AN: I still have reviewers! *very happy* I can't believe this…yay…*grins* you guys have made my day ^__^

Chapter 19: Life

Soujiro yawned and stretched, standing up. He hadn't wanted to bother Hiko before, so the blue eyed boy had slept outside against the log his teacher usually sat on when staring in the kiln's bright flames. Slipping his sword through his hakama belt, he glanced at the rurouni who was resting against the side of the kiln, fast asleep. Soujiro smiled and looked at the pre-dawn sky. Himura-san… Hiko-sensei… I wonder what will happen today…Will Himura-san learn the ougi? Or… Soujiro quickly shook his head, the smile still in place. Hiko-sensei will get angry if he wakes up with out any water… Soujiro quietly went behind the hut where his master slept and picked up a bucket, running off towards the stream.  As he dipped the bucket into the water, Soujiro held up his kimono sleeves to avoid getting them wet. If he learns the ougi…will he take over the school? Then…will he become my teacher? Soujiro sweatdropped, imagining Kenshin attempting to teach with Hiko glaring in the background and calling them both baka deshi. He carried the water back, still thinking of what the day would hold, and poured the water into a barrel. A faint rustling sound made him look over his shoulder, to where Kenshin had looked up, blinking sleep-blurred eyes.

            "Ohayou Himura-san."

            "O-Ohayou Seta-donno," Kenshin replied, yawning slightly before standing up. The red-head looked up at the gradually lightening sky. "You're up early."

            "Hai. Hiko-sensei likes having fresh water in the morning. It takes him a while to wake up." Soujiro laughed quietly but broke it off as the hut's broken door crashed down and a bleary eyed Hiko came out. Ignoring the cheerful greeting by his blue-clad student, Hiko stalked up to Kenshin and traded glares from eyes with dark circles underneath their eyes. The sun rose.

            "You look like you didn't sleep at all last night," Hiko said, his voice hoarse.

            "So do you," Kenshin replied, glaring back. They both blinked simultaneously. Soujiro shuffled up to Hiko and tapped him on the shoulder, receiving a similar blurred glare.

            "Hiko-sensei, may I recommend waking up before you try teaching Himura-san the ougi?" Soujiro asked, a bright smile on his face. If anything, the dark circles deepened, seeing the younger man's alertness. "The water's fresh and cold." Soujiro cocked his head before running off to get two small buckets, filling them and putting them on a table. He gestured to them, still smiling. "Dozo, Hiko-sensei, Himura-san."

            "Arigatou Seta-donno…" Kenshin said, a slightly dazed smile on his face. Both teacher and student moved over to the table and splashed their faces with the cold water. Soujiro folded his arms and watched them from a distance, holding two small towels in one hand. The water dripped from their faces.

            "So…did you discover what you lack?" Hiko asked. He caught the thrown towel without looking and dried his face off with it in one sweep, tossing it onto the table afterwards.

            "No…" Kenshin turned and took the proffered towel from the smiling boy and wiped his face dry.

            "I see. So after all, you are a man with limits here." Hiko didn't turn around, his back facing Kenshin's. "You didn't find what you lack. Incomplete, mastering the succession technique or defeating the Shishio faction is meaningless. Even if you devoted yourself to defeating them, you could not defeat the Hitokiri who lives in your heart. Tormented by anguish and pain your whole life, you kill." With one movement, Hiko loosened the ties that held his cloak on. "Instead of the succession technique, prepare for the worst. My final duty as your master." Both of his students widened their eyes as Hiko drew his sword. Kenshin quickly brought up his arm to shield his face, as the force of the air created a rent in the ground and sent leaves spinning through the air. Soujiro blinked as the floppy sleeves of his kimono blew back and forth forcefully. Their teacher's cloak sailed overhead, striking the ground behind Kenshin with a heavy thudding sound and kicking up dust.

            "A white cloak set with springs opposing the muscles and 10 kan of shoulder-weights." Hiko took a step forward, over the slash wound in the earth. His eyes were shaded, narrowed. "It's been used by those who hold the name Hiko Seijuurou to restrain the inheritor of Hiten Mitsurugi's power in times of peace. Prepare yourself. Kenshin."

Kenshin's eyes widened as his teacher began to walk forward, towards him, slowly, purposefully. This is the first time I've seen him…the true Hiko Seijuurou… A sudden movement made him glance down. My left hand…it's shaking. Am I scared? Of Shishou? Of Hiko Seijuurou? Or…of the death I can see so clearly behind him…Soujiro blinked as Kenshin quickly clenched his hand into a fist, his eyes narrowing and a determined expression appearing on the rurouni's sweating face. I am not afraid! I was prepared to die in the Bakumatsu's violence. Even if it costs me my life, I will learn the technique.

