Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin because I can't even draw the characters or portray them that good…,- -,


The Answer is Love

Hokkaido is best known for being the coldest region in Japan. Of course, this is unsurprisingly true because it is located in the Northeastern region of the country, making it the closest region to the North Pole. Although the place was cold, that didn't stop its residents from being kind, warm and hospitable. The people were happy and they lived in the most normal and humblest of ways despite the almost all-year round snowy weather.

But, as always, there was bound to be someone who was the complete opposite of them all. His name was Ryu Teshimine.

Ryu Teshimine lived in a big mansion atop a small hill in Sapporo, Hokkaido's capital town. He had almost everything a man back then would have wished for: money (from his government job and from his family's huge fortune), good looks, a high-ranking position in the government, and a healthy lifestyle. However, even though he seemed to be a perfect man, he had bad intentions and an evil heart.

This man was once part of the famous Oniwabanshuu, the group of ninjas who protected the Edo castle during the Bakumatsu period. He was a feared warrior, master of almost every powerful shinobi technique on earth. But no matter how great he was, he was a heartless killer with no sense of justice. Teshimine killed without remorse, sometimes killing even to please himself. For this reason, his rival and co-Oniwabanshuu member, Aoshi Shinomori, was selected as the group's leader. The "Deadly Dragon" of the Oniwabanshuu, as some people had called him, was outraged and appalled by what was decided that was why he left and used his family's fortune to make a new life for himself and to seek revenge for the "crime" that the Oniwabanshuu committed against him.

It was four in the afternoon when the villainous tycoon was sitting down on an elaborately designed throne in the receiving room of his Western mansion. Teshimine was drinking the grape wine that he received as a gift from one of his government friends while warming up by his grand fireplace and reading a supposedly morbid book about deceit and evil. He had just finished concocting a plan that would shatter the Oniwabanshuu a few nights ago and he assumed that all was going well. Smirking to himself, Teshimine predicted that Shinomori was on his way and that his spies situated en route to Hokkaido were working and that he was to receive a report in a very short while.

"Teshimine-sama!" a voice came as the doors of the receiving room were opened by a very man clad in a black ninja outfit complete with a mask that covered half of his face. He appeared very tired; it was like as if he had not rested from a very long journey.

"Hello there, Kintaro." Teshimine's smirk grew bigger and his dark amethyst eyes glittered with the fire as he addressed his trained ninja. He put down his book on the side table beside and turned to his ninja spy. "I assume that you have your report concerning Shinomori."

Kintaro straightened up and began to speak. "Yes, Teshimine-sama. The target is nearing Tokyo and it is sure that he is going to Yokohama harbor to catch the next trip to Sapporro. The target is traveling very quickly, is very aware of shortcuts and he easily defeats all the obstacles along the way. He is expected to arrive in Tokyo at approximately six o'clock AM tomorrow and is expected to leave for Sapporo at 7 o'clock, it being the next time for the ship to leave in Yokohama harbor. It takes two days to reach-"

"Ok, Kintaro, that was a very nice report. You may sleep now." Teshimine said dully, interrupting the tired ninja's long testimony. Frankly, all I wanted to know was if Shinomori was still alive Teshimine thought, sighing.

Kintaro looked shocked but then he bowed. "There really was more to tell but if that is all, I'm happy to know that I have served you well." He turned to the door and poised himself to walk out. Suddenly, he turned back as he remembered something important. "I forgot to tell you something important, Teshimine-sama."

"What is it now?" Kintaro's master replied in a bored manner. He honestly was not very pleased with boring old servants who reported lots of unnecessary things but he really couldn't hire anyone he didn't teach himself.

"A report was received from our correspondent from Kyoto. He said that there was a girl of about sixteen to eighteen years of age who was following the target. She had long braided hair and green eyes. She was also said to be accompanied by a young man of around the same age with brown hair and blue eyes." Ryu's loyal servant said curtly. Upon hearing this, the dragon couldn't suppress his amused state.

So Shinomori, your little angel decided to come along to meet the devil? Well, she'll get more than what she could ever imagine Teshimine smiled a despicable smile and then said to Kintaro, "I want you to tell around six of the ninjas under you to follow Shinomori. However, I will send you and your best ninjas to go after the girl following Shinomori. You will take her here and we'll keep her hostage. I think that she'll prove to be of valuable use later in my wonderfully constructed plan."

