Response time! Woohoo! ^_^
Midyteshadow: It's such an encouragement to hear of other Christians enjoying what I've written. Yeah, I hope to have presented something unique to the fanfic world to chew on for a while ^^. I'm having so much fun researching all the facts pertaining to Christianity in Japan during that century. All the stuff about the Doshisha University in Kyoto is true, as far as it being the first school of higher education and the Christian group that formed there. Persecution was, and still is, an issue in countries such as Japan. And yes, thank God for the those willing to help and protect us and what we stand for here in this country. I'll remember to keep your cousin Stan in prayer, and if you talk to him soon tell him thanks^-^…
Crazy Girl Person: Thanks for reading and reviewing my story… Beautifully written, you say? Thanks, for the compliment!
Yannick: It's always gratifying to hear that you are getting something more out of my story. And about writing my own books… I pray that dream of mine comes true ^_^… You never know, you may see my real name somewhere on the New York Times bestseller's list ^_~.
Ari and Kat: Yo, right back at ya! Grammar… yup, that stuff is vital to a story. If only I had a proof reader to correct my mistakes. Hold on a sec, I have you! Thanks again for keeping up with my story despite the foibles in the grammatical area. Sorry to hear about the exams, I hope you emerged victoriously out of it all ^-^.
Satu-Chan: Again, sorry about the cliffie, but you all still love me, right? Anyhoo, about the strong ki… you'll see that you were correct with one of your three guesses ^_^. Thanks again for your faithfulness to this story!
Lady Himura: Yup ^^, Kenshin and Kaoru are pretty darn obvious, but apparently not to each other. Isn't that always the case? Even in real life… anyhoo, you may hug Sano and I'm sure he wouldn't mind ^-^, but I'm not too sure if Megumi would approve… Oh, and where's Yahiko? You'll see… ^^
JDFielding: Ah, the much expected long review… even the length of your reviews flatter me ^-^…I am so happy that you liked all the things that I enjoyed writing. The entire scene of Kenshin on the train in the morning and the sparrow connection came out of me running back and forth from my room to the kitchen to tell my mom about what I had written. She kept on shaking her head at me and laughing…"Crazy daughter… no more sugar for her." That's what she must have been thinking, but alas, I've made it out with my sugar in good supply ^^. Sorry, sidetracked a bit there ^-^;;… You made me smile so much with your high praise that my cheeks started hurting. Thanks again! I am just happy I can deliver something worth while to read.
Aglaia102: Thanks, I'm glad you find my work awesome ^_^… Read on!
The Great Michelle: Thanks buddy! I'm glad you're enjoying reading it despite how long it really takes. I see, you've pretty much caught up with the story… I'll be asking you questions whenever I see you next which means you better be prepared…And I suck? That's the first time I've read that in a review before… hold on, there was that time- oh, never mind! ^^Merry Christmas, even if a little belated… And the name's The Honorable Gucci. Carmen? Ugh, I know no Carmen! ^-~
Disclaimer: Nyah, didn't get everything I wanted for Christmas… or ever, so I still do not own Rurouni Kenshin. Darn that Santa…
Chapter 12
Clouds gathered overhead, the blue sky overtaken by a gloomy film of gray. One head hung low, the few rain drops that fell slid down exposed skin and collected along the defined lines of a face. A young girl walked alongside her older companion, his stony silence as normal as ever, allowing the now steady rainfall to fill the space she desired a few comforting words to occupy. It wasn't her fault, but she knew speaking now would only be in vain after having disobeyed her elders once again. She fought hard to keep the mingling of tears to touch the rain, a battle raging between the weakness she tried hiding and the strength she pretended to have.
"Be on your guard, we've been followed. Are you sure there were only five of them?" The stoic man's voice cut through the rain and her thoughts. Her head lifted from where she observed her feet and a sudden tingling sensation touched her mind, the presence of an unfamiliar ki bringing her to attention.
"Yes, only five. Besides, this ki seems weak in comparison to the ones from before." She watched him walk over to the left and stand under the shelter of a building's porch.
