Chosha's notes

Konnichiwa! I'm baaaaaack! And just for you, here is the next installment of RKatCoS! I just wanna say that I'm soooooo happy i got so many reviews for the first chapter! So, I won't keep you waiting. Go forth and read!

Disclaimer: We all know Cosha-chan owns no rights to this. So, must we keep stating the obvious?

Last time on RKatCoS

Kenshin recieved a letter (by half dead owl) to go to England for the rest of the summer. He's sent off the reply, but Hiko is going to. Oro!

Chapter Two

The Green Flames

It had been around a week since Mika had left the hut in the mountains to take Kenshin's reply to Ron. Kenshin sat on the log outside the cabin, feeding the grey owl, Errol, who had recovered somewhat since his arrival. Of course, Hiko hadn't been much help ("he's your friend's owl, not mine"), so along with his training, he also had a sick owl to look after – one that looked as if it might keel over, or get eaten or something if he didn't. At least Mika knew how to fend for herself – Sheesh!

Kenshin watched the grey owl as it pecked at the food the boy held in his cupped hands. The weather had grown warmer of late until it was almost too hot to move – definitely too hot to stay indoors. It was murder to try kata in. Thankfully, Kenshin had trained with his shishou earlier on in the day before the sun had reached its peak. (Though Kenshin wouldn't put it passed him if he made Kenshin spar in the sweltering heat, just to annoy him). Suddenly, a shadow passed over head.

Kenshin blinked in surprise and looked up into the sky, wondering if it was some type of cloud that had passed over, but the sky was perfectly, azure-blue clear – not even a wisp of cloud in sight. So when something landed on his shoulder, he almost jumped a mile, sending bird food all over the place. His head whipped around.

"Mika!" He gasped, putting a hand to his chest where his heart was beating a million miles an hour. "Don't do that! You almost made me have a heart attack, de gozaru yo!"

The barn owl just hooted smugly and Kenshin looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. He was sure Hiko was teaching her to act like him when he wasn't looking. Kami, he didn't need two Hikos! One was bad enough!

However, Kenshin spotted the letter attached to her leg. Carefully, Kenshin took the letter from her, feeding her an owl treat in return. Mika flitted onto his knee, where she looked down disdainfully at the moulting grey owl at his feet. Kenshin ignored them for the moment and turned to the letter in his hands, unrolling it. As he suspected, it was a reply from Ron.

Kenshin,

That's brilliant! Mom and Dad'll be happy. They can't wait to see you both. Dad's made some arrangements at the ministry – he works in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office – figures, huh? He says he's got your place hooked up to the Universal floo-network, so you can get to our house. We'll be coming to fetch you and Master Hiko at around ten o'clock – it will be around Midnight in Japan from what Hermione told me – on the fifteenth. Just remember to have your fire lit.

Kenshin blinked at the letter. The Universal Floo-network? What on earth was that? Perhaps Hiko would know. After all, last year, when Kenshin was reading up on the books he had been asked to purchase from the Wizard community of Diagon Alley in London, Hiko had been gathering information on the wizarding world. Knowing Hiko, he would have found out about methods of travel after they had taken a Portkey – a teleporter that looks like a piece of rubbish so unsuspecting Muggles wouldn't use it – last year. He'd ask afterwards. He went back to reading the letter.

We'll be seeing you soon, so I'll fill you in on what's been happening over here.

Ron

Kenshin looked up as Hiko emerged from the hut, holding a large bottle of Sake in one hand, his cloak settled on his shoulders. Kenshin idly wondered if he was hot in it. He looked over at Kenshin and nodded. "I see that bird of yours has come back. What's that friend of yours say?"

Kenshin passed the letter and he scanned it. Smirking, he passed it back. "Don't give much warning, your kind, do they?" he stated, indicating the calendar stuck haphazardly near the door, which said July 15th. He took a swig from the sake. Kenshin jumped. They were coming tonight?

"What does he mean, universal floo-network?" asked Kenshin, "He asked us to have the fire on, for some reason."

"Well, either your friend is as stupid as you are, considering the weather, or it will be the same as when that Headmaster of yours showed up here."

