Disclaimer: TT no matter how much I wish I will never own the series or those certain character's in it that I love so much!

A/N: Woot an update aren't we all special!! =D Tell me what you think of my abnormal acting Hiko... Don't worry it won't last long.

They walked through an all too familiar path; it was the one that they had taken to Hiko's residence before Kenshin's battle with Shishio. At least this time they where walking this path together.

"Kenshin, I really think you should have gotten him some sake," Kaoru said, she was trying to sound convincing but it just wasn't working. "He might take us trying to hideout at his home better while he has a little sake in his system..."

"I doubt it, he usually has 'a little in his system' most of the time anyway and that won't change his decision making much..."

"But a little kindness might just sway him..."

"Heh" Kenshin sighed inwardly, 'If she only knew.'

"Well if it isn't my idiot apprentice." A voice boomed behind them making Kaoru jump. "I was wondering when I would see you again." Hiko had appeared walking up the road from Kyoto obviously carrying a new gourd of sake which he had no doubt drank from already.

"Master!" Kenshin responded, 'why didn't I notice him walking behind me?' he thought. "I was wondering if...I mean..."

"I have heard of a young kendo teacher from Tokyo" Hiko said cutting Kenshin off, "Who has been convicted of killing government officials very gruesomely." Hiko said looking straight at Kaoru.

"Not to mention escaping from the prison in Hokkaido, and beating up five officers in her escape..." Hiko said ticking off the things that she had done on his fingers, then he did something that surprised Kaoru, he smiled at her understandingly. "But from what I hear this teacher has a vow not to kill, and obviously has no reason to start now. I would be more than willing to help this certain teacher even if it means giving her a place of refuge, even if that means I have to put up with my idiot apprentice again."

Kaoru bowed solemnly, "Thank you for understanding."

"Come, if I am letting you stay here, the least you could do is work, my idiot apprentice shall chop wood, and you Miss have you ever worked pottery before?"

Kaoru shook her head. "No sir."

"Don't call me 'sir' it make's me feel old, just call me Hiko. Go on now Kenshin the wood won't chop itself."

Kenshin stood there looking blankly at how very UnHiko-like he was acting. 'Something very strange is going on, that it is.'

Kenshin proceeded to chop all the wood before him and brought some into the hut and watched as Hiko explained the finer points of making the perfect teacup.

Kaoru nodded intently as she listened to Hiko's instructions, it was nice to concentrate on something other than her current situation or traveling. It was also nice to listen to something more than her own thoughts.

Kenshin smiled as he noticed a tiny sparkle light up in Kaoru's eyes as she tried to create her own teacup. It may have just been Kenshin, but to him the light glowing from the open kiln caressed Kaoru's face making her seem almost ethereal in its orange glow. He felt a small bit of contentment as he watched her concentrate so hard on that one little teacup.

"You know if you stare any longer you are going to burn a hole in the back of her head." Hiko said now standing next to Kenshin in the doorway taking another swig from his gourd. "You have sacrificed a lot for this one, tell me is it worth it?"

Kenshin was enchanted by the way Kaoru carefully set her almost finished work into the kiln to fire it, somewhere. He pondered Hiko's question for a moment, "I do not regret my choices when it comes to Miss Kaoru, and I will sacrifice everything if I have to. I will give up my life protecting her, it is more than worth it."

Hiko raised an eyebrow, "Well my idiot apprentice isn't as much of an idiot as I thought, but can you tell her what you think?"

"She knows that I will protect her no matter what-"

"That is not what I meant and you know it!" Hiko said cutting him off for the second time that day; "Anyone could see it in your eyes, but you will not convey what you are truly feeling, are you afraid that she will end up like To-"

"Yes," Kenshin cut him off, "And I am unworthy of every having any such feeling towards Miss Kaoru, that I am."

"I was mistaken, you are still an idiot," Hiko said sounding exasperated by Kenshin's denseness, "But then again you can't help that can you? Maybe one day you will realize the truth."

"What is that supposed to mean Master?"

"Oh nothing" he took another drink from his gourd and walked back into the hut to talk to Kaoru. "It will take a few more hours before it is ready to leave the flames why don't you and my idiot apprentice go work on dinner."

"Master?" Kenshin questioned again.

"I told you that I wouldn't let you stay here for free." Hiko handed Kenshin a rod and Kaoru a bucket.

"Why don't you catch some fish and collect some vegetables or do something useful, I am letting you stay here for free after all."

((A/N: Is it just me or am I making him sound a little like Kaoru with that line?))

- - -

In the dark alleys of Kyoto an even darker figure moved stealthily through the alley ways towards its target. Slowly it crept up to a carriage as it stopped before a large imperial building.

The dark figure entered the carriage undetected bringing a katana down on its prey, tonight another person would loose their life, but the one thing their killer didn't expect was that they lived long enough to see them and tell someone.

"Dark blue...eyes... ebony hair... Th-they smelled like..." but before they could splutter out the rest of their response they were consumed by their own death.

"Officer Fujita, did you get that?" Asked a stout little man, "She strikes even here in front of the government building, Hokkaido couldn't hold her and you couldn't even stop the woman, what is she? What is this Kamiya Kasshin?"

Saitou didn't really listen to the man's babble he was more concerned with the fact that things where getting more and more complicated; if he was going to get anything done he would have to pay a visit to Kaoru again, he needed to set his bate soon but he had to be careful. If he failed this he had a feeling the battousai would renounce his vow and try to kill him. 'Let him try.'

Saitou couldn't help but think again about the Kamiya girl; 'She has no idea the web that she has been unwillingly thrown in to; it will be interesting to see how she handles this.' An evil sneer appeared on the man's face, 'Well we shall see how strong Battousai's woman really is.' Saitou headed home, all he wanted to do at that moment was go to sleep and pay some well needed attention to his wife Tokio.

- - -

In a tree far enough away to be undetected by a certain mibu wolf, Oniwabanshu Okashira Shinomori Aoshi; 'If I hadn't have seen it with my own eyes... but she is with the battousai now, but they where on the way here. It is obvious that appearances can be deceiving; it looks like a little digging will need to be done.' Aoshi disappeared into the shadows. It was going to be a long night and it had only begun.

- - -

Early the next morning Kenshin snuck around the little hut he had stayed in trying as best he could not to wake Kaoru from her well needed sleep.

"Where are you going?" Hiko asked sitting on a stump outside of his hut.

"To get answers."

"And what should I tell Miss Kamiya when she awakens?"

"Tell her that I will be back soon, and don't let her leave the mountain." he added the last part on almost as an after thought, she knew not to leave but he just needed to make sure she knew.

"..." Hiko watched his idiot apprentices retreating back, 'What do I look like his messenger boy?'

To be continued...

A/N: I was gonna make this chapter longer but then I looked through it and I decided against it, trust me it would have made the story very tedious.

Yahiko: It gave me a headache.

BC: you know what Yahiko-chan... =P

Yahiko: -.- oh yeah that's real mature.

BC: ::waves:: until the next chapter.