Morning came quickly and Kenshin woke up early as usual. Kaoru was still sleeping when he was ready to go and train. When he was just about to go out the door, Kaoru sat up drowsily in the bed.
"Where are you going, Kenshin? It's still early."
"I have to keep up my daily training to keep my strength up." Kenshin adjusted his katana on his belt.
"Why don't you train after you eat breakfast with us?" Kaoru questioned.
"Well, I make my own breakfast, as you should already know." Kenshin said. "I had my breakfast which consisted of miso soup and rice."
"You should eat with us more often." Kaoru pouted. Kenshin smiled.
"I don't like to intrude." At that, Kenshin attempted to walk out the door again. Kaoru stood up.
"Wait for me! I want to come too!" Kaoru shouted. Kenshin stopped and looked back.
"I don't think so. With you there, I cannot unleash my strength and I train better when I am alone." Kaoru frowned.
"But I wanna watch! It's so cool when you look like you're flying through the air!" she cried.
Kenshin sighed. "Fine. You may come…" he muttered. "But this is the last time. Okay?"
"Aww…fine." Kaoru agreed unhappily.
Kenshin left the room with Kaoru following after him after she changed. He did his usual training with Kaoru watching the whole time. When he was done, they walked back to the castle but Kenshin sensed something…no, someone spying on them.
"Kaoru…stay here. Don't move," Kenshin ordered as he drew his katana. He jumped into the bushes and Kaoru heard Kenshin's familiar sword slashing something. She heard a cry of pain and when Kenshin came back, his katana was stained with blood.
"It was an assassin, out to kill you, the princess of Edo." Kenshin said.
"Let's hurry back to the castle, Kenshin. I'm scared…" Kaoru whimpered as she shook, seeing the blood. Kenshin put an arm around her shoulder and led the way. When they reached the entrance to the palace, Kenshin informed a guard about the dead body in the forest and its location. The guard immediately went to retrieve the body and left into the forest. Kenshin realized that Kaoru hadn't eaten breakfast yet and that it was almost lunchtime. At that moment, Kaoru's stomach growled. She blushed and Kenshin chuckled.
"Hey Kenshin!" Sano yelled.
"Err…do I know you?" Kenshin asked.
Sano's face turned red and smoke came out of his ears as he bellowed, "I'm Sagara Sanosuke! The one you fought before Fujita-san!"
Kenshin snapped his fingers after a moment of thought. "Ah! The one who kept on going and standing after my attacks until I finished it with an advanced technique!" Kaoru giggled when Sano glared at Kenshin for saying his loss out loud.
"How old are you anyway?" Sano questioned.
"16 going on to 17 in June." Kenshin answered. "I can see that you aren't much younger than me, but you are older than Kaoru."
"I'm 16 but my birthdays already passed. It was on February 20."
"I'm 15 going to 16 this June." Kaoru said out of the blue. Sano stared at her.
"How long were you there?"
"Hey!" Kaoru yelled as she bopped him on the head. Sano rubbed his head and grinned.
"Well, I'm a jokester and I like to do pranks and cause mischief. I fight with the spear and martial arts as well." He explained all the while adjusting his red bandana.
"I fight with the sword and martial arts." Kenshin muttered as he walked away. "Oh yea. What did you want to tell me, Sanosuke?"
"The king wants to see you in the throne room. And he told me that if I see Princess Kaoru, to tell her to eat lunch. Plus, just call me Sano. Sanosuke is too long of a name for friends right? What's your name, redhead?"
A vein popped out on Kenshin's forehead and on Kaoru's too.
"DON'T CALL ME REDHEAD." Kenshin bellowed. "My name's Kenshin."
"DON'T CALL ME PRINCESS." Kaoru shouted. "Just Kaoru is fine."
"Okay, okay! Jeez, don't piss in your panties!"
"Well, I'd better be going." Kenshin said. He went along his way towards the throne room with Sano tagging along after him. "Why are you following me?"