Kenshin remembered Hiko telling him about that. It had been just after Kenshin found out he was a wizard. He told him that, the year before, he had got a letter from an Albus Dumbledore, telling him he had 'adopted' a magical child. Hiko hadn't believed him and sent a letter back asking for proof. Dumbledore had given him proof by turning the fire green and arriving through the fire itself. Of course, at the time this had happened, Hiko had made sure Kenshin was asleep by tricking him into drinking Sake. Kenshin was still a little sore about that.

"So you mean they're going to come through the fire?" he asked in amazement.

"That's what I said, or are you going deaf now as well," Hiko smirked.

Kenshin glared up at him, then said suspiciously, "You are going to behave, aren't you, Shishou?"

Hiko's smirk grew. "Well, If you don't keep up training, I might have to tell them about the time you wet the bed when you were eleven…"

"Shishou!"

o0o

Kenshin could hardly wait to see this show of magic that he was almost bouncing off walls for the rest of the day. But, as usual, when you can't wait for something amazing or spectacular to happen, time drags so much it isn't even funny. In the end, to try and get rid of that pent up energy, Hiko forced Kenshin to spar with him. This left Kenshin feeling as though he had burned all parts of skin that weren't covered in clothing or hair because of the sun and covered in sweat – not to mention several new bruises to add to the collection. At least Kenshin didn't have to wait long after that – he fell asleep for several hours.

When the time came, Hiko shook Kenshin awake – at least he didn't throw water on him this time, Kenshin thought idly. It was dark outside now and the temperature had dropped dramatically, so even if they didn't know the Weasleys would be coming by the 'Floo Network', it wouldn't have been as mad as they had thought to have the fire on. Unfortunately, Hiko didn't have a watch in the house, so could only estimate the time by the stars or the positioning of the sun, so Kenshin wasn't sure how long they would have to wait. He was almost dropping off when it happened.

Kenshin sat bolt upright as the fire flared brightly and grew bigger, turning emerald green. In fact, the fire blazed so high Kenshin was afraid it might grow out of control. Suddenly, Kenshin felt a flare of ki that he hadn't felt before and his hands twitched towards his sakabato, though he knew it wasn't likely to be a foe. Kenshin's eyes almost popped out of his head when a man stepped out of the fire completely unharmed by the flames.

He was a thin man, going bald, but obviously of western birth. What little hair he did have was a blazing ginger, exactly the same shade as Ron's. He was wearing long green robes, which looked rather travel worn. He dusted off his robes from soot and looked up at them to find Hiko's face oddly blank and Kenshin with his mouth wide open in awe.

"Ah, hello!" the man said in English. He glanced at Kenshin and smiled. "You must be Kenshin Himura. My son, Ron, has told me all about you. And you must be Kenshin's teacher, yes?" Hiko's eye twitched a little at that. No, Hiko was no teacher - he was a master. The man held out his hand. "I'm Arthur Weasley."

Hiko and Kenshin shook his hand. He gazed around the room, his eyes suddenly brightening in interest when his eyes landed on the lights – the only electricity that Hiko actually used for anything. "Oh, is that Ecklectric"

Kenshin thought he had heard him wrong, but from the look on Hiko's face that he was about to start laughing, Kenshin guessed not. Oh, he hoped Hiko would behave himself… "Do you mean… electric?" Kenshin asked hesitantly.

"That's the one!"

"O-oh, well…"

But Kenshin was saved from having to answer when the fire turned green again and, with another 'whooshing' sound; a boy stumbled through the fireplace. The boy, like his father, had bright ginger hair and was tall and gangling. His nose was long and he had freckles scattered over his nose and cheeks. He seemed to have grown even more since Kenshin had last seen him. Kenshin smiled. "Hi Ron"

Ron looked round, his eyes resting on Hiko for a moment in awe. Of course, there was only one other person either of them had ever met that rivalled Hiko in height and that was Hogwarts gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid (Known as Hagrid by his friends) who could have passed for a half-giant or something. Finally he looked over at Kenshin and grinned. "How's it going, mate"

"Is anyone else coming?" asked Kenshin, looking towards the fire.

"No. Fred and George are messing about in their rooms as usual, Percy locked himself up so far and Ginny'll be around somewhere at home I guess. I think she's helping Mom."

"Do you have your things, Kenshin," asked Mr Weasley.