"Step out of the rain." He watched her with his dark blue eyes, the faintest of smiles reaching them just before he turned away from her, allowing his long white coat to slide off his long arms. He turned to face her again, the smile gone and replaced with an authority she couldn't ignore. "I'll leave this up to you, Misao. Come back to the Aoyia just as soon as you're done." He placed his coat in her hands and the teenage girl nodded, keeping her face as passive as she could, despite her desire to smile. She still had her Lord Aoshi's trust, and that meant the world to her. Even after her obstinate and disobedient behavior, she would always remain in his favor, his subtle kindness showing through him offering her his coat.
With that firmly set in mind she placed the large coat on one of the railings of the porch, her eyes following her leader's form for a second before turning in the direction of the approaching ki. A smile spread on her face, the thought of another fight making her fingers itch in anticipation. She glanced over her surroundings and decided she should approach them from the back. The building she was standing in front of was a store of some sort. Misao ran inside and asked the old owner if he could watch the coat outside until she got back. The old man watched as the youngster climbed on the railing next to the garment and hopped up on the roof rather easily. Shaking his head, he went back inside and sat on a chair, waiting for the girl to return from wherever she was going.
Misao walked on the slippery tiles covering the roofs of the building and sat waiting for the distinct ki to appear in the form of a fighter. Her eyes watched, glancing through the few people walking in the rain, the busy crowd from before having sought out shelter once the downpour started. Her eyes blinked against the rain, the water unhindered from falling into her bluish green eyes. *There he is.* She said, the ki's level registering in her mind. *But that can't be right…it couldn't be that pip-squeak.*
"Oh well," she whispered to herself, watching the young boy with dark hair wander the streets, occasionally wiping the rain from his face with his already soaked sleeve. The boy looked lost, sporting a mild bewildered expression as he looked around for something that was obviously not there anymore. "Hmm… I wonder if he's looking for me? Well, I'm not one to disappoint, now am I?" A mischievous smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she waited until the boy passed underneath where she stayed crouched. Stealthily, she dropped just behind him, not making a sound. She followed him for a minute or so until she got bored and grabbed his bokken out from where he had it secured around his waist.
"Hey, give that back! What do you think you're doing?" Yahiko yelled in protest, making an effort to grab his weapon back as it dangled above his head.
"That's the same question I should be asking you, little runt. You were following me for a few blocks now. What gives?"
"No reason, I was just wondering if you could tell me a little about the city, that's all." He lied, having followed them after noticing how depressed and upset she looked as she walked by the inn sometime ago. But one thing was different now, that tall man she was with was gone.
"Yeah, right. No one walks around a city like this without knowing anything about it. Tell me your name and I'll give you back your stick."
"It's not a stick," the boy yelled, making another lunge for the weapon and finally grabbing it from the girl's hold.
"Geez, you don't have to get all mad about it!" She yelled, stepping away from him with arms raised in defense. "Anyway, you better keep your nose out from where it doesn't belong. Curiosity, no matter how genuine it is, has the potential to get you in a lot of trouble." She wagged a finger in his face before stepping around him. She started walking away and Yahiko realized he didn't know her name. Before she got very far at all he yelled after her.
"Hey! My name's Yahiko, what's yours?"
She spun on her heel in the wet dirt of the street, a bright smile on her face. "The name's Misao!" She turned back around and walked in her original direction. Yahiko sighed, upset at wasting so much time for nothing. For some reason he attributed her distress to something concerning the Christians of Doshisha, but now she seemed fine and without a care in the world. Without solid proof he allowed his greatly imaginative mind to move his feet away from the inn without a second thought about the repercussion of such actions. He knew he would be in trouble as he thought more about what he had done, the dark sky foretelling of his impending punishment.
"Ah, crap. I should have stayed at the inn. Kaoru's gonna kill me…" He kicked at the moist dirt of the road, scowling at what he had gotten himself into.
"That is only if Sano doesn't get to you first, Yahiko. Why did you leave without telling us. Everyone was worried about you." Kenshin's familiar voice caused the boy to freeze, afraid of the look he would get from the rurouni upon turning to face him. He turned and saw a look of disappointment and relief gracing the man's features as he reached a hand out and placed it on his shoulder, urging him to move to side and out of the rain.
