Misao was tired. She had been walking for most of the morning, to deliver a letter to Seijuro Hiko from Kenshin. She had sent one of the other Oniwa-banshu to find this Hashimoto Keikoku that Kenshin had addressed the other letter to. Misao sat down on the side of the path to catch her breath. Why did Hiko-sama have to live on the top of a mountain!? She stood up and walked slowly around the bend, to find the shack was right there. She lowered her head. It was just around the bend…Of course it was.
"Hiko-sama!" she called loudly. It was almost noon, she knew he was usually awake by this time. "HIKO-SAMA!"
"No need to scream… What do you want, Misao?" Hiko replied. Misao spun around to see him standing behind her with damp hair and an open shirt.
"Uh… I…" she stammered, staring at him.
"…Well?" he asked, smirking. Misao closed her eyes and lowered her head. I love Aoshi-sama and he's forty-four. I love Aoshi-sama and he's forty-four. I love Aoshi-sama and he's forty-four…She chanted mentally. Misao pulled the letter out and pushed it toward Hiko's face.
"This is from Himura." Hiko took the paper from the small ninja. He started to walk toward his shack, looking the paper over. Misao opened her eyes and raised her head. "WHAT!? Not even an ARIGATO!?" she exclaimed indignantly.
"You're welcome," Hiko called back, smiling to himself as he disappeared inside the shack. Misao glared after him and turned around, starting the trek back down the mountain with a few curse words under her breath.
Hiko sat down and turned the letter over, opening it carefully. What did his baka student want now?
Shishou-
Today something very strange happened, that I think you should know about. I received a letter early in the morning, it was a challenge from one Hashimoto Myoushi. He wanted to kill me for two reasons:
First, he claims that I killed his father during the Bakumatsu and wanted revenge. The second reason is the more interesting of the two. Myoushi told me that I had disgraced the school of Hiten Misurugi Ryu by being a hitokiri, and that to honour his grandfather, Nagoyaka Takaburu, he would kill me.
Hiko blinked and read the line over again; the grandson of Nagoyaka Takaburu?
"Impossible…" Hiko murmured.
I thought that it was a bit strange, especially remembering what you told me about the masters of the school and women. I fought with him, he was very knowledgeable in the school of Hiten Misurugi Ryu, and he succeeded in knocking me into the river. I ended up beating him only by relieving him of his sword. Then he drew a knife and attempted jisatsu. I stopped him and brought him back to the dojo. Megumi-dono looked him over and discovered that Myoushi was really Meishuu, the granddaughter of Nagoyaka Takaburu, not grandson. She is still here at the dojo, and we have sent a letter to her family in Kyoto, informing them of her whereabouts. I think that you should come see her.
-Kenshin
Hiko sat back in his chair and stared at the floor, the granddaughter of Seijuro Hiko the twelfth, Nagoyaka Takaburu. Her family was in Kyoto? It was strange that Nagoyaka Hyouden would move the family from Osaka, where Hiko had studied under Takaburu. Hiko wasn't sure if he wanted to go to Tokyo or not. He hadn't really left the area of Kyoto for years, and didn't enjoy the thought of trekking across Japan just to meet a girl that claimed to be the granddaughter of his old master. Anything that reminded him of the Nagoyaka family was mentally painful; he had not left the household on good terms. Hiko thought about it for a while. Someone who could hold their own against Kenshin, and uses Hiten Misurugi Ryu was someone he should see though, the fact that this person was a girl was astounding enough. Who was her master? Most likely Hyouden; his father had let him study most of Hiten Misurugi Ryu, but when it came time to pass the succession technique on, Takaburu didn't want his son to be the person to carry on the school. Hyouden had to carry on the Nagoyaka family line. He would have to think about this a bit longer.
***
"Ohayou-gozaimasu, Meishuu-dono," Kenshin said as he sat down near her. Megumi had made breakfast that morning; they had decided not to shock the girl too badly with Kaoru's cooking. Meishuu straightened her posture and ignored him.
"Ohayou, Kenshin," Kaoru said to him, munching on a rice ball. Kenshin smiled.
"Ohayou, Kaoru-dono. Where are Yahiko and Sano?"
"Yahiko has already eaten and is outside practising. Sano decided to walk Megumi-san home," Kaoru answered, smiling.
