Disclaimer: I like where my money is right now, thank you very much! ^^; So please don't sue me!

A/N: Wow! I've got over a 100 reviews now o_O and 11 people have got me on their favourite lists XD keeeewl~ Thank you to everyone who's been reading so far, and thanks to everyone for reviewing! Yet another filler chapter that balances out the darker one that was the last chapter. In this chapter, Kenshin and Kaoru get a call from Katsura who is willing to tell them about their connection, and Sanosuke and Soujirou have a little chat with Yahiko! A bit of Aoshi OOCness here, but well ^^ he's getting protective over Misao and Kaoru hehen~… Sano's a bit OOC as well, coz he's talking so much sense! Lol.

**EVERYONE WHO'S BEEN ASKING FOR MEGUMI, TAKE NOTE! YES SHE WILL BE APPEARING, OK?! SO PLEASE STOP ASKING ALREADY! SHE'LL SHOW UP WHEN SHE SHOWS UP!!**

Reviewers' Space!

Anonymous person – Well, Yahiko will have to of course, recover from his painful ordeal before he can get close to any of them; granted, right now, he is closest to Kaoru than Kenshin, and closer to Kaoru more so than Kenshin. For now he'll be polite and everything, but in the future, well XD you'll just have to wait and see! Thanks for R&Ring and do stay around for more!

Dragona - ^^ I'm glad you thought so! Yeah, this chapter is way more erm 'earthly-toned' to offset the death themes in the last one. Thanks for R&Ring and see you around next time!

Pen D. Fox – Yup, Yahiko is good and fine now, thank goodness. They sure did deserve being murdered by him! Thanks for R&Ring!

Donna8157 –Thank you! I'll update as soon as I can!

Baka-Ryu –That was a pretty dark one, wasn't it? Lol, probably all the mission ones are gonna be dark now ^^;; Oh, Yahiko will adjust fine =) He'll just need some time to become the little brat that he is! :p See you in the next chapter!

Sticks – I'm glad you like it! Linay's is definitely way darker, and woo- I don't think that I'm anywhere near her standard. Besides, I've got my own personal style of writing so that makes it different ^^. As to Megumi's appearance *points upwards* does that answer your question? Anyway, thanks for R&Ring, and I hope to see you around in the chapters to come!

Chris – Yahiko probably isn't going to actively take part in missions as the others do, but he'll be able to help in some way of course, but for the time being, he won't be having anything to do with missions. Yup, he will indeed be staying with them. Thanks for R&Ring!

Poppy - ^^ That's no problem at all ^^ I like the story that you're writing at present, and I can't wait for your next chapter to come out, but take your time ^^ ah, the story will unfold itself as time goes on, so do keep on reading to find out what happens! Thanks for R&Ring!

The squirrel – glad you do! See you around in the chapters to come ne!

Kaoru – Thanks ^^ I'm really flattered that you think so. I really appreciate all the reviews that I get from everyone, coz they are 1) encouragement, and 2) suggestions of how I can improve my fic (apart from the fact that there are also a ton of people asking me where missing characters are _ mou~). Thanks once again and I guess I'll see you around in the next chapter!

Neko Oni – Lol, I know! I love dark/angst fics ^^;;; Maybe I was a sadist in my last life o_OOO;; But yeah, I get what you mean. This chapter may be slightly shorter than some of the chapters, but then again, I wouldn't expect them to talk a lot during missions, otherwise they'd be killed in no time! Yesh, Kenshin delivering Tenchuu is rather er…cool ^^;; I find it pretty spellbinding, especially with the speed and grace that he does it with, not all clumsy-like and all. _ that came out weird. XD Mwahaha~ yet another Weiss fan on board! ^^ Guilty as charged. I have an obsessive-compulsive disorder for a fact! Haha~ Glad to know I'm not the only one :p My parents always complain about my habit of picking up manga from all over the place; I read almost anything and everything (with the exception of yuri), so there are way over a 100 books of manga in my room. Probably nearing 200 or more. Anyways, thanks for reviewing again and see you in the next chapter!