"I'm sorry Kenshin, but I saw this girl and this man walking by and for some reason they didn't really sit well with me. It's as if I could feel something different around them that I don't feel around ordinary people." Kenshin smiled a well knowing smile, understanding what it was that Yahiko must have felt.
"And I assume the odd feeling originated in your stomach area," he added, watching Yahiko nod his head in affirmation. "Then it was your swordsman senses. You've been studying the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu for quite some time now, so it's natural for you to sense the ki's of other individuals trained in a form of marital arts. I sensed something quite strong back at the inn before we noticed you were missing. Tell me, did you speak to either one of these people you mentioned."
"Yes, I spoke to the girl for a couple minutes but she had to go. She told me to stop following her and that guy she was with. Still, for some reason I think they might be connected to the Doshisha. I don't know, just a hunch." Yahiko looked down at his feet, not meeting Kenshin's questioning gaze.
"And I'm sure you followed them in order to find that out, is that correct?" Yahiko didn't answer, his eyes remaining downcast. "Okay, as long as you are alright, I suppose it can be forgiven."
Kenshin looked out towards the street and noticed the rain pounding harder on the ground with every minute that passed. Shaking his head, he urged Yahiko to walk back the way they had come with his hand.
"Let's stay near the buildings so we don't get so wet. To be caught in one of these storms wouldn't be a good thing, that it would not."
They walked for a couple of minutes until something caught his eye. The certain something stood out against the mundane brown of the wooden porches they were using as temporary shelter. Yahiko stopped and stared, causing Kenshin to halt as well. There, folded and draped over one of the railings from a quaint little store, lay a white coat of heavy material. Kenshin was about to ask Yahiko what was the matter when the boy spoke up.
"That coat… I saw the man with Misao wearing one just like it. Actually, I think that may be the same one." Yahiko turned to Kenshin, a unspoken question forming between them.
"Hmmm…" Kenshin shifted his weight onto his left foot, thinking about what they should do. If what Yahiko was saying was the truth, that man, possibly the one with the strong ki, could be around close by. "Let's see if the owner of this store knows anything about it."
They walked quietly into the storeroom, the darkened atmosphere giving off the impression that they should remain silent. Kenshin was the first to see through the dimly lit room and make out the form of an old man sleeping on a chair in the far left corner. He was sitting, hands folded over his round belly, and a soft snore coming from his slightly open mouth.
Yahiko frowned at the sight, his eyes having adjusted rather quickly as well.
"Should we wake him?" Yahiko whispered.
"Yes, I think we should." Kenshin reached out a hand and nudged the old man's shoulder, only to have it swatted away like a fly. Kenshin felt a little embarrassed and ashamed at waking the man from what seemed to be a pleasant sleep, but he knew persistence was needed in order to find out what he wanted to know. "Sir, I would like to ask you something, that I would." His hand nudged the old man again and this time he got a more of a response. The old man opened his eyes and glanced up at Kenshin with a half-lidded stare.
"Yes, young man, what can I do for you?" His age worn voice asked, hushed in volume from his sleep.
"Sorry to interrupt your rest, sir, but we were wondering if you can tell us about the owner of a coat we saw hanging outside." The two watched the old man scratch the white hair on his balding head in thought. He kept them in suspense for about a minute until he came up with something.
"Ah, yes… some young girl with a pony tail came in here and asked me to watch it for her. That reminds me, she should have come and got it by now. I wonder where she could be…" Kenshin looked out towards the door, upset at the news.
*Yahiko said he thought that somehow they may be connected to the Christians at Doshisha. If so, it is necessary to get in touch with them, but how?* Yahiko pulled on Kenshin's sleeve, making his violet eyes turn the toward the store owner who was stroking his chin in thought.
"I think I remember seeing that girl before. She may be one of Lord Okina's granddaughters. You know, the old ninja who lives down at the Aoiya a few blocks down the road." The old man stretched his arms over his head, breathing out a large yawn.
"The last I saw of her, she was heading home. I guess she must have forgot about it." Yahiko said.
