It was hardly past early morning and Hiko was already in a bad mood. It wasn't because of the sake either. That he was used to. No, he was irked because he'd just discovered that although he'd already been on the road for an hour, he had a very long journey ahead of him.

Hiko had risen just after the sun, as he usually did, and eaten a rather bland bowl of miso soup for breakfast, as he was mysteriously out of rice. Already an inauspicious start to his day. He'd taken the road into town, enjoying the crisp morning air and the scent of spring. After painstakingly avoiding conversations with the much-too-friendly local merchants (some might say he rudely ignored their salutations), Hiko came at last to the stall of the fish monger he knew Kenshin was fond of.

"Ohayou, Hiko-kun!" And that was the reason Hiko was not so fond of the man. Yes, Hiko was younger than the merchant, but what in kami's name made him think it was acceptable to address a master swordsman as kun?

"Oi," Hiko said grudgingly.

"What brings you into town?" The man asked. "I usually see your apprentice running errands for you!" Hiko didn't miss the shrewd look of curiosity in the man's eyes. He'd get right to the point then.

"I'm not here to patronize, Tanaka-san. I know Arimura Jisaemon's been in town recently. Can you tell me anything regarding his whereabouts?" Tanaka's shoulders hunched unconsciously.

"He's good business, but I question that man's motives. I saw Ken-kun talking with one of his associates just the other day, Yoshinobu-kun if I remember correctly, and the boy looked far too interested in what he had to say. Surely he didn't-"

"Do you know where they're staying?" Hiko interrupted, patience wearing thin. This was why he hated interacting with people. They couldn't just answer a simple question, they had to make conversation, and act as if they cared.

Hiko's usual terse manner had the desired effect, and Tanaka replied in a stiff voice, "I heard he and his men were at an inn nearby, but there's been talk that they left town yesterday-," Hiko cursed and pounded his fist on the stall's table, causing Tanaka to jump. "Hiko-kun, please control yourself! You realize you terrify people with that manner of yours?"

Of course he did. That was the point. And it looked as if Tanaka needed some more terrifying if Hiko was ever going to get a full story from him before noon.

"Anyway, I think they left for Edo, at least that's what the rumors say!" Tanaka finished quickly as Hiko's look suggested imminent pain if he wasn't answered soon.

"Edo?" Hiko scowled. Of course they'd have to make this difficult. And they already had two days head start on him.

"Yes, and I hear they made quite a racket, bringing a wagon with them." Tanaka shook his head. "Who travels to Edo with a wagon?"

"Someone with something to hide." Hiko growled.

"Do you think Ken-kun has fallen in with those ruffians?" Tanaka asked, and Hiko wondered passingly why the man cared so much about the little trouble-spot. "He seems an intelligent boy, you'd think he would avoid their type."

"You'd think, wouldn't you?" Hiko snorted as he silently considered his options. If Jisaemon and Yoshinobu were traveling with a wagon, Hiko could be sure that they were on the Tokaidou road, and weren't trying to carve out a path through the forest. At least it wouldn't be hard to pick up information on them as he traveled.

Tokaidou road it was then. "Thank you for your time, Tanaka-san."

Hiko's cloak billowed impressively as he turned, and as he continued on his way he heard Tanaka's voice drift after him, "Maybe you'd like to buy some fish when you return?"

Hiko pretended not to hear him.

***

The Tokaidou road served as the main thoroughfare from Kyoto to Edo. As such, it was frequently traveled, and closely-spaced way points made the long trip bearable. Not that this mattered to the 13th master of Hiten Mitsurugi; he stopped far less frequently than the average traveler. By midday Hiko had passed Otsu and Kusatsu, and he hadn't planned on bedding down for the night until he reached Sakashita, still a considerable distance away. The blackened ruins of the next town he came to screamed at him to stop though.

If Hiko had been the emotional sort, he might have gasped at the incongruous sight. Both sides of the road were lined with buildings, but the entire left side was a charred parody of the right. Somehow, a few sad remnants of walls and floors managed to retain their shape, their skeletons shaking unsteadily with every breath of air that touched them.

As it was, Hiko simply halted and analyzed the sight, narrowed eyes flicking from one side of the road to the other. He had been through Ishibe a few times before; it was only a day's travel from Kyoto, so it was a convenient place to rest. The business that Ishibe had built over the years made it a popular as well as convenient location, and it was now one of the largest towns along the Toukaidou road. Important political figures and soldiers were always staying in Ishibe's well-to-do inns so any damage the town suffered wouldn't stay unfixed for long.