Cute Emerald - ^^ hehen~ that's not going to last for long though (the chapter updating speed rate, I mean). Yeah! Kenshin and Kaoru in action are always great. Mmm… I'll try to write more about Sanosuke and Aoshi, considering that I have kinda put the both of them on the back burner ^^;;; No problem, I love answering questions (unless they are going on about where Megumi is _) Yup, I'll definitely continue writing! Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you around in the next chapter!

InuYasha22 – I know, Yahiko's really had it tough in this fic, poor child. Thanks for R&Ring and I hope to see you around in the next chapter too!

Meirou - ^^ thanks for the compliment! ^^ Wow, you check in daily for updates? Lol, I hope that you won't be too disappointed because starting from next week, it'll take much longer to update, and as tests and projects start coming in, it'll get even worse. *Sigh* the trials and tribulations of a senior year. _ I think I'll be putting my Inuyasha fanfic on the backburner as well…it's so hard to think up stuff for it. Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you again in the next chapter!

Dragontamer9741 – I'm glad you like the story! ^^;; Lol yesh, and I need time to write too. Yahiko is now at the Black Dawn headquarters, and he'll be fine there. As for the K/K relationship, it'll take some time, because if I just rush into it at once, it'll kinda suck and it won't be thought out properly, so sorry, but you've just gotta be patient, ne? Anyway, thanks for R&Ring and do stay around for the chapters to come!

Nicky – XD I'm glad you love the story! Nope, Yahiko can get emotions off everybody, but since Kaoru was the first to find him, and was the first to show him the warmth of a human touch, he'll probably be more responsive to Kaoru than anyone else. Nah, he's gotta heal first before he starts calling her 'ugly'! Lol, ^^; afterall, she did take him outta the hell that he was living in, so he can't be all that ungrateful at first. Kenshin could also walk into his dreams if he wished too, considering that he is, afterall, a Dreamwalker. Yup, I'll try to update ASAP, and you're welcome to ask other questions that I'll try my best to answer them! Thank you for R&Ring and I hope to see you around soon! ^^

CurlsofSerenity – Yeah, I know, those scientists are truly shitty, aren't they? Can't say that I enjoyed making them so cruel, but it just came out that way; people who experiment on fellow human beings like that are less than human. Thanks so much for R&Ring and stay around for more updates!

Shahrezadl – Yeah, the assassin structure and idea was loosely based around Weiss, and Kenshin and Sano's characters are based loosely off Ran and Ken respectively (o_O although there will be no shonen-ai here! Lol). Sou-chan and Kaoru are unique enough on their own ^^ Do stay around for more and thanks for R&Ring!

Ewunia – Ooh, haven't seen you in a bit! Welcome back! I'm glad you think it's good! I'll definitely continue writing as much as I can! Nope, Kaoru is definitely not a weak link in this story; in fact, she's one of the strongest, if I may say so myself. Portraying Kaoru as someone who always needs help is common enough in many stories, so I figured that it'd be fun to portray her as someone whose soul is just as dirt-riddled as Kenshin's so that she isn't leagues apart from him. Thanks for R&Ring and I'll see you around!

Now…on to the fic!

Chapter 12 - Family

Thoughts are in ' '

Speech is in " "

Telepathy is in italics.

The Black Dawn household was silent, its occupants either still asleep or outdoors. Kenshin was making lunch in the kitchen, humming slightly to himself as he swiftly chopped up the carrots that would go into the bowl of sukiyaki. The microwave emitted a soft 'ding' as the timer stopped, signifying that the chicken soup he had made was ready. Abandoning the carrots for the moment, he wiped his hands on the half-apron that he wore over his close and made for the microwave. His thoughts lingered back to the few days that had passed, and to the new addition to the household.

The young Empath, Myoujin Yahiko that they had retrieved from the Sylven Laboratories was currently residing with Kenshin in his room. Kaoru had given him the option of having his own room, but the boy had shook his head silently, and they understood that he wanted to be near someone at all times so that the nightmares would not return. Kenshin had then suggested that the boy stay in his room with him; Yahiko had gotten used to Sanosuke and Soujirou, but was still not comfortable enough to be left in a room with them, and they knew that it would take some time for him to accept them as friends, or at least, people who would not lift a finger to hurt him; he had already accepted Kenshin and Kaoru because they had been the first ones to show him the warmth of a human touch. Kaoru had also offered Yahiko the option to stay with her in her room, but the boy had decided that he didn't want to impose on her privacy, what with her being a woman and all, and Kaoru was not in the least offended by this. She understood that Kenshin would be able to calm the boy down, and if Yahiko really needed to see her in the middle of the night, she would be just next door.