"Yes, sir," Kenshin indicated his trunk and the owl that sat in its cage on top of it. "Oh and…" He fetched Errol, who blinked up at them. "As I said, here's you owl back." And handed him to Mr Weasley. He looked rather pleased to have the thing back.

"Well, I guess its time to get going." Mr Weasley said. "Unless there's anything you need to do Mr Hiko?"

Hiko shook his head. "No, my Apprentice and I sorted everything out that we need to do." Well, at least Hiko hadn't called him an idiot this time, Kenshin thought. Perhaps he was going to behave, if only for a little while.

Mr Weasley clapped his hands together happily and pulled a small bag out of his pocket. When he opened it, Kenshin saw strange, slivery coloured sand glistening in the light. He held it out to Kenshin, who stared at it cluelessly. "Ano… what do I… uh…"

Hiko hit his head with his hand and Ron seemed to remember that Kenshin was raised as a muggle, whether he was Muggle-born or not. Kenshin couldn't remember enough about his parents to know if the could have been witch and wizard. "Oh, sorry Kenshin. Dad, he's never travelled by Floo powder before."

"Oh. Never? But how did you get you things from Diagon Alley last year?"

"We got a Portkey and Hagrid took us through the streets as we were close to that invisible inn." Hiko stated.

Mr Weasleys eyes widened again when they spoke of muggle London, but before he began asking questions, Ron said, "You watch me, Kenshin and I can show you how it works, Kay?" He took a pinch of the sand from the bag and threw it onto the fire. With a roar, it burned emerald once more, rising higher than Ron. Ron stepped into the fire. "The Burrow" he shouted loudly and clearly. He vanished!

"Oro!" Kenshin gasped as he stared into the now normal fire.

"Now, you have to speak very clearly," Mr Weasley instructed. "Keep you elbows tucked in. It's best to close your eyes, as the soot might get in them. Try not to fidget, or panic, and you'll be fine."

Kenshin swallowed and nodded, taking a pinch of the sand in his hands and threw it into the fire. It jumped up once more. He hesitated, then walked into the fire. Never would he dream of doing something like this. It sort of reminded him of when he had faced Voldemort at the end of term last year. He had to run through a black fire to get to Voldemort to help Harry on the other side. However, this fire didn't feel like it would burn if it touched him. In fact, it felt a little like a warm breeze.

Kenshin glanced back at Mr Weasley. "Say, 'the Burrow'" he told him. Kenshin nodded.

"The Burrow!" he yelled. And everything vanished.

It felt like being sucked down a giant plughole. There was a roaring in his ears that made his ears feel like they were vibrating. He wanted to cover them, but he remembered what Mr Weasley had said and stayed put. At first, he attempted watching what it looked like, but the whirl of green flames as he was spinning round and round was making him feel queasy, so he screwed them up tight. Now, rather than warmth, it was like cold hands trying to grasp at him or slap his face. Kenshin squinted to see what looked like thousands and thousands of fireplaces scooting passed him. He felt as if he was slowing down a little then-

Bam! Kenshin hit the ground, but his knees gave way. He instinctively went into a defensive roll and landed on his feet several metres into somewhere he had never seen before. It looked like he had landed in a kitchen of some kind. It was a little cramped, as there was a scrubbed wooden table surrounded by chairs in the middle of the room – which Kenshin was lucky enough not to have collided into in his roll. There was a clock on a wall opposite, which seemed to have several hands and no numbers. The hands were engraved with the names of each family member. Around the edge were things like 'You're late' or 'Home' or 'at work' and, for some reason, 'Mortal peril'. Books were stacked on the mantelpiece behind him with titles like charm your own cheese, Enchantment in baking, and one-minute feasts – Its magic! Outside sun was shinning brightly through the windows. As second later, he heard a woman say, "Oh, I didn't expect you to come so soon. Here dear, lets clean you up a little bit."

Kenshin glanced up to see Mrs Weasley coming towards him. She was a rather plump woman, with a kind face that made you think the saying 'plump with love' might apply. She was wearing a flowery apron. Behind her was a girl about a year younger than Kenshin, with the same, flame-ginger coloured hair as Ron and the rest of his brothers.

Mrs Weasley lead Kenshin into the room a little more and pulled out a small brush from her apron pocket – where her wand also stuck out – and began to dust the soot from Kenshin's clothes. Kenshin blushed a little at the attention.

