When Aoshi chose to be alone, he could disappear quite effectively.

The rustle created by Aoshi's rapid departure the previous evening had caused the papers on his desk to move slightly. Okina had caught whatever errant papers were about to fall and remembered suddenly the letter that also was inside the envelope with the communication from Saitou. It occurred to him then that it too likely held some importance and pocketed it to hand it to Aoshi when he next saw him.

Come morning, when Aoshi had yet to return, Okina debated whether to wait for him to read the letter. If the message was important... it would do no good for Okina to sit around patiently waiting for Aoshi to appear.

With still some reserve of guilt, he chose to unfold it. As he recognized the opening words, he found himself not just glancing, but reading its entire contents. The letter had been incomplete , but even so, had revealed more than the writer had ever intended herself to convey.

The letter unmistakenably was from the doctor. And suddenly it was clear to him why Aoshi Shinomori was in fact of interest to the police of Aizu. The letter intimated something more than an acquaintance. But what engrossed Okina was the realization that the very thing he had constantly joked about all this time – might have actually have had promise. His feelings had told him that something like deep respect and regard existed on part of Aoshi for the doctor, but this communication – this told him that she held it in return. If Aoshi had read this letter first and held any particular feelings for the doctor . . . the fact was, that he would be on his way to Aizu this very instant.

"Have you seen Aoshi-san?" Okina asked that question of nearly every one of the Aoiya staff regarding their elusive manager.

In their helpfulness, they all named various places in and around the Aoiya. Aoshi never was in any of those places he had last been sighted. And then oddly, he suddenly was sighedt in his office.

Okina quickly moved toward it, when Omasu jumped upon him without warning.

"Okina! You have to come down, Aoshi-san too."

"Leave Aoshi alone for a minute." Okina rubbed his arm from where Omasu had grabbed it. Her expression made him forget his task. "What has you charging around looking for me like this?"

"Come see!" Omasu had now dragged him down several steps and towards the courtyard.

"What, what?" Okina was irritated. He wasn't in a terribly good mood after the previous evening's news and Omasu's excitement felt out of place.

"Okina!"

Okina's ears perked up at the sound of that voice... a voice which he knew so well and loved.

"Misao!" She had crossed the courtyard and almost immediately Okina found himself caught up in a strong hug. "You're home!"

"Yes—"Misao smiled as she let him go, and sobered slightly. "But I'm not alone."

"Of course, of course," Okina laughed slightly as he extricated himself. "Where are those two pesky swordsmen that you've been traipsing around with all this time?"

"Cho is up in Aizu still."

"Soujiro-san?"

"He's in the kitchen." She paused for a moment. "--We were a bit hungry."

"Good, good." Okina winked. "I shall like to meet this swordsmaster."

"There's someone else—"

"Someone else? Who could that be? Another swordsman friend, Misao? You seem to be collecting them every time you leave this place."

"No, not exactly." As she opened the door to the kitchen, Okina's eyes widened.

~ ~ ~

The clinic was shuttered and locked.

Sanosuke turned away from the door of the gate with a frown on his face. He had somehow made it here, but now was foolishly standing around with no idea of where next to go or what to do.

Slowly he made his way to the police station. Kaoru had mentioned that the police were involved. Perhaps they could help shed light on what the hell was going on.

Now where would the police station be?

He wondered if he should stop to ask some passersby, but most folks he started to approach gave him a rather perturbed look before scuttling away.

Fortunately for him, just as he was about to beat up some local thug for the information on the police station, he caught sight of a distinctive head of red hair down the street. He picked up his pace , determined to follow the man and his dark-haired companion as they made their way towards some destination.

But where were they heading?

~ ~ ~

There was a little girl in his kitchen. A little girl eating a lot of cake while a young man looked on with a gentle smile on his face.

The man, he guessed, would be Soujiro Seta. But the child?

As the girl fixed her eyes on him curiously, he suddenly felt a stab of something like recognition.

"This is Megumi Takani." Misao said quietly. "Meg-chan, as I believe she's called by her family friends and neighbors."

"Meg-chan," Okina knelt down and looked at her. The resemblance to the doctor was unmistakenable. The brown eyes, in which lingered something like mischief. "I'm Okina. But you can just call me grandpa."

At that, Meg-chan smiled, revealing a whole mouthful of cake.

Okina coughed trying to cover his amusement.

"She's been asking for Aoshi-sama ever since we left Aizu." Misao gave him a look which indicated that there was something to be discussed, but which could not be mentioned at the moment.

"Aoshi-sama?" Meg-chan had put down her food and looked at Misao and Okina hopefully.

"He's upstairs," Okina patted her on the head. "Finish your cake and we'll go find him."

The opening of the door revealed that in fact there was no need to go look for "Aoshi-sama."

He had come in quietly, but not unnoticed. Before anyone could react, Meg- chan had suddenly attached herself to Aoshi's leg. "Horsie!"

As Aoshi looked down, his expression grew confused. "Meg-chan? What are you doing here?"

"Aoshi-sama," Misao spoke up suddenly. "There is something you need to know."

~ ~ ~

"Kenshin! Yahiko!" Sano had by now caught up to the two men he had been tailing for a good part of the last ten minutes at the riverbank.

"Sano!" As they both turned to look at him, he noticed that their drawn expressions.

"What is it? Megumi—"

Kenshin averted his eyes, only for a moment, but it was enough to tell him that something indeed was wrong.

~ ~ ~

"What is it Misao?" Okina looked at her worriedly. "What was it you needed to say that couldn't be said in front of Meg-chan and Soujiro-san?"

Soujiro had taken the young girl out to the restaurant to look for sweets.

"Soujiro knows," Misao averted her gaze. "But Meg-chan doesn't. Yet."

"Why did you bring her here, Misao?" Aoshi added more sharply.

"I'm sorry, Aoshi-sama." Misao's eyes welled up slightly. "Meg-chan has no place else to go. Megumi-sensei is ... "

~ ~ ~

"She's dead, Sanosuke." Kenshin shuddered. "She had been taken from her home at night. The gate was open when the neighbors came by the next morning. And then two days ago... they found a body on the riverbanks. Megumi ... was assaulted, beaten, and then drowned. "

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

okay. Rough but out there for digestion. My apologies for the rapid POV /scene shifts. I was really torn because I couldn't decide how to reveal it and through whose perspective. So I settled on both.

Yes... a couple of 'what the heck!!?!?!!" comments are warranted.

And now for my random anime endorsement. Gundam SEED. Wow.