Foundling Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own RK.

A/N: I borrowed Minako from my best friend, Dizzles the Dizzy. She knows I did this and is fine with it, so yeah. Anyway, on with the story!!

Notes – Hi, this is Dizzy and I'm doing a bit of work on this with my best pal Reila. Anyway, this one wanted you to know that we are mostly going off of the book Profiles and the Manga by Watsuki. Though, we are adding our own bits and pieces to character and sword techniques. Let's just say that we have decided that some character study on Kenshin and Hiko was in order and so we decided to do this. Though it was mostly Reila's idea and belongs to her mostly. But, This one does believe that you will find some of my own writing influence on the fic. Please enjoy.

Reila: This is MINE!! My idea. Well……Dizzy has added a few ideas………..but I'm the smart one of the group.

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this up. My computer decided to go and die on my so I had to get it fixed and this is what took so long…. Gomen ni….

The dawning sun –

The whisper's of souls past

Shall never poison the heart of those in hope.

Kenshin awoke, rolling out of his futon, smiling to himself when he realized he hadn't had any nightmares last night, therefore, he had not wet the bed. Shishou should be happy. He walked out into the main room, starting breakfast. He had been living with Hiko Seijuro XIII for the last few weeks and was getting used to the pattern they had picked up. Kenshin awoke with the sun as was his habit, then started breakfast. Hiko would usually already be awake, having headed out to meditate or something like that. He would come home after a few hours and eat breakfast, then would see how Kenshin was doing.

The small boy grinned to himself, looking up as his master came through the door. "Good morning, shishou."

"Do you have breakfast ready?"

"Hai." Kenshin prepared a plate for his master, setting it in front of him.

Hiko watched the child as he prepared a plate for himself, setting it aside as he cleaned up the kitchen. "Aren't you going to eat, Kenshin?"

"Hai. Once sessha finishes cleaning up."

Hiko sighed. The child had been with him for almost a month and he still hadn't let go of his slave spirit. Kenshin had began to come out of his shell, but he still acted like a slave. The child finished cleaning the kitchen and had started eating. "Listen to me, Kenshin. I'm going into town and I don't want you following me. Stay here and clean the house. Understand?"

"Hai, shishou." Kenshin bowed his head, then went back to eating his breakfast.

Hiko stood, pulling on his cloak as he walked out of the door. Maybe Minako can help me with the child. She might have an idea or two about what to do with him. Hiko shrugged and continued on the path to town. Or… maybe not…

He smirked a bit to himself, walking into a small shop on the side of the road. The walls were lined with herbs and trinkets. Other herbs hung from the ceiling, drying. Hiko sighed at the organized mess around her shop. "Minako-dono, how are you today?"

"Why do you care, boy? It's been months since you last came to see me! What the hell have you been doing?" She snapped at him, flipping her braid over one shoulder. She smirked at Hiko's sour face.

"Anyway – what will it be today? I have a nice pink umbrella for Sakura-chan…" Minako said with a raised eyebrow, everyone in town knew that Hiko was sweet on Hidori Sakura, Who just happened to be the daughter of the richest merchant in Kyoto.

Hiko sweat dropped in agitation at the older woman who mercilessly smirked at him.

"I need some advice…old woman…" Hiko said, Minako just gave him a look before she waved him into her shop. With the piles of kimono laying on the floor in random piles, it was rather hard to walk about. But somehow, Hiko did and was soon seated in the back. Minako made tea while Hiko made himself at home.

"Now then, please tell me what this visit is all about if it isn't about Sakura-chan…?" Minako asked.

"I have found a student who will carry on Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū; however…"

"Hai…?"

"He is strong for such a young boy, some bandits attacked the slavers he was traveling with and the bandits killed everyone but the boy – it just so happens that the boy was a slave as well," Hiko explained.

"Well, that might make it hard for you to train him," Minako said. She served the tea before sitting down across the table from the swords master.

"I knew that, thank you for stating the obvious," Hiko rolled his eyes.

"It helps if someone else does so that you know that you're thinking straight. I find that I mostly think in zigzag lines, don't you?" Minako asked.

"That is of no point here, what I want to know is how do I break his slave spirit?" Hiko asked.

"Ah, finally we get to the point. That is the one thing that Sakura-chan doesn't like – you always have to beat around the bush. Well, to this, I would have to tell is that you should not treat him like a slave. Give the boy a responsibility of a boy, for that is what he truly wants to be, a boy, a child with the strength of dreams and hopes that only children can imagine,"

"And, that means what…exactly…" Hiko asked.

"You'll just have to figure that one out on your own, now won't you!?" Minako grinned at him.

That damned old woman! What the hell does she know about children anyway? Hiko asked himself as he trudged up the side of the last hill one had to climb before they came to his out of the way hut. He sighed as his thoughts turned towards his pupil. For five years now, he had refused since his last apprentice had taken the philosophy of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū and turned them upside down and twisted it into something that Hiko hated with his soul. Maybe, he thought as he walked into the small hut, maybe Kenshin would turn out different…

"Shishou…?" the small red haired boy entered with a pile of dried laundry in his hands. Hiko nodded to the boy before sitting down, after he also retreived a jar of sake.

"Deshi, what do you know about swords…?" Hiko asked.

"A little," Kenshin admited.

"What do you know…?" Hiko asked, looking a bit interested.

