Sorry to all of you for not updating for earlier. Just to let you know, I don't know the next time I'll be updating this story, but I promise you it would be sometime before December. The reason for this short notice is I have a big exam that I must study for, so this story writing that I do on my own personal free time will have to hold for awhile. Please don't be mad at me. Plus I promise you the next chapter will be more interesting then this chapter. Please wish me luck for this exam. I could surely use it! Thanks and enjoy! Feel free to leave suggestions, comments, or even flames in your review.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin series. I wish I did but I don't. : (

New Mission

Chapter Nines

Three men waited quietly and patiently in the main office. All three of them discussed their main and next important mission. Aoshi stood away from his father leaving them to finish discuss their final decisions. He waited for his next instructions knowing he was one of the secret agents who were going on the next important mission.

From where Aoshi stood, he saw his father turned around on his chair. Accompanied with him were Uncle Saito and a friend named Katsura who also worked along with his father and Uncle Saito. Aoshi waited in silence for his next instructions.

"We are known as AIO which stands for Articulate Intelligence Organization. We work for the government secretly. No one outside this secret organization knows about us or what we do except the government and the President of the United States," said Katsura calmly. His eyes never strayed from Aoshi's ice blue eyes. "From what I heard from Hiko, I heard rather astonishing news about Shishio Makoto wanting power for himself. However to get it out of a software company is not the best way to go. Is it Aoshi?"

"Well sir it depends on what you mean. May I have permission to speak openly sir?" asked Aoshi trying to choose his words carefully, because he was speaking right before his father.

"Please feel free to do so. I would like to know all the information from you after all," replied Katsura calmly again. He folded his hands together, as he focused his eyes on Aoshi.

"Thank you sir. I went undercover one night at a bar called Akabeko. In there I learned all the necessary information I needed from two men who were working for Shishio. Their names are Jineh and Gohei." All three men looked at Aoshi with astonished look on their faces.

"He hired them to kill the owner of the newest software from Shinta Inc. Corporation. With this newest software, it is said any information a person is looking for can find it with this software. It's easy to hack in files, even government files. What I think Shishio is after, is not money or ownership of the company. He's after a password, that cannot be figured out so easily unless he works in the company or is the owner of the company."

"A password? Why a password?" Saito asked from his seating. His amber eyes flashed with curiosity, which surprised Aoshi. Usually Saito didn't show any expression at all, unless he was with his wife.

"The password is within every chip that is installed into the computer. To get deeper access to any information that is needed, the password had to be typed in. If the person knows about the password, they can hack into our files and find out anything personal about us and about the President of the United Sates of America. That's why it's really important for us to nail this man. He already knows about this organization. To find out more information about us could put us on ruins."

Aoshi finished with his explanation waited for his next instructions. As he looked down at the ground wondering whom would he be with in this mission, he heard his father speak up for the first time that afternoon.

"The bastard. He thinks he can do it all over again like he did years ago." Saito and Katsura looked at distressed Hiko as he remembered his past.

"What did Shishio do in the past that he's trying to do right now Hiko?" asked Katsura.

Aoshi just looked at his father with curiosity in his eyes. Never had he heard his father talked about his past. According to Kaoru, she mentioned his past was too painful to be spoken about. He never took the subject further, however he always did wanted to know about his father's past.

"You can say Shishio and I had a rather bad past," he replied looking down at his hands.

"Ah you mean you and Shishio use to work as partners in this firm. You two were known as rivals as well as the best secret agents in this firm," said Saito confidently.

"We were the best, and we were rivals, but one thing we had in common were our hatred against each other," answered Hiko as he looked over at their direction. For some reason, Aoshi thought his father was trying to ignore the fact that he was in the same room listening to him.

"Shishio and I worked as partners a long time ago when we were secret agents. Our boss knew we never liked each other, however he forced us to work together. What he did was wrong. Shishio and I constantly worked ourselves, trying to prove we didn't need to depend on teamwork rather then ourselves. Shishio was the type of man who took everything personally. He never tried to take a break at anything he did. He used to say he did all or he did nothing. One day we were both sent out on a top-secret mission. Somehow going from the middle of the mission to the end of it, I found a way to finish it successfully without Shishio's help. He got mad, so vexed, that he turned on me, plus betrayed the whole of this secret organization."

"What happened to him?" asked Saito.

"He did the worst thing he can ever do to someone. He…"

"He what? He did what?" asked Aoshi somehow knowing what his father was going to say next.

"He killed your mother Aoshi. He killed my wife. He envied me from the beginning. Because I was a better swordsman then him. Because I was able to get my work done on time, he envied me. He stooped so low as to kill your mother, my wife. Before any charges can be placed on him, he ran from the sate to never be heard from again," replied Hiko softly as he buried his face in his large, callused hands. Saito and Katsura looked at him in pity.