"Oh, darn it. It seems she will have to come by and get it sometime." The old man thought out loud, watching the others out of the corner of his eye. "Poor thing must be freezing in weather like this." He added, getting the affect he had hoped for. Kenshin turned an amused smile on the old man, nodding in acceptance.
"My friend and I will gladly return it to her, that we will. Would you mind telling us where this Aoyia is?"
The gratefulness in the elder man's eyes was sincere as he gave them the information needed to reach the Aoiya. On there way out he threw an umbrella to Kenshin who caught it easily and bowed in thanks. In a few minutes, he and Yahiko were on their way to see the face of the man whose ki woke up there minds with its power.
*Ally or foe, either one will make this task of dealing with the corrupt group from the government harder than it already will be.*
Their walk was silent, the only noise coming from footfalls and the heavy rain pelting the umbrella protecting their heads. Yahiko glanced at Kenshin the moment they began to move and the look of concentration etched within the rurouni's brow worried the young boy to a point. He glanced up at him again, noting that the other's expression remained the same. His young heart told him not to worry and to trust that everything would be okay. Yahiko's grip tightened around the coat folded in his arms, his face soon wearing the same look as Kenshin's. His fingers relaxed around the material when Kenshin's words reached his ears.
"I think that is it, Yahiko." They walked up to the gates and a sign hanging near the entrance captured Yahiko's attention. Near the name of the building was written a name of sorts.
The young one's jaw slacked a bit before whispering the one word, "Oniwaban…"
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The inn's floor couldn't withstand the pacing of the young assistant sensei as her teeth gnawed away at a handkerchief in worry. It had been three hours since Yahiko went missing and Kenshin went in search of him on the streets. She was worried and didn't know what else she could do but walk around, the floor shaking underneath her, with a prayer on her lips. If Kyoto was more known to her she would be out there searching for the boy herself, but the fact remained she was a stranger to these grounds. If anyone knew the city, she was sure Kenshin would be the one. The same still small voice spoke to her again, telling her not to fret over what she could not control. Even with that in the back of her mind, her heart pounded wildly at the mere thought of anything horrible happening to either Yahiko or Kenshin.
"Missy, I don't think we have enough money to pay for the repairs of that floor you're walking on. If you don't stop, sooner or later you'll find yourself downstairs." Sano commented from the corner of the room. Kaoru's tense posture eased up a bit at his jest, coming to the conclusion that she should sit and stop working herself up for nothing. "I'm sure there's nothing wrong with Yahiko and Kenshin. If I know that redhead at all, I bet he found that small brat and is dragging him here this very moment."
Kaoru laughed at the image, agreeing wholeheartedly with what her friend had said.
"Yes, I am sure you are right, Sano. No use working myself to an early grave when, for all I know, things could be just fine." She sat next to the fist fighter with an exhausted sigh, her eyes moving to look at him as she settled herself more comfortably against the side of the wall. A small frown appeared on her face before she spoke again. "Sano, can I ask you something?"
He looked at her through hooded eyes, before breaking out in a grin. "Sure, Missy, you can ask me anything." Instead of responding right away, he watched her squirm a little, ringing her hands together as was normal for her. A short laugh came out before she continued on with the question.
"Do you have trouble with patience sometimes? I mean, in certain areas of life…" Kaoru wouldn't meet his eyes as she spoke, a tinge of pink gracing her light colored cheeks.
Sano's grin increased, knowing full well what it was she meant. "Yeah, sometimes, I guess. You know I'm not one to wait around for things, but rushing can be pretty bad. It's better to be sure of something before diving in." He had the urge to ask some questions of his own but held his tongue. He felt a little proud of his advice and how she didn't detect that he knew more of her situation. Sano kept his thoughts to himself, wondering how great Kaoru's affection for Kenshin was. If he were to ask he knew Megumi would find out and tear his head off for prying into Kenshin's and Kaoru's love life without her guidance. After all the devious little fox had a plan up her sleeve. But poor Sano didn't expect what his ears heard next, telling him Megumi's plan wasn't as needed as they both thought.