"Cuz the king told me to come when I find you." Kenshin flashed his badge to the guard and he let them through. When Kenshin reached Kamiya-sama sitting on his golden throne, he kneeled and put a fist above his heart.
"You called for me, my Lord?"
"Ah, yes. You have a mission. You are to escort my daughter to the Kingdom of the Royal Yukishiro family. You are allowed to take some guards but there might be a war so our castle needs as much guards as we can get. I encourage you to take Sano with you for he proves to be useful in many ways." Sano grinned proudly at this comment. Kenshin bowed and left when he was excused. He headed towards the kitchens to pick up a quick lunch. The chef was happy to cook for him and the meal was very delicious. Kenshin complimented Sanji and he smiled. Kenshin left the kitchen and headed towards his room to get ready for the journey. He stopped by Sano's room and told him to be ready to leave by tomorrow morning. Sano nodded and started to prepare. When Kenshin reached his room, he was surprised to find Kaoru there sitting on his bed.
"So I hear that you'll be escorting me to the Yukishiro province." She said disdainfully.
"Yes. It'll be my first mission." Kenshin replied. Then, seeing the scornful frown on her face he asked, "Do you not want me to escort you?"
"No…I don't like the Yukishiros. They are…every bad word in the world won't even come close to describe how they are. Worse, I'm betrothed to the prince, Enishi Yukishiro. He's so creepy!" Kenshin smiled on the outside, however, on the inside, he was unhappy. He really admired Kaoru but now, he just had to find out, she was already going to be married to another royal. He was just a lowly knight, after all. "Kenshin? Are you all right?" Kenshin snapped out of his daze and smiled.
"Yea…sorry, I zoned out a bit." Kaoru gave a simple smile and lay back on his bed. She wondered if Kenshin liked her in the same way she liked him. She wished he did because he'd be much better than Enishi and he was more…better and fit for her. Enishi had white hair and was almost always sneering. He did like her but his attitude just bugged her. And that wasn't even the end of it. He had a sister who was so conceited and annoying. She irritated her and was always disgusted of Kaoru's actions and Enishi, instead of arguing and defending her, just went along with a reply like 'yea'. Plus, she was so cold to Kaoru, treating her like a rag and always glaring at her with those icy eyes. She knew that Tomoe was like a whore. Whenever she caught a man's attention, she'd flirt with them and kiss them and…blech. Tomoe was older than her and Kenshin. She was 18 so she didn't care if she slept with someone, especially if it was for a good deal like money or beauty products.
"Kaoru? Aren't you going to pack in your room?" Kenshin asked, snapping Kaoru out of her thoughts.
"Hm? Oh…yea, I should…" she replied. Kaoru stood up and walked over to the door that connected hers and his room.
"See you tomorrow Kenshin." Kaoru said as she walked through the door and shut it behind her. Kenshin stood up and started packing some clothes. He took out his sword kit and started polishing the blade. He never carried around his wakizashi since the war. It was somewhere in his big humongous chest under some other items that was in his room. Kenshin made sure that he had everything he needed packed and then, walked out of his room towards the top knight headquarters, where all of the members of the top knights would hang out and chat. Kenshin hated going there. All of the swordsmen were jealous of him and how he went up in the ranks so quickly. When he arrived, many glares shot his way but he ignored them as always.
"I have an announcement to make." Kenshin decided to be brief and continued. "I have to go on a mission so Fujita-san will be your leader for the time I am gone." They all muttered and murmured to each other which really got Kenshin irritated. How men these days could be so childish and jealous… He was all ready for the mission and had some free time on his hands. He used it to patrol around the castle grounds. As he entered the garden, he saw a shadow just out the throne room's window. Kenshin was stealthy and quick and able to blend with the shadows. He leapt up and landed quietly, the wind coming to his aid. Kenshin hid in the shadows when the man turned around, seeing a flick of navy blue. He shook his head and muttered something. Kenshin drew his sword and held it to the man's neck.
