What's Happened So Far.. Kenshin and Sano have picked up a mysterious young girl by the name of Hito on their way to town. Hito, as it turns out, is Kenshin's daughter. Kaoru and Yahiko seem rather offended by the fact Kenshin never mentioned having a daughter, while Sano seems quite content to have met Hitokiri..

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of the RK characters. I DO, however, own Hito, her mother Maladria, and the Silly Little Frenchman who randomly appears.. don't ask, I couldn't tell you.

**************************************************************************** ************** "Kenshin," Kaoru sighed from her spot in the kitchen. 'Why didn't he ever tell me about having a daughter? Did he think forgetting about her would make her go away?' she thought angrily. But no, her Kenshin wouldn't do a thing like that on PURPOSE..

Her thoughts were interrupted by Yahiko's angry shouts. She shook her head sadly and blinked away the tears that were rimming her sapphire eyes. No, she wasn't going to cry. Straightening her shoulders, she made her way back into the chaos, only to find Yahiko had dumped a bowl of rice on Kenshin's head.

"Kaoru, if I told you once, I told you twice: your food is poisonous!" Yahiko said with a grin. Walking over to the man he admired the most, he helped Kenshin back to his feet and brushed some of the rice off.

Smiling at Yahiko, Kenshin looked around. "I wonder where Sanosuke is, that I do. He and Hito have been gone a very long time." He nodded his head as if to verify that information to him. Indeed, they HAD been gone a very long time, but Sano was his best friend, and he trusted him. 'Sano wouldn't try anything on my daughter, I know he wouldn't. Then why,' he shook himself, 'Am I so worried about them?' Looking up, he smiled as Kaoru approached him tentatively. "Yes, Miss Kaoru?" he asked her, a look of affection washing over his face.

**************************************************************************** ************** She grinned at him, and Sano nearly melted. He and Hito were now sitting side by side on her futon, staring out into the night. "So Hito," said Sanosuke, "Tell me how you managed to track a man like Kenshin all the way here to Tokyo?" Silently, he scolded himself for feeling like this. Hito was different from any other girl he had met. Was it because she was his best friend's daughter? 'No,' he thought, shaking his head, 'That isn't it.'

"Well, I guess persistence was my main motivator. If I hadn't been so determined to find him, I wouldn't be here right now. And," she smiled at him once more, "I would have never met you, Sano." Their heads inclined towards one another and blotted out the shape of the moon, casting a telltale shadow on the floor for anyone who passed by to see.

**************************************************************************** ************** "Sacre bleu!" the Silly Little Frenchman said in distress, "How did I get here!" He looked around and shrugged. "C'est la vie.. mais, que'est-ce que c'est?" he asked himself, looking around curiously at his surroundings. There was a large Japanese Maple tree inside a gate. Looking about once more, he started off towards the fence. Still wondering how he got there from his happy home in Paris, he crept to the gate's entrance as silently as the shadows that covered him. Maybe THESE people would know what was going on..

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~* Ok, I know that was really.. strange, but what can I say? I've been up since 5:30 this morning! -_- ::sobs gently and wishes she could go back to bed:: Oh well, next time I'll explain the Silly Little Frenchman as best I can. ^_^x JA NE!!! And thank you for your reviews, I really appreciate them. ::bows low:: The Almighty Meep has spoken!