"Wow Kenshin! That was cool!"

Kenshin peered round Mrs Weasley to look at Ron, who was now sitting at the table. "That's the first time I've seen someone come out like that! It'd make a cool entrance."

Kenshin put a hand to his head. "Yeah, but now I feel dizzy, de gozaru…"

Ron laughed and helped him sit at the table. Just then, there was another whoosh and Hiko entered the room. Just as Kenshin thought, Hiko didn't even look as if he had turned a hair. Some people have all the luck. He was soon followed by Mr Weasley, who had brought Kenshin's trunk and Mika.

Mrs Weasley smiled. "You must be Mr Hiko?" she asked. "Welcome to the Burrow."

Hiko nodded. "Thank you. You must be Mrs Weasley."

"Molly, please," the woman smiled and Kenshin was sure he saw her blush. But then again, according to Hiko, this was fairly normal action towards him. Kenshin hoped it wouldn't go to his head.

Mrs Weasley soon began bustling about to get brunch ready for them. If felt strange to Kenshin. His mind knew he was in England at around ten o'clock, but his body still insisted it was night. Kami, he hated jet lag…

Thankfully, Ron kept him occupied by introducing Kenshin to Ginny, his little sister. Ginny, Kenshin found, was a rather likeable person, if not something of a chatterbox. Thankfully, what she had to say was quite interesting. She told him she was going to be going to Hogwarts this year – she had had her acceptance letter only a few days before, which Kenshin congratulated her on. Her Mother looked especially proud that all of her children had been accepted into Hogwarts.

"So, how have things been here?" Kenshin asked. "I'm afraid we don't get a wizard paper or anything – it'd take ages to find us anyway – so I really don't know what's been happening in the wizarding world."

"Well, nothing too drastic," Ron said as he began to cover his toast in jam. "I heard from most of the others though. Hermione seems to be all right – she's staying over summer with her parents. I think they might have gone on holiday somewhere for a week. She'll be back soon. Kaoru and Sanosuke sent a letter too, though it looked like they were fighting over who got to use the quill,"

Kenshin laughed at that, remembering his own letter from them. The letter continually switched from Kaoru's neat handwriting to Sanosuke's lazy scrawl, and often ended with a squiggle across the page where it had been snatched from the other's hand.

Ron frowned. "But, you know, I haven't heard from Harry at all. We've already sent loads of letters to see if he can stay, but he hasn't replied. Me an' the twins think its got something to do with those rotten Muggles he lives with. We thought it might be Errol, but even he doesn't mess up that much." Kenshin glanced at the grey owl, sitting on his perch by a window doubtfully. "Anyway, Mom and Dad are thinking about going round to their house if he doesn't give us an answer soon."

"I hope nothing bad happened…" Ginny said, a small blush tinting her cheeks.

It wasn't long before there was a thundering noise that came from the stairs and two identical boys appeared in the stairway. They were Ron's youngest older brothers about a year in front of them at Hogwarts, named Fred and George. They glanced at the table and their faces split into identical grins. Completed by mischievous glints in their eyes, they looked like identical, overgrown imps.

"Hello, Kenny!"

"Heard you were coming today"

"Shame we couldn't come. We were busy."

"Yes, very busy"

Kenshin still hadn't got used to the way they always seemed to finish of each other's sentences. It was impossible to think of one without the other. Hiko looked as if he wanted to rub his head. Kenshin still had to wonder why he came at all. Hiko hated people. Wouldn't be a hermit otherwise.

"Have you seen Percy at all?" Mrs Weasley asked.

"Nah. Haven't seen him since-"

"Fred! George! Where did you put my prefects badge!"

"Woops"

Kenshin, Ron and Ginny burst out laughing as they bolted from a furious Percy who stormed down the stairs after them yelling at them to come back. Kenshin could tell this was going to be one fun holiday.

TBC

Chosha's notes

Another chapter finished. what do you think? By the way, for those who like mt HP-type stories, but love action and violence, I've started a fic called Celestin. So, you could try that out, too.

Any Questions, queries or critisisms? Please review.

Next time on RKatCoS

Kenshin gets his taste of life at the burrow. One word. Chaos!

But, til' then...

Ja ne!

Chosha Kurenai xXx