Chapter 3: the master

"So tell me," Hiko said, pouring himself more sake. "The real reason you left Tokyo."

The question surprised Kenshin. Wasn't having to defeat Shishio reason enough? But of course it was useless to try and hide anything from his master.

"Well… it was because of Kaoru-dono," Kenshin admitted softly.

"The girl who's in love with you."

"…Yes."

Hiko nodded wisely and drank his sake. "I suspected as much," he rumbled. "You're afraid of sex."

"Shishou!" Kenshin sputtered, embarrassed.

"What?? You're so annoying when you do that. You sound like a little girl."

"I'm not afraid of it," Kenshin protested.

Hiko frowned and shrugged. "So you're afraid of hurting her. Whatever."

"You don't understand at all," Kenshin said angrily.

"Hoh? Interesting. It must be a good story if you're getting so flustered. Tell me."

"Never mind."

"I command you to tell me. Or else you can forget the ultimate secret thing."

Kenshin frowned stormily and stared into the fire. Once his master set his mind on something, there was no way around it.

"It started with Saitou Hajime," Kenshin said at last.

"Ha ha," Hiko said. "Started with Hajime…."

"Shishou!"

"Sorry, go on." Hiko poured yet another cup of alcohol for himself.

"Saitou told me that everyone I knew was… well…"

"Stop blushing like a school girl and say it," Hiko ordered.

"L…lusting after me," Kenshin admitted. Hiko only nodded.

"Including Saitou himself?"

"Um… well, yes."

Hiko put down his cup and stared a Kenshin for a moment. Kenshin felt distinctly uncomfortable. When he was a boy and Hiko stared at him that way, he'd been convinced that his master could read his mind.

"I see," Hiko said finally. "Well, nothing less from a 'wolf of mibu'. So what happened next?"

Kenshin sweat-dropped. "Well," he went on awkwardly, "I didn't want to believe what Saitou said, but a few days later I had a similar encounter with one of my friends, and she said the same things he did. So, I began to doubt my friends and their intentions… even… even Kaoru-dono's intentions. I thought about it and I realized I just couldn't bear it if she-"

"-Forced herself on you?" Hiko finished with an amused smile. "Ha! In other words, it horrifies you that you might enjoy doing it with this girl, so you ran away and ended up back here. With the lame excuse about fighting some other ex-hitokiri nutcase."

"ororo…." Kenshin wailed helplessly as his master finished yet another drink.

"Well for once my stupid student did the right thing. You're completely messed up, but I, your master, can straighten you out. I'll beat some sense into you yet. Actually-" he stood suddenly, and stretched his huge shoulders. "-I think I'll do it right now."

"You mean we'll resume training for the ultimate secret?" Kenshin asked earnestly.

Hiko stared at him again.

Kenshin started to worry a little about the intensity of that stare.

"You're a hopeless idiot, and that's what makes you undeniably… desirable," Hiko grumbled at last. Kenshin froze.

"Im- impossible!" he gasped, eyes wide. "You too?"

"I've wanted to do this for nearly 20 years," Hiko said, taking a menacing step in Kenshin's direction. "That crazy hair… those fierce, innocent eyes… you were beautiful then and you've even more beautiful now. But what exceeds your physical beauty is your beautiful soul. You've always had a soul like a great clean sponge to soak up and clean away the evils of the world. A soul that no amount of sin could corrupt. We both know those slave traders would have sold you into the iromachi if I hadn't intervened. Of course, I never would have done anything to you back then –you were just a child- but the temptation existed."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this!" Kenshin said.

"I'll make you believe it soon enough," Hiko said. "Take off your clothes."

"No!" Kenshin practically shouted. Hiko grinned.

"Obey me," Hiko said, "or you'll regret it. You know it's true."

"but…" Kenshin looked up desperately at Hiko's eyes. It was a long way up. "But… you'll kill me!" he protested.

"Are you afraid of death?" Hiko asked tauntingly. Kenshin hesitated for a minute.

"…no," he answered solemnly.

"That's your other problem," Hiko muttered.

"What?"

Hiko coughed. "Never mind, you'll figure it out later. Anyway if Saitou Hajime didn't kill you, then I don't think you have to worry about me- I actually like you, even though you are an annoying moron most of the time. Come on, hurry up. Unless you want me to help you."

"Shishou-" Kenshin gulped, and Hiko seized him by the front of his gi. Kenshin turned to flee but Hiko overpowered him, practically squashing him like a bug against the ground. Hiko smirked at his stupid student's helplessness.

A flux of emotion flashed in Kenshin's eyes. He looked up at Hiko, towering over him, and his mind was flooded with memories of his apprenticeship under the Hiten Mitsuruugi master. Being rescued by Hiko, being given his new name…being clothed and fed and sheltered and trained by the invincible giant of a man. All that time, those years when Kenshin was only 10, 11, 12, 13… Hiko had been… lusting after him? Kenshin had never realized it- Hiko had protected him, and saved him from the iromachi, too. His eyes filled with tears.

"Going to cry, are you?" Hiko asked, almost kindly. "I won't deny that it's amusing to torture you, but that's not my intention right now."

"Then what is your intention?" Kenshin asked.

Hiko smirked at him. "You idiot," he said, loosening his belt.