Rurouni Misao

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Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Rurouni Kenshin, they all belong to Watsuki Nobuhiro-sama! So with that in mind, please don't sue me. I'm broke enough as it isand I need to have money for anime!

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A/N: Hey! Thanks for all the great reviews this time! I hope everyone keeps reading & reviewing even though I'm not writing notes this timeI've decided to leave all of that until the last chapter.

If anyone's wondering why it took me so long to get this chapter upit's because I've been terribly, terribly lazy. I'm really sorry though! I'll try to make sure it never happens again. Although, knowing meit probably will anyway.

Hope you like the chapter! ^_^

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Chapter 4: The Evil Itachi-Oni

It was late afternoon, a time that should be at least a little warm but as it was now nearing winter seemed no different then any other time except night, which was much colder.

Even the sun seemed cold as it hung in the wintry sky and gleamed down on the barren land of leafless trees.

And down below, a weasel was getting nicely pummeled.

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"Oi, Hiko!"

*Thwap!*

"Call me shishoor at least Hiko-sensei! Have you no respect?"

Hiko scowled lightly, glaring at his baka-deshi who was now rubbing her head with a pitifully weasel like expression upon her face.

"You never agreed to train me, so I don't have to call you anything!"

Hiko's scowl deepened.

*THWAP*

"Shitsurei na! I should call you baka-shitsurei-deshi!

He turned around and grumbled to himself, but didn't protest any further about the subject. Misao watched him as he went through the rest of his training.

*He's stubborn. Probably the most stubborn person I've ever met! Buthe's not that bad once you get used to him.*

They had been travelling together for a while now and had both come to some sort of mutual agreement. He wouldn't ask why she had left the Aoiya and she wouldn't talk his ear off.

*Now that I think about It thoughI really don't know much about him at all, besides the fact he was Himura's teacher. I wonderwhat could have made him so egotistical, arrogant, cruel- *

She stopped herself, shaking her head. No.

Hiko Seijuro was not cruel. Egotistical and arrogant yes, butnever cruel. Sometimes, she even had a suspicious feeling that the arrogance and egotism was all just a cover up to hide the kinder side of him.

But she didn't have any proof. Once minute, he could seem deep and sensitive and the next

"Oi, shitsurei-baka-deshi! What are you spacing out for? I said we were going to jog now."

He was back to being arrogant, egotistic Hiko Seijuro.

Misao sighed as she got up and started to get her stuff together.

*I'll probably never knowbut that's probably for the best. Everyone has something they want to hide. Memories they want to forget or something about themselves that they hatethere's always something*

*Somethingthat youwant to tell someone, to get it out of your system butthe words never come out right and they misunderstand. So you change the subject and they forget about it butit's still there.*

*It's still here*

She paused for a second and blinked a couple of times, trying to get her thoughts straightened out.

Was she still thinking about Hiko Seijuro, or was she thinking about

"It would be nice if you were ready sometime today" Said Hiko impatiently, tapping his foot on the ground.

Misao got up slowly, sighing.

*Nevermindit was stupid anyway. I've got to stop spacing out like that.*

She followed Hiko to the river and as she stepped in, all parts of her mind still spacing outsnapped right back into freezing cold reality.

"GYAAA!!!"

And thus, once more the forest villagers heard the horrible echoing scream that they had now come to believe was an angry demon.

Taking this as a bad omen, they rushed into they're houses, locking the doors and closing all the windows.

The last time they had heard the demon scream so horribly, it had started to rain

"Obaa-san!" cried a little girl.

"Why can't I go out and play? It's sunny out"

"Because it's going to rain." Was the only reply she got.

"Well, if I can't go outside and playcan I have some candy?"

The little girl's grandmother sighed and looked deeply into the little girl's eyes.

"If I give you candy before dinnerthe itachi-oni will come and eat you."

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"Achoo!"

Misao rubbed at her nose, scowling.

Either someone was talking about her or the cold water was going to her brain.