            I…hope Himura-san can learn the technique.

            Hiko stared at Kenshin a moment, thoughtfully, before letting go of something inside of him. "Let's go."

Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu Kuzuryuusen.

            Soujiro saw his teacher blazing forwards towards his first student, his baka deshi. Would he do the same to me…if I couldn't learn the ougi?

            Kenshin saw death, his teacher, coming for him. Paralyzed, he heard voices.

            "I want the vagabond to stay, not Hitokiri Battousai!" A girl, all alone, shouting at him.

            "Dammit…I want to be strong!" A boy, crying as he wished for strength to help himself and others.

            "That's why I'm not letting you go wandering off, Kenshin." A bandaged teen, a smirk on his face, a sign on his back that he fought for.

            "If you're using my dealings with opium as a hold on Ken-san, then I'd rather be executed." A woman, family dead, forced to use her skills to create powdered death.

            "I'll be watching from hell, to see how long you can stay a rurouni." A grin from a bloodied mouth, staring up at the moon in the darkened sky.

            "After this, it's up to you, Himura Battousai." A disfigured face, sacrificing his life.

            "Until I kill you, no one will." Dead eyes, a man standing on the top of a wall, the heads of his companions in his hands.

            "If you try to bear everything by yourself, you'll only end up miserable. I don't agree with that at all!" A girl, young, shouting out her anger.

            "Everyone wants to see you come back safe. Please don't forget that." An old man, long lived, tired, still helping the world.

            "For the sake of the people of Japan, Himura, go to Kyoto once more." He lost his life for his country, assassinated.

"From now on, Japan's confusion truly begins." A wolf, narrowed eyes, Shinsengumi.  

"KENSHIN-----!!!" She cried for him as she shouted his name.

"I…I can't die!" Kenshin gritted his teeth and his hand flew to grip the handle of his sakabatou. Hiko's blank eyes, death's eyes, stared at him. "I have no reason to die!" Kenshin drew his sword; they clashed. Soujiro didn't move, he couldn't follow what had just happened. The two stayed slightly bend, swords lowered, till Hiko straightened.

"That's it…that's good." Hiko's back was to both of his students, but his voice was grave and…pleased. "You who killed, held remorse and guilt. You thought nothing of your own life. You hid the fact that yours too, is just another human life. This held back your own strength. That was how you allowed the Hitokiri to build a nest in your own heart. When you surmounted this, you discovered what you lacked." Hiko turned, revealing a huge slash in his tunic across the chest. "The will to live.

"With the Buddha's benevolence you sacrificed yourself to protect the weak and those you loved. Left in sadness, they could not truly be happy. In the dangers of the age, in the passion of violence, laying down your life is insignificant in the flowing passage of time. There is nothing stronger than the will to live… Never forget that. You'll be able to use the Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki freely and well. You won't lose to the Shishio faction or even to the Hitokiri inside you."

"Shishou…" Hiko smiled lightly. "Shishou?"

"Don't worry…It's the destiny of the master and student of the sword, in passing down the Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki. Don't think of it as breaking your vow…" The gash on his chest widened, looking like a furrow in the dirt and Hiko stumbled forwards.

"Shishou!!"

            "The Amakakeru Ryuu no Hirameki is the strongest technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi school. You master it in exchange of the life of your predecessor. As master and student of the sword, all I've taught you ends here." Hiko glanced at Soujiro. "After this, even as a rurouni, you must~" Hiko Seijuurou fell into the dust.

            "Shishou! He's…joking…there's no way it could kill him with just one blow from my sakabatou…" Soujiro took a step forward, hand outstretched.

            "H-Hiko-sensei?" Their teacher lay motionless in the dust, his long hair blowing in the slight wind. The smile on the boy's face faltered and disappeared.

            Am I going to let him die? Kenshin threw aside his sakabatou and grabbed one of his teacher's arms, lifting him. Can I stand to let him die?? Kenshin began dragging Hiko towards the hut. It was difficult, Kenshin was small…smaller than his teacher, and even that short distance seemed long. The longer I take… "Oro?" Kenshin tilted his head to look over his teacher's slashed chest, to come face to face with a beaming smile.

            "I can't let you save Hiko-sensei without me, Himura-san."

