DISCLAIMER: i don't own kenshin or the gang...tsuki and shintou are mine tho...but you can use them if you wish

about fifteen minuets after kenshin left, kenji heard a knock on the door and sensed his friend, shintou. '' come in'' he called out. shintou walked in and sat beside kenji.

'' how ya feeling buddy?'' he asked kenji. he attempted to sit up, but his shoulder protested violently, sending him into a dizzy spell and making him very nauseous.

'' not too good.'' kenji replied.

'' that's gonna scar'' he noted the cut on kenji's face. '' maybe by the end of the war you'll have a scar similar to your otou-sans. hahaha. '' he winced in pain when he started to laugh, thats when kenji noticed he was favoring his left side.

'' what happened to you?'' kenji asked him.

'' i got slashed on the side, any deeper and the guy would have gutted me, your father saved my life.'' he said as he remembered what happened earlier that night.

time for another...FLASH BACK

shintou had also seen kenji get stabbed and was going to help him when he noticed kenshin, and how fast he seemed to arrived by his boys side. he watched as he disposed of the enemies closing in one by one... he stared in awe.. '' how'' he whispered to himself as kenshin took out nearly six people with one stroke, '' how can anyone be THAT good!?'' then he noticed one man slip past him when he was battling some other swordsmen, clearly his mission was to kill battosai's son and dishearten him, making their cause easier. '' not under my watch'' shintou yelled as he ran to his friends side.

he drew his sword and pointed it at the masked assailant. '' one step closer and i'll gut you'' he said threateningly, the man decided not to heed his warning. he lunged and shintou dodged, then turned and sliced his belly wide open. '' i told you'' he said as the man fell dying. before he had time to move however, the mans comrade sliced him across his left side, he couldn't move as a flash of white hot pain seared through his body. just before the man could administer the final blow however, his head was cut in half, and shintou saw kenshin standing behind the dead man. '' arigato'' kenshin said to shintou, '' for helping me protect my son.'' and then he was gone again. shintou tried to stand up, but found that he couldn't so he just sat beside kenji and attempted to stop the bleeding in his shoulder.

'' himura kenji'' he said, '' your father is a great man.''

end of...FLASH BACK

''wow'' kenji said after he heard the story, '' you saw him fight too...''

'' yeah... it was...amazing...'' shintou said, a glazed look in his eyes... kenji could tell he was replaying the scene over and over in his mind.

'' kenji, tell me, what kind of man is your otou-san out side of the battle field?''

kenji thought about all the different kinds of things his father did. '' he's, gentle. he really doesn't like killing... he feels like he kills a piece of himself every time he kills a person. for fifteen long years, he hadn't killed a single person because he carried is sakabatou... he really regretted having to come back to war... i could see it in his face every time he secured his daisho on his obi, he looked saddened, knowing that today could be the day he broke his vow, his vow to never kill agian.'' kenji told him. shintou listened intently, amazed at how different himura -san really was when he wasn't plagued with the thoughts of killing people.

kenshin made his way to yamagata's office fairly quickly. the door was open, and when he looked in he saw yamagata and a man he hadn't yet met. '' ah himura-san, so very nice of you to join us'' yamagata said to him as he entered the room.

'' what do you need sir?'' kenshin asked him as he noticed the man sitting next to yamagata was concealing his ki. ' so, another hitokiri here knows how to use his sixth sense.' kenshin thought. as a friendly gesture, kenshin flared his ki a little, giving the man before him time to learn it, before he too flared his. after this was done, kenshin sat down across from yamagata and the stranger.

'' himura-san, this is ishita kurama. ishita, this is himura kenshin.'' yamagata introduced the two.

'' it is a great honor, '' kurama said as he bowed, '' to be in the presence of the legendary himura battosai.''

'' you may call me kenshin, or himura, whichever you prefer...'' kenshin began, '' but i'm not exactly proud of the name battosai...'' his bangs covered his eyes as he said the last statement.

'' i understand kenshin, you may refer to me as kurama, or ishita. ''

'' okay kurama, it is nice to meet you, but if i may ask, why have to called me here? if this is it i would like to go back to my son now.'' kenshin said, eager to be with his son, who he was still worried about.

'' actually'' yamagata said, '' we do have some buisness to speak to you about, we need you and ishita to go on a mission tonight... all the information is in here. '' he told kenshin as he handed him and kurama a black envelope. '' this is kurama's first assignment, but he should be no trouble. ''

'' hai, we will leave as soon as possible.'' kenshin said before bowing and leaving to get ready.

'' ishita,'' yamagata called out before the young man could leave, '' remmember, himura-san is the leader of this assignment, make sure you listen to him, he knows what he's doing. ''

'' hai.'' he said before taking his leave as well.