Author's note: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. And I wish to say any cliché's in this fic I deeply apologize for because well I've been watching Rurouni Kenshin for sometime now and I have recently taken a liking to reading these fics and I have yet to see a plot anywhere near the same as this one so if it's the same then I guess it's true Great Minds think alike!

A/n: I made the one hundred Review mark for this fic!! *Sniff* I didn't think you people liked this fic enough to do that!! Ah well anyway the fun is about to begin so ignore the rest of my babbling here and get on with the fic!!!! And PLEASE REVIEW!

*~*~*~

                Kaoru sighed. Kenshin had to leave town for a bit to discuss matters with his father so she was bored. She didn't even have the strength to get around to practicing in the dojo. Who knew that she'd fall for the Rurouni in such a short amount of time? She had learned a lot about him, like how his real name was actually Shinta and his father… well the man who played a father role and gave him his status in life renamed him as Kenshin. She had eventually learned about Tomoe and then felt guilty about falling for him easily.

"Look at you, moping about…" A Voice made her jump. She looked up from the rose she had been busy playing with… Although the hues weren't the same the red rose made her think of Kenshin's wild hair.

"I'm not moping… just thinking."

"Thinking about Kensan?"

"No!" Kaoru protested.

"Sure you aren't…" Megumi said giving her the eye.

"Maybe…" She corrected under Megumi's stare. "He went home; he won't be back for a couple of days…" She said softly.

"Ohohohohohoho!!" Megumi started laughing making Kaoru frown. "You miss him!!!"

"Possibly…" Kaoru muttered.

"You do! You haven't been in the dojo for a week now and I'm willing to guess he's been gone for that long!!"

"…"

"He is rather exotic looking with that gorgeous red hair of his…" Another voice decided to intrude. Both females looked up at Misao the youngest of the three sisters.

"He is…" Megumi added. "But we picked him for Kaoru… which means I'm stuck with rooster head."

"As if you have a problem with that…" Misao and Kaoru both said simultaneously. They then laughed when Megumi shook her head at her sisters.

"Either way… It'd be wrong for me to tell him I feel. He's in love with another girl."

"He what?!?" Misao asked.

"Yes, his first love… who died at the hands of Battousai the Man Slayer." She felt both of her sisters tense and fall silent.

"Why'd you tell ugly that you were going to come back?" Yahiko asked.

"I told her that because I am going back, that I am." Kenshin said.

"Why?!? I could see if she was really beautiful…"

"Kaorudono is a nice woman that she is. I enjoy her company very much." Kenshin said lowering himself from the horse he had been riding for days.

"How could you when she's hitting you every few seconds?!?!"

"She just does that when she's embarrassed herself or I've said something out of line…"

"…Or when you're not listening..." Yahiko added.

"Welcome back!" Several of the servants greeted Kenshin but gave him funny looks seeing how he didn't look very clean.

"Kenshin, don't you want to bathe before speaking to your father?" Yahiko asked. "Cuz we both need it."

"No, I want to talk to him." Kenshin said walking into Hiko's quarters where sure enough Hiko had been.

"So my Baka-Denshi son came home." Hiko looked up from the papers he had been reading.

"I should be glad you hadn't put me into an arranged marriage, but why did you go and promise I'd go meet the king's daughter."

"Always thinking about yourself aren't you?" Hiko asked looking at Kenshin. "At least you could have bathed."

"Answer my question. You know as well as Yahiko I would avoid people altogether if I could."

"Even more the reason to do so!" Hiko said. "Trust me when I say this… It's about time you got over everything that happened during the war. You can't spend the rest of your life moping about it." Hiko sighed. "If you don't like the girl you just had to say that."

"Quite the opposite." Yahiko muttered.

"So you do like the girl!"

"Kaorudono is nice, but you know I've always had the need to marry out of love never just to increase your status."

"Is that what you think I'm doing this for? You really think I'm doing this for me? You really are a Baka-Denshi!" Hiko shook his head.

"Hiko-sama…" one of the female servants entered the room. "Gohei has come with a report…" She winced a bit when Hiko cursed under his breath.

"Send him in." Hiko said and the big brawny man had entered the room almost immediately Kenshin cut his violet eyes at the man and Gohei had done the same. "Baka-Denshi, go bathe we will talk later." Kenshin growled a little before walking off with Yahiko following after. Kenshin was busy muttering fifty million things under his breath as he went off to bathe. "So, what can you tell me?"

"While I was gone I had found a man covered in bandages… From the neck down. He seemed to fit the description you had given me."

"So it's true…" Hiko uttered. "Shishio is alive… and my Baka-Denshi is nowhere ready to take him on again, not with how he's been for the past ten years."

"Does this mean he doesn't know the final attack to the Hiten Mitsurugi?"  Gohei asked with a little too much enthusiasm.

"He hasn't drawn his sword for a real fight in years."

"I see..." Gohei smirked but quickly concealed it. "Is there anything you wish me to do?"

"That is all for now." Hiko said and Gohei left the room after sliding the door closed.



"You know he's only trying to help you have a happy life…" Yahiko said.

"He has a funny way of showing it that he does." Kenshin muttered. "Oro?!?!" Kenshin uttered when he felt Yahiko's fist bonk him on the head.

"Maybe ugly had the right idea by hitting you! It's the only way you'll listen!" Yahiko said. "DO you ever wonder why Hiko come down so hard on you?!?! I'll tell you He lost his wife shortly after they were married! He really had chances to become a happily married man again but just like you're doing he let himself become unhappy and lonely and they only way he is able to pass off his titles or anything is to adopt a son! It's not the same as having your own son to carry on the family name!" Yahiko sighed. "Kenshin, you are lucky to have even an adoptive father who cares for you like he does!!" Yahiko calmly stated the final sentence. So calmly the sadness behind it stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Yahiko…" Kenshin sighed. "Let's go clean up then rest a bit. It should be nice to sleep on a futon for once instead of the hard ground that it should."

"Do you have anything to report to Lord Shishio?" Seta asked Gohei. He had left Shishio's side to meet with the tall ugly brute.

"Give me my pay first." Gohei demanded as Seta tossed the bag in the air as the coins inside clanged together when he caught it.

"If you say so but I hope you information is accurate or Lord Shishio won't be lenient with his punishment for you." Set smiled tossing the bag higher into the air and Gohei caught it.

"Apparently the Battousai has been out of practice for a long time now. He still isn't considered a master of the Hiten Mitsurugi style because he hasn't learned the final move yet." Seta just nodded.

"That is all good and well! Keep up the good job!" Seta said walking off with his ever present smile.