Disclaimer: don't own, don't sue.
A/N: Yay I suck at updating my stories! I had writers block up until last night so please forgive this unworthy one ;.; and I am sorry for all of the grammatical errors, I am posting this on the run.
FLASHBACK
Kaoru was teaching at the Maekawa dojo again. After the Raijuta incident Kenshin usually accompanied Kaoru and Yahiko, but today there was so much to be done around the house! He went against his better judgment, and stayed to do the much needed repair on the dojo's roof. (a/n: you thought I was going to have him do laundry didn't you?)
"Battousai."
Good kami, didn't Saitou ever actually work? The mibu wolf was standing on the ground staring at the rurouni as he hammered away, finishing up the last patch on the roof before he replaced the ceramic tile.
"How may I help you Saitou?" Kenshin jumped off the roof gracefully, and faced the wolf keeping up his rurouni mask, even in front of Saitou. He had less of a chance of getting a headache this way.
"My job is not to be your message boy, but here I am." He threw the letter at the redhead and lit a cigarette taking a particularly deep drawl.
"Now why exactly are you asking me to do this?" Kenshin folded the letter up after carefully going over the contents.
"Because anyone else would look suspicious."
The only reply the wolf got was a skeptical stare.
"The police are apt to think that you are around to just be a martyr or what ever you picture your self as. Every officer in the country knows that. If they see you around they will think that there is something else going on."
Yet again nothing but a skeptical look. "And what would be said to Miss Kaoru, you know that she won't let me do this."
"You ahou, she has you whipped doesn't she?"
No oroing, just a twitch of an eyebrow.
Saitou took another inhale from his cigarette, "You would be paid a substantial amount of course, enough to buy a ring for the raccoon." Saitou almost smirked at the very perturbed and half frightened look he got from the ex-hitokiri. Ah... this was almost as good as trying to stick him with his sword, almost.
"What exactly are you implying?" Kenshin was very offended by this, "You are not the type to meddle in other's personal lives."
"When it affects my personal life I do. My wife has taken a liking to the raccoon and they have spent enough time talking about you to make me sick. Propose or whatever you plan to do so I can have at least one night of peace."
Well this was a new side to the wolf. "I'll think about it."
"You leave in a week."
END FLASHBACK
Funny how long ago that seemed. Soon after his visit from Saitou, Kenshin had gotten a letter from Shuichi; the man was calling in a favor. He and his wife had been stationed in Hokkaido to do the same thing as Kenshin. But he didn't find that part out until much later.
0-0-0
The sun shone brightly through the window of the room Kaoru slept in. Moaning softly she turned over to block out the burning rays.
"Miss Kamiya?"
'Ah the priest...' She thought hazily. She blinked a few times until the old man came into focus. His long silver hair still held black streaks that showed hints of what his mane used to look like. Though his smile was kind, his eyes were not glistening with the blatant innocent kindness one would expect to see from a priest, no. His eyes did show kindness but on a different level, one that seemed to be tainted with something else; was it regret? He looked familiar, she had noticed it when she first set eyes on him, but she didn't know from where.
"I'm sorry, did I sleep in too late?" Kaoru asked stifling a yawn.
"No, no." The priest laughed, "It's just that the young girls are practicing their miko dances, they are only seven or so, and heard that a guest was here, and they wanted an audience."
Kaoru giggled, she loved children, at one point she wanted her own, but now? Something had changed in her these last few months, she was afraid to bring a child into this world now. She didn't even know if she could promise them happiness, or protection anymore. But what she wouldn't give to have a bundle of warmth in her arms.
"I put out some clean clothing and some miso soup, please join us in the main shrine when you are ready."
Kaoru bowed politely after grabbing the package that held her clothes from the priest. Opening the brown wrapping she looked at the outfit and her face dropped a few degrees. A miko outfit? Kaoru tried to imagine herself in the red hakama, and white gi. This was so much different from her training clothes. Sighing in defeat she stripped from her dirt caked clothes and into the clean and comfortable outfit. (a/n: ten to one says she looks a lot like kikyo, or kagome...)
0-0-0
Stepping into the main shrine the sound of a koto greeted her, as well as the sight of seven little girls dancing to it. Kaoru wasn't sure which dance they were doing. Kaoru wasn't one to visit her shrine often.
When the girls noticed her they all stopped and ran up to the girl asking her if she was a new miko. Kaoru did fit the part very easily, at least with the clothes she was wearing.
"No, I am just a guest here, and the priest told me that you were dancing today." She flashed the children one of her nicest smiles, "Is it alright if I watch you practice?"
