled. "That's good, this one supposes," he said, thinking.

" 'I suppose'?" Sanosuke grinned. The smile vanished just as quickly as it appeared. "Do you think you'll have to fight him again, Kenshin?"

Kaoru frowned as Kenshin answered. "That is a possibility, yes it is. However, this one thinks that the strange man doesn't have any ill intent, even-"

Kaoru interrupted, "No ill intent! He was going to kill me!"

Kenshin continued, "Yes. But he did not. Instead, he chose to keep you as a hostage, and you proved to be a bit more combative than he anticipated. He may have succeeded if you had not distracted him like that, Kaoru-dono."

Yahiko jumped in, "Don't worry, Kaoru. If that guy so much as puts a finger on you, I'll beat him into the ground. I'll protect you!"

"Yeah right, my own student protecting me," Kaoru retaliated. "-and that's Kaoru-sensei to you, you twerp!"

As Yahiko and Kaoru argued, Sanosuke told Kenshin that he would back Kenshin up if the time came, and Megumi led the group further away from the old man's room – Kaoru and Yahiko were getting louder and louder all the while.

"I'm only your student until I can learn from Kenshin!"

"You'll learn from Kenshin when cows learn to fly, I guess you're stuck with me!"

"I'll show you, I'm going to learn faster than anyone in history!"

Kakashi opened his eye. Where was he again? Oh, yes. There were some people who brought out a doctor… and… there his memory became rather fuzzy. Fearfully, he brought his hand to his face. The mask was still there, although his shirt had been pulled up to his neck. Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief. Now to assess his injuries. He inched his injured arm below the blanket that had been spread over him. It still hurt, but it was tolerable now. Kakashi's hand brushed against bandages around his middle. He winced: yep, he probably had a broken rib or two. Gingerly, he felt the bandages on his upper left arm. Kakashi breathed out through his nose and counted the breaks: one, two. They were so close together that it could have been one shattered break. He was no medic, though, so he didn't know for sure. He closed his eye for a second. He had a broken arm and a couple of broken ribs. How? He had been wounded with a sword, but he hadn't bled. Kakashi decided that the swordsman, Kenshin, had probably struck him with the flat of his blade. A cold feeling settled over Kakashi as he realized that they had wanted him alive, and they had succeeded. Well, that was that.

He scanned the room he was in. His weapon pouch had been laid out on a low table not far from where he was. Near his head was a pot and a wet rag, and beyond that were some unused bandages. Kakashi turned his head towards the source of light – the paper-thin wall containing a sliding door was across the room, nearest his feet. The lamp in the room was put out, in order to let him sleep, Kakashi supposed. It was time to get up now, he decided.

Kakashi leaned heavily on his right arm and slowly pulled himself into a sitting position. He rested there for a moment, leaning on his arm for support, and then flipped onto his knees. As he attempted to take a step, a bout of dizziness assaulted him. He wavered there, crouched over his right hand and knee, for a few seconds before rising to his full height. Looking down, Kakashi discovered he still had his shruiken holster strapped to his thigh. He checked it: It still had his weapons in it. Kakashi shrugged, or tried to. He wasn't going to question a gift. Next, he needed to check his weapon pouch and its contents.Stumbling, Kakashi made his way over to the table in question. He started to lean down, but thought better of it, and bent his knees instead. Ah, yes, there it was. Kakashi smiled as he brought out the small, worn-out orange book. Icha Icha Tactics was his favorite piece of literature. A further investigation revealed all his weapons exactly where he had placed them – nothing had been disturbed. Kakashi tried to strap his on weapon pouch with one hand, and after a moment of fumbling and rearranging, it was around his waist where it belonged.

Kakashi surveyed the room once more. All in all, it was a pretty barren room. Kakashi found water in the pot he had seen earlier, and used the rag to wet his hair and neck and, very carefully, his forehead and eyes. After replacing the rag and pulling his headband back over his left eye, he decided it was time go out. But first, he should do something about his shirt hanging loose around his neck. Kakashi decided to cut the shirt away from the mask and, although it was awkward, he succeeded. 'Okay, almost as good as new,' Kakashi thought to himself, stretching his neck. 'Let's find out who they are and what they want.' With that, he pushed the sliding door aside and blinked into the daylight.

