Oh, wow you guys! I have to thank you all for hanging in there, for some reason every time I sat down to write this I got an idea for another story I'm working on! (and I know that's a weak excuse, but I didn't really have anything solid for this one except for where I know its going to end, and I'm having trouble decided who the bad guy really is! (that's always a trouble for Kenshin... I mean, seriously every guy who's still alive (that he fought in the revolution) seems to become his friend later on!! (he's just that kinda guy ain't he? (yes, that's why we love him!)

Ok, enough excuses, onto the tank you vewy muches-

Hitokiri-san- you are so awesome! Thanks for the encouragement! Its not like he's running into them every day... he just seems to attract the ones who happen upon him... (Remember Misao?)

Justice Stryfe- DUDE! You need to write more! I always check to see if you've updated and I'm all, duuuuude... maaan! But yeah, Kenshin was all stoic, "You will not break our deal, good sir...", and stuff... I thought of him saying that with little swirls in his eyes (you know, when he gets hit in the head with something) and for some reason I cracked myself up!

"Finally." Tsukasa took a deep breath as they reached the top of a hill. All around them fields of overgrown grass swayed in the wind, having left the forest behind Kenshin relaxed and assisted Katsu in finding wildflowers. The girl giggled as each flower added to the dozens in Kenshin's hands. Kenshin smiled gently at her and looked up at Tsukasa.

"Finally?" he asked as Tsukasa turned to look down at the shorter boy.

"We're home."

"Home?" Kenshin looked down at the valley and saw the buildings in the distance. Several people milled around the neat village, more warriors practiced in the clearing at the end of it. Children skipped through the long grasses, some with wooden shinai, others with kites that brought brilliant colors and designs to a spreading blue sky. Kenshin could almost see the joy that surrounded them; he smiled gently as his heart began to bleed. "It is beautiful Tsukasa."

"Grandpa?" Katsu tugged on Tsukasa's sleeve and jiggled around, "We'll go see Grandpa now?" Tsukasa nodded gently as the girl giggled and threw her hands in the air. "Flowers Kenshin! We need more flowers for Grandpa!"

"All right." Kenshin agreed as Tsukasa began to walk down the hill and into the valley.

"Come on Katsu, Kenshin, you can gather more blossoms as we walk." He folded his arms against one another and wiped his expression clean. He nodded at the children they passed, each one bowed solemnly back before great grins reached across their faces. They skipped to Katsu, hugging, or jumping up and down in excess energy before disappearing in the great grasses.

"They go to their homes, to announce that we return." Katsu told him as she noticed him watching them leave.

"That's fine Katsu-chan." Kenshin smiled gently as she added more flowers to those gathered. The young swordsman looked pensive. It was a word Katsu had learned from her tutor, pensive seemed to suit the red head in most occasions, so she shrugged it off and plucked a blossom from the ground. It was a shame that the boys had lost their dandelion crowns somewhere along the way, and Katsu hadn't had time to make others. Tsukasa led them through the village, nodding at those who called to him, smiling gently at his peers, but avoiding their questions as they threw them. He'd tell them all later, hopefully soon, as his grandfather and father waited for the information he'd tell of his sister and Master Hiko.

Tsukasa stopped in front of the largest building in the village, his home, slipped out of his sandals and stepped onto the porch.

"Please, come in and be welcome Kenshin. We ask that you leave your shinken here." He indicated a long wooden bucket placed outside the nearest sliding door, "not that we don't trust you, but my grandmother had always insisted."

"Of course." Kenshin untied the sheath and leaned it against the outside wall before removing his sandals and following the others inside.

"Hello Grandfather." Kenshin heard as he turned the corner to the main room. Tsukasa was already kneeling on a mat in front of an older man, who also bowed his head in greeting.

"News of your sister? And your fathers old friend Hiko?" His voice was strong; Kenshin had no trouble believing that it could project to far off troupes during battles.

"My nee-chan is in the hands of the Master Hiko, though I truly wished not to leave her alone with that man." Tsukasa muttered.

"Boy." His grandfather reprimanded.

"Sir." Tsukasa bit his lip to keep it civil.

"Introduce your guest."

"I apologize," he nodded and got to his feet to draw Kenshin into the room. "This is Himura Kenshin. He is Master Hiko's pupil." The old mans gaze met Kenshin's with an unwavering penetration. For a second the aura around the man was so great it left Kenshin dizzy. He bent from the waist.

"Sir." As Itsuruku Shiba nodded politely, breaking the gaze, Kenshin stood upright and watched the floor with great interest. "It was a pleasure to escort your grandchildren down the mountain. And unless you have something to ask of me, I really must get back to my Master."

"Would you like to stay the night? Make your way fresh in the light of the morning?" Shiba invited, "Surely you would not make us poor hosts to a man who guarded my precious grandchildren?"

"Sir?"