"Kenshin's not a Christian. I want to marry a Christian man with whom I can live a life growing in love, and not just our love, but the love of God. I can't do that with a non-believer, Sano. My heart is torn… Kenshin said he would think about his decision concerning his standing with God. But I can't help but worry about what his final choice may be." Kaoru's hands shook in her lap where they clasped one another. Her eyes were hidden behind a veil of her midnight colored locks. Sano was speechless as he stared at the floor beyond Kaoru's form. For some reason, Kaoru seemed distant as she remained silent, her confession having been the last thing to flow from her lips. Sano felt a tinge of sadness for his friend, a sympathetic side arising within him only in times like these.
"I'm sorry Kaoru, I can't do much to help. And the hardest thing you can do is the only thing possible. You can't make up his mind, but you can pray for him and wait for that time to come." Upon hearing such words, Kaoru looked up at Sano with tear brimmed eyes, moved over and hugged him. He returned the hug and patted her on the head in a brotherly gesture.
"Thank you, Sanosuke." With that, Kaoru got up and walked to the door sliding it open. "Now, out you go. I need to change." Sano laughed and rose from his position of lounging in the corner. When passing Kaoru he gave her a friendly wink and Kaoru rolled her eyes at him with a smile.
When in the hallway, Sano went to his room, hoping to get some more rest while he waited for Kenshin to return, Yahiko in tow. Too bad Megumi had an other idea. There she sat on his futon, a curious look in her beautiful eyes. He returned the look and leaned against the wall next to the door.
"What did Kaoru tell you? I wanted to get something from the room but then I stopped once I heard her ask you something. Well, don't keep me waiting." She got up and crossed the room toward him, the distance closing rather quickly as she stood in front of his face, hands on her hips in impatience.
"Let's just say, we don't have to do any prying on her part. She admitted her attraction to Kenshin, but it's a little more complicated than that." Megumi's countenance softened as she gazed off in the distance with a contemplative glance.
"I think I know what you mean." Megumi bit her lip, her heart sympathizing with that of the younger woman. To love someone in secret and bear their burdens in spirit; such a thing was always difficult and left for only strong in spirit to contend against. Suddenly, her chin was lifted up and she found herself in the care of two beautiful brown eyes.
"She'll make it through alright, I'm sure. Don't worry your pretty head about it, Megumi." His cheeks were tingling as his blood, in it's increased temperature, rushed to them at the smile Megumi rewarded him with. He began to move forward, following in the direction of where his finger was still holding her chin. Megumi was the one to close the gap having stood on her tip toes to give him a sweet, chaste kiss on the lips. He frowned at how short it was but smiled as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, refusing to let her go without a hug. Letting her go, she raised her hand to his face, running over his cheek with her thumb.
"You can be such a softie sometimes, Sano." Megumi threw over her shoulder just before she walked out the door.
"Now don't go spreading that around. I have a reputation to keep, you know." Sano said, a mock seriousness in his tone of voice.
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Yahiko sat next to Kenshin, not saying a word unless asked a question. They sat in a dinning room, much like that of the Kamiya dojo, but a little wider and longer than the one in Tokyo. From the look of it all, Kenshin guessed that a number of individuals resided in this estate called the Aoiya. Kenshin's focus was on the elderly man in front of him while the youngster's moved about the room.
"I take it you've been to Kyoto before, Mr. Himura." The old man asked, sipping away at a steaming liquid in a jade shaded ceramic cup. "It would have taken a stranger to the city much longer to have found our home with the vague directions my old friend Sasabu gives. That crazy old man sleeps all the time, and whenever he's awake, he's as delusional as a drunk."
The man with which they were talking was the former leader of the Oniwaban group, a collection of highly trained ninjas over the years. Okina, as was his name, spoke with a sense of pride Kenshin understood and respected. But all this small talk was making Kenshin lose his resolve and at this rate, he would have to leave without hearing anything of importance. He needed to get moving if he was going to help find those responsible for the deaths of many Christians, not to mention prevent anymore bloodshed sure to come.
"Lord Okina, I hope I'm not too bold in bringing this up, but I've heard about your group's assistance to the Doshisha. If it is possible, may I inquire as to why?"
