First, an apology. I'm really sorry I didn't update this for so long. I was at the cottage for two weeks and couldn't remember where I left off ;

NOTE: refuses to change the name, but chapter two's name is really "The Future, the Present..." and chapter three's title finishes with "and his Past" it's in reverse to the usual past present and future (why I typoed it) .

Okay, reply to reviews time then on with the story.

Stelmaria- Wow. That was a review to be proud of . To answer your questions... The Himikiri thing was (I'm not too sure so don't hold me to this) Kenshin's assassin title or a previous name, 'cuz he changed his name to Himura. I just got into the habit of forgetting about 'Hitokiri' though it might be more proper (and I did typo Hitokiri for Himikiri once) ;. And about the roles of his fiancé and her father... truth be told I never saw who gave him the first scar, but the episode said Tomoe crossed the scar her father had made, and I saw her cross the scar. Then again, you could be talking about the series, but I'm talking about the more in-depth OVA series that changes the story a bit, so that might be it also.

-----------

Chapter 4: The Truth - Part I

"Kagome promised to tell us if anything he said was of concern, you heard her. She cares about us as if we are her family. You know that Lord Inu Yasha," Sango said comfortingly, trying to get the hanyou to calm down.

Luckily for her it worked. "Fine, fine." 'I'm not going to quit listening though...' he turned around, his dog ears turning slightly so he could still hear the same muttering and jumbled words like before.

-----------

Fear was evident in Kagome's eyes. She'd been able to put his name and title to the blood-thirsty assassin she'd learned about in class, and he could see she knew far too much about him for her to feel safe. Himura looked away, that look struck a dagger into his heart. "Please Kagome-san I— you know why this one denied you the truth, and you must know the truth of his past."

"You've got to tell the others," she cut him off, snapping out of her fear-induced paralysis. "I can't keep my promise. I'm sorry but they deserve to know!"

Kenshin's eyes widened and he shook his head. "It would do nothing but cause suspicion," she was about to say something when Kenshin interjected "Like it has caused you. Now to you I'm a killer."

"That's not true I--"

"You don't care who you've known for the past day or two. You think it's all an act," Kagome looked at him and couldn't bring herself to disagree. It was true, before it hadn't really mattered, but now... now all she could see was who the villagers saw. No matter who he was now... but the look in his eyes was not that of a murderer's.

"Why? Why did you deny me the truth?" she asked with slight unease, trying to think of him as she had before. "Why 'must I know'?" she repeated the words he'd used for emphasis, somehow seeing in his eyes he wouldn't lie.

Kenshin fought a smile as he looked at her glad she was the person he thought she was. Then he sighed, hiding his face once again. Normally this would have brought Kagome to suspect an incoming lie, but when she heard what she did, there was no doubt in her mind it was the truth. "When my wife-to-be was murdered... it was... that was the day I vowed I would never kill again, never try to draw blood or anything of the sort. I didn't want what happened to Tomoe to happen to anyone else."

"You didn't want anyone else to be murdered?" Kagome asked, confused. In an age where dying by some assassin's sword wasn't too out of the ordinary the idea seemed a bit ludicrous.

"I didn't want to kill anyone else, whether it be on purpose or not. She jumped in front of my blade when I tried to deal the finishing blow to another," he didn't care to tell her it was Tomoe's father, bringing up more questions he'd rather not deal with. "After I was an assassin, but before I'd changed my way of life."

"So if not for her you'd still be a ruthless killer?"

Kenshin shook his head. "If we'd been allowed to live together I was willing to give up everything. We were going to start life farming and forget our pasts. Her father and brother didn't approve of the marriage, but it didn't matter, just being with her was enough to make one feel at peace. She lived pure, died pure and this one cremated her so she'd never be disturbed in her eternal sleep. Half the forest was burned in the process of the cremation. Had it not been winter the fire would have probably razed the whole town... but I hadn't cared. I still wouldn't care. She's dead."

The tone in Kenshin's voice was monotonous, and it had seemed to be the only way he could finish what he was saying. Kagome caught onto this and put an arm around his shoulder, feeling the slight staggering breaths that were usually accompanied by tears. "You really loved her, didn't you?"

"She was the first good thing that had ever happened to me... so pure and perfect," his voice was scarcely above a whisper. "I didn't deserve her, and karma showed me that with the irony her death. Making me not just a witness of her death... but..." '...but the murderer as well.'

He shook his head, unable to continue. Kagome understood exactly what he meant though and found herself trying to comfort him the best she could.

"Oi! Kagome!" Kagome turned to see Inu Yasha calling her, though she could have told that without turning around. "You two should get up here, it's time to get some rest."

Kagome nodded thoughtfully, getting up and looking down at Kenshin. "Are you going to come up? Or do you want to stay here for a while? I'm sure Inu Yasha would stay up for a bit if I asked him to."