All of the small girls beamed at Kaoru, elated that someone was there to see them performing the dance that they would do during the next festival at the shrine.
0-0-0
Kenshin walked down for breakfast with the Oniwabanshu. All residents of the Aoiya were present except Sanosuke and Yahiko. The first probably still sleeping off the sake he most likely consumed the previous night, and the other was just lazy.
"Good morning Himura!" It should be a crime for some one to be so hyper this early in the morning.
"Good morning Miss Misao."
"Hey Himura, are you going to get Kaoru?" Misao asked. She wanted to see her friend almost as much as Kenshin did.
"No he is not." Aoshi's voice cut through the conversation like a sword.
"And why not?" Misao was not one to take an angry tone with her lord Aoshi, and it surprised everyone.
"Because the police that are causing all of this trouble are watching his every move," Aoshi said simply, "How do you think Miss Kamiya was ambushed in the first place?"
"Don't blame Kenshin for that!" Yahiko had walked in the room early enough to hear Aoshi's point of view. "If it weren't for Kenshin, Kaoru wouldn't have even made it this far."
Aoshi had to fight with himself not to roll his eyes, and succeeded. "Don't worry Battousai, when the time is right Miss Kamiya will be retrieved." Kenshin opened his mouth to protest but Aoshi continued. "That is how it is going to be whether you like it or not."
"Lord Aoshi!" Misao exclaimed taken back by his reply. "You can't be serious, can you?"
"Does the rock ever joke?" Yahiko mumbled taking a bite of his onigiri.
0-0-0
"That was very good!" Kaoru beamed at the children after they were done for the day.
"Thank you!" the little girls chimed in unison as they left the temple.
"Children are the greatest gift that the heavens have ever sent to us." The priest said as he watched Kaoru's innocent joy from watching the little girls play as they walked down the street.
"They are, aren't they?" Kaoru responded feeling her biological clock tick away and her heart drop. She smiled as she turned towards the priest, "Is there anything I can do around the temple? You are letting me stay here on nothing more than your good will and I feel..."
The priest held up a hand to silence her, "Alright child, how about sweeping? And if that isn't sufficient enough for you, you can clean the wood floors too."
Kaoru smiled, "I'll start with the floors." She walked off to get a bucket and water.
'Same as always...' the priest smiled to himself as he went to pray.
0-0-0
Kaoru had finished scrubbing the floors and was now in the process of sweeping the temple grounds. 'That priest, he looked so familiar... it's starting to really bother me.'
"Looks like you're not as stupid as you look." Just what she needed, more confusion from the great Saitou Hajimie. Kaoru mentally rolled her eyes.
"Thanks for the suggestion," She said offhandedly, "I never would have thought of being harbored in a temple."
"I never suggested anything, I just told you to go and pray, you are the one who took it upon yourself to hide here."
"Right..." Kaoru replied disbelievingly, "So mind telling me why you're here? Or are you going to give me an ominous warning again?"
"Big word for such a pea brained raccoon." Saitou said, lighting up a cigarette, the man was defiantly a chain smoker. "I came here to tell you that you should go to the Aoiya as soon as you get the chance; you are too vulnerable here." Saitou seemed to look around the temple grounds as if he expected a monster to pop out of the bushes.
"Ah so you did come here to warn me... Are you ever going to tell me what the hell you are doing? And why exactly am I caught up in this anyway?"
"The less you know the better."
"Stop treating me like a child." Kaoru stamped her foot in emphasis, "I am getting really tired of being lead around like some friggen dog!"
"Temper, temper." Saitou stamped out his cigarette; "I will be back here tomorrow night, expect to leave then."
"Wait a second you are actually going to help me?"
"I have said it before, as much as I dislike the idea, you are very valuable to my operation, it will do neither of us any good if you are dead."
"Says you," Kaoru mumbled under her breath.
Saitou snorted, "Now what would your precious battousai say if he heard you speak like that?"
"And you care because...?"
"I don't." Saitou lit up yet another cigarette. "Meet me in the main temple tomorrow night." And with that Saitou turned on his heel to leave.
"Wait!" Kaoru called to his retreating figure. "There are police swarming the Aoiya how do you expect me to get past them."
"Leave that up to me."
'Oh that makes me feel so comfortable.'
0-0-0
He was walking back from the shopping district when the smell of a cigarette caught his attention.
"Things went well in talking to Miss Kamiya I presume?" Aoshi wasn't really surprised to see the Mibu Wolf leaning oh so nonchalantly against the sakura tree.
"I will be dropping her off tomorrow night, I assume you know what to do."
"Yes."
To be continued...
A/N: Any guesses on who the priest is? Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Until the next chapter :waves: