Hello! I'm back again, a little faster than I thought I would be. Anyway, just to inform all you rapid yaoi-fans out there, this isn't a yaoi fic ok? I have nothing against yaoi, but I don't write yaoi, so if you thought this was going to end up being a yaoi fic, I am totally sorry.

Anyway people, read and review, and remember, Rurouni Kenshin does not belong to me!

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The twittering of the birds died down as noon drew on and the weather got hotter. Sitting outside the room where Saitou and Kenshin were conversing, Soujiro sipped at the tea that had been offered to him and smiled at the two hostile faces glaring at him from across the corridor.

"This is really good tea," he commented, just to break the ice.

"I'm glad you like it," Kaoru replied, glaring daggers at him.

"It's the only thing she's good at making," Yahiko informed in a menacing tone, and Kaoru bonked him on the head.

"How much longer will they take?" Kaoru demanded, "they have been at it for half a day already."

"Well…" Soujiro put the cup down, "I don't really know actually. The good news, is of course, that we can't hear any sounds of fighting so…"

"Don't play dumb," Yahiko growled, "if Saitou is out to drag Kenshin to the other end of Japan again, he will have to go through us this time."

Biting his tongue to stop himself from commenting about how easy that would be with Saitou's chosen fighting technique, he smiled and raised his left hand heavily.

"By the way, does anyone mind taking Kenji-chan away?"

"Yes, we mind. Kenji's just defending his father."

"Go Kenji."

Soujiro lowered his hand again and smiled painfully as the little toddler continued gnawing at his finger with great enthusiasm. "Kenji-chan, would you prefer to eat a sweet cake instead of biting my finger?" he cooed in as pleasant a tone as possible.

The gnawing stopped for a while as Kenji stared at the sweet cake thoughtfully. Just as Soujiro was starting to celebrate his victory, the toddler shook his head solemnly and went back to biting at Soujiro's finger.

"Good boy, Kenji; never allow yourself to be bribed."

"Go Kenji."

Suddenly, the door behind him slid open, and Saitou and Kenshin emerged from within.

"You're done!" Yahiko cried, leaping to his feet as Kaoru hurried forward to question Kenshin immediately.

"How observant," Saitou scowled, staring distractedly into the sky as if he were deep in thought.

"Hello. Welcome back to earth," Soujiro chirped, opening his arms in a sign of welcome, the toddler hanging on with his tiny teeth.

"Why, thank you… Kenji!" Kenshin hurried forward and detached his son from Soujiro's finger. "I am so sorry, Soujiro! Kenji has taken to biting everything that comes into contact with his…" Kenshin broke off as his son attached himself to his finger with his teeth.

"I see," Soujiro commented, rubbing his wet finger dry.

Kenshin grimaced. "It helps to think that it is a sign of affection."

"Really?"

"Well… sometimes it works – usually when it is not your finger he is biting on."

"I figured. It's working now."

The sound of someone clearing his throat attracted their attention. "Enough socialising. Back to headquarters," Saitou snapped, and Soujiro leapt to his feet hurriedly, his movement followed by the business end of sixty-three different weapons.

"Bye," he said as he hurried out after his boss.

On the outside, he turned to Saitou and questioned, "Do I get told what that was about now or do I really have to wonder about it till the end of my miserable days?"

"You get to wonder."

Soujiro sighed and twiddled his thumbs as he trailed behind the former captain of the Shinsengumi mournfully. "I sort of figured that."

"Then why ask?"

"Can't I even… hope?"

"Were you given permission to?"

"Well… no…"

"Then you've got your answer."

"I see…"

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Back at the headquarters, Saitou headed straight for his office immediately, ignoring Soujiro's presence. At his desk, he pulled out a notebook and started scribbling in it furiously, his cigarette dangling out of his mouth. Soujiro stood in front of his desk, twiddling his fingers helplessly, thankful that his guard squad were waiting outside the police headquarters, yet distraught at having to be alone with Saitou again.

"So…"

"Shut up."

"Ok."

Soujiro waited, trying to read Saitou's inverted handwriting and failing miserably. He wasn't even sure he could read Saitou's handwriting when it was the right-side up. Now that he thought of it, having almost illegible handwriting had to be useful for a spy.

Suddenly, the notebook was slammed shut, causing Soujiro to jump. "What…"

"New mission."

Soujiro hurried out after Saitou as he strode down the corridor rapidly. "Do I have to wonder about this mission until the end of my miserable days?" he questioned with an innocent smile on his face.

"Probably not."

