A/N- Okay folks, I've come to grips with the reality of the fact that I just don't update very quickly...sigh...Anywhos, the next update will be in a longer time then normal (Summer camp then Mexico) I think I leave soon...Probably should find out huh? Also, I'm seriously thinking about re-doing my summery. Judging from how this story is going, it's alot different then expected it to be when I began (oops). 'Nuff of my ranting.

omasuoniuabanshi- I'd hoped that I made a spirited Tokio, and you know what type of spirit Tokio should be judging from the Tokio you've made (which was great). Thanks for reading.

Miburo Kid- HA! No they won't be calling Saito 'uncle' (that'd be creepy). Tecniclly they're second cousins...yeah don't ask. Gald that you liked Kenshins and sano reactions, and easy with the questions mister! They all will be answered. - Thanks for the info on the real Saito, but I could make him have a moehawk, right? Right?

Saitouu Ryuuji- Yes I left a reveiw for your story, but it's been a while. More recations are coming up!

Disclaimer- Hey, I forgot this last chapter...hm. Ah well, I don't anything 'cept Kakiku, Ashira, the plot, and all the jazz.

You guys know when there's a change in scene, the disloge, and other stuffs right? Good, I'm tired of writing it all down.

0o. Chapter 5 .o0

"Whadda you mean 'Saito's married'!"

"Sano, are you sure?"

"Hell ya I'm sure! Just ask Kenshin, he knows!"

"Is it true Kenshin? Saito's actually married?"

Kenshin sighed heavily, his head dropping so that his chin rested on his chest. Was it really that difficult to comprehend that a certain Hajime Saito was wedded? It was a known fact that Kaoru and Yahiko had little liking towards Saito; but to completely bypass the fact that he was alive and to focus on his marital status was a bit much.

Kenshin suppressed another sigh, looked up to Kaoru and replied,

"Yes Miss Kaoru. Saito is indeed married, that he is."

Both Kaoru and Yahiko were shocked into silence as Sanosuke nodded to add confirmation to Kenshin's words. It seemed that now they were digesting the later part of Sanosuke's statement. Kaoru kept opening and closing her mouth in an attempt to say something, anything; but just as Sanosuke and Kenshin earlier, her voice refused to obey. Until a thought suddenly occurred to her.

"W-wait a minute, how did you guys find this out?" Kaoru's demand for information was backed up with Yahiko searching the faces of the two men with his molten chocolate eyes. Sensing that Kenshin had no interest in explaining anything more, Sanosuke spoke up, acting as if he was re-telling an epic adventure story.

"You see Missy, it kinda all started this morning. I was walking down the street when I thought I saw someone familiar. Then, at lunch today, Yahiko told Kenshin and me about that new cop that just moved in. So after Kenshin had bought all that stuff for you, we went over to see this new guy, and well, turns out Saito is the new guy!"

Kaoru once again found herself gaping at Sanosuke's highly abbreviated tale and Yahiko had still not spoken a word. Kenshin was about to turn and go set the groceries in the kitchen when cold realization slapped Kaoru and Yahiko hard in the face.

"You mean it's Saito that's living in the new house that's ten minutes away!"

"And he already knows where the dojo is Kaoru!"

"Oh, don't remind me…"

"Well, what if he comes back? What do we do then?"

The tide of silence rose again the courtyard as all people mulled over Yahiko's statement. Thankfully, before Sanosuke could suggest vandalizing the Saito household until he left, Kenshin became the voice of reason.

"Nothing." The three people gawked at him. "I'm sure that Saito isn't here to just harass us. We should not worry about this, that we should not. I suggest we now forget about Saito for the time being and go to bed early." As if taking his own plan willingly, Kenshin turned around to finally put the food in its proper place.

All of them stared into his retreating back and soon Yahiko followed after him, his sandals softly scraping the ground. Kaoru turned her still perplexed gaze to Sanosuke, but he offered little relief. With weak hand gestures he implied his return to his home and Kaoru only mutely nodded. She was presently alone in the courtyard, and soon took Kenshin's sound advice and locked the gate for the night and went to bed; only to be plagued with unreasonable fears and haunting memories.

O0o…o0OO0o…o0O

The sun rose again the next day, a sister-like day to the last, similar but with more blemishing clouds and less gentle breezes. An ugly duckling compared to its 'sister', it still cast clear sunlight down to terrestrial areas, and currently through the shoji door to Kakiku and Ashira's bedroom. Kakiku had awakened as usual to watch the sun's progress, and she was now making mental formations with the checkered patterns the new-born sunlight had produced through the doorway.

