A/N- Ya know how hard it is to concentrate on this while Oescher is hammering sines and cosines and secants and cosecants and tangents and cotangents and pi and the wrapping function and so on and so on into your brain? Pretty dang hard.
Disclaimer: I own the right to say I do not own Rurouni Kenshin and you can't sue me for Freedom of Speech! MUAHAHAHA! Or can you?
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"No one understands me! Soon…Soon Shinta will. Soon…" Kei reassures himself. He still thinks of his brother by his given name, just as Kenshin does him. Kei punches the closest tree and it hits the ground. "He will pay…"
***
~Tokyo~
Saitoh reads over the letter again.
Mr. Fujita,
We must inform you that the hitokiri Kenji Himura has shown his face in Kyoto and may be killing once again. He is now going by the name of Kei Hasegawa. The most interesting thing is the Battousai is also here in Kyoto. One of our most wealthy citizens, whom the Battousai was staying with, has been slain. The death is being covered as an accident, though our sources say otherwise. We request your assistance.
Thank You,
Kyoto Police Department.
Saitoh massages his temples after setting the letter on his desk. "We should have finished him off."
"Excuse me, sir?"
"Nothing, Shojin. I will be traveling to Kyoto to aid in an investigation and I want you to keep things going here."
"Yes, sir!" 'Yes! Finally I get to prove myself!'
"Do not disappoint me, Shojin. I will be back in a few days."
***
"Aunt Sakura? Are you sure you don't need us to stay?" Kaoru eyes her aunt. If she looked sick before, she was near death now. Her face is gaunt and haggard; her usual blue, lively eyes are cloudy and gray. She cannot stand on her own anymore and Ichi must roll her around in a wheelchair.
"You have your own dojo to take care of, dear. Go home now. I am sorry we dragged you out here for no reason."
"No reason?! We are family. We should stick together…" Kaoru kneels in front of her aunt, taking one of her clammy hands. Sakura gazes longingly at her niece.
"It is too late for me now. It was too late to tell you we were here, alive."
Kaoru is getting frustrated. "You are giving up!" she yells in disbelief. Sakura is taken aback. "When Kira and I were little you ALWAYS told us NEVER to give up! You always said everything happens for a reason! Everything turns out good in the end!" Sakura regards her niece sadly.
"I was young. Now the weight of the world has settled on my shoulders. Nothing good can come from this world; at least not the one I know. You always were the dreamer out of the two of you. " Kaoru fights the urge to slap the older woman, crying out in frustration instead.
"I am sorry you feel that way. Kenshin and I will be leaving now. Goodbye, Ichi. Tell Yuri we said bye and thank you for the snacks. Aunt Sakura," she says curtly before using Kenshin to pull herself up.
***
"They are leaving?" Kei watches as Kaoru yells at Sakura. "Well that ruins a few things…how am I gonna do it now?" he says broodingly. "Hey…who is that…he looks so…familiar. Where do I know him from??" Kei is speaking of the tall, lean man walking up the road towards the dojo.
***
"Good day, Battousai."
Kenshin's face falls. "What do you want?"
"Is that anyway to talk to the police warden?"
Kenshin rolls his eyes. Sakura breaks in,
"Can I help you, sir?"
"Yes, actually. I have been informed that a hitokiri from the revolution is back and killed a young woman." Kenshin tenses. Saitoh gestures towards him, "I know it isn't this wimp, so I was hoping you had some information, seeing that it was your niece." Sakura straightens in her chair.
"I do not know what you are talking about. Kira's death was an accident."
"She accidentally sliced her own throat?"
"Saitoh…" Kenshin threatens.
Sakura glares at him, "I do not know where you have gotten your information but Kei was not involved!"
As soon as she finishes, she regrets it.
"Kei? Oh you must mean Kenji Himura. I did not say he was, but you seem to think he is hanging around, so I will have to take you in for further questioning."
"Don't You Dare Touch Her!"
***
Kei watches with interest, yet he is frustrated. "I know this man, but who is he!" Kei listens to the conversation. "Oh great…" he thinks. When Kenshin threatens him using the name Saitoh, Kei instantly remembers.
"Hajime Saitoh. Mibu's wolf. Where have you been all these years…?" He listens some more.
"Why is she defending me now?" As Saitoh motions to take her wheelchair, Kei bursts out of the forest. "Don't You Dare Touch Her!"
***
They all turn to the sound. Kei advances, katana drawn.
"Get your filthy hands off of her…"
Saitoh smirks at him.
"Long time no see. How have you been holding up?"
"Kuso no baka, it is none of your business!" Saitoh looks to Kei's katana.
"Do you want to fight me? Don't you remember what happened last time?"
"Kuso no baka…"
"Tsk, tsk…a potty mouth does not befit you."
Kei snarls and raises the katana. Kenshin steps between him and Saitoh.
"Kenji let it go…"
"MY NAME IS NOT KENJI!"
Saitoh chuckles. "How cute."
"Saitoh!" Kenshin yells.
"Oh, did I make Mr. Battousai mad?"
Kenshin sighs. "What is the use? You fight him and go to jail or die. Sessha wants nothing to do with it. Let's go, Kaoru." They walk to the carriage. Kei considers these outcomes and sheathes his katana.
"Hey wait up!"
"Oro?"
Kei drops to one knee. "May I accompany you?"
Kenshin raises an eyebrow at his brother then looks to Kaoru. She shrugs.
"What is one more mouth to feed?"
"Hold it, he is coming with me." Saitoh growls. Kaoru waves her cane at him.
"He is going to be at the dojo! Now you leave him and that poor woman alone and go find someone else to pick on!"
Kenshin, Kei and Kaoru climb into the carriage and leave Saitoh to glare after them.