"Who are you?" he said between clenched teeth. The man was sweating out of fright and started stuttering.
"I-I-I-I w-was doing n-nothing!"
"Shut up you pig. Before I just cut your throat and let you bleed painfully to death." Kenshin threatened. The man, out of sheer fright, elbowed Kenshin in the ribs, however, Kenshin dodged. But that gave enough time for the man to jump off the ledge. Kenshin followed, but the man, not knowing how to land and just jumping off out of fright, splattered on the ground. Kenshin landed easily but saw the sight which was sickening. There was blood splattered all over the place and guts hanging in some areas. Guards came and where shocked at the sight.
"Clean up this mess and bring this man to the jail cell." He ordered them. They bowed and immediately began to follow his orders, scared that he might have a temper. Kenshin sat in the torture room and took off the man's mask. Kenshin sighed as he recognized the man's face. It was Iidzuka. Kenshin searched Iidzuka's pockets of any letter or trace of whom he was working for. If he'd been telling the truth of the last encounter they had, then he was working for Yamagata-san. Why was Yamagata looking for him? Kenshin stood up and took Iidzuka's body, or what was left of it anyway, and buried it in the forest. When he came back, Sano came running, telling him that Kamiya-sama was looking for him. Kenshin walked to the throne room and kneeled before him.
"I hear that you encountered a spy just out the window."
"Yes sir."
"Who was it?" Kamiya-sama asked.
"It was Iidzuka. You should know him from the last encounter we had with him when the other royal man was here." Kenshin answered.
"Him? Again? Did you find anything on him?" Kamiya-sama questioned.
"No. All I found was a lot of money. That means he's being paid to do all these things. And from what I know of him from my past, he would work and then run to avoid getting killed." Kenshin said.
"What happened to the body?"
"He fell off from the ledge so he is dead and I buried him in the forest." Kamiya-sama was in deep thought and Kenshin stood up.
"I need to go now, sir. I have to do something very quick." Kenshin said. Kamiya-sama looked up. He dismissed Kenshin with a wave of his hand. Kenshin quickly ran towards his room. When he was with Iidzuka, he had indeed found a letter. But it was about him and not Kamiya-sama so he kept it a secret. He opened the letter in his room and read its contents. 'So that's why Yamagata is after me…' Kenshin thought. At that moment, Kaoru burst in.
"Hey Kenshin!" She looked at him reading the letter and immediately wanted to know what it said. "What does the letter say, Kenshin?" she asked sweetly. Kenshin apologized and ran out of the room. Kenshin went out of the castle and deep into the forest where no one could find him. The letter was actually a mission for Iidzuka. To bring Kenshin back somehow, alive. It mentioned him being the only sake for the war that Shishio was planning. Kenshin knew who Shishio was. He was the greedy hitokiri that came into action when Kenshin left. Shishio had a kingdom and was planning an all out surprise attack on Kamiya-sama and Yamagata-san's kingdoms to control all of Japan. Kenshin went quickly to alert Kamiya-sama and show him the letter. Kamiya-sama was sitting on his throne and when he received the letter, he scanned it quickly and asked, "Shishio?"
"He is the hitokiri that is full of greed and is very powerful. You could call him my rival." Kenshin answered. "But what is more important is that you and Yamagata-san join forces and stand against him. I can beat Shishio but I'm sure he has some special forces to stop me. Because of that, I shall need to take some of the top knights. Fujita Goro was also in the war, known as Saito Hajime, captain of the third unit of the Shinsengumi. Shinomori Aoshi was in the war but did not fight. He was a ninja of the Oniwabanshu and his forces will probably help you as well. Aoshi became the leader at the age of 15 so I assure you; he is much stronger than the typical knight. Sagara Sanosuke has much potential and is skilled in martial arts and spear fighting. I can teach him a technique and I know he will be very helpful."