"Have a meal, a comfortable futon... knowing Hiko you haven't had a real futon to sleep on in ages." The knowing smile of Hiko's self inflicted sacrificing attitude decided Kenshin. This man definitely knew his master.
Kenshin was invited to wander the village, and since he'd never spent time in such a largely populated area before he accepted it with only a slight hesitation. He'd gone into Kyoto for supplies sometimes, but he'd always been instructed to go to the suppliers outside the city for the things he and Hiko had needed. So when he stepped from the porch with Tsukasa, and many boys and girls their own age surrounded them, Kenshin shrank away to stand in the shadow of the roof. Or at least he tried.

"Kenshin?" Tsukasa looked around as he felt the absence of the swordsman. Kenshin couldn't seem to find his tongue.

"He's over here Tsukasa." A young girl, her hair pulled back in a shiny red ribbon, yanked on Kenshin's sleeve. He hugged his sheath like a lifeline as he was pulled back into the group. "He was hiding." She giggled as she smiled him. Kenshin blinked and nodded politely.

"Don't tease him, he's never been off that mountain! Give him some room to breath people!" Kenshin blushed, as Tsukasa's demand seemed to have an opposite reaction. Most of the girls pushed to get a better look at him while the boy's heads swiveled around when they noticed the shinken.

"Are you Hiko's son?" a voice pushed through the babble. "Of course not." It was the girl with the red ribbon again, "I didn't know he had a son." Another chimed, "He's not!" insisted the red-ribboned girl. But that only brought more questions, each one repeated by a different female mouth as Kenshin felt his face go redder and redder.

"Girls!" Tsukasa pushed his way through them and stood in front Kenshin's, his arms out wide to push them from around the samurai boy. "Please! Enough! Can't you see you're making him nervous?" The chatter died down, as the girls seemed to suddenly realize that Kenshin's face now resembled a very ripe tomato.

"Of course we're making him nervous Tsukasa... that's our job!" The girl with the red ribbon grinned and tugged on her friend's sleeves, "But our other job will be to make him comfortable, so he'll tell us of training with the monster Hiko!"

"Sumi!" Tsukasa protested, "I'm taking him on a tour of the village, I'm not going to let you drag him off to interrogate!"

"Oh Tsukasa, we have to prepare, you take him on your little tour, and then bring him by my parents inn... We'll have dinner, nice and civilized, and then you can turn in early..." she smiled slyly while the others groaned. Kenshin looked from Sumi's smirk to Tsukasa's stern features, and was puzzled to note that Tsukasa's ears where glowing a slight pink shade.

"Come on Kenshin, lets leave the girls to their plans, if they can't throw a party every night they get testy." Tsukasa turned on his heel, obviously expecting the younger boy to follow. Kenshin bowed slightly, then turned to follow Tsukasa down the path.
"You have a beautiful home Tsukasa." Kenshin muttered as they passed an elderly woman, intent on watering her garden of miniature trees. She huffed a little as she lifted one by its pot and shoved it to the first step.

"Ore ni makasero." Kenshin bowed politely to the woman and picked up the next plant, waiting for her to direct him. Tsukasa paused as he noticed what the boy was doing.

"Hai, little mother, Nami-dono," he smiled as the woman who used to care for him when his parents where away, "let us help." She patted the boys on their arms and directed them to the windowsills.

"Arigato." She smiled as she waved them on their way.

"She was sweet." Kenshin noted as they walked around the village, approaching the children who were playing with Katsu in the tall grasses.

"Yes, she is a very respected woman in our village, I'd swear she'll stay alive until she's cared for my children's children. She's that stubborn to see our line advance."

"I'd bet she has all sorts of tales to tell." Kenshin smirked as Tsukasa stopped dead in his tracks.

"You wouldn't..." he paused seeing the smirk as Kenshin tried to hide it by looking at the grass, "kono akutou me! You made a joke! Kenshin!" Tsukasa laughed out loud, "Man, you had me going!" Kenshin chuckled, then found himself laughing on the grass, where Tsukasa had pushed him. He ended up laughing so hard his stomach hurt. When he finally opened his eyes he smiled gently up at the soft blue sky and, for a second, remembered how it had been when his parents were still alive. He turned when a shadow covered his face, half expecting his fathers amber eyes to meet his and smile. Tsukasa blinked as Kenshin's laugh cut off, a deep sorrow showed in the boy's eyes.

"Kenshin?" Kenshin shook his head and sat up.

"Nothing Tsukasa, nothing at all." A flash of green and red against the blue caught his attention. Katsu was running toward them with kite in tow.

"Kenshin!" She laughed joyously, "Play with us!"

"Was I ever that young?" Tsukasa shook his head a rolled his eyes as Katsu jumped into his arms.

"No..." Kenshin mused, "You were brought into this world a full grown teenager, complete with a skeptical mind and a smart mouth." He got to his feet, took Katsu's hand in his, and walked off with Tsukasa's mouth gaping behind him. Kenshin grinned as he heard the stunned gasp of laugher escape his friend's mouth.

"And he says I'm a cynic!"