Aoshi and Misao had left the day after their mission, returning to Kyoto due to a message from Okina. Kaoru had promised that she would visit them soon, and a cheery Misao left with the stoic Aoshi. Kenshin's thoughts returned to the assassin with long ebony tresses and depthless blue eyes as he trudged up the stairs with the bowl of broth to his room. Both Kaoru and her twin were at Tokyo University attending their classes; their third year semester had started just two days ago. It was a Friday today, and both of them had their classes in the morning, so they had left the house after a hasty cup of coffee to catch a ride on the bus that took them straight to their university. Kenshin had been awake, and he called out an "Itterashai!" as they left, and Kaoru graced him with a smile, and with eyes that glittered mischievously, blew him a flying kiss before disappearing after her twin. The pair hadn't had time to talk much, what with the school year starting and Yahiko moving in with them, but the gazes and small affectionate touches that they shared together were enough for him.

Now he turned the doorknob to his room with one hand, holding the bowl of soup on a tray in the other. He blinked, surprised to see Yahiko sitting up at his futon and looking out of the window; he hadn't expected the boy to wake up so early. 'Well, it saves me the problem of having to wake him up.' Kenshin thought. He closed the door behind him, and brown eyes turned to regard him silently. He smiled tentatively at Kenshin as the man sat down beside him. "Ohayo." The red head greeted him with a sunny smile.

"Ohayo." Yahiko responded. The boy was still recovering from his ordeal, and was very quiet; it was not a surprise to Kenshin, considering that the scientists back at the lab probably didn't even bother to address the boy as a human, but only as a test subject, and with no one else to talk to, and only pain as his companion, he had withdrawn within himself. Whatever the case, it was good that he was even talking to Kenshin and Kaoru, let alone Soujirou and Sanosuke, and Kenshin was glad. It would take time for him to learn to accept that they were now his family, and would do anything to protect him.

"Hungry?" Kenshin thrust the bowl under the boy's nose, and the delicious smell that wafted up into his nostrils was utterly divine. Yahiko reached out and took the bowl from Kenshin muttering an "Arigatou." And "Itadakimasu." Kenshin watched him as he drank the soup slowly, praying that the boy would recover soon, and that he would never have to deal with such pain again.

~*~

Kaoru scribbled notes madly as the professor lectured on about child psychopathology. It was only her third day back at school, and already she had a pile of homework that involved a ton of essays, and a project due in two weeks. As she scratched her nose absently, she wondered how on earth she would be able to fit in everything into her already busy schedule. She flicked her eyes to her watch. It was 11.25am. '5 more minutes to go before this lesson ends.' She sighed. She was lucky that she only had one class today; she could use the rest of the day to catch up with all the work that had piled on over the week.

Boooooooooring! Soujirou's voice suddenly echoed in her mind, and she fought to bite back a giggle at his tone of voice. What lecture are you having? She had tuned out her professor by now; she'd just get notes from other people later or read up on the book by herself.

He grumbled in reply. Administrative Law. Kami-sama, it is so boring! Maybe I should just have taken a Computer course. Kaoru laughed mentally. With his Hex abilities, he wouldn't even have needed to go to class at all, but just go straight to the exams and pass with flying colours. Mou! I'd rather be back home looking after Yahiko! She felt Soujirou grin in her mind. And you'd rather spend more time with Kenshin? He teased. Kaoru's cheeks grew pink. Oh be quiet you! She retorted to her twin. I'll meet you at the gates in 15 minutes! He laughed as he left her mind. 'And once again, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that there is definitely something going on between me and Kenshin.' She muttered to herself in her mind. Her thoughts wandered as she thought about the conversation that she had had with Misao about the soulmate principle. 'Are we really soulmates?' She pondered again. Kaoru still couldn't find an answer to their connection, and Kenshin didn't seem to know either, unless he was intentionally hiding it from her, but even then, she would have been able to tell because their connection didn't allow for 'blockades' between them.