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A/N: What will the Kenshin-gumi think about all the new developments? And what exactly is Kei up to? To find out, tune into 'Chapter 12: Brotherly Love'!
Disclaimer: I own the right to say I do not own Rurouni Kenshin and you can't sue me for Freedom of Speech! MUAHAHAHA! Or can you?
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
"No one understands me! Soon…Soon Shinta will. Soon…" Kei reassures himself. He still thinks of his brother by his given name, just as Kenshin does him. Kei punches the closest tree and it hits the ground. "He will pay…"
***
~Tokyo~
Saitoh reads over the letter again.
Mr. Fujita,
We must inform you that the hitokiri Kenji Himura has shown his face in Kyoto and may be killing once again. He is now going by the name of Kei Hasegawa. The most interesting thing is the Battousai is also here in Kyoto. One of our most wealthy citizens, whom the Battousai was staying with, has been slain. The death is being covered as an accident, though our sources say otherwise. We request your assistance.
Thank You,
Kyoto Police Department.
Saitoh massages his temples after setting the letter on his desk. "We should have finished him off."
"Excuse me, sir?"
"Nothing, Shojin. I will be traveling to Kyoto to aid in an investigation and I want you to keep things going here."
"Yes, sir!" 'Yes! Finally I get to prove myself!'
"Do not disappoint me, Shojin. I will be back in a few days."
***
"Aunt Sakura? Are you sure you don't need us to stay?" Kaoru eyes her aunt. If she looked sick before, she was near death now. Her face is gaunt and haggard; her usual blue, lively eyes are cloudy and gray. She cannot stand on her own anymore and Ichi must roll her around in a wheelchair.
"You have your own dojo to take care of, dear. Go home now. I am sorry we dragged you out here for no reason."
"No reason?! We are family. We should stick together…" Kaoru kneels in front of her aunt, taking one of her clammy hands. Sakura gazes longingly at her niece.
"It is too late for me now. It was too late to tell you we were here, alive."
Kaoru is getting frustrated. "You are giving up!" she yells in disbelief. Sakura is taken aback. "When Kira and I were little you ALWAYS told us NEVER to give up! You always said everything happens for a reason! Everything turns out good in the end!" Sakura regards her niece sadly.
"I was young. Now the weight of the world has settled on my shoulders. Nothing good can come from this world; at least not the one I know. You always were the dreamer out of the two of you. " Kaoru fights the urge to slap the older woman, crying out in frustration instead.
"I am sorry you feel that way. Kenshin and I will be leaving now. Goodbye, Ichi. Tell Yuri we said bye and thank you for the snacks. Aunt Sakura," she says curtly before using Kenshin to pull herself up.
***
"They are leaving?" Kei watches as Kaoru yells at Sakura. "Well that ruins a few things…how am I gonna do it now?" he says broodingly. "Hey…who is that…he looks so…familiar. Where do I know him from??" Kei is speaking of the tall, lean man walking up the road towards the dojo.
***
"Good day, Battousai."
Kenshin's face falls. "What do you want?"
"Is that anyway to talk to the police warden?"
Kenshin rolls his eyes. Sakura breaks in,
"Can I help you, sir?"
"Yes, actually. I have been informed that a hitokiri from the revolution is back and killed a young woman." Kenshin tenses. Saitoh gestures towards him, "I know it isn't this wimp, so I was hoping you had some information, seeing that it was your niece." Sakura straightens in her chair.
"I do not know what you are talking about. Kira's death was an accident."
"She accidentally sliced her own throat?"
"Saitoh…" Kenshin threatens.
Sakura glares at him, "I do not know where you have gotten your information but Kei was not involved!"
As soon as she finishes, she regrets it.
"Kei? Oh you must mean Kenji Himura. I did not say he was, but you seem to think he is hanging around, so I will have to take you in for further questioning."
"Don't You Dare Touch Her!"
***
Kei watches with interest, yet he is frustrated. "I know this man, but who is he!" Kei listens to the conversation. "Oh great…" he thinks. When Kenshin threatens him using the name Saitoh, Kei instantly remembers.
"Hajime Saitoh. Mibu's wolf. Where have you been all these years…?" He listens some more.
"Why is she defending me now?" As Saitoh motions to take her wheelchair, Kei bursts out of the forest. "Don't You Dare Touch Her!"
***
They all turn to the sound. Kei advances, katana drawn.
"Get your filthy hands off of her…"
Saitoh smirks at him.
"Long time no see. How have you been holding up?"
"Kuso no baka, it is none of your business!" Saitoh looks to Kei's katana.
"Do you want to fight me? Don't you remember what happened last time?"
"Kuso no baka…"
"Tsk, tsk…a potty mouth does not befit you."
Kei snarls and raises the katana. Kenshin steps between him and Saitoh.
"Kenji let it go…"
"MY NAME IS NOT KENJI!"
Saitoh chuckles. "How cute."
"Saitoh!" Kenshin yells.
"Oh, did I make Mr. Battousai mad?"
Kenshin sighs. "What is the use? You fight him and go to jail or die. Sessha wants nothing to do with it. Let's go, Kaoru." They walk to the carriage. Kei considers these outcomes and sheathes his katana.
"Hey wait up!"
"Oro?"
Kei drops to one knee. "May I accompany you?"
Kenshin raises an eyebrow at his brother then looks to Kaoru. She shrugs.
"What is one more mouth to feed?"
"Hold it, he is coming with me." Saitoh growls. Kaoru waves her cane at him.
"He is going to be at the dojo! Now you leave him and that poor woman alone and go find someone else to pick on!"
Kenshin, Kei and Kaoru climb into the carriage and leave Saitoh to glare after them.
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A/N: What will the Kenshin-gumi think about all the new developments? And what exactly is Kei up to? To find out, tune into 'Chapter 12: Brotherly Love'!