"That will be done Teshimine-sama. But how about the boy with her? Report says that he had a katana with him and he was said to resemble someone very familiar…" Kintaro asked.

"Do what you ninjas could do. Find more information about him and report to me your info. If I deem him useless, you could kill him." Teshimine replied with a malicious glint in his purple eyes.

"Yes, Teshimine-sama. Thank you. I will be off to my living quarters now." Kintaro bowed and departed. Just as Kintaro closed the big wooden door, the villainous ex-ninja let out an evil laugh.

That Oniwabanshuu brat will never know what hit her. And neither will Shinomori. Revenge tastes better than this imported wine. Teshimine thought. He took a sip from his glass and then he picked up the book he was reading before his spy came.

"I must finish this wonderful book. I think that that foolish girl will die in this chapter!" the former deadly dragon said to himself excitedly.

In a very green forest roughly a kilometer and a half away from Kyoto…

Misao Makimachi was getting bored. She had been traveling non-stop for quite a long time (around 10 hours in fact) without rest and without food since breakfast. She was traveling with what she would call a smiling idiot with a katana who didn't seem interested in any form of communication for the past ten hours. She had been seeing nothing but very green plants (occasionally with flowers) and very blue sky. What made things worse was boy with her was singing an infernally annoying song about dumplings over and over. The ninja girl had to change all this. The weasel girl put her hands where she usually put her kunai and pulled the ninja knives out. She took a deep breath to get herself ready.

And now, the explosion, complete with kunai threats.

"Yo,Sou! Can you stop smiling for one freaking minute and talk to me! And stop singing that infuriating song! It's driving me nuts! Can't you understand that I'm getting hungry and sweaty and I think that we are nowhere near Hokkaido! I don't really think that you know the way and the only reason you're traveling with me is because you want a pretty girl by your side! Am I right, Soujiro Seta!"

Soujiro stopped walking and then he turned to his right to face the angered ninja girl. He blushed guiltily when Misao said that his motive for coming with her was for her companionship but it quickly disappeared when he faced her. He then gave her his most innocent smile and then he tried to think of things to say back.

"Well, Misao-san, I'm talking to you! Are you happy?" He asked, keeping his innocent smile.

"No! Puh-lease! Is that the best you could do?" Misao glared, folding her arms across her chest.

The ex-Tenken was still smiling his little innocent smile as he explained himself. "Actually, you are right. I don't know the way to Hokkaido and I have never been there. Yes, I know that you would like to kill me for just telling you now but please listen to what I have to say. What you said about your companionship was true; I have always traveled alone so I wanted to try traveling with someone for a change. I'm very sorry for that. I know that you are hungry and that you would like to rest. If you wish, I will bring you as fast as I can to an inn I saw a few days ago that is somewhere in this forest. There, I will ask for directions to your snowy little island. If you want me to leave, I will but not after I get you somewhere safe. It's my fault that you're in this position anyway. I'm very sorry again for what I did to you and I will try my best to make up for it, Misao-san." He kneeled then bowed down low, his face almost reaching the ground.

Misao didn't know what to say. There she was, complaining about petty things like food and a baby song after ten hours but her travel companion had been going through all of this and more for about a year, all alone. And, despite her sudden outburst, Soujiro was apologizing as if he had done something very wrong, to the point that he was bowing down to her and offering to treat her like a princess to make up for it.

Isn't that enough to get you guilty? For Misao, it certainly was.

"Sou, stand up. There's no need for you to be sorry. It's ok that you don't know the way. You've got an Oniwabanshuu ninja with you! The okashira at that!" Misao said cheerfully. "Of course, it's kinda bad that you didn't tell me you didn't know the way but since I'm so kind and merciful, I might forgive you anyways! Anyway, sorry I went like that. It's just that my feet were killing me and I'm just so very hungry! And no, you may NOT leave me alone even if you get me somewhere safe. Like I said around ten hours ago, I also came with you so I get someone to talk to! So talk to me, you smiling idiot! We're friends now and friends don't leave each other! Trust me when I say that talking to me is very fun!"

"Yes, I trust that you are a very fun person, Misao-san." Soujiro chuckled, getting up from the floor and dusting his hakama. "And I am very happy that you are my friend. Don't worry; I won't leave you if you don't want me to."