She blinked as she noticed the rest of the class moving to get out, and she realized that the lecture was over. Packing her notepad and bits of stationery into her carry bag, she too, joined the throng of people who moved towards the exit doors.

~*~

Kenshin was about to go down the stairs back to the kitchen with the empty bowl in his hand when the phone rang. He shrugged, deciding to let himself indulge in a little bit of fun. He moved back a few steps from the stairway railing, giving himself enough space to leap over it. Breaking into a short run, he used the momentum to start the leap with his left foot, and his right foot came down on the railing, letting him curl into a forward flip in midair, and in seconds he had landed gracefully on the lower floor, ponytail slapping against his back as he arrived. The jarring ring tone of the cordless phone was cut short as he grabbed it and placed it between his shoulder and a cheek, walking towards the kitchen.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Ah, Himura, it's you." Katsura's voice greeted him.

"Katsura-san." He acknowledged.

"I'm calling to congratulate everyone on a job well done with the Sylven Laboratories. Are you having any trouble settling in with the other members of Black Dawn?"

"Iie." Was the reply, as the red head rinsed the bowl off in the wash basin. "I'm settling in quite well actually, and the boy, Yahiko, that we brought back from the labs is currently rooming with me."

"Good, good." Murmured Katsura. "The boy is recovering, I take it?" Kenshin gave an affirmative "Aa." The next sentence from the other end of the phone caught his attention fully.

"And how is your interaction going with Kamiya Kaoru?"

Amethyst eyes were wide as he answered the question, keeping any emotion from creeping into his voice. "We are friends." He was wary, and he couldn't help but suspect that Katsura knew alot more than he let on.

"Have you been experiencing any signs of familiarity? Been seeing a silver cord, perhaps?"

This time Kenshin couldn't hold back the words that leapt from his lips, surprise overriding control.

"How do you know about this?" He blurted.

Katsura chuckled lightly. "I suppose that is the answer to my question then. If you would like to know more about the connection that you have with Kamiya Kaoru, then I will be at the Kouka Teahouse at 3pm today. I look forward to seeing both of you there." The phone line went dead, and Kenshin sighed as the dial tone rang in his ears.

He dried his hands on the wash towel and rolled his eyes slightly. 'If he had just told us earlier what he had known, then Kaoru and I wouldn't be so clueless as to what on earth is going on with is.' He paused in thought, and a little smile graced his features. 'But then again if he had, I probably wouldn't have decided to make a move on her.' He turned and sweatdropped at hearing something, or rather, someone, rolling down the stairs; it was none other than the resident accident-prone assassin, Sanosuke. The tall spiky-haired man rubbed at his throbbing head painfully, getting up from his spot on the floor. Kenshin thought that it was a miracle that he hadn't broken anything after having rolled down the flight of stairs so many countless times. Unfazed, the lazy man pushed himself off the floor, yawning loudly to the world.

"Whaz for lunch?"

Kenshin shook his head at the man's crazy antics. "Sukiyaki. We'll wait for Kaoru and Soujirou to come back. They should be back soon." He could feel Soujirou and Kaoru coming up the path to the house. "In fact, they'll be back anytime--" The front door opened and a gust of wind blew in. "Now." Kenshin finished.

"Tadaima!" The two chorused merrily, shutting the door behind them and wandering into the house.

"Okaeri." Kenshin smiled. "We've got sukiyaki for lunch; thought that you might enjoy something nice and warm after trudging around in the cold weather." He turned to go back up the stairs. "I'll go upstairs and see if Yahiko wants to come down and join us." He stopped halfway up, and turned around. "Kaoru, Katsura-san wants to see us in the Kouka Teahouse at 3pm today."

"Just us?" She was puzzled.

"Hai." Came the answer.

Sanosuke seemed to come awake and grinned at each of them in turn. "Aw, man, why don't you just say that you want some time with her alone and we'll all just back off." He raised his hands in his own defence as both of them pinned him with deadly glares. "Ok, ok, I'll shut up now."