            "H-Hai Seta-donno…" Kenshin sweatdropped but became serious again. "We have to hurry." Soujiro nodded and they lugged their teacher's inert body inside the hut. As Soujiro laid him down on a tatami mat, Kenshin started ransacking the hut, opening draws and boxes and baskets, until he found a paper packet. He held it up, his breathing quickened. "Found it." Soujiro blinked and looked up from filling a bamboo water container with water from the bucket. "Before, I almost died from eating warai-take, Shishou got me a heart-strengthening medicine." Souijro nodded and hit his fist lightly onto his palm. "Going down the mountain to find a doctor…it would take too long… All we can do is bet on his strength." Soujiro nodded again and poured some water into their teacher's mouth after Kenshin had put the medicine in. "Shishou…"

"Himura-san…I could run down the mountain and find a doctor…" Soujiro said in a somber voice. Kenshin started and looked at the non-smiling boy. "Would we make it in time though?" Kenshin looked down at the dusty hut floor and shook his head.

            "Only Megumi-donno would be willing to visit this mountain at this time…Just…stay here and believe in Shishou, Seta-donno." Kenshin attempted to give the boy a smile.

[Change of scene]

            Neji stood outside the gates on Mt. Hiei. In one hand, he held the shinobi zue, and in the other was a box of random mochi he had bought to try and explain why he had been gone for three days. He sighed and lifted the box up to eye level. "Mochi? If I had recruited someone…or anything else…it would have explained it better…But I needed something to put the…" The two guards standing outside the gates gave him a look at his inaudible muttering before quickly standing at attention when he glared at them. Shrugging, the young man went inside. Before he had walked down the first hallway, he heard a shout and turned to glance down one of the side corridors. Yumi ran up to him, her off shoulder kimono slipping even more off her shoulders.

            "Neji-kun!"

            "Ah, nee-chan. Tadaima." Neji grinned.

            " 'Tadaima'? 'Tadaima'??"

"Eh? What's wrong? You seem…angry."

"Where have you been??" Yumi screeched, making her younger brother flinch.

            "Well…" Neji scratched his head with the end of his shinobi zue. "I needed to fix shinobi zue's blade because Himura broke it before…and it took a while for that to happen."

            "And…so what's in the box?" Yumi asked, giving her brother a disbelieving look.

            "…mochi…"

            "The blacksmith gave you mochi as a present?" Yumi went chibi and glared at her brother, inches from his face.

            "Hai! Ah…iie…that is…" Neji sweatdropped, leaving a silence as he attempted to explain the necessity of buying the snacks. I bought it to explain why I was gone…and to put the note for Shishio-sama…but I was gone for three days…and it doesn't take anyone three days to buy mochi…and…what can I say?? Nee-chan knows I'm lying! Yumi continued glaring until she sighed, giving up that battle and beginning to complain about another one.

            "While you were gone, that Usui showed up!" Yumi shouted. Neji's eyes narrowed at the mention of the other Juppon Katana's name. His eyes flashed to behind his sister.

            "And what's wrong with that Usui?" The man stood behind his sister, whose widened eyes betrayed fear and shock. The ball of Usui's spear rested in his palm, the turtle shield on his back. Neji quickly slid in front of his sister, dropping the box of mochi into her hands and resting the end of the shinobi zue against the wooden floorboards.

            "You finally made it here, Usui?" Neji asked, his voice barely polite and his expression angry. Usui half-smirked.

            "Aren't you going to offer me any of those?" Usui asked, leaning forwards. "After all, someone as devoted as yourself, should only leave Shishio's side to perform some proper duty. Leaving his side just for mochi?"

            "I would say repairing my weapon is proper duty, Usui." Now the young man's voice was openly sarcastic and he made it look like he was going to test his newly repaired weapon on the other man. Neji gritted his teeth as the slightly taller man bent, raising his blindfold to look at him with scarred eyes.

            "My mind's eye can see straight through men's hearts. You are no exception." Usui's smirk deepened. "You're angry. Is that because I threaten your beloved Shishio? Or…" He turned his sightless eyes to where Yumi was standing behind Neji. "Is it beca~" The blind man cut off his speech as a bright blade was pressed against his throat.

            "Why I'm angry and what I did in my time away from Shishio-sama is none of your business Usui. Get the hell away from me."

            The smirk disappeared as the man straightened, snorting out a breath quickly. He turned to leave but glanced back, drawing the blindfold back down on his eyes. "The other three have arrived. We meet at the main hall." No reply came from Neji, and the blind man shrugged once, laughed shortly, and left. Neji exhaled once, loosening his grip on the metal staff. He blinked as he felt his sister fall against his back, leaning her forehead on his shoulder.

            "Nee-chan?" There was a pause, a silence, before she straightened and gave him a weak smile.

            "We should go to the main hall, Neji-kun." She pulled up the sides of her kimono slightly before setting off at a fast walk, the mochi in tow. Neji smiled before realizing she had the box with the note in it. "Ah! Matte yo nee-chan!!"