"Then could you…"

"Later."

"When?"

"Once we get to the dungeons."

"Dungeons? We are going to see someone?"

"Yes."

"Ok."

Saitou turned and started down the staircase that led to the dungeons then stopped abruptly. Suddenly, no longer in a hurry, he lazily dragged out his cigarette case and pulled out a new roll, lighting it as he dropped the old one and stuffed it out.

"I will do the questioning later, and you just have to be quiet," Saitou instructed, suddenly drawling instead of snapping, "and act cool. Nothing throws a criminal more than a policeman who acts cool."

"Ok."

Leaning against the railing, Saitou puffed on the cigarette as he thought. "My new mission is to round out a criminal organisation from Shanghai that had been marketing very strong and very powerful weapons on the black market."

"That sounds familiar."

"Yes. That battleship your former boss got was bought from that criminal organisation."

"My, my, what a beautiful coincidence, that Shishio-sama has had correspondences with our new mission!"

Saitou shot his new recruit a glare. "Don't make it sound like it has nothing to do with you."

"But it doesn't!" Soujiro protested cheerfully. "Houji was the one who made all the plans for the battleship. I merely stood behind him and watched."

"And that makes you a criminal as well." Saitou scowled. "That night was one of the most horrible nights of my career, having to ride in a carriage with a screaming, ranting maniac attached to the roof, and that is all your fault."

"Why is it all my fault?"

"Because everyone else whom I could have put the blame on is dead, so you get to be blamed for all of this."

Soujiro smiled sheepishly. "Ok… but it really isn't my…"

"Shut up."

"Ok."

Saitou was silent for a while as he concentrated on breathing in the greyish blue fumes then he sighed and straightened up. "Now, we go and meet our new prisoner."

"Do I get to know the prisoner's identity?"

He was answered by a smirk. "Don't worry, I think you should know the identity of the prisoner."

His curiosity roused, Soujiro pattered after Saitou eagerly as said person headed straight for the VIP cell in the deepest recesses of the dungeons. Saitou gestured to the guards who started the tedious process of unlocking the cell.

The moment the door was unlocked, Saitou grabbed the handle and swung it open, stepping in with a slow and easy walk, Soujiro close behind him.

"Hello, my dear mafia boss. I hope you had a pleasant stay in our very own prison dungeons," Saitou murmured, enthusiastically taking on the job of polluting the air in the cramped, enclosed cell.

"Ha ha," a low, soft voice shot back, "Very funny, Saitou Hajime."

Soujiro peered around Saitou's lanky frame and froze. "Oh my," he chirped, suddenly feeling his stress level shoot sky-high, "What a pleasure to meet you again."

The person peered up from around a mess of spiked white hair. "Oh god."

Soujiro smiled as pleasantly as he could as Yukishiro Enishi glared up at him from amidst a personal wrapping of chains, locks and white strips of cloth, and cursed the day he was born.

For the hundredth and first time in two hours.

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Yukishiro Enishi scowled. In fact, he scowled so hard his veins almost popped up. After running, screaming and wailing for two months straight, he had thought he had finally left the past behind. Now, not only was he faced with one of Battousai's ex-comrades, a figure from his dirty, filthy past as a mafia boss was looking down at him and smiling like he wished he was a million miles away from Japan.

"What are you doing here, Shishio's lackey?" he growled.

"I see you still haven't remembered my name," Soujiro intoned, painful memories floating to the surface, "but at least you were kind enough to use one of your less offending names for me. Thank you!" Did he mention that part of those painful memories included one week's worth in Shanghai of being called "hey", "boy", "speed-addict", "shorty", "smiley", "pretty face" and "paedophile's dream-date"?

"I don't intend to, ever," Enishi growled, clutching his sister's diary to his stomach instinctively.

Saitou puffed some more on his stick, enjoyed a few seconds more of watching the two men glare at each other then cleared his throat meaningfully and dropped the cigarette onto the ground and stuffed it out. "I don't mean to interrupt this heart-warming reunion of evil, but I have some questions to ask you, Yukishiro."

"That attack on the Kamiya dojo was a misunderstanding," Enishi muttered, trying to restrain himself from whining as he fingered the pages of his precious diary lovingly. Suddenly, he tilted his head and stared to his right. "What?" he mumbled. "Well… you can't blame me. If you had told me earlier how you really felt, I wouldn't have gone through all that trouble just to make life miserable for Battousai…"

Soujiro stared at Enishi then turned and stared at Saitou. "What…?"

"The guards said that he had been doing that the whole day," Saitou whispered back without moving his lips.

