Author's Notes: Yaaay, more reviews! nn Keep it up, guys! I really appreciate your support! xD

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. But I reserve the right (if it is a right) to toy with Watsuki-sama's characters as I please, just so long as I make sure it's in fan fiction.

Haunted Isle

Chapter 2

"Hey, Ice-Man," Sano greeted Aoshi as he sat down next to them, making no noise as he moved. Aoshi did not react to the greeting or the nickname, instead addressing Kenshin, who sat up with a slight flinch.

"Your mission concerning Kanryuu," he began, eyeing Kenshin's shoulder, though he didn't comment on the wound, "was successful. I spoke to the police directly."

"Oh, that's good to hear," said Kenshin gladly.

"The officer was someone you ought to know, in fact," Aoshi continued. It was quite an interesting piece of news he held, yet he conveyed it with no emotion, as usual.

"Oh?"

"Yes. When was the last time you heard of the whereabouts of Shinsengumi fighter Saitou Hajime?"

Kenshin's violet eyes widened. "The wolf of Mibu?"

"The very same."

"He joined the police?" Sano sat up straighter in interest, having finally caught on.

"Aa," Aoshi confirmed. "He's making his way up the ranks quite rapidly."

Kenshin smiled a little. "That sounds like Saitou. He would never have made a good government official, and yet neither would he be suited to this sort of thing." He gestured around at the island with his good arm.

"He goes by the alias of Goro Fujita now," Aoshi continued with the news.

"Is that so? Yet I suppose he still holds the same character," Kenshin commented, by that meaning that Saitou was as obnoxious as ever. Aoshi shrugged slightly, appearing indifferent although he knew that the answer was yes, Saitou had the same old callous personality.

"However," Aoshi said, his tone darkening a little, "you do realise, Himura, that Saitou still wishes to settle a score with you, of some description. What we do here is illegal, and he will not hesitate to arrest you, however much we do assist the police in their duties."

"That's ridiculous!" Sano exclaimed. "We help them, dammit! What kind of a way is that to repay us!"

Kenshin merely smiled and shrugged, clearly unfazed. "I am sure that Saitou is the only officer which thinks that way. None of the others are likely to hold a grudge. In any case, I have no intention of getting caught by him."

Sano's frown lessened slightly. Of course; Kenshin could never get caught. He was the best of the best.

"It looks like there are some rocky waters up ahead, sir," the captain of the ship said respectfully to his honoured passenger, Koujiro Kamiya. Koujiro nodded thoughtfully and looked sideways at his daughter Kaoru, who was leaned against the side on the ship staring out over the waters, her raven locks blowing slightly in the breeze.

"Oi! Busu!" Kaoru's younger brother Yahiko, having overheard the exchange, addressed his sister. His disrespectful tone was at odds to the concern in his face that Kaoru noticed as she turned around. Yahiko jerked his head towards the stairs leading below. "We should get below; it's gonna be rough up here," he said, knowing of his sister's tendency towards seasickness.

"Right," agreed Kaoru, looking about for her best friend, Misao Makimachi. She found her pestering the ship's navigator, bobbing about and asking a constant stream of questions. Kaoru grinned, thinking that if the rocks didn't sink the ship then Misao might well.

"Misao, come on, let's go below." Misao pouted and turned puppy-dog eyes on her friend. "Awww, but Kaoru, I'm having fun!"

Kaoru responded with her own, far better practised version of the look. "Misao, come on, you know I can't stay up here. Please come and keep me company!" She blinked her sapphire eyes, making them extra wide and appealing. Misao sighed and relented. "All right, Kaoru…" She ran ahead and the navigator breathed a sigh of relief and sent Kaoru a grateful look.

Kaoru took one last look at the sea before descending below. The last light of the setting sun had leant the waters a sinister blood-red tint, from which the rocks stood up like black sentinels, dangerous and jagged, waiting for the first unfortunate ship to impale itself upon them. Kaoru shuddered but reminded herself to have faith in the ship's crew, who had yet to let them down. Well, the ones she knew about, anyway. She was a little suspicious of the new guy her father had hired as a bodyguard. He was a high-ranking police officer apparently -- Goro someone or other. He was arrogant, and usually insolent to the other passengers, although he acted creepily polite to her father. Suck-up. Neither Yahiko nor Misao liked him; Goro was always emphasising the fact that Yahiko was only ten years old (even though he was mature beyond his years), and he'd taken to calling Misao 'weasel'. The nickname was not wholly inappropriate, but it was the kind of thing you just didn't say to a stranger.

Kaoru spotted the guy standing over the other side of the boat and rolled her eyes. His Arrogance probably thought he was too good to go below. Well, Kaoru wasn't. She ran her hand down the railing as she descended down the stairs. Years of training under her father's sword style, the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, had lent her movements some grace – a grace that was sorely needed, to combat the tomboyishness she was well known for.

"Finally!" said Misao as her friend entered the small cabin which they both shared. "I thought you weren't coming! I was going to come back up and get you! What shall we do now?" Without waiting for Kaoru to decide, she seized her friend's hand and proceeded to drag her off to the kitchens to see what the ship's cook was doing.

Saitou Hajime stood at the side of the ship with his hands behind his back, gazing out over the waters with a confident smirk. I'm getting closer, Battousai… he thought. Are you ready? Rumour has it that you've stopped killing now…. Well, you'd better get ready to turn that reverse-blade sword you use over - unless you want to get killed….

He glanced up into the sky. Ah, how perfect. There was a storm brewing. Stormy skies and rocky waters: the classic setting for a shipwreck….

Author's Notes: Okay, I know it's half as long as the other one, but I so couldn't resist stopping it there. Talk about 'dun dun duuun!' Of course, you guys already knew that the ship was gonna get wrecked, but I bet you didn't guess that Saitou would be on board! (If you did, I don't know how the hell you managed that, since I only decided that about five minutes ago XD)