Which meant the fire that had burned half the town to the ground had happened very recently. In fact, now that he looked closer, Hiko could see several small groups of men already at work clearing the rubble. It would take a lot of time and labor, but he bet that by the end of the year no one would be able to tell that half of Ishibe had met a fiery demise. The question Hiko wanted answered was how a busy, thriving town let a fire, something so dangerous to their livelihood, get so out of control.

He must have been standing there for a bit because Hiko felt eyes on him. It was only a curious glance, someone wondering why he was just standing there instead of going about his business. Still, he should keep moving before he drew too much attention to himself.

Undoubtedly the entire town could tell him the particulars of the fire, so Hiko walked into the first building he came to, a shop that advertised good exchange rates. As he pushed aside the faded red noren that covered the doorway, he was greeted simultaneously by the annoying jangle of chimes and a curt voice.

"If you're coming to take out a loan don't bother, my reserves have run out."

Hiko let his eyes adjust to the relative darkness of the room. "I'm sure I could convince you to forward me money if that's what I was here for, but it's not."

He saw the broker's eyebrows lift at his boldness, and his eyes roved over Hiko, resting on the sword at his side. He laughed then. "Perhaps you could. What can I help you with then?"

"I have reason to believe some−acquaintances−of mine passed through here a day or so ago. I'm looking for somebody who can confirm that for me."

"A few days ago?" The broker's face was guarded now. "Just how much of an acquaintance are they?"

"Let's just say there's no goodwill between us at the moment." Hiko said.

"Hm. Many people come through here on a daily basis, you know. You'd be better off asking-"

"I think they might be the cause of your fire." Hiko interrupted.

"Oh? And how would that interest you?" The broker's tone was thoughtful.

"As I said, there's no goodwill between us. When was the town burnt?"

"Only yesterday, before lunch hour. It was quite a catastrophe."

"The place that it started, are there any survivors that could say exactly how it happened?"

"Oh, no one died. A few badly burned but they're recovering as well as can be expected. If you want details you should talk to Kato Saburo, he ran the Shijoya, the inn where the fire started."

"Where can I find him?"

"Just two houses down." The broker lowered his gaze to a stack of notes in front of him, and taking that as a sign that the conversation was over, Hiko left.

Hiko's destination was a small but respectable-looking inn, and he was greeted as soon as he walked through the doorway with a bow. "How may we help you, honored guest?"

"I'm looking for Kato-san."

The formally cheerful greeter now looked as if he wanted to be anywhere but here. "Kato Saburo? May I ask what purpose you have with him?" He asked, nervousness seeping from his voice.

"I was told by your money lender that it was his inn that the fire started."

"Yes, it was . . . what exactly did you want to speak to him about?"

"I want to know how the fire started." Hiko growled. "Let me speak with him or I'll forego courtesy and find his room without your help."

It was an ambiguous threat at best but it moved the man into action. "I'm sure he'll be happy to talk with you, please, follow me." He led Hiko behind a curtained doorway at the back of the room and gestured at a slender, well-dressed man standing over a table. "Kato-san, you have a visitor."

The man at the table looked up, and Hiko saw he had been standing in front of a young boy who appeared to be studying. "A visitor?"

"He wants to speak with you about the fire." Hiko's guide said, and with a hasty bow, the man raced from the room, leaving Hiko alone with the boy and a startled-looking Kato. Hiko didn't move to bridge the short distance between them but began talking.

"Excuse me if I'm interrupting. I hear the fire that burned half of Ishibe to the ground started in your inn, and I'm curious how that happened."

Kato and the boy−it must be his son, they could almost pass as twins−exchanged a glance. "We were just finishing." Kato said. He spoke softly to the boy then, who got up and left the room with a scowl. Hiko saw that his arm was in a sling. "I'd rather my son not be a part of this." Kato said after the boy had left. "Heiji and I have had a rough couple of days."

"I understand. So is it true?"

"Yes. The fire started in one of my inns. I didn't see it happen, but one of my cooks told me." Kato heaved a sigh. "It was very unexpected, you see. We've had trouble before but never like this. It wasn't even the men staying with us who started it!"

"No?" Hiko waited for him to elaborate.

"No. It's my fault, really. I asked one of the men's sons to spar with Heiji. They were a strange pair, now that I think about it, looked nothing alike. Anyway, the boy−went crazy for a moment, I suppose. His father said he wasn't quite right in the head. He just lit into Heiji. Broke the poor boy's arm, and cracked two ribs. And with only a shinai!"

"A shinai?" Hiko asked sharply. He only knew one boy with a technique powerful enough to break bones with a shinai. "What did the boy look like?"

"Oh, he had the strangest red hair. And he was so small, I was surprised at his sword skills. His fighting was so logical, I found it hard to believe he wasn't right in the head."

Hiko's instincts hadn't failed him; they had taken Kenshin. Hiko was positive that Yoshinobