AN: Hello there, my dear readers. Boy, I didn't touch this one in a while so it's time to rectify that. I thank all of you for your patience.

Now to reviews.

Dracus6: Well, he is. It's stated in the chapter.

mpowers045: I will.

TOSoldtimer: Don't worry, I'm not abandoning anything.


A Fox in Japan


2 The Land of the Rising Sun

The three members of the de la Vega family rode in a carriage towards their reserved residence. They dressed almost identically, black pants and shoes, white shirts with ribbons under long-sleeved buttoned shirts, which only differed in color with Diego's being blue, Alejandro's green and Joaquin's reddish-brown. Alejandro and Diego also had canes, with Diego sporting a hat.

After Diego proposed to leave for a vacation to Japan, a prospect that utterly thrilled the young Joaquin, they decided to wait for several months so they could learn proper Japanese. After they thought they learned a sufficient amount they booked the earliest ship and packed. The trip on the boat was pleasant enough considering Alejandro and Joaquin never traveled by boat, even though Joaquin could be a bit impatient.

Diego had to admire how far people advanced in their traveling methods. He remembered when wooden ships were pretty much the only way to travel and now they traveled in a metal one. He really started to feel his age at that point.

Once their ship docked, the Vegas entered a carriage that was to take them to Tokyo where there were hotels specifically made for foreign visitors.

So far they were riding for an hour, with Joaquin glancing out the window every once in a while.

"How long until we get there, abuelo?" Joaquin asked his grandfather.

"We'll get there, nieto. Don't worry," Diego assured him. The carriage bumped into a rock which made it shake along with the passengers making Diego groan. "Though, I also want it to be soon."

Alejandro shook his head. "Sometimes I can't say which one of you can be more childish."

"Come on, everyone is a child at heart. Even when they don't want to admit it."

"Or maybe some of your weak noble act stayed from the time you donned the mask and cape."

Diego waved a dismissive hand. "Alejandro, people usually go to war for childish reasons. That is something you can't deny."

Alejandro sighed. "I suppose I can't," he said. "Speaking of which, last time you were here wasn't there a war that was just over?"

Diego nodded. "Indeed there was. It was about Japan ending their centuries-old isolationist policy and opening their trade borders with the States. It lasted for fifteen years before the Meiji government won and opened the trade routes."

Joaquin paid attention to what his grandfather said. He may have been only ten years old but he had a good grasp on understanding such situations.

"I see," Alejandro said. "So that is also why you were able to visit."

"Indeed. I was very eager to see this part of the world. Outside of Spain, I didn't usually travel overseas."

Alejandro smiled. "Well, I hope that our stay here would be as yours was."

Diego was silent for a brief moment before speaking. "I hope so too." He didn't mention every little thing that happened, especially the part where he slipped up during a bandit attack and almost ended up beaten to death with Kenshin Himura saving his life. He only said that they met during his travel and became friends.

Diego didn't want his son and grandson to worry, and enjoy this opportunity as much as they can. He saw no harm in keeping that as a little secret.

After a while, their carriage arrived in Tokyo at the afternoon. Joaquin peeked outside to see how exactly it looked. He saw the designs of houses and how they differed from the houses he has seen in their pueblo. The people were also dressed strangely in his opinion with a lot of them wearing what seemed to be robes, and quite a few of them had knotted hairstyles.

"See something you like, Joaquin?" Diego asked.

"It looks a bit weird, to be honest," Joaquin commented.

Alejandro, who was also looking outside to satisfy his own curiosity, chimed in. "It does, indeed. But that is a different culture from the one we are used to. Of course, to us, they would look strange. Just as we no doubt look strange to them."

"It looks like they have some puppet show there," Joaquin said as he pointed somewhere. Diego looked out and saw what his grandson was pointing at. "This man is waving around some red serpent."

Diego chuckled. "That's not a serpent. That's a dragon," he explained causing his grandson to look at him. "The Japanese also have a different culture when it comes to dragons, even with the way they look, which is why they look more like serpents."

"Oh."

They rode through the busy market place until they reached their destination, a huge hotel building for foreign visitors. The servants took their packages from the carriage and brought them to the second floor, in a room stylized more to the western style.

"We'll be ready if you need us," one of the servants said before they left the trio in their room.