*This time I'm gonna get a cold for sure! I hope the next village is as close as Hiko said it wasand this time we better actually stay at an inn or something! I haven't taken a warm bath in ages!*

The last time they had made it to a town, Hiko had refused to stay at an inn or anywhere in the town for that matter. But they hadcamped next to the town.

They had been jogging a little while longer and Misao was already tired.

*Is it just meor is the current faster then usual?*

It was taking all her willpower to keep herself moving. If she stopped for even the slightest second, she wasn't sure she'd be able to start up again.

*Just a little further*

She panted, trying to keep herself from being swept away by the raging current.

*Ijust have to go a little further. We're almost there*

The raging water cut at her legs and her feet were pretty cut up from sharp stones wedged at the bottom of the river, but she couldn't feel any of that. The water was so cold that all she felt was the straining muscles in her legsand numbness.

She bit her bottom lip as she struggled to keep Hiko within sight. He was beginning to look like a blur

*Ablur?*

In a moment of confusion, she paused to rub at her eyes in alarm.

*That can't be rightwhy does he look like a blur?*

Realizing that Hiko was getting further away, she tried to start running again but her legs refused to move.

"Hikowait I can't-"

The river pushed against her and she found herself sliding backwards. She fought desperately to keep from being swept off her feet.

*Kuso.at this rate I won't be able to make it*

She was about to call Hiko again when Saito's words repeated in her mind.

"There won't always be someone there to protect you, you know"

She gritted her teeth.

"Whatwhat was I about to do?"

*If I call Hiko nowI won't get stronger. I'll be relying on someone else to save me again...I thought I wasn't going to be that sort of person anymore!*

Was she going to stand here, helpless and let Saito be right about her? Was she going to let all this torture-ertraining with Hiko go to waste?

*I have to get stronger.*

She glared down at her unmoving legs in frustration.

*Aoshi is waiting for me so*

Slowly but surely, she forced one leg forward.

*I can't give up now!!!*

She other leg followed reluctantly after and with Hiko just barely in sight, she got back into a decent trot.

*UghI have to get closer or he'll think I was slacking off. There's no way can tell him I stopped!*

She shivered slightly and pumped her legs faster, ignoring the fact that now Hiko wasn't the only thing that was blurring up. And by the time Hiko looked back to check how she was doing, she was only a couple of steps away from him.

"Ok, we can head to the village by land from here" said Hiko as he jumped gracefully out of the water and onto the dry earth. Then, seeing the Misao had neither the energy nor the skill (from Hiko's point of view ^_^;) to do the same, he reached out a hand and pulled her out.

But as soon as her torn feet touched the ground, she collapsed and would have fallen right back into the river if a surprised Hiko hadn't caught her.

"Hm? You're this tired after such a short run? I didn't realize you were that weak!"

He said mockingly, expecting Misao to blow up. Imagine his surprise when instead, she smiled.

"I'm not weak" She mumbled sleepily, her eyes beginning to close. Suddenly, she was very, very sleepy and Hiko felt very, very warm.

"I made it, didn't I?"

*Kusohow'd he manage to stay so damn warmit's not*

Hiko placed a hand on her forehead and his eyes widened.

"Oi, baka-deshi!" Exclaimed Hiko, forgetting the shitsurei part for the time being.

"Your burning up!"

She blinked groggily in an attempt to stay awake.

*I'm the one that's warm? That doesn't make senseI'm cold. Butdoes it really matter?*

Apparently it didn't, because then Misao passed out.

Hiko looked down on Misao in exasperation and sighed lightly.

"Mada mada dane"

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Tsuzukeru

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A/N: Wai!! I finally finished it! ^_^

Heh heh, sorry about the ending lineI've been watching to much Tenipuri and I couldn't help inserting that in ^_^. And just in case some of you don't know japanese, shitsurei means rude and Itachi-Oni, if you haven't guessed, means Weasel-Demon ^_~.

Don't forget to review!

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-furin