"Iie," the rurouni shook his head, rising from his seated position. "This one does not wish to be a hindrance," he explained, starting up the hill. "Plus... he does not need wish to think more on this issue either."

-----------

"...He does not wish to think more on this issue either..." Inu Yasha repeated to himself. Whatever issue didn't need thinking of, was what Kenshin and Kagome had been talking about for all that time. The sullen expression Kenshin still wore also seemed to show a bit of fear and pain. The fact that he looked his age (which Inu Yasha estimated to be about twenty to twenty five years old) was signal enough. Usually he had the look and personality of someone only a few years older than Kagome, and that made the girl really enjoy his company. Inu Yasha could tell... and he wasn't all too fond of that idea. Then again, anything anyone did could turn to a plot of trying to steal Kagome from him in his eyes, and he wasn't going to let Kagome be stolen.

'But what was it? The way he's acting... it has to be important!' the hanyou growled mentally. Kagome wasn't offering the information, so he'd try to talk to her alone tomorrow. He knew he could tell the truth from lies in her eyes, and he only hoped she'd co-operate. If there was one thing Inu Yasha hated, it was making Kagome upset... and he had a feeling this might not go over well (though that wouldn't stop his 'plan').

-----------

The next morning, Inu Yasha pulled Kagome away from the others who were eating and chatting happily around the fire pit. Himura was even back to his old self, laughing light-heartedly and making jokes. "You work miracles," Inu Yasha muttered once Kagome and he were a 'safe' distance away from the others.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Yesterday Kenshin was a mess. Ever since we set foot in the town, he'd been acting strange. You talked to him last night about that, neh?" he asked, as though this wasn't an interrogation and he wasn't noting the way Kagome bit the inside of her bottom lip. "Well?"

"G.." Kagome stammered and shook her head. He didn't know anything. She'd made sure they spoke quietly enough that the inu hanyou couldn't hear. "Get on with it Inu Yasha. You could have brought this up with the others around."

Inu Yasha gave a curt nod and the humour left his face. "What did he tell you?"

"It's a secret," she answered defiantly, staring Inu Yasha down. Unfortunately, when he began to glare back at her, she found his gaze too much, and closed her troubled eyes.

"It's important. Important things are dangerous. Secrets are dangerous."

"I promised I wouldn't tell," her tone was still solid, but Inu Yasha wasn't just going to sit there and take 'no' for an answer.

"You promised you would. You would if it was important," he retorted, almost quoting what she'd said when she promised only a few days ago. "And Kagome... I know this is important. It must be. No one could be so disheveled one minute and fine the next if they hadn't shared a pressing issue."

"It's none of your concern!" before Inu Yasha started talking, she yelled "SIT!" and left him in a crater in the forest floor.

"What was that all about Kagome-san?" Sango asked as Kagome returned, having heard the sit from afar.

"That dog's just sticking his nose where it doesn't belong," she sighed, finishing her breakfast.

Miroku smiled lecherously. "Literally?"

Kagome couldn't even respond before his head was pushed into the ground by the heel of Sango's foot. The rurouni in their company chuckled to himself and smiled up at Sango. "It's amazing how fast you can react when the monk says something. I hardly saw you get up," Sango couldn't help but smile at the vague compliment, though she didn't catch all of what Kenshin had been thinking. "Do you care that much of what he says to others?"

A slight blush rose to Sango's cheeks. "W-what?"

"Whenever we're on the road, it actually takes you a moment before you turn to hit him... but as soon as he does it to another woman, you move like lightning," once again, he just smiled. "Just an observation."

"But he does have a point Lady San--" Miroku replied, though he'd been hoofed in the side before he could finish.

Desperate to change the subject, Sango looked up at Kenshin, hardly thinking about what she was saying, and hardly thinking it could be a personal issue. "What were you and Kagome talking about yesterday night? Anything of interest?"

Kenshin shook his head slowly. "Iie," he replied. "No. It was just something I felt Kagome-san should know. It's of no importance, really."

"Then tell us," Miroku sat on his back, looking up at the other three with him, pleased that two of them were beautiful women; the thrill of that never wore off. Putting his thoughts back on track, he continued. "I mean, if it's not important you can trust us with it, can't you?"

"Stop this please..."

"Miroku this isn't your place to ask. C'mon, let's go," Inu Yasha's voice had come in clear to all of them and the subject had been dropped like a bag of dirty socks. Miroku wasn't ever subtle... he could have easily destroyed Kenshin just asking him. You could never be too sure of who someone was, but it wasn't good to terrorize them into telling you what you wanted to know just so you knew. It was pointless.

-----------

R&R!

Wow... I don't think anything happened in this chappie. O.o oh well. It was an update, and I couldn't make this chap too long, that's why that was Part I ; I'm already started on Part II

And here's a very vague preview of chapter 5.

Preview:

"What are we listening for? It's just the wind."

"There is no wind..."

...

"Get out of here!"