The old man's expression darkened for a moment, but he recovered and looked Kenshin straight in the eye.
"I'm afraid not all of us share the same willingness to help these Christians. Yet the fact remains, we've found ourselves crossing paths with them on a number of occasions." He paused and stroked his trimmed white beard. "I think it may not be my position to speak of this, for all I know is where I stand concerning the whole thing." Kenshin and Yahiko looked at each other for a second, both a little lost as to what the elder man was speaking of. "Hold on, allow me to show you. Omasu! Tell Misao I need to see her right away!"
A couple short minutes later Yahiko recognize the girl that was entering the room.
"Misao," he said with a friendly wave. She smiled in return before turning first to bow at the elder and during the introductions bowed to the guests.
"Yes, Lord Okina. You asked to see me?" Her voice was soft, a tint of fatigue underlining the words.
"Ah, yes… These folks would like to hear of your encounter at the Doshisha." When saying the name of the school, the old man cringed slightly. Misao looked as if she was doing everything she could to restrain herself from sighing and rolling her eyes. But she remained polite and nodded in obedience.
"Well, it was about two months ago that I met a college student at the newly built Doshisha school. He was a kind young man who assisted me when I tripped and broke my basket, spoiling all the food that I had bought at the market near the school. He ended up buying and replacing all the items I had dropped and we became friends. We ended up hanging out together whenever I was in the area, and I soon found out that he was a Christian after he invited me to a meeting at his school." She sat down, avoiding all eye contact with everyone, especially Okina. "Without anyone knowing, I snuck out and went to one of the meetings. That was when a couple of men crashed the meeting and disrupted us when were about to pray. They ended up getting rowdy and violent and injured one of the leaders, so… I jumped in. I took care of those jerks in a minute or so." She smiled to herself, "They were wimps and I sent them on their way with busted noses and black eyes." Her eyes glanced around at the room in laughter but soon dropped back towards the table upon reaching Okina's disappointed gaze. "So, yeah… I've been going back every once in a while to help them out whenever they need it. It seems mobs have been forming ready to attack and assault the first Christian that comes into view."
"And all of this done in disobedience, I might add." Okina said, quieting down again to sip at his drink.
"Yeah, yeah… They don't approve of my actions. They told me to stay out of the affairs of others." She said with a sigh. "But it's different from what they think," Misao said, a little more passion behind her words. "They don't know them as I do, and they think that the Oniwaban will suffer because of what I've 'started'." She lifted hooked fingers, quoting the last word.
"I understand perfectly well, Misao. I'm not the one who got the Oniwaban involved in such a thing as this, so it is you who do not understand the severity of it. As the former leader of the Oniwaban, I try my hardest to keep our name away from the controversy surrounding the Christians, but I'm afraid I haven't been able to, due to disobedient granddaughters." He gave Misao a poignant look, his eyes dropping quickly to his drink and away from the sad ones of the young girl. But Misao had heard enough, her gloved fists shaking in a silent fury by her sides as she stood up from her seat. Her thoughts roared inside of her and she couldn't keep it silent any longer.
"I'm not your real granddaughter," she whispered, mostly to herself.
"What was that Misao? Speak up." Okina gave her a stern look, a kind of reprimand for her not speaking her mind in a louder tone.
"I said I'm not your granddaughter!" She yelled, these few words opening the floodgate for her thoughts to be unleashed. "You can punish me all you want, but the fact still remains. I'm sorry for not keeping my word, but those people saved my life, and I wasn't going to stand by while I know they're in danger. I will not see them die, not if I can do anything about it…" Her hands went limp at her sides, the shaking and rage having left with all the words she had kept inside until then. All were stunned into silence. Kenshin couldn't help see something familiar in the blinding passion burning behind the girls eyes. He knew someone who possessed something similar.
Misao moved to leave, wiping annoyingly at the tears streaming from her eyes, but someone prevented her escape. Her breath caught in her throat and her mind yelled at her for having displayed a weakness she never wanted to show. At least, not in front of him…
"L-lord Aoshi… I-"
He moved passed her into the room, not a glance of disappointment or encouragement from his icy blue eyes as he walked on. Aoshi stopped near Okina's ear to tell him something, easily overlooking the others present in the room. The old man's back straightened and his form went rigid at what it was he had been told.