It was afternoon, judging by the position of the sun and amount of heat in the air. Kakashi made a mental note of which way was East: he had left Konoha, his homeland, going west, so it made sense to head east to find it again. Kakashi surveyed the yard. Kenshin greeted Kakashi with a smile and a "Good morning." He was standing near a stump, chopping wood with his sword. Kenshin was holding the sword up-side down, however. Kakashi watched as Kenshin split the log with a clean cut. 'That explains it,' he thought. The sword that Kenshin held was sharp on the wrong side so that, when Kenshin drew it from its scabbard, the sharp side would be facing Kenshin himself. It was like using a club, Kakashi reasoned. A thin, metal club with a scabbard.

Intrigued, Kakashi asked, "What kind of sword is that?" He scratched the edge of the bruise on his side, remembering the confusion his wound had caused him.

"This one wields a Sakabatou," Kenshin replied, reaching for another log. "It doesn't kill, that it doesn't."

When Kenshin didn't continue, Kakashi asked, "Why?"

Kenshin replied just as criptically. "Hmm?"

Kakashi sighed, a little frustrated. "Why doesn't the Sakabatou kill?" he amended, even though an answer was obvious. Kakashi hoped that he might learn something extra in the asking.

Kenshin was silent for a bit before speaking again. "To atone for one's sins, this one must wield this blade to protect people," Kenshin said quietly, looking down. Kakashi couldn't quite see his eyes, but he wasn't sure he really wanted to see them. Kenshin's head popped up, and he was bubbly again, "That is why this one stays here in the Kamya Kasshin dojo, to protect Miss Kaoru-dono, yes it is." Kenshin's next question caught Kakashi off-guard. "Why is it that you did not kill, when you are trained to?"

Kakashi's mind whirled at the implications of Kenshin's question and ran through his options. 'I wasn't ordered to.' No, then Kenshin would know Kakashi hadn't gone rouge, that he was still working for Hokage Tsunade. 'It wasn't convenient.' No, that made him sound heartless, and like he had something specific to carry out. 'He knows I've been trained to kill,' Kakashi slowly realized. He'd have to be careful. All the same, Kakashi answered, "I've seen death too many times to take it lightly." 'Let him think what he likes,' Kakashi thought to himself.

Kenshin nodded and seemed to understand. "So, what is it that you are here for?" he asked.

"Oh, it isn't all that important," Kakashi replied, without skipping a beat. "Would you like me to cook or clean for everyone, while I am here? I don't like to impose, and I think I'm through resting for now." It was true, really. Kakashi was beginning to feel antsy, and he needed something to do while he recovered. Sleeping wasn't his thing.

Kenshin perked up a bit, which surprised Kakashi: he hadn't thought that the man could be any more perky than he was already being. "Yes," he said almost immediately. "Would you cook for us tonight? After all, it's not hard to cook better than- AAH!" Kaoru came out of nowhere, kicking Kenshin in the head. "Oro," Kenshin groaned from the ground.

Kaoru looked like a breaking storm. "Who is it easy to cook better than, huh!"

Kakashi chuckled. Kaoru really did remind him of Tsunade-sama. His laugh was cut short, however, as Kaoru turned her murderous intent in his direction.

"You think you can cook better than me, huh? Well, consider it a challenge, you punk!"

Kakashi put his hands up in front of him as a gesture of goodwill and peace. Well, he held his right hand up. He heard Kenshin murmur from the ground, "Miss Kaoru-dono," but he didn't get farther than that.

Kaoru interrupted Kenshin and pointed a finger at Kakashi. "Dinner! Tonight! Let's do this!" she yelled at him before stalking off.

"Are you alright?" Kakashi said to Kenshin, laughing.

In response, Kenshin let out one last "Oro," and then stood up again, ready to continue chopping wood.

"Well, looks like I've got my work cut out for me," Kakashi said as he left. He still had some rations, but not much else… Kakashi would either have to go hunting, or…

Kakashi entered the woods outside of town and picked a stakeout point. He hadn't bothered to be stealthy until now, choosing instead to conserve his energy. After all, he didn't need to hide to conceal his presence from the locals anymore, he thought, tugging the yukata he had borrowed. Kakashi blended in quite nicely, and if he left the yukata untucked, it would also conceal his weapon pouch.

