Authors Note: Standard disclaimer apply, I don't own RK, but I do own the original characters. Thanks to my beta Hikari Tsuki Chi, I have finally updated and revised everything. It is thanks to her that all this is possible.

Chapter Three: Reasons

Minutes passed before Kenshin could again form solid thoughts. The two men with him seemed pleased with that. He was now as besotted with Kaoru as they were with their women.

But now was not the time to dwell on his love life. He needed his questions answered. There were things about this arrangement that he wasn't exactly comfortable with. There were too many unknown variables. Kaoru, Yahiko, and Megumi were all in danger if any more, seriously dangerous manslayers showed up.

"Saito, how many more manslayers is the government intending on sending here? And how long do they plan on keeping you all here"

In Kenshin's mind, these were the most important questions, the ones on the top of his list.

"The government has many designated safe-houses in various cities. Each group of manslayers is carefully selected so that there is a minimum chance that they will try to kill each other or civilians. Most of the manslayers that are being sent to safe-houses
are those whose names are quite famous or that have been recently active. I don't know how many more they are planning to send here. The most they have sent to a house is seven, but you have to realize that we three are very special cases. As to the other, from my understanding on what they told me, they are keeping us here indefinitely."

Kenshin looked at Saito. It struck him as odd that he and Aoshi would agree to this arrangement without batting an eyelash. Because in the past they had both maintained that they disliked him intensely.

"Saito, Aoshi, how did they get you both to agree to this"

"To ensure that we complied with their wishes they kidnapped Tokio and Weasel Girl and threatened them with torture."

Kenshin's eyes narrowed, that the government he had fought to create would do such a despicable thing...he couldn't believe how many of them had been corrupted on their quest for power.

"Kenshin." This was the first time Aoshi had spoken in this conversation. Kenshin turned to face him. "The Kamiya Kasshin Style of sword techniques teaches an ideal that is similar to what the Meiji government preached during the Revolution. Tell me then, why does she have no students"

Kenshin sat down and leaned against the wall, folding one leg under the other that was bent at the knee, his sword resting against it. He then preceded to tell them of Gohei Hidama and how none of her students would come back.

"People are narrow-minded." Was all he said.

Kenshin agreed with him. He had heard her crying often in the middle of the night and
whispering to herself "why don't people want to learn from me" and always he felt the guilt, that it was he who had caused her such pain, and the fact that he couldn't ease her suffering.

His train of thought was suddenly interrupted when he felt two strong spirits coming through the front door. All three men stood to attention and made their way to the courtyard.

Earlier That Night

"Master, it is only a little farther, we do not need to stop at an inn when we are already in Tokyo. And yes, I know it is late, but pulling long nights has never bothered you before. Now, the others are already there, and I want to surprise them, they don't know we're
coming. So, let's go, Master."

They walked down the streets of Tokyo, making their way to the Kamiya dojo. The girl looked at her companion. He was about an inch taller than she, which wasn't saying much. He had a ponytail, something she had never seen him without.

She turned back to the road, looking at her feet, watching as they moved from one step to the next. She had taken so many steps on this particular journey, and doing it with her young master wasn't a walk in the park. Though they were both childlike and cheerful by
nature, they were both deadly killers. And putting the two together for weeks at a time with no respite was a mistake. She looked back up at her master, made a face. He was carrying that silly flower as if it were some kind of symbol for a great reunion. He had insisted upon the red flower, more so, he had insisted that she be the one to fetch it,
and no amount of grumbling would sway him.

And they walked on.

Not So Far Away

The young man looked up and smiled"Are you sure it is necessary to bind my wrists like this, it is very uncomfortable."

The young man's voice was cheerful, as it always was. He didn't feel most emotions, so it was better to put others at ease by being cheerful and friendly. But these men didn't seem to want to reciprocate as most people did. In fact, they were being quite rude, not talking to him at all, but he wouldn't comment on it, it wasn't polite

Kenshin and the others made their way to the courtyard, and in their haste almost bumped into Megumi and Sano as they were leaving. Sano looked at Kenshin's face and immediately fell into step with him, telling Megumi to go back inside. She quickly shuffled Ayame and Sazume, who had been behind her, back into the house.

The door opened and two dark figures walked through. Kenshin didn't recognize them at first, but then a shaft of moonlight spread over them. Kenshin's face instantly registered surprise, he had been sure that this man was dead. But no, here he was, large as life, nothing had changed about him. The man standing before him threw him a red flower, as he always had, and then drew the young women with him into the light.

Saito gasped when he saw her, and then his face set into it's usually hard lines. "What are you doing here, Yue" he said this with the familiarity of long experience.

Kenshin could understand the man, but he had never met this girl before, but the man was one he had spent many times in battle with. He was the captain of the first squad of the Shinsengumi. Or he had been. And his name was Okita.

"Saito who is that girl" Sano asked. The person in question stood about 5'3", she had short black hair that came to her shoulders, it had been cut so that the ends were spiky, and her eyes were the green of emeralds. She wore tight leather pants under a loose over-shirt that was cut in the same style as Misao's everyday shirt, except that the clothes she wore were all black. At her side was a Japanese short sword and strapped to each thigh on either side was a pair of sai's.

"She's my daughter, Yue."

CRASH! BAM! BOOM!

Three faces hit the deck.

"Saito, you have a daughter, I had no idea."

"Where'd she get the good looks, certainly not you."

"I see she takes after her father, if that sword is any indication."

Saito let these comments slide by his ears without taking his eyes off his daughters'. Tokio was going to be thrilled.

Yue stepped forward"Father, I have some really horrible news" she said, smiling hugely, just as the man with her was, but Saito was used to her pranks, and didn't show the slightest bit of reaction. "It appears that we are here to stay, the government officials said so."

And then she laughed, as if it was all some great joke. To Saito, it was, the world was playing a very big joke on him.

In her, Kenshin recognized the same cheerful playfulness as Okita had had, and apparently still had. But he bet that underneath she was as mush a manslayer as Okita. There was only one other he had met like that, Soujiro Seta.

A swooshing noise broke the silence of the air as the man threw a red flower like he had in the past, which landed at his feet. "Mr. Himura, it has been too long. I cannot wait to see how much you have improved your Hiten Mitsurugi technique. May I present my student, Yue Saito. Yue is only seventeen, so be careful what you say in front of her."

Yue playfully slapped Okita, and they smiled at each other. It was apparent to anyone who saw them that they had a very deep bond.

"Hey Kenshin, who is that guy" Sano asked, still looking at Okita.

"That is Okita Soshi, he was the leader of the first squad of the Shinsengumi in Kyoto during the revolution. I met him many times there, but we never had a decisive battle. I had thought him dead all these years, but it appears I was wrong."

Okita looked over and nodded. "That's right. When Saito married Tokio I came to live with them. And when Yue came of age, I began to train her in the Shinsengumi style, of course she has already mastered the use of sai's. When the government told us we had to move out here we had half a mind to send them to the higher plane. But then Yue remembered that you were living here, and we decided we would enjoy seeing the sparks fly between the two of you. By the way, on the road here we saw a police contingent escorting someone that could be a manslayer, he looked a little young though, just thought I'd warn you."

"Sano, why don't you take them inside and get them settled. Yue can sleep in with the other girls and you can put Okita in with Yahiko and me. I need to talk to Saito and Aoshi for a moment."

Sano nodded, and, followed by Yue and Okita, made to follow Kenshin's orders.