Misao flashed the ex-Tenken with her happy smile along with her trademark peace sign. "That's what I'm talking about! So, you mentioned an inn. How far is it?"

Soujiro looked up in the sky as he thought about the question. Then he grinned at the weasel girl. "A good twenty-five kilometers, I think."

Misao's jaw dropped around a foot away from the ground… Twenty-five kilometers! And he's shrugging it all off! I can't walk any further!

"Or was it thirty?"

THUD!

Misao landed on the ground.

Soujiro looked down at her, slightly confused. "Eh, Misao-san, are you alright?" Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed the fallen ninja girl's arms gently, pulled her into a sitting position by a nearby tree and then sat down beside her. Soujiro glanced at the swirly-eyed girl and he couldn't help but laugh.

She reminds me of one of those funny little dolls. Cute and funny at the same time! It would be a crime to leave her alone…

After a few seconds, the weasel girl regained her consciousness and stood up energized. She stretched her arms and turned to a laughing and sitting Soujiro. She stared at him for a while and then threw him another one of her trademark glares.

"Sou, I really appreciate it that you tried to kid me but next time, use funnier jokes that don't make me faint!" she growled angrily at her brown-haired travel buddy. At this, Soujiro stopped laughing and he raised one of his eyebrows.

"What joke?" he asked, a little baffled.

"I mean that joke on how far that inn is. It can't possibly be that far…" Misao said nervously. "…can it?"

Soujiro smiled as he confidently shook his head and said, "Nope! The inn is precisely thirty kilometers away from here!" Just before the weasel girl was about to scream, Soujiro hastily added, "But I'm sure that we could get there without you walking of course! Like I said, Misao-san, I promise to bring you there the quickest way I can!"

Misao raised a brow. "Thirty kilometers? Haha, are you trying to make me laugh? We're not gonna make it there until tomorrow even if we travel quickly the whole night." She said doubtfully.

At this, the ex-Tenken laughed. "Misao-san, hasn't Himura-san told you one of my special abilities? Particularly the one known as Shukuchi?"

Misao shook her head. She was getting even more confused and skeptical as she was listening to Soujiro. "Ok, Sou, this Shuku-thing, what is it exactly?"

Instead of answering the question, the boy tied his small bag to his hakama beside his katana, jogged in his place a little and smiled widely at the Oniwabanshuu okashira. He approached her and took her from the ground to his arms, like how a mother would carry her baby.

"Hey hey, Sou, just because we're friends doesn't mean you can carry me like this! Only Aoshi-sama can carry me!" Misao protested. But although she did, she didn't seem to be retaliating violently like she would usually do. And if you would look closely, her face's color appeared to have changed to a very faint shade of pink.

"Misao-san, do you want to experience the comfort of a nice bed and the tastiness of delicious food?" Soujiro asked her. Misao nodded but she was still clueless to why Soujiro took her like that.

Soujiro beamed and looked at the road ahead. "Good. Now that we got that settled, I suggest that you hold on tight and keep your belongings secured." After which, Shishio's past right hand man sped through the forest, only one step short of Shukuchi.

If you were somewhere within a two kilometer radius from that particular forest at that particular time, you would have heard the ringing of "SOUJIROOOOOOOOOOOO! I'M GOING TO KILL YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" very loud and very clear.


A/N: I really, really apologize for updating late! I really didn't have any ideas (is this the sensation they call writer's block?) so I couldn't write! I apologize a lot (bows very low, saying "I aporogize, I aporogize!" continuously).

Are they OOC yet? Heh. Thought that I introduce the bad guy now! So how d'you like him? Yes, I know he's still very undeveloped but you'll know him better later! And I apologize if all the chapters I write are short… is this writer's block!

To all those who reviewed, I'm really touched because you all make me feel good! I can't mention all your names now because I'm running out of internet card (I promise to mention you all in the next chapter though)! Please review more! I heard from somewhere that reviews get rid of writer's block! Again, thanks!

P.S. if you are a SouMi fan (why would you be reading if you weren't --) please join the yahoogroup (created by anithene-san) for it! It's really good and there are lots of great SouMi stuff for you to get! Plus, you get to talk to other fans as well! The url's groups. See ya there!

moronicus