The forest was a different matter entirely, however. In order to catch an animal, Kakashi would need to mask his presence. Kakashi settled in and waited. After some time, a rustle in the foliage signaled an animal. A doe, Kakashi realized. He was about to spring for it when a fawn bounded out from behind its mother, bleating and stumbling over its too-large legs. Kakashi lowered his kunai and relaxed. He wouldn't kill the mother or her fawn. They reminded him of the children that he had tried to raise up into ninjas. Kakashi paused, thinking again of his three students. He had passed them off to other teachers, because he had taught them all he was able to. Well, he had taught them all he was willing to teach them. Kakashi hoped that what he had taught them would be enough. He grimaced, knowing that it wouldn't. Sasuke was bent on revenge, after all, and Kakashi knew he couldn't teach Naruto or Sakura any more. They each specialized in things he knew little about.

'Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, please be all right,' he thought, and stood abruptly. The doe dashed away, her fawn not far behind her. Exhaling, Kakashi decided he'd try his luck with fishing instead. This wouldn't even be a problem if the dojo had any stock of food at all…

"Eh-heh-heh-heh," Kenshin heard from behind a door. He paused for a moment; it was probably Kaoru. What was she doing alone in there? Stepping lightly, he leaned closer to the doorway. "Kenshin!" Kaoru said loudly, pulling the door open.

Kenshin lost his balance, "Oro!" and tumbled inside, knocking over a couple of bowls and a vase of water.

"What're you doing?" demanded Kaoru. Kenshin hurriedly reached for the vase and pulled it up, hoping that not all the contents had been spilt. "Aah, the ingredients!" Kaoru cried, bringing her hands to her face.

"Sorry," Kenshin apologized, and lifted his sandal out of a bowl of rice. By this time, Kenshin's face was very red. He had been caught eavesdropping, and now he was making a mess of everything. A quick glance at Kaoru confirmed it; she was terrifyingly angry, and Kenshin immediately put down the bowls he had been righting and backed away. "This one is very sorry, yes indeed," he said, hoping to mollify her.

"Get out!" she screamed, throwing overturned bowls at him as he hurriedly left the room. The sliding door slammed shut behind him.

Yahiko walked by, then, with his shinai on his shoulder. "She's been like that all morning," he complained. "She won't teach me any new techniques. Hey, Kenshin-"

"This one will not teach you Hiten Mitserugi, Yahiko. A killing sword does not need to be passed on," Kenshin said, cutting off Yahiko's request.

"Aww, come on," Yahiko whined, "I wasn't even to that part yet. I just wanted to know if we're going to have lunch soon!"

"I-is that so?" Kenshin said, thinking of the pile of food that had surrounded Kaoru. Somehow, he knew that there was no lunch to be had in the dojo today. "Say, Yahiko, let's go out for lunch today."

Kakashi sat on the ground, frustrated. He had been planning on cooking the fish he had caught, but that wasn't happening. Instead, it was like he didn't have any chakra at all. He tried the fire-type jutsu again, but to no avail. Something was definitely wrong here. Kakashi made the release sign, in case he was in a genjutsu – an enemy's illusion. He tried the jutsu again. Nothing. Kakashi's eye narrowed, thinking. He had noticed his fire-type jutsus had been weakening the further he got from Konoha, his home country, but they had at least worked a little. Kakashi made the handsigns for a jutsu he himself had invented. It was lightning-based, and sounded like a flock of birds – thus its name, the Chidori.

However, instead of a very bright crackling ball of electricity, Kakashi held in his hand… nothing. His fingers tingled a little bit. What was going on here?

Himura Kenshin was not a man who loved violence. All the same, he found death everywhere he went. It was, admittedly, partially because of his sense of justice that he gained enemies. However, when Himura Kenshin found himself being interrogated by two strange, seemingly magic men, it was not because his sense of justice had been offended. Indeed, the two violent creatures – Kenshin thought them stranger than men – were looking for someone else. Someone they called Kakashi, the "copy-cat-ninja". Slowly, as the two described this Kakashi, Kenshin realized they were also describing the man Kenshin had recently fought.

Kenshin's face remained impassive as he realized this, and he began to take in details that he could ask the grey-haired man about later. "So, assuming you find this Kakashi, what will you do?" he asked cautiously.

"Kill 'em," growled the closer one, who looked like a young, hotheaded hoodlum.

The one with the mask flicked his wrist and said, "It is none of your concern." The first hissed in pain and rubbed his elbow, glaring at the masked one.