"Yes, yes…" Kamiya-sama said. Then, to a messenger, he said, "Alert Yamagata-san and say I want to meet him to make an alliance against Shishio."
"Um, sir…" Kenshin interrupted, "I think I should go instead. Shishio has many men and will probably know of the typical messenger delivering a message. He has strong forces and I can handle them, I assure you. I also hope there is no traitor in your forces…"
"I will write the letter and you may deliver it." He said to Kenshin. He told a guard standing next to him to tighten security around the castle and to capture any intruders or men who try to get out of the castle gates. The guard left the room to carry out his orders. Kamiya-sama quickly but neatly wrote the letter and gave it to Kenshin. Kenshin bowed as he left with his godspeed. He sped over the worn down trail in the mountains toward Yamagata-san's palace. The road to his palace was a tiring one indeed. However, there were 5 towns between the two kingdoms to act as rest stops. Kenshin quickly reached the first town in 30 minutes. When he did reach it, he was tired and gasping for breath. He ordered some takoyaki at a restaurant and took some hardtacks along as well. He walked to the next stop and used godspeed when he reached half up the trail. It took him 30 minutes to get to that stop and Kenshin was exhausted. But, he went on, understanding the importance of the situation and thought of this as training for raising his speed and stamina. He finally made it to Yamagata-san's palace. How he was glad to see the gates. He knew the guards would doubt him and that'd take very long so he snuck in easily. When he reached the throne room where Yamagata was, he decided to scare him. He grinned as he swiftly blended into the shadows and moved easily towards him until he was right behind the throne.
"Long time no see, Yamagata-san." Kenshin whispered. When he turned back to see where the voice was from, Kenshin quickly kneeled in front of the throne. Guards surrounded him and Kenshin smirked. "Your security sucks." He stated boldly.
"Himura! Why are you here?" Yamagata questioned. He called off the guards and helped Kenshin stand up.
"I bring a letter for you from Kamiya-sama. I work for him now, so do not ask me to come back and join you." Kenshin passed the letter to Yamagata. He scanned the letter and quickly took action. He wrote all the details in another letter and anything else that was of importance. Kenshin bowed, accepted the letter and quickly left, trying to get back to the castle during the same day. Before he got to the last stop, he saw a man along the trail. When Kenshin stopped out of suspicion, he was ambushed. Four humongous men stood and they said that they were priests of Abukuma. Kenshin didn't care what they were but he heard one thing that was of importance.
"We work for Shishio-sama! His orders are to kill you, the battousai. We shall carry out that mission even if it means death!" one big man with a huge chin shouted. Kenshin drew his katana and beheaded all of them, jumping from one man to another. He kicked and dragged the bodies into the forest and hurried on towards the Kamiya province. He finally reached it and he ran up to the throne room.
"My, that was very fast!" Kamiya-sama chuckled. He took the letter that Kenshin gave to him and read it. "Perfect." He murmured. He told Kenshin to train the men for war and to stay alert of any assassins or traitors. Kenshin bowed to show respect and left the room. On his way to his room, Kaoru bumped into him, running from Misao, who was threatening her in a friendly way. She squealed and hid behind Kenshin who muttered, "Oro?" Kaoru stood up straight with a bemused look on her face.
"What? Did you just say 'oro'?" she asked curiously. "What's an oro anyway?" Kenshin smiled and continued on his way to his room. Kaoru stopped him and told Misao to meet her in her room.
"Kenshin, is there going to be a war? I heard that father wrote a letter to the Yamagata province saying we want to be allies for the upcoming war." Kenshin looked away. "Kenshin, please tell me. I want to know what's going on so that I'm prepared." Kenshin clenched his fist and teeth. He made a move to put his hand on hers but stopped as his finger just hovered there. His hand recoiled and he went on his way to his room. Kaoru hugged him this time, which completely took him off guard. She buried her face into his gi and sighed.