"Ah. What did Megumi-dono say about Meishuu-dono?" Meishuu gritted her teeth, she didn't like it when people talked about her as if she weren't there.
"Megumi says that she should rest for a few more days and then she can go on her way."
"I'm not leaving until Himura Battousai is dead," Meishuu growled. Kenshin sighed and shook his head. Meishuu had been staying in the dojo since she tried to kill herself a three days ago, Kenshin had hoped that after she got better, she would drop her quest to kill him.
"I sent a letter to Shishou and to Hashimoto Keikoku a few days ago. I hope they'll be here soon."
"What!" Meishuu exclaimed. "You sent a letter to my mother!?"
"Hai," he replied, taking a sip of his tea. Meishuu clenched her fists and set her jaw. First he had beaten her in a fair sword fight. Then he had stopped her from killing herself. Now he had written a letter to her mother! How dare he torment her mother, the widow of the man he'd killed. She assumed that Megumi-san had told him her mother's name, but how would he find her?
"Oniwa-banshu," she realised aloud. Kenshin put his tea down.
"Oro?"
"That's how you found her, isn't it? You sent the letter to the Oniwa-banshu and asked them to find her."
"Oh… Yes, that is what I did."
"You're going to torment my mother?"
"Nani? No, I just told her where you were and what you tried to do."
"I tried to kill the man that made my mother a widow!" she exclaimed, standing up. Kaoru and Kenshin watched Meishuu storm out of the room and into the courtyard.
"She really hates you, doesn't she?"
"…Hai."
"What does she mean, 'the man that made my mother a widow'?"
"…She says that I killed her father during the Bakumatsu. It's possible, but I'm not sure."
"Why?"
"Because she claims that her father used Hiten Misurugi Ryu, and I've never fought anyone, other than Shishou, who uses it."
"Hiten Misurugi Ryu? Is that what she uses?"
"Hai. She was very good, but not quite good enough. She knows most of the techniques, but not all of them, and definitely not the succession technique."
"Hmm… You know, she looks very familiar."
"Hai, I noticed that too. I'm not sure why she looks so familiar though."
"…She's taller than you are." Kenshin winced.
"Everyone's taller than me." Kaoru smiled at him.
"I'm not."
"I'm going to wash the dishes," Kenshin replied, standing up.
"You're changing the subject…"
"Then I think I'll do some laundry…" He started picking up the dishes. Kaoru chuckled and stood up, helping him collect the dishes.
***
"Ohayou Meishuu-san," Yahiko said as she stormed out of the dojo. Meishuu spun around and glared at him.
"What do you want?"
"Geez, I was just saying hi." Yahiko lowered his bokken and made a face at her.
"What budo are you studying?"
"Kaoru's budo, Kamiya Kasshin Ryu."
"Kaoru? She's a sword master?"
"Yeah. She's pretty good too. Not as good as Kenshin, but not bad. It's her dad's style, we don't use real swords, and the budo is used to protect and help people."
"Just like Hiten Misurugi Ryu…"
"You know Hiten Misurugi Ryu?"
"Hai."
"Wow. I want Kenshin to teach me, but he says that no one should ever inherit Hiten Misurugi Ryu ever again."
"He did? Why?"
"I don't know. He doesn't like killing people, and Hiten Misurugi Ryu is used to protect people by killing other people. I don't think Kenshin likes that."
"You're telling me that the Hitokiri Battousai doesn't like killing?"
"Yeah," Yahiko answered. Just then, Kaoru came outside with her bokken.
"Come on, Yahiko," she said, smiling at Meishuu. "Would you like to practice with us?" Meishuu shook her head and walked to the porch, she'd have to think about this new information further. The Hitokiri Battousai doesn't like killing?
***
A/N: Yay! Hiko-sama made it in! The plot is good, but seems to be a bit… well, lacking in action. I'll see if I can remedy that somewhat.
-Rhyein
Ohayou-gozaimasu- polite form, means "good morning"
Arigato- Thank you
Jisatsu- suicide
Hyouden-Name means Field of Eternal Snow
Keikoku- Name means Beautiful woman, or Siren
Ieyasu- Comes from Tokugawa Ieyasu, the man who brought Japan together to form the Tokugawa Dynasty (The government that was overthrown by the Ishin Shishi), thus began 300 years of peace for Japan.