She sighed as she twiddled with her golden tresses. In all reality she would rather be outside watching the sunrise, preferably somewhere higher up rather than sitting inside with the door shut and. But she doubted that the Saitos would like to find her on their roof when they awoke. And speaking of being awake…

At the sound of a soft rustling coming from behind her, Kakiku turned her head and rested it on her raised knees. Ashira was still sleeping, and her loose hair had fallen around her head like a makeshift tent when she had moved; even in the early light it shone like it had not done in days. Both of them had desperately needed a thorough scrubbing last night it seemed. Kakiku chuckled at the memory of the argument they had when deciding on who would get the bath first. It had resulted in a footrace to the bathhouse, and Kakiku slightly tripping Ashira. Kakiku had had to doge clumps of dirt on her trip from the bathhouse to the room they were sharing after her bath. Sure, they were not acting their age, but it felt good to be in good humor again after a long ordeal.

And though she was not sure, she thought she saw deep green eyes watching from the sidelines with amusement.

Still smiling, Kakiku stretched out her leg and nudged her sister's sleeping form with her foot. When the only response Kakiku got was Ashira halfheartedly swatting her foot away Kakiku started to scold her cheerfully.

"C'mon lazy-cat, are you going to sleep all day or what?"

Ashira mumbled something unintelligible and sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Well, and here I was thinking that you weren't going to do our special ritual." Kakiku said cheerfully.

Ashira glared at her sister, but obediently rose from her futon and retrieved something from her bag across the room. Sitting back down a little behind Kakiku, Ashira stifled her yawn with one hand, while holding the comb she had gotten in her other.

"You woke me up, so get over here so I can get started." Ashira said amidst heavy yawns.

Her smile widening, Kakiku scrambled over to her and sat in front of the sleepy Ashira. With one hand she gathered all of Kakiku's light-colored hair and began to rhythmically combing it thoroughly. After making sure that all hindering tangles were gone, Ashira parted the hair from the start of Kakiku's bangs to the base of her scalp. She handed over one half of the parted hair to Kakiku and with deft fingers began to braid the golden locks. Starting where Kakiku's bangs ended, Ashira started the braid small and taut to the scalp, and as she went she added more and more of Kakiku's hair to the growing braid; all the while keeping the braid close to the scalp and parallel to the part she had made in Kakiku's hair. As soon as the braid had reached the end of the scalp, Ashira braided the hair normally. And she would do the same monotonous process with the rest of her sister's hair, and when the job was done, the positions would change and next Kakiku would be braiding inky hair.

This near sacred process they did had been done for literal years; ever since the day their late mother had sat them down and showed to them what she had been doing to their hair for so long. It was rhythmic and soothing, a shred of their lives that they could count on staying the same. It did not matter whether or not they were staying in a compassionate person's house or traveling on a dusty well worn road, they would always start every other day braiding their hair. And this day would be no different.

Their hair freshly done, their futons folded up, and dressed in their not-so finest, the girls timidly stepped out into the hallway. Here they came to a dilemma: where should they go next? The sisters began to converse in low tones, each offering a suggestion to be examined by the other. After many a moment of hushed debating as the suggestions became more and more outrageous (Ashira was once trying to convince Kakiku that finding the Saitos' room and yelling at them to wake up and cook breakfast was indeed not a good idea; until Ashira saw that Kakiku was joking), and before the girls started an argument, Tokio rounded the corner and came face-to-face with them.

Slightly startled at meeting the girls Tokio had to sooth her ruffled feathers before speaking.

"Ah, just the girls I was going to see! Good morning."

"Good morning." Ashira and Kakiku both replied. Tokio smiled warmly at them before continuing.

"Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes." With nothing else really needed to be said, Tokio turned and went down the way she had entered, but it seemed that Kakiku had found something to say.

"Is there anything we can do to help?"

Tokio turned around at the question and saw that Kakiku had every intention of helping written in her eyes, and even Ashira, though she had not spoken, held the same expression. Tokio tilted her head faintly, as if seeing her guests in a new light, and with a small smile tugging at her lips she nodded.

O0o…o0OO0o…o0O

An odd dance had taken place in the Saitos' kitchen. A choppy ballet that stemmed from a woman trying to be as welcoming as possible as she cooked breakfast and from two girls that aiming to balance helping the woman and staying out of the said woman's way. Through all these obstacles, however, the three women were able to produce a simple, wholesome meal.