Kaoru passed by the tall man, smacking him upside in the head with her carry bag before shrugging off her coat. Soujirou followed, shaking his head in mock disappointment and reached to pat Sanosuke's shoulder. "Even if it is a fact, you should know better than to say that to them."

An answering grumble greeted him and he batted away Soujirou's hand lightly.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Whatever."

~*~

Aoshi was once again sitting on the same tatami mat that he had been on, not too many days ago, and this time, Okina was briefing him on what Katsura had said about their mission for the slave auction.

"The Oniwa Banshuu will be working alongside Black Dawn again, namely, you and Misao." The old man cleared his throat slightly. Aoshi would not like hearing what came next. "Misao and Kamiya Kaoru will be posing as waitresses in the disco to spy on the auction. The rest of you will be gathered around the disco to ensure that none of the 'clients' get out."

Aoshi was furious. "We are talking about my cousin and Misao here. What is going to happen if someone tries to hurt them? How are we going to help them then?" His voice was getting louder and louder, and even the birds outside the shoji took flight at his anger. "Who the hell will be responsible if something happens to them?! I refuse to allow the girls to be in danger!" He tried to calm himself.

Okina's eyebrows rose slightly; it was the first time that he had ever seen the man get so worked up over a mission. "The girls are more than skilled enough to handle themselves in any way, so you shouldn't worry."

Aoshi's anger reared up again and he sputtered. "You're sticking them in a rowdy place like that with a bunch of fucking inhuman perverted lowlifes, and you're telling me NOT TO WORRY?! Where the hell is the common sense in that!"

The situation was fast getting out of hand.

Okina's next sentence was clipped. "If you are not able to handle your emotions over your fellow comrades, then you will not be participating in this mission, Okashira or not."

Aoshi's blue eyes blazed and he barely stopped himself from leaping across the short table to throttle the old man who met his direct glare. Aoshi turned his head away, trying once again to get his emotions under control, breathing harsh. The ice mask returned and his eyes once again met Okina's. His eyes were cold as steel.

"If you are going to put the girls in as waitresses, then I will go in there myself to ensure their safety. Is that agreeable?" He didn't expect to be shot down.

"No." Was Okina's reply, and Aoshi opened his mouth to protest. "You will be needed on the outside. We can however, put Battousai on the inside as a 'guest'." The look on his face told him that there was no other option for Aoshi; it was either 'take it or leave it'.

Aoshi nodded, feeling the more relieved at knowing that Kenshin would be keeping a close watch on the girls. He knew that there was indeed something going on between the amethyst-eyed assassin and his cousin, so he was assured that Kaoru was well protected. He might be many things, but Aoshi was definitely not ignorant; he knew that if anyone tried to even harm a hair on Kaoru's head, he would be dead in a second by Kenshin's sword. Aoshi didn't underestimate Kenshin's skill at all; after all, he was the top assassin, but Aoshi would have felt much better if he, himself had an eye on Misao. It was no question that the Okashira of the Oniwa Banshuu was very overprotective of the young ninja, but no one was fool enough to say it to his face in case they ended up with a black eye or worse.

"Good." Okina was glad that the lanky man had agreed. He shuddered inwardly. Aoshi's emotional outbursts were few and in between, but once he exploded…that was a totally different story. 'It's only Misao who can calm him.'

'And, by gods, I wish the girl luck!'

~*~

Kenshin and Kaoru had left shortly after lunch, leaving Yahiko in the care of Sanosuke and Soujirou. The latter had left Yahiko with Sanosuke to finish some homework, and Yahiko was rather wary of the tall man. He could feel no malice coming from Sanosuke, but still, it never hurt to be careful. Now he snuck a look at Sanosuke, who was sprawled on the couch, seemingly asleep while the sounds of the anime that was showing on TV provided background noise. He jumped slightly, as Sanosuke's unexpected voice jarred him.

"Is there something on my face?"

Sanosuke's eyes opened to regard Yahiko seriously. The young boy shook his head no. The spiky-haired man sat up in his seat, scratching his head. His eyes met Yahiko's.