Aoshi stood in front of them with shock written on his face. He felt like a five ton boulder fell across his shoulders sinking him to the ground. He wanted to say something to rebuke his father for never telling him and Kaoru the real truth to how their mother died. Never could Aoshi forgive him for lying to them.

"I knew he was coming after me once again. However this time instead of taking my life, he wants me to live in grief. One evening when I reached home, I received a letter from him, a warning letter saying he wanted to take my daughter's life. Since he knew how precious she became to me after losing my wife, he promised to see that she was dead. I couldn't stand in my home and do nothing to save my daughter's life so the next day I made her move out along with Aoshi to a new neighborhood. I made her change her identity as well, so she could be harder to find," confessed Hiko as he now stared at Aoshi to see his reaction to the truth.

"So that's why you made us leave, when she was about to graduate from her high school. That's why you made me keep an extra eye on her and train her long hours of swordsmanship, and self defense. Now Shishio is using this new software to find Kaoru, so he can fulfill his promise. Why can't he drop it? That was years ago," replied Aoshi trying to keep himself calm. He felt his fists clenched out of anger and frustration.

"Shishio is a man who keeps his promises. He is also a man of great persuasion and great influence. I'm doing what's best for her and this community. I don't want to see her die like her mother," said Hiko gravely. He got out of his chair and banged his fists on the desk in front of him. Aoshi could see the remorse his eyes held. Saito and Katsura had to help him back into his seat. They reminded him they were here to set a mission, not take any private issues further.

"So Saito who are you going to choose to go along with Aoshi? Hiko chose Aoshi for this job. I have someone in mind that I would like to pick. However you must go first," Katsura stated calmly.

"Well then I choose someone who's really good with computers as well as fighting. I'll choose Soujiro to go along with Aoshi on this very important mission," said Saito making his final decision.

Aoshi waited for the last person to be conjured from Katsura. He hoped the last person would be someone who was really good at thinking of plans, because all he knew was that Soujiro and he were not good thinkers when it came time for planning.

"I think the best person for this job would be someone who knew exactly how to plan things out," Katsura replied confidently. "Who shall I pick. So many secret agents to pick from." Katsura rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he made the others around him curious as to whom he was going to pick for this secret mission. "I pick Raven Dreamer."

Everyone in the room turned pale as snow when Katsura said his last words.

Kaoru was at her desk, looking at the special photo of her and her fiancé Soujiro. She smiled quietly. Finally after a few years of waiting to meet someone right, she met him. He treated her differently from all the guys she knew. He treated her with decency, respect. He never asked anything of her. He never took anything without her permission. He treated her, like a gentleman would treat a lady. On a personal level, he made her feel like a desired woman. That was something she hadn't felt in a long time. He made her dream as she did once before. He made her open up her mind, made her know it was okay to express her feelings. He was there when she needed someone to talk too. He had ways of making her feel special. After such a long time of waiting, Kaoru was finally moving forward. She finally was taking her first steps to making her life contented as she once had it before.

Just then without noticing, she felt strong arms wrapped around her small frame. From the warmth, the masculine scent, Kaoru knew who embraced her. "Soujiro this is no time to play around."

"Who said I was playing around? I can't even greet the woman I love? What is this world coming too?" asked Soujiro playfully as he tickled her sides causing her to laugh a little bit.

"We can always do this later. Right now I have to continue to check up some important things my father ordered me to do this morning. If I don't he might fire me and I won't have a job anymore," replied Kaoru childishly while she gave Soujiro her best puppy eyes. She heard him chuckle and couldn't help but laugh along with him.

"If you lose this job, then I do my role as the husband and support you while you just sit back and relax my sweet," he replied. He playfully nibbled her earlobe, while she tried hard to concentrate on her computer screen.

"You just have a way with words, plus ways of seducing me," she replied flirtatiously.

"That's why I am here after all my sweet." Before Soujiro took things to a much personal level, Kaoru saw her brother walked up to them with a serious look on his face. Kaoru panicked for a moment, thinking her father told him to check up on her working progress. However when she saw a deadly glint in ice blue eyes, as he approached them, she knew she had a new job.

"Raven, Soujiro, tonight meet at the bar called Akabeko. I'll explain to you, your new mission there," said Aoshi with a deadly serious tone. With those words he walked away leaving Kaoru and Soujiro with nothing but serious look on their faces. They could tell by Aoshi's actions that this next mission was not only important, but there was something personal that went behind it. From the vibes Kaoru received, she only hoped it wasn't a mission that would bring up anything from her past, after all she did work hard to forget it ever existed.