"I am sorry, but it seems something has come up. You are welcome to return whenever you feel best in order to finish our conversation." Without another word, he rose from his seat and followed Aoshi out, but only after sending an upset glance towards Misao whose head hung low from where she stood near the door.
"What's that all about?" Yahiko asked, perplexed by Okina's strange behavior. Kenshin didn't answer right away, his mind on full alert and his senses tingling from the feel of an impending battle. He stood and tightened the sash girded about his waist and shifted his sword into a better position.
"I don't know for sure, but I think we may be needed sooner than expected, Yahiko. Be prepared."
Yahiko felt a chill run it's length upon his back, his arms hugging around his body from it's effect. He pushed out as much courage as he could into his voice in the hope of drowning the quivering sound he knew would come out. Getting up, he followed Kenshin's lead and secured his bokken at his waist.
"I'm prepared."
"No, Yahiko, I meant…" Holding his hand over his heart Kenshin showed what he meant. "Prepared."
Misao watched the redhead in curiosity and a tinge of awe as he turned his eyes to the outside just beyond the door. She questioned something from around the time she spoke of her connection to the Doshisha Christians, and it was killing her not knowing the answer. *They must be, I'm sure of it.* Kenshin moved again, this time stepping around the table to get to the door. Her mind stalled a bit as he and the young boy passed her, but finally the words came.
"Himura, are you guys Christians?"
"Of course I'm a Christian." Yahiko turned with a large smile and half expected Kenshin to give an answer for himself, but in return he received nothing but silence. He looked up the man beside him and saw that his face was shadowed, his hair falling to covering the answer that would have been visible through his eyes. Yahiko began to feel something cold in the pit of his stomach. *Answer, Kenshin… Are you?*
"There will be a day when that question is answered on my part, Miss Misao, but not now." The man spoke, turning his head to throw a soft smile Misao's way before returning to continue on his way, Yahiko walking behind him.
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An hour passed and the rain continued it's assault from the heavens, all the while two people, sharing a small umbrella, walked with nothing of the weather on their minds. What was revealed to them changed everything, including their future relations with the Oniwaban and quite possibly with each other.
Yahiko chewed on his bottom lip, wondering what part he had to play in what was revealed not long ago. His eyes were fixed to the ground on which he walked and not on the man helping keep his head dry and safe from the rain. He wanted to look up and have Kenshin tell him everything was going to turn out right, but he knew in his heart happy resolutions weren't written in stone. He felt helpless; helpless and saddened for the man with whom he walked. His mind prayed for the words to come but his mouth remained dry of any encouragement. His voice, he knew, would be lost amid the troubled feeling growing inside of him. Finally, he willed his eyes to look up and to the right. Yahiko's heart, unprepared as it was, broke at the emotionless expression on the man's face. The boy remained with his eyes fixed on the face of his role model, not once expecting what he saw next…
Down the surface of Kenshin's scarred cheek slid a solitary tear…
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A/N: Oooo, what ya think? What could it all mean? What happened to affect Kenshin so? Gotta stay tuned till next time in order to find out! ^_~ Sorry it took forever to get this out to you… the holiday season is insane. Yeah, well… I know, I ended it off at a bad spot again, but at least you got some of your questions answered ^^… and now you have more… ^^; Once again, I'm sorry… but I promise I won't keep you waiting as long as I had with this chapter.
Hmm… oh, yeah! I have a livejournal up and you can read what's going on in my kooky life, including what the progress is with this story. It's up in my bio if you want to know where to look ^^.
Okie dok, like always… I love your reviews and they always help me think and write better. Just as soon as you guys help me reach my goal of 100 I'll throw a party! If that's the case, I'll include something I was thinking about omitting from the next chapter. Anyhoo, take care and God bless! MERRY CHRISTMAS (even if it's a little late), and have a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Till next time, Ciao! ~ The Honorable Gucci