The very first one that Alejandro opened was one of the smaller ones, and out of it, he took out the iconic black cloak and mask, along with other articles of clothing that he needed including the whip. Next, he also took out the rapiers, one for him and one for his father. And it seemed that people seemed to be more comfortable with wearing blades considering the swords he saw several men carried, so they wouldn't get in trouble for it.

"Don't tell me you're already getting ready," Diego said as he unpacked.

"There is nothing wrong with being ready," Alejandro said. "Zorro will have to get out eventually."

"Well, before that happens we should probably walk out to see more of the city." Diego then looked at his grandson. "Wouldn't you agree?" Joaquin nodded eagerly causing Diego to smile and pat his head. "That's the spirit."

Soon, the three noblemen found themselves walking through the less busy street of Tokyo, the people around glancing at them, not used to seeing the strangely dressed foreigners walking around.

Joaquin tried not to look nervous with all that stares they were getting, causing his father to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Hmm, I think we should stop to eat something," Diego said. "Do you agree?"

"I'd love to! I'm starving!" Joaquin said.

"We may as well. Sure," Alejandro said.


Sitting at one of the tables in the restaurant called Akabeko sat two men. One of them was a man of a shorter than average height with long red hair tied in a ponytail, blue eyes, and a scar on his cheek in a shape of an 'X'. He was dressed in a pink kimono, a white sash and hakama, and regular wooden sandals, with a katana next to him. The other man was a head taller than his companion, with spiky brown hair tied with a headband and brown eyes. He was dressed in a white jacket with black trim, with his exposed torso covered by bandages, white pants, and sandals.

These men were Kenshin Himura and Sanosuke Sagara respectively. The two were enjoying the noodles they ordered.

"Man, we finally get a break from all the chores at the dojo," Sanosuke said as he finished his noodles.

"I'm surprised Megumi was able to convince you to do actually do them," Kenshin said as he put down his bowl and chopsticks.

Sanosuke just waved him off. "Eh, I also need some simple work once in a while."

"Then I hope that it doesn't stay just once in a while. Miss Kaoru would certainly appreciate it." Sanosuke had a bit of a habit of going to the Kamiya Dojo and looking for free meals. Kaoru was surprised to actually see him help.

Sanosuke then noticed something. "Looks like we're getting some special crowd here."

Kenshin wondered what he was talking about and looked at the entrance to see that three people were coming in. His eyes widened as he recognized the old man as Diego de la Vega, a man he met so many years ago. He saw the two people with him, a younger man and a small boy who he assumed were his son and grandson. He remembered when Diego talked to him about his son and the man matched the description, and he also remembered him saying how his daughter-in-law was expecting a child so it wasn't hard to connect the dots.

Sanosuke saw his friend's expression. "Do you know these people?"

That snapped Kenshin out of his daze. "One of them, actually."

"Are they bad news?"

"Oh, no, not at all," Kenshin said before he smiled. "The old man is actually quite a nice person. I'm sure those two are as well."

The three seated themselves at one of the tables, with the youngest of them feeling a little bit uncomfortable.

"Oh, I wish they had chairs here," he complained as he tried to get comfortable.

"It's not so bad, trust me," Diego said.

One of the waitresses came to them. "What would you like to order?"

Diego put his fingers on his chin in thought before addressing Alejandro and Joaquin. "I was thinking that all of us try some of their specialty, the Sukiyaki beef. What do you two say?" They gave him a nod. "Alright then. Sukiyaki beef for each of us."

"We'll get it ready in no time," the waitress said before departing.

Soon, their dishes were served and they began eating. Joaquin struggled to use the chopsticks, definitely preferring a fork, and even Alejandro struggled a bit but quickly got used to it. The meal was delicious, a good example of Japanese cuisine.

Kenshin looked at the family with a smile on his face, seeing them so happy. Considering how much of war he saw and how many families were ruined it warmed his heart to see something like this. The happy expression on Joaquin's face reminded him of Yahiko somewhat.

"Looks like they didn't notice you," Sanosuke said. "Should we call them?"

Kenshin shook his head. "Let them enjoy their meal. We can approach them after they finish. No need to interrupt a family moment."

Sanosuke shrugged. "I guess so."

Suddenly four men entered the restaurant before one of them roughly moved one of the customers away before looking around the restaurant. His gaze landed on Sanosuke before his eyes narrowed.

"He's here, boys," he said before going at the table where Sanosuke and Kenshin sat at, the other three following him.

This gained attention from other customers, including the de la Vegas.

"What's going on, papa?" Joaquin asked.