"Look, I know I'm not the nicest guy in the world, and I know that you're kinda scared of me, but if you sense my emotions, you'll know that I'll do you no harm." He stretched a hand out towards Yahiko; the Empath stared at the outstretched hand and made no move to reach for it. Seeing that the boy would make no move to touch his hand, he sighed and withdrew it, putting a knuckle to his own forehead. "Well, it was worth a try." He closed his eyes again, then cracked one open. "I guess we'll have to resort to the normal way then. Talking." The eye closed again.

"I don't know how I know this, but something tells me that you're accepting Kaoru as something like a mother-figure, and Kenshin as a father-figure." The widening of Yahiko's eyes proved him correct. "Maybe in time, you'll learn to accept me 'n Soujirou as sort of brother figures." He carried on. "For now though, I'd like you to understand that you can always count on us to protect you, and support you. We won't---" He broke off, hoping that the next words came out right. "We won't ever try to hurt you like those bastards did in the lab." Sanosuke could hear the boy stir slightly, and was slightly surprised went he felt his weight sink into the same couch that he was sitting on.

He opened his eyes again and stared straight into Yahiko's dark brown eyes that mirrored his. "In a twisted kind of way, we're all related to each other through our pain, and this patchwork family that we have right under this roof, is the one thing that holds us together. What I guess I'm trying to say is this: you don't ever have to worry about any of us in this household ever hurting you, because even if you don't realize it, we would fight teeth and nails to protect you. Don't ever hesitate to tell us what's on your mind, because we will do our utmost to help you."

"Sanosuke's right." They turned to see Soujirou walking down the stairs and adding in to the conversation. He sat near Yahiko, giving the boy a small smile. "Please trust us when we say that we'll never ever hurt you. We're way too protective of each other in this house to ever do that."

The comforting presence of the two men sitting beside him seemed to bring back emotions that he had thought he would never have felt again. It was strange to him, but he felt accepted, something that he had never been in his childhood as an Empath; other children were afraid of him because of his uncanny ability to read their emotions, and he didn't even want to think about the scientists. Yahiko had been afraid to hope, that these people were even willing to accept him as a human, let alone a family member, and yet, against all odds, they had willingly brought him into their home, and had told him that he was a member of their family. He hadn't been trying to avoid them, these people who had rescued him from his chamber of torture, and who had given him a new home, but he had been trying to protect himself from developing emotional ties that could hurt him if he allowed himself to hope.

'Maybe…maybe it's ok…to accept these people as family…I want…I wish…to be part of something again…I've been so lonely…so very lonely…and after so long, I've finally found a place that I can belong to.' His mind trembled slightly at the thought.

The men were slightly surprised when they saw Yahiko smile slightly, eyes glistening with unshed tears. He wiped a sleeve over his eyes, and bent his head as he started to cry, unbidden emotions coming to the surface after having been suppressed for so long.

"Thank you." He whispered.

The men shared smiles over his head as they patted him on the back, letting him cry his heart out, whispering words of comfort. Soujirou's mental voice wrapped around the trio like a comfortable blanket.

It's alright now, because we're here now; you have family.

We are your family.

Dictionary

Sukiyaki – Japanese beef meal. It's like beef hotpot, very delicious, and tastes absolutely wonderful especially after you've been out in the cold for hours on end.

Itterashai – Something that you say when people are leaving the house. Means 'Have a safe journey'.

Ohayou – good morning

Arigatou – thank you

Itadakimasu – Bon apetit

Mou! – Kaoru's little exclamation that she uses when she's exasperated or embarrassed.

Moshi moshi – saying 'hi' on the phone

Iie – no

Tadaima – I'm home

Okaeri – welcome back

Hai – yes

Tatami mat – Japanese straw mat that's put on the floor

Oniwa Banshuu – spy organization that Misao and Aoshi are in

Okashira – chief/head (of an organization)

A/N: Whew! 3500+ words _ It was kinda tough to write this chapter, coz it was hard to portray Sano and Yahiko's feelings without making the whole chapter way to sappy. Not one of my best chapters in my opinion, but nice enough to make it there. Hope that this one didn't bore you all, but well, it is kinda peaceful, isn't it? Next chapter: Kenshin and Kaoru's meeting up with Katsura to hear about the HalfSoul connection, so expect some WAFFYness! Thanks for reading and I'll see you all in the next chapter!