Though throughout this time, not a hide or hair of the man of the house was to be seen. Kakiku's mind whirled with unease. Had she and her sister landed in the household of a man that made his wife do all the work? She hoped, prayed, that that was not the truth. She kept replaying the evidence she had found of a mutual relationship between the husband and wife, in order to dispel any of her worries, an attempt to calm herself down.

With her thoughts to occupy her thoroughly, Kakiku did not notice Saito until she nearly ran into him. Thankfully he did see her and stopped her before the collision. Kakiku snapped her head up in surprise, and Saito noticed with slight amusement that though she looked shocked at almost hitting him, she still held no look of intimidation in her eyes.

Saito gave a curt nod and greeting to the girl before heading into the kitchen; there she heard him give a similar greeting to Ashira and with a warmer tone bade his wife a 'good morning' as well. Ashira soon popped out of the kitchen to join Kakiku in the dinning room and gave Kakiku a small smile before crouching down to lay out the individual dishes. Kakiku smiled back and bended to help also. As the girls were putting out the dishes, they began to hear some of the Saitos' conversation in the other room, though they intended not to eavesdrop.

"How are things around the house?" Tokio started.

"Not as good as we hoped." Saito's reply.

"Oh? How so?"

"The steps to the shed are so rotted that I could not place a foot on them before they crumbled from the pressure, and from what I could tell from the ground, the roof is going to collapse soon. Unfortunately I wasn't able to inspect the floor on the inside, for the hinges on the floor were rusted shut."

A moment of silence followed Saito's report, and Ashira could almost imagine Tokio shaking her head.

"Maybe you could find out if there's a carpenter around here while you're out on your rounds?" Tokio asked.

The sisters look at each other at hearing this; Ashira mouthed 'policeman?' and Kakiku nodded. However, their silent conversation was cut short as Tokio and Saito entered the room. All four sat at their respected places and their first breakfast together commenced.

Breakfast was very much the same affair as the dinner the night before, with the exception the neither Ashira nor Kakiku knew what would follow after the meal was eaten. Before the meal was over, Saito sat his bowl down and cleared his throat. Kakiku stopped with her chopsticks still in her mouth and Ashira put down her cup of tea as Saito began to speak.

"Due to the fact the both of you will be living here for a long-term period, we have planned to make arrangements around here."

The girls cut side long glances at each other and Saito took slight notice of this and continued.

"This basically means that we expect you two to help with daily household chores. Do you understand?" As Saito finished, he was expecting the girls in front of him to do what most would do in their situation; sigh, roll their eyes, or protest the decision. He was not expecting a look of pure relief and some hope wash over them. Kakiku popped the chopsticks from her mouth and grinned broadly and Ashira replied for the both of them.

"Yes sir, we do."

"Call me Saito."

The sisters' eyes widened as Saito smirked.

"Most everyone around does anyways."

With a nod to his wife, supposedly in thanks for the meal, Saito got up and left, leaving behind an amused Tokio and a pair of perplexed sisters. Tokio turned her attention to them and smiled, and soon all three were cleaning up.

O0o…o0OO0o…o0O

The gears that worked the Kamiya dojo in a schedule of normality had seemingly rusted overnight. Kaoru canceled all her classes that day knowing that her mind was elsewhere; Yahiko's practice swigs were weak and without much purpose; Sanosuke had come over as usual, but contented himself with watching the numerous clouds roll pass in the sky; and even Kenshin had not put much effort in making breakfast or any of his other daily tasks. It was almost as if a hazy fog had rolled into their presence, and no one could fight their way out of it.

With an annoyed sigh Kaoru shut the book she was attempting to read, realizing that she was still on the same page after twenty minutes of reading. Feeling overwhelmed by her lack of concentration, she started to feel cabin fever coming over her and knew she had to leave to clear her mind. She knew not where to go, though a certain destination called to her from the back of her mind. Shaking the idea back into its place she rose from her spot on the porch next to Sanosuke.

"I'm going for a walk." Her announcement done Kaoru left unceremoniously, only receiving a feeble good-bye from Yahiko, who had recently changed from his practice clothes into normal street-ware.

A few moments after Kaoru closed the gate behind her, Yahiko grunted and turned to his fellows.

"I'm gonna walk too."

As another member of their group departed, Sanosuke rolled his head around to look at Kenshin.

"You know, there really isn't much else to do…"

Kenshin looked up from the bowl he was drying with a thoughtful look in his face. With a small shrug he put the bowl away and then both he and Sanosuke left to join their friends.

