Chapter 4(extra long! P)

Yahiko set the three satchels down at a table, and made his way to the back. This was not neccesary, however, as he nearly ran into the Shirobeko's owner, Sae. "Ah, Sae! I was just looking for-"

"Oh Yahiko! I was just looking for you! Where's Kenshin and Kaoru? Oh well it doesn't matter. Just take this and leave before you cause any more trouble, please? Those guys really scared everyone in the Shirobeko. Come on, please go."

"A- ano.. okay.." Yahiko, still trying to figure out what Sae just said, numbly took the letter, the satchels, and left.

"OOF! Hey Kenshin, look where you're going, will ya?" Yahiko rubbed his arm. "Look, Sae doesn't want us in the Shirobeko, okay? She gave me this note." He handed the letter to Kenshin. "I haven't read it yet. Where's Kaoru?"

His question was quickly answered as Kaoru ran up with an umbrella over her head, with another person trying to catch up with her. "YAAAA!!" She brought the umbrella on a wide-eyed Kenshin's head.

"O.. oro.." Kenshin peeked out from under his hands, which had caught the object at the last second with the Hadome. "Kaoru-dono, can we stop fighting, please?" He whipped the umbrella around with his hands. "Where did you get this, anyway?" He examined it for the second before a young man caught up with them.

"Ahh.. G- give that back, thief..." The man would sound indimidating if he weren't panting from the chase.

"Okay!" Kenshin cheerfully handed it back to him. "Gomen nasai about Kaoru-dono. I.. uhm.. offended her, and she usually likes to use some kind of blunt object for extra affect, since her hands are too small and delicate to do any real dam-"

BONK!

"OroooOooooOOoooo..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Whoosh! Swoosh! Swish! BONG!

"Itai.." Amaya's face contorted slightly as she nursed her hand. "Hey Hiko-sensei, Why are you having me do this anyway? Should we be going to sleep?"

Hiko sipped his sake. "Because you need the agility and speed training. Strength too... and accuracy... well now that I think about it, you need to improve.. everything."

Amaya sighed. "Alright, but am I ever going to get sleep tonight? The sun's already setting..."

Hiko shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe if you did what I /instructed/ you to do, instead of /complaining/, you'd get some sleep. Now give me 25 Ryu Son Sens, and be quick about it!"

"...oro..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yahiko, Kaoru and Kenshin were walking around, looking for a hotel. "Say Kenshin, what did the letter say anyway? I missed it." Kaoru wrapped her arms around one of his.

"Uhmm.. I haven't read it yet."

BONK!

"NANI!? What do you MEAN you haven't read it yet?!"

"Well-(ow) K- Kaoru-dono, I gave it to you."

Kaoru blinked. "Oh." She reached into the front of her Obi and pulled out the note. "Right, I put it in here. Ha ha. Sorry Kenshin. ^^;"

"Mm.. it's okay.." Kenshin rubbed his head briefly. "Ah, but what does it say Kaoru-dono?"

"Mmm.." Kaoru's forehead wrinkled with concern. "Here." She handed the note to her beloved, but noticably injured husband.

"Read it aloud, Kenshin." Yahiko joined the conversation.

Kenshin stopped in his tracks. "Okay.. it says:

//Good job, Battousai. You've come far.

You'd probably like to know how your son is faring. Well you'll be proud to know that it took 5 of our men to hold him down long enough to knock him out.

Your son and I will be waiting for you in the woods outside Kyoto, northwest 50 degrees from the Shirobeko. He will die after a week has past.//"

"How long has it been since Kenji has been kidnapped?" Kaoru asked.

".. 6 days. This is the 7th day. That means-"

"That we have to go right now" Yahiko interupted him.

"Yes." Kenshin hung his head. "I was hoping we could eat, or even get some rest. But.. we have no choice. Lets go."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Swoosh! Swish! Slash!

Swoosh! Swish! Slash!

Swoosh! Swish! Slash!

"Alright. That's enough." Hiko put his sake cup down and looked at the scars on the trees, the more recent ones getting gradually deeper. "That's good enough, Amaya. We need to sleep sometime tonight."

"...whew..."

"But we need firewood, so go gather some for me."

Amaya stood wide-eyed. "But.."

"No, don't complain. Just work. There's some really good firewood.. umm... 60 degrees southwest of here. Walk until you find a small grove, and look around there."

"Alright, Hiko-sensei.." Amaya turned around and made her way off.

"Wait a minute!"

"What?"

"Bring your sword. Always bring your sword. You never know when you'll need it."

"Umm... okay.." Amaya retrieved her sword and started walking off. /That's odd, Hiko's never made me take my sword before.../

Hiko waited a while, then got up and walked 60 degrees southwest.