            At the entrance of the main hall, Neji had got the box of mochi back, resulting in a glare from his sister who thought it was a gift for her. As they entered the room, Neji grinned apologetically at her. "Gomen nee-chan, I think Shishio-sama should get first choice of which one to try, ne?" Yumi huffed once, then shrugged and smiled at him.

            "Ah! Neji! Yumi!" The siblings looked up to see another member of the Juppon Katana, wielding a scythe and coming towards them. "It's been so long!"

            "Kamatari, nice…to see you again," Neji replied, not sure how to act around the cross-dressing scythe-wielder. Yumi sighed, not bothering to reply.

            "This time we'll see who can steal Shishio-sama's heart," Kamatari said, a grin on his face. Neji edged away as his sister narrowed her eyes and leaned in, inches away from the cross-dresser's face.

            "I'm not going to lose to a guy!"

            "The young have so much energy…heh heh heh." Neji blinked and looked down at the old man he had almost walked over.

            "Ah…that's true Saitsuchi…When did you get here?" Neji looked around. "Is your partner here?"

            The old man pulled on his whiskers lightly with his hand. "Fuji's outside. He couldn't fit through the door." Neji blinked and nodded.

            "That makes sense…" Saitsuchi started to say something else, but Neji turned his head to stare at a closed door.  

            "Feh…young people these days."

            "They're all here Shishio-sama," Houji said, opening the door and coming into the room. He held the door open for Shishio, who came in calmly, dressed in his usual purple kimono and his sword sheathed at his side. Neji remembered the box in his hand and quickly side-stepped the old man, rushing up and nearly beheading himself on Kamatari's scythe.

            "Ah, sorry Neji!"

            "Shishio-sama, I'm sorry repairing the shinobi zue took so long. When I was leaving, I saw these mochi and thought you and nee-chan might like them," Neji said, attempting to open the box while still holding his staff. Houji opened his mouth to say something but Neji quickly glared at him. "They looked really good, so…I hope you'll like them." He got the box lid open and held the mochi out to Shishio, as if offering the snacks to him. Neji saw Shishio's eyes flicker over the message he had written.

            "You should check, if the blacksmith took that long to repair your weapon, it may not be fixed well," Shishio said in an off-hand comment, as if the present had bored him. Neji nodded and closed the lid, handing it to Shishio, who handed it to Houji. Neji backed into the crowd once again as Shishio took center stage. "Everyone, you have traveled far and waited long."

            Neji half-listened, glancing guiltily at his sister now and then. I lied to her. Mochi…Rengoku's completed…Nee-chan…what could I have done?

            "Due to an unexpected incident, Chou isn't here, but aside from him, we've all gathered."

Sword-Hunter Chou

            "Those who honor me."

Neji the Devoted

Kamatari of the Great Scythe

            "Those who would kill me."

Usui the Blind Sword

            "Those who lost faith in the Meji government."

Yumi of the Night

Bright King Anji

Houji of the Hundred Senses

            "Those with great abilities and great self-confidence."

Round Demon Iwanbou

Soaring Henya

Destructive Army (First) Saitsuchi

Destructive Army (Second) Fuji

            "With our own thoughts, the time to act as one has come. Tomorrow night at 11:59 the Great Fire of Kyoto will begin."

TBC

Sorry for the delay! I was going to post this Friday night, but I only wrote a few paragraphs. I added a few more paragraphs Saturday night…Sunday I didn't have time for it… But tonight I was translating a Spanish story and…I was so bored I felt like continuing…. Joke! :P I wanted to continue it, really! ^_^ It's getting to the cooler parts…thanks for sticking with me :P I may not post a chapter by Saturday/Sunday because I have exams…so…expect an update at earliest next Wednesday or…at latest next Saturday ^^; I'm giving myself some time to work in my laziness…*grins*

Moonlight2: Haha…yeah, I took longer updating than you ^^; I couldn't be bothered to think of a new idea of how Kenshin found out what he lacks…but I'm going to change some parts *grins* Hm…I don't think I'm going to pit Soujiro against Neji, because…Neji's fighting style is similar to Kenshin's…and its more interesting (personally) to see that I think :P Write more of your fic! And thanks for your long review too ^_^

Lord Cirenmas: o_o hard for me to write your name…but…thanks for reading and reviewing! ^_^

ZeonReborn: Yup ^^ Btw in your nick, zeon is that like the bad guys in the early gundam series? ^^; Thanks for the review!

Justice Stryfe: Hah…did I put this story up there? ^^; I don't remember that…or do the people who own the site…they find the fics? Ah…yah I'm not sure how to reply to your review…but I'm glad you like it ^__^ And I read the first chapter of your Hiko story, its good :P I'll try to write more and faster ^^ Thanks for the review!