The next morning saw Kenshin and Hiko standing in the rain; dark clouds and thunder waved at them as if both humans were old friend they had seen many times before. Neither gave the wind and rain a glance as they squared off against each other.

"To be a proper swords man, one must be at peace within themselves," Hiko said.

"Peace…?" Kenshin asked.

"Peace takes on many meanings and each are as different as the petals of a plum blossom," Hiko replied. Kenshin gave him a look and then shook his head.

"What are we going to do first, then?" Kenshin asked.

"I am going to show you the first the move of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū – and then I expect you to practice," Hiko said.

It was a blurred motion of which Kenshin honestly couldn't follow, and so that meant that he wasn't exactly sure where the strike came from. Of which sent him flying into an old oak tree. Hiko, however, hadn't moved one bit, but, a line of furrowed ground started from his spot and travelled the ten lengths to the spot Kenshin had been visiting.

"Did you see none of it?"

"Of what?" Kenshin asked.

"The first move of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryū – Doryusen. By striking the ground with my sword, and send my chi into the strike, I was able to knock you back by just the debris of the forest," Hiko explained. Kenshin stood and gave Hiko a look.

"Chi? What is that?"

"It's your swordsman spirit, that is what give a swordsman the power he needs for his techniques," Hiko patiently explained, all though he mostly found himself pissed because of it. He figured that was because he had already explained it once – why should he explain it again?

With these thoughts, he turned his back to Kenshin and started to walk off.

"When you master this move, I know you are ready," Hiko threw back to his student.

And I will know if your slave spirit has broken… he added to himself.

Kenshin watched his Master leave him; then turned towards a larg rock. Against it lay a sword that was about a foot bigger than Kenshin's smaller frame, but to his young eyes that really did not matter. For, he was given a challenge, something that he had to figure out

Buddah gives to those who ask, always remember that whenever you need help, and I or your mother are not there, Buddah will always be watching over you…the last words his father had ever given to him rang through his head as the bells of a temple would ring thorughout the country side.

Kenshin went over to the rock and picked the sword up, it was heavy, it would be harder to weild than the child swords he and his older brother Koji played with before Koji left for Isu. He hefted it a little before shaking his head. It was a real sword, he had to be respectful of the loss of life such a sword could weild.

"And now, sessha should think about the words of shishou," he muttered as he walked over to the spot his master had visited for a breif time. The furrowed earth made a path to Kenshin's tree. He hadn't realized how far it had gone, it must have taken a lot of power.

Shishou is really strong if he can do this... Kenshin thought to himself as he knelt next to the rift in the earth, sticking the blade of his sword down into it. He touched the torn earth gently, frowning, then standing. Perhaps sessha can try…. But sessha doesn't know much about chi.. Only what Father told him..

Kenshin sat crosslegged on the ground, calming himself, drawing on the chi that he knew about, then standing, picking up his sword. He slammed it into the ground like Hiko had, but nothing happened. Now what?

He sighed, sliding the sword back into its sheath. He took it back to the house, setting it inside the door as he walked in. Hiko looked up as he came in.

"I see that you failed to master the first move." He said to the small boy.

Kenshin's head fell with the insult. "Sumani shishou. I tried… but… I couldn't."

"Then you didn't really try." Hiko grunted. "Anyway, shut up and make dinner. I'm hungry."

"Yes sir…." Kenshin pulled the stuff out to make the dinner, starting it. He kept his eyes down, looking at the floor, not ever looking at Hiko.

This child…he's so…he such a slave. I hope I can break this slave spirit. Hiko remembered something that Minako had said earlier. "Deshi, what… what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I want to be strong." The child replied softly, setting the food in front of Hiko, then sitting down.

"You can eat." Hiko said, exasperated. Kenshin jumped slightly, then picked up a bowl of rice. "I mean, did you want to be a farmer or a daimyo or what?"

"I wanted to be a samurai. A strong samurai who could help the weak. I wanted to be like my father."

"Tell me more about your family."

"My dad was a samurai once… but then his daimyo was killed and he was disgraced. He lost his standing and became a farmer."

"Do you have any siblings?" Hiko smiled a bit, glad to be extracting some sort of information from the boy.

"I have three older brothers. Two of them are much older than I am. They're already samurai. My other brother is only five years older than I am. He and I played a lot together wne we were younger. Before….before my… my parents died."

"How did your parents die?"

"They got chlora. It hit my village hard and killed a bunch of people." Kenshin filled his bowl a second time, looking up at Hiko for an ok. When the older swordsman nodded, the boy took a bite, then continued. "Because of my looks, I was sold into slavery. They thought I was a demon child."

Hiko watched Kenshin as the child grew quiet. He finished his second bowl of rice, then gathered up the dishes, cleaning them. "Kenshin, I want you to go into town tomorrow and buy some more supplies."

"I…don't have any money."

Hiko tossed the boy a small bag of money. "Here. This is all I'm giving you, so use it well."

"Yes sir." Kenshin walked to his room, changing into his yukata, setting the money ontop of his folded clothes. He crawled into bed, passing into the darkness of sleep, excited that his master had given him something to do the next morning.

A/N: Once again, sorry I didn't post earlier. And also if it goes slower than normally, then I'm sorry. I'm also doing National Novel Writer's Month, so I have to type for that as well as doing school…. This may not be one of the most important things right now, but I will try to keep it up!!