A/N : Standard disclaimers apply.
He didn't know how long it had been since he sat there but the sky had darkened and the sun had disappeared. There was a stillness to his surroundings that almost made it seem like the world understood his need for the silence. He had a good lot of things to think through, delicate things he needed to handle precariously, careful decisions demanding to be made, but as he sat cloaked in the darkness, his mind was strangely silent.
Of late, he found that happened often and he welcomed it. Having had something or the other haunting his thoughts through waking hours and sleep alike, this new sense of quiet where his mind blanked out was much appreciated.
"Kenshin!"A voice shouted, impatience clearly indicating that he had already been called for a couple of times at least.
The world slid back into focus as he roused himself but when a new voice reached him, he wished desperately that he could simply stay in the minute that had already passed.
"Honestly Himura, will you quit daydreaming already?" The voice of Makimachi Misao was painful to hear.
The disorientation that came upon him was immediate and he froze. Memories of a handsome swordsman whom he had had tea with only three weeks ago came to his mind and the loss of Shinomori Aoshi hit him hard. The tentative relationship they had begun soon after Shishiyo's death had actually been nurtured into proper friendship by the young girl who was currently calling out to him at that very minute.
"Kenshin?" a gentler voice called, now a note of worry having crept in.
"Hai" He mumbled as he willed himself to move.
"Is everything alright?" Kaoru questioned, her keen eyes studying him.
He couldn't lie but he knew Saito wanted to be the one to inform Misao. As a partner on the mission that had killed Aoshi, the man viewed it as his responsibility and Kenshin wouldn't insult that sentiment.
"Oro?" He made himself say, taking the easy way out of the situation that had been sprung on him.
"You see me after all this time and the best you can say is oro? Himura i'm going to-" Misao was threatening but the words somehow did not register.
"This one did not expect to see you Misao-san" Kenshin admitted, managing a smile that he supposed would look constipated if nothing worse.
The young girl in her final year of teenage however did not seem to notice anything. Instead she smiled brightly.
"Well of course you didn't. This was meant to be a surprise" She said, sounding extremely pleased.
"This one is surprised" Kenshin managed, even as he thought fast of what he was to do next.
"Yes but I do hope Aoshi-sama reacts better than this, even the punk gave me a better greeting Himura! I'm disappointed in you. Especially considering-"
Misao was still talking and for once Kenshin was glad she didn't speak less than two sentences at a time. He needed the time to compose his next answer.
"Who are you calling a punk you weasel?" Yahiko demanded angrily.
"Does it matter? Are we going to the Akabeko or not?" Sano questioned
"How desperate are you for free food?" Kaoru asked him
While they bickered among themselves, Kenshin had decided that he couldn't put it off anymore.
"Actually this one doesn't think we should go to the Akabeko tonight" he intervened.
The opposition that met such a simple statement was profound, Kaoru even began informing him that it was his own fault for having disappeared without cooking any dinner.
"All the same, we should head back now, that we should" Kenshin said, letting a little seriousness slip into his voice.
They were quick to pick up on it and their expressions instantly began to morph again.
"Whats going on Kenshin?" Sano asked, all business.
Kenshin sighed, his exhaustion catching him off guard. This was going to be a long night...
"We should get to the dojo first, that we should" He said tiredly.
"Kenshin-" Kaoru began hesitantly
"Please Kaoru-dono" he interrupted and she immediately nodded with agreement. It wasn't everyday he cut someone off.
As one the group turned back around, their expression now much more sober as they each silently wondered what could be going on.
"Aren't you coming Kenshin?" Yahiko questioned.
"This one will join you soon" He replied.
"But-" Yahiko began to protest when he simply shook his head.
"Damn you Himura, can't you just spit it out?" Misao mumbled.
When he stood without moving, she sighed and the group once again began to move, this time much more worried. Sano however seemed to have no intention of going along and Kenshin did not have the energy to argue.
"Sano, can you please go fetch Megumi-dono?" Kenshin asked, even as he let his hair fall over his eyes.
"The Kitsune? Why? Kenshin-" Sano began to ask but the shorter man turned and began walking away.
It wasn't in his place to say anything and he supposed having Saito break the news would indeed make it easier on him. The thought made Kenshin pause for a second, the sheer absurdity of it catching him off guard.
But Sano was still watching him and he forced himself to keep walking.
Aoshi Shinomori opened his eyes at the sound of approaching footsteps.
His current companion had allowed him his space the entire day and the Okashira had of course used it to meditate and attempt to find answers to the new questions that had come up since arriving here.
Most of them being why he was here, what having Souji Okita for company meant, where his men were, if Misao knew yet and most of all what he had been thinking when he decided to get in the line of fire.
Admittedly, the concept of his own death needed a little time to wrap his mind around and whether it was courtesy or the shock of another's presence that had kept the other man away this long, Aoshi didn't know.
But the shoji door slid open after a soft knock and unsurprisingly revealed a perfectly composed man with his ki carefully masked.
"Care to join me for dinner Shinomori-san?" He asked politely.
Dinner? Aoshi made no response. Food wasn't something you expect in afterlife but now that he thought about it, he had been greeted to the smell of something burning earlier in the morning…
Okita watched the man rise and as he turned to lead the way, a small smile tugged his lips.
He knew the other must have been surprised at the least, he had been when he first arrived but if the younger man - counting by their age during the Bakumatsu that is - wanted to remain stoic and emotionless…
Well, I could certainly use a challenge the former captain decided, completely unaware of the impossibility of getting proper reactions from the man following behind him.