Alejandro's and Diego's expressions became serious. It looked like trouble was brimming.

When the four arrived at the table the lead man asked. "Hello there, Sanosuke. It's been a while."

Sanosuke groaned in annoyance. "Oh, great. Just what I needed for dinner."

Kenshin was confused. "Who are these men?" he asked. Sanosuke obviously knew who these men were, and considering how he can get into trouble it wasn't that much of a surprise some were looking for him.

"Your friend here important business with us, but he bailed and it cost us a lot of money," he said as his hand was resting on his katana. "And we want some payback."

"Look, the proposition seemed interesting at first but it lost its charm so I went away. I even brought back the payment you gave me," Sanosuke said.

"That's not how we do things, and you know it," one of the other men said.

As the Vegas watched what was transpiring, Diego recognized the red-haired man. "That's Kenshin Himura," Diego said as he pointed to the said person.

Alejandro glanced at Kenshin. "So that's him? Looks like he's in trouble," he said before rising up and picking up his cane. "I'll give them a hand."

"Can I help, papa?" Joaquin asked.

"Absolutely not. I'll handle it," was Alejandro's quick response making the youngest Vega pout.

"Be careful, Alejandro," Diego said not really referring to his son's health.

"Now listen here, Sanosuke," the lead man said. "You can either pay us upfront or we might end up using force."

"You may as well try, I don't have any money," Sanosuke said without much care, not intimidated by some goons.

Kenshin didn't want the situation to escalate into a fight, but he was ready if such an occasion happened.

"What seems to be the problem, gentlemen," a voice said in Japanese with a somewhat thick accent making the six men turn to see Alejandro standing next to the goons.

"None of your business, foreigner," one of them said.

Kenshin eyed Alejandro. The American was tall, taller than even Sanosuke and reading his body language Kenshin could see he was prepared for a fight.

"Please, no need to get violent," Alejandro said. "I myself have some business with these men and I would very much like for you not to harm them."

"This oaf isn't listening," one of the thugs said before approaching Alejandro, ready to fight. "Now let me show you some-"

He was interrupted as Alejandro grabbed him by the throat before he could even see what was happening before lifting him up and throwing him to the side.

The rest of the thugs were surprised, not expecting someone who they thought was just some foreign noble to suddenly do that. They got over the shock quickly before they glared at him.

"Now you've done it," the lead man said before unsheathing his katana.

Kenshin was worried and went for his own blade, thinking that Alejandro was unarmed in this fight, with Sanosuke ready to help as well, but Alejandro's hand went for the top of his cane where pulled out the hidden blade housed within it and deflected the katana strike much to the shock of the lead thug before cutting at his hand, making him let go of the katana. Alejandro then used the cane to smack him over the head making him fall to the side.

The other two went fight Alejandro with their own blades but Alejandro poked one's eye with his cane, stunning him before smacking him away. The last one went for a slash that was easily deflected by Alejandro's blade before he kneed the thug in the chest who gasped in pain. Alejandro then delivered a punch that sent him flying where his comrades were.

Before they could get up Alejandro stood over them with the sword tip pointed in their direction.

"So, are we going to have any more problems?" he asked.

The four of them backed away before getting up and running out of the restaurant. The rest of the customers looked at Alejandro with smiles on their faces, seeing a foreigner defend some of their countrymen.

"Well, I hope they don't bother anyone again," Alejandro said as he sheathed his blade back into his cane.

"Some nice moves you have there," Sanosuke said as he approached the Californian. "But the help wasn't necessary, we could have handled them easily."

Kenshin also approached. "Regardless, we are still grateful. You have both our gratitude."

Alejandro smiled. "Oh, no need to thank me. I just saw some ruffians causing trouble and taught them a lesson."

"I honestly wish our reunion had happened under more pleasant circumstances," Diego said joining them, and also getting the attention of the two Japanese men.

Kenshin smiled at the old man. "Maybe, but it's a reunion nonetheless," Kenshin said as he extended his hand. "I'm happy to see you again, don Diego."

Diego returned the smile and shook the man's hand. "I share the same sentiment, Kenshin Himura."


AN: And that's it for now. It's short but sweet. We see the Vegas arrive in Japan, meet Kenshin and Alejandro has a small action scene. Let's see what's next in-store.

And I implore you to check out my other stories, trust me you won't be wasting your time. And leave a review, they are great motivators.

See you next time!