"It's true!" Enishi was wailing. "Please don't frown at me like that! You know I can't take it when you frown like that… stop! Stop it! Don't make your eyebrows do that… don't… no… no… don't! Arg! Ok! Ok! I get it… I get it…" Pulling a surprisingly childish pout, he turned and glared at Saitou. "I'm sorry I was so evil," he snapped, "Please forgive my evilness. Will that do?"

Saitou raised an eyebrow and repeated his ventriloquist act to Soujiro. "Don't say anything that could antagonise him and slowly back to the doorway." Both of them started walking backwards slowly.

Enishi glared up at them. "What?" he demanded. "I have a conscience, you know? It's usually quiet but it's still there."

"Of course, of course," Saitou said smoothly in his best medicine-seller tone, "we all know that, Yukishiro-san. Don't we, Seta-san?"

"Of course, of course!" Soujiro said brightly, in his best placating lackey-tone, "You definitely have exactly what you think you have, Yukishiro-san!"

Stroking the diary, Enishi frowned at them and tried to estimate the level of sincerity that was present in their attitude. Proving that he is a really bad judge of character, he decided that they were being sincere and slouched back down onto the floor. "What are you doing, disturbing me here anyway?" he growled in a less hostile tone.

Deciding that they had reached a suitably safe distance, Saitou stopped moving and lit another cigarette. "Well, it is basically because we are still rounding up members of your previous syndicate, Yukishiro… san."

"And that means what to me?"

"We… the government in general and a whole lot of other people would actually like to ask you certain questions as to regarding the… organisation and methods of your syndicate. We know a lot – but not enough."

"And why should I? What do I have to gain?"

Saitou blew smoke into the air and reminded himself that he was dealing with a former mafia boss who was probably very well versed in the art of making trade. "We can discuss those things."

"Don't I get to consult with someone?"

"Actually, there is a law that allows you to do so."

"Wait a minute!" Soujiro interrupted. "How come you never told me that?"

"That's because you never asked."

"What…"

"Shut up."

"But…"

"Douse it, cute-ass. I'm talking to the tall guy here."

Soujiro blanched. That was one name he had failed to remember… no… forced himself to fail to remember.

"So," Saitou went on, regaining his previous calm and coolness, "Who would you like to hire as your consultant?"

"Well…" Enishi paused, "My sister would be good."

Saitou stared along the rapidly decreasing length of his cigarette and thought quickly. "The law requires the person to be alive and visible to other people other then yourself… and possibly Battousai."

Now it was Enishi's turn to blanch as he thought harder. "Well… I…" He turned to his right again and muttered, "They wouldn't let me choose you! Why? They are being so… so… dead-ist. Who ever said a dead person can't be a consultant? Isn't that unfair… what? Ok… ok… I'm sorry."

"Actually," Saitou said as kindly as he could, "There is someone who had volunteered to be your consultant."

"Really?" Enishi stared suspiciously at him. "Who?"

"Battousai."

Enishi turned paler than his hair and he gripped the diary possessively. "No way. I'm not meeting him."

"It's ok," Soujiro piped up, "I met him today and he was really nice, though I must admit, his family is a little… rabies."

"I don't want to meet…" Again Enishi broke off and stared disconcertedly to his right. "But… but… no! I mean… it's not that I still hate him… not really… it's just… I kind of screwed up his life, didn't I? And… what? I am not afraid of him! Oh… no… don't… don't cry… don't… ok! If you want me to, I will go face my guilt…" He stared mournfully at the diary. "Bring him on."

"Good." Saitou smirked suddenly. "Seta, Battousai's waiting in the police lounge now. Go fetch him."

"What?" Soujiro and Enishi yelped at the same time.

"Don't!" Enishi wailed. "I'm not… not ready!"

"What do you mean, you're not ready?" Saitou demanded, sounding highly amused. "It's not like you need to don a kimono and powder your nose before you meet him."

Enishi glared. "It's not that! I'm not… not… emotionally prepared."

Saitou rolled his eyes. "Of course, you've got another choice," he said, suddenly brightening up, "you could choose to be executed…"

"No," Soujiro and Enishi muttered at the same time.

"But you haven't even heard what I have to…"

"You don't want to," Soujiro mumbled, "it makes you feel that it is a miracle anyone lives past the age of two."

"Just get that ass… I mean… really, really nice guy down."

"Straight away!" Soujiro yelped and turned to Shukuchi away before Saitou could turn around and decide that it might be better to run this errand on his own.

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