Kenshin's brow creased. This put him in an awkward position. Why would these men want to kill Kakashi? Was he a bad person? No, if these men were going to capture Kakashi for his crimes, the police would have been searching for Kakashi as well, and then Kakashi would already be in jail. Kenshin kept his smile plastered to his face. "Might this one be so bold as to ask what you two have against that man? Kakashi, wasn't it?"

The hoodlum leered and the masked one made an exhaling sort of noise. "He is of no use to us," the hoodlum advised. "Let me kill him."

"Shiba, you're too quick," the masked one drawled. Shiba turned away from Kenshin, his face unreadable. "He knows more than he is telling… he was able to sense us, after all. Let us… find out if he is a ninja," the masked one explained, sounding amused. Kenshin's eyes narrowed as Shiba turned back to face him with a dark, feral smile on his face.

"What do you intend to do?" Kenshin all but demanded. The masked one had the gall to laugh before holding his hands in front of him and disappearing. Kenshin's eyes widened and he fell into a fighting stance, preparing for a lunging attack from Shiba. Shiba, however, was nowhere to be seen. 'Strange,' Kenshin thought, shifting his eyes around. He knew that their intentions were to fight him, or at least test him somehow…

Kenshin had barely finished the thought when a hand erupted from the ground and made a grab for his ankle. Luckily, Kenshin was faster than the hand – but not by much. He felt the fingertips pull at the fabric of his socks. It was too close for comfort. Kenshin kept backpedaling and loosened his Sakabatou, ready to fight. It was not a moment too soon. Shiba shot out from where the hand had been, rising up to tackle Kenshin. Kenshin drew immediately and, just as Shiba's knees lunged out of the dirt, Kenshin unsheathed and attacked in the same movement. Shiba's hand grabbed out and caught Kenshin's sleeve, and Kenshin's blow caught Shiba full-on in the face. Shiba was knocked back, but he still had an iron grip on Kenshin's sleeve, and so Kenshin stumbled forward also, as gracefully as he could.

Kenshin wrenched back and Shiba let go of his sleeve, vying instead to hold his broken and abused face. "Come out," Kenshin shouted, turning slightly. "This one knows you are there. Why won't you face this one directly?"

"Surely I won't have to," the masked man said, appearing to drop out of the tree branches. "Right, Shiba?"

Kakashi had tried about half of his jutsus when he heard her panicked cry. He was a little tired, but not by much, since most of what he had tried hadn't worked. Even so, he managed to locate Kaoru in a matter of seconds.

"Yo," he said, stepping out from behind a tree. Kaoru suppressed a scream and turned to face Kakashi, flustered and angry. Her breath caught.

"You! If Kenshin's gone for good this time, it's your fault!" Kaoru pointed an accusing finger at Kakashi, daring him to contradict her.

"…Ah," Kakashi said, not wanting to incriminate himself further. "I've been fishing," he managed. Kaoru spared the fish a disgusted glance. When he didn't continue, she became upset.

"You don't even care, do you!" she cried, pausing before turning back the way she had come.

"Kaoru," Kakashi said at once, reaching for her shoulder. "How long has it been since you've seen him?" She frowned. Kakashi pushed ahead. "If Kenshin truly intends to leave, then he can't have gotten far. I saw him this morning, just as you did. Now, you'll find Kenshin faster if more people are searching for him. Are you searching alone?"

"I'm not a child," Kaoru snapped, glaring again. Belatedly, Kakashi realized that he had used a tone of voice that he reserved for his students, who were twelve.

"I'm sorry," he said, trying to separate Sakura and Kaoru in his mind. This situation was way too close to home for him, and it was hard for Kakashi not to view Kenshin as Sasuke, the student who had defected and run away. "I-I'll help you look."

Kaoru still looked a bit angry, but she let the apology pass. "I last saw him in the dojo, when he stepped in the food I was… making…" Kaoru slowed, realizing she had hidden all the food from Kakashi, and had practically admitted it. Kakashi narrowed his visible eye slightly, but did nothing more. "It was around lunchtime," she hurried on. "Kenshin took Yahiko to eat, and when Yahiko got back, he was surprised Kenshin didn't get to the dojo before him."

"Okay, that's where we're going," Kakashi said, dropping his fish where he stood. They were no good uncooked, anyway. "Take me to the potential restaurants, quickly," Kakashi said, walking ahead of Kaoru.

Kenshin's fight continues. Will Kakashi show up in time? What have Sanosuke and Yahiko been doing? Will they arrive before Kakashi does? And what will happen to the fish? Find out next time, in Blood and Steel!

4