Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. Pleeeeze don't sue! Pasts Kojiro sat clutching his shoulder, his kinomo sleeve almost completely soaked by his blood. Koaru ran over to him quickly tend to his wound temporarily until he was taken to Megumi (who had comeback from Aizu for a few months). Kojiro was astonished at his brothers skill, he's never seen, or even imagined anything like it. That speed! That percision! He thought, still not able to express his amazment oraly. What has my brother been going since we have been seperated? I think there is much more to him than I thought. Much more. "Thank you Kamiya-san. I think I can manage myself from here." Koji said after Koaru had put a makeshift bandage on his arm. As they walked to Megumi's clinic everyone was quiet, not wanting to disturb the other's thoughts. After Megumi took care of Kenshin's brother, she sat down along with everybody else and asked, "What happened here? Who did this to Kojiro-san? I have the feeling this wasn't just an accident." Kenshin looked at his brother. "I'd like to know the same." He said, leacing off the "sessha" for this was a serious matter. Kojiro started fidgiting, and immedietly looked down. He extremely embarrassed for putting the people who kindly brought him into their household in danger. Even more for not being even able to protect them, instead his weak littl-...no...he wasn't weak... Suddenly Koji's head snapped up. "Shinta, my brother, before I tell you my part behind those attacks, please, I must know what happened. What happened during the revolution?" Kenshin flinched, he was afraid of this. "I...well..." "He was an assassin working for the Ishinshishi!" Yahiko blurted out, irrated by the silence. Koji's eye's widened, "Weren't they opposing the shogun?" "Yup! Kenshin pretty much won the war for them." Yahiko said proudly. Kojiro's eye's widened even more. "Brother? Is this true?" Kenshin, blushing slightly said, "Some of it's is true. Sessha will tell you the story from the beggining." Kenshin explained about the robbers who attacked the slave traders. How Hiko saved him and then made him his disciple. He told about being chosen as assassin of the Ishin, and then about meeting Tomoe. When explaining her death, Kojiro's eye's watered, mumbling things like, "My poor brother" or "All this time" while shaking his head. Then told him about meeting Koaru, stressing that he was staying there only as a border, nothing else. At the end of his life's story, Kenshin took a deep breath. Having been talking for over an hour non stop. Well, with the exception of a few interuptions from Yahiko. Koaru and Megumi, even if having heard the story before, seemed as affected as the first time it was told. But most moved of all was Kojiro, who had been thinking his brother was a little somwhat dumb weakling of a brother. Now, he saw him in a new light, he looked at his brother in awe. He lived through so much, enough to have caused Kojiro himself to commit suicide after living just a second in the story's its emotional rollercousters. If not suicide killing him, it would have been one of Shinta's many many enemies during the war, and now even. Koji's thoughts were interrupted when his brother looked at him and asked the question that he had been dreading since he'd seen Shinji. "Now I want to know your story Kojiro. What was that all about?" Kenshin asked looking at his shoulder. Koji sighed and cleared his throut. "That man...I mean his father...was mother's fiancee." He said staring at Kenshin seriously. Kenshin's eyes widend, but I thought she had d-" "No, it was before she met father. However, before mother married that man she met our father and fell in love with him immedietly. She left her fiancee, and then married father instead." Kenshin nodded, taking in the story. "So this is a tale of jealousy, " Kenshin said thoughtfully. "In a way, but not completely," his brother responded, "Anyway, when our parents and oldest brother died, your were sold to the slave traders, I had ran away fearing that I would also have to become a slave. The trader's saw no one else at the house so I was pronounced me dead. Then I finally came back home, sure that I was safe." Kojiro suddenly lowered his head in dishonor. "What kind of borther am I, running away to save myself and not doing anything to protect my little brother." He bent his head to the ground, "Please, brother. Forgive me." Kenshin, smiled and brushed him off, "Please, it is all of the past. I am happy you did not have to go on with the slave traders. Do not stress yourself over things that are not worth your worry." Kojiro lifted his head of the ground and smiled back Kenshin, "Thank you Shinta." He sat himself in a more comfortable position and once again his face became as cold as stone. "At our home was mother's old fiancee, he said that the farm should have been his, and that it rightly belonged to him now that mother and father died. I remember him kicking mothers grave behind our house, he was saying terrible things about her. He then did the same to father. He started taunting their spirits, and before I knew it i had thrown a large rock at his head, rage had taken over my movements. He was an older man, and the blow killed him. His son, by another women who was dead also, had seen my act and swore that I would meet the same fate by his hands.I was a coward, and I ran away to Thailand with my tail between my legs." "And here you are now." Said Kenshin, looking at his brother. "What you did to Shinji's father was quite terrible, even if you were provoked. You should learn to keep down your emotions that you should. As I said before, it is all of the past. I know that you won't make a mistake like that again, and that you will let us help you." Kenshin lookde at Kojiro and smiled. Even after being lectured by his younger brother Kojiro bowed to Kenshin again, except not quite as low as the first time. "Thank you, Shinta." "Now!" Kaoru clapped her hands, wanting to break up the sudden silence. "I'm sure everyone is in the mood for a cup of tea. I'll go make one." "Yuuuuuck! Count me out! Busu even makes tea taste horrible" Kaoru pulled up her sleeve and balled her hand into a fist, "I told you not to say things like that in front of COMPANY!" Everybody winced as Kaoru's fist made contact with Yahiko's cheek, sending the boy flying to the otherside of the room. "Hmph! Such a rude and violent girl, beating on poor children like that, especially in front of company." The kendo instructor blushed, realizing what she had done. But soon the blush turned into a fiery rage. "Who do u think you are! Telling me off like that! I am a grown woman you know!" Megumi covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled. "Grown women do not show their anger so easily." "Why I oughtta-!" Kenshin quickly put a hand on Kaoru's shoulder. "Tea sounds wonderful Kaoru-dono. I help you make it." Kaoru smiled and nodded, and followed Kenshin to the kitchen, suddenly calm and peaceful. "You're brother seems like a very nice man Kenshin." Kaoru said after the water was poured into the kettle an held over the fire. "Yes, sessha is very glad to have met him again. Sessha was sure he was dead, that he was." "What do you think about that Shinji guy Kenshin?" "He troubles me for some reason, todays fighter's where mediocre, but I have a feeling that there is danger on the way, grave danger." A/N I know it was short, I'll try to make the next chapter longer. Sorry! I haven't written for a while because my miscrosoft word was messed up. hehe