O0o…o0OO0o…o0O

"Yahiko, why were you following me?"

Kaoru sat perched on a random crate in the street and confronted Yahiko as he turned the corner. Yelping in surprise Yahiko glared at his instructor before shooting back.

"I'm not following you!"

"Then why are you here?"

Yahiko blinked twice before he came up with a suitable reply.

"'Cus I know that you don't know the way."

An eyebrow raised in confusion. "Know the way to where?"

"To his house."

Kaoru blushed somewhat before raising her nose in the air in offense. "I really don't know what you're talking about Yahiko."

"You want to go to Saito's house Kaoru."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because I want to. Now c'mon if you want to go."

"Go where?" This time both the teacher and the student squeaked in surprise as Kenshin and Sanosuke rounded the corner.

"Well Missy, are you gonna answer?" Sanosuke said after a moment of silence.

Kaoru bit her lip nervously, hoping that she could find a suitable answer quickly enough before either man figured out her plans. She did not succeed.

"Miss Kaoru, you're not planning on going to Saito's house are you?"

"Does it really matter if I do?" She answered.

"Miss Kaoru…"

"All I want to do is go see the house Kenshin! Nothing bad could come from me welcoming them to town!"

Kenshin Himura, a dreaded former assassin whose name could bring down many a man to his knees in fear, was clearly almost completely helpless in the pleading gaze of Kaoru Kamiya. Shrugging his shoulders slightly as Sanosuke and Yahiko looked on with apparent disgust at his lack of will power, Kenshin smiled.

"All right Miss Kaoru. We'll go see Saito, that we will."

A girlish squeal came from Kaoru as she hopped from the crate.

"Well now, since you and Sano have already been there you can lead us!"

Sanosuke shot Kenshin an exasperated look before going to the front of the group; Kenshin simply rubbed the back of his neck and soon the whole group was on their way.

O0o…o0OO0o…o0O

Oh, of all the luck! What self-respecting Japanese home runs out of rice?

Tokio rested her head on the pantry door, mentally kicking herself for not checking the supplies before. With all the rush of moving in and then preparing for Ashira and Kakiku's arrival she had forgotten to notice that they were low on rice; of all things.

Gritting her teeth at her mistake Tokio stepped out of the kitchen and went into the yard, following the rhythmic sounds of a broom. She found Ashira dutifully sweeping the courtyard with an oddly contented look on her face.

"Ashira, can you do me a favor?"

The raven haired girl stopped her work and looked up.

"Yes Mrs. Saito?"

"No, no, you can call me Tokio. Anyways I need to head to the market for some groceries and I was wondering if you and your sister- by the way where is Kakiku?"

"I think she's getting some water to wash the floors."

"Oh good. Well I need you two to look after the house while I'm gone; are you okay with that?"

Ashira nodded once and then a moment later Tokio had left. Ashira began sweeping again, enjoying the rhythmic beat she was creating; though every once in a while a small bump would sound out, followed by soft cursing. Thinking that the noise would better be left undiscovered, Ashira continued on.

"Hey Ashira?" Kakiku called softly from the porch she suddenly appeared on.

"Hm?"

"Could you…sweep there really thoroughly?"

The broom stopped its progress. "Why?" Ashira asked.

"Could you do that for me?"

"Yes, but why?" Ashira said cautiously, not really knowing if she wanted to find out.

"Okay, just checking." Side stepping Ashira's question and with out further ado, Kakiku set down the bucket she was holding and proceeded to tuck the hem of her kimono into her obi. With a wooden clatter the broom hit the ground, unable to be supported by Ashira's hands at that moment.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Ashira's screech cut Kakiku's progress short.

"Geez Ashira, no need to shout."

"What are you thinking Kakiku? The Saitos could come back at any time!"

"Well, that's why you're there, so you can warn me when someone comes."

"Kakiku…"

"Hey, how do you expect me to wash the floor when I keep tripping on the hem? I've already it my chin three times now."

Ashira sighed exasperatedly, but before she could reason with her sister a timid knock came from the door. Kakiku scrambled to get herself better clad as she rushed over to greet who ever was knocking.; swatting Ashira's hand away from the door, Kakiku opened it swiftly.

And found herself staring into violet eyes.

A/N: wow, that was long. Oh, heres a shameless plug: for all you who tired reading 'Running Late' and found it to be chapter four of this story. Well, I don't know if it was my fault or the PC's but it's fixed. So, 'love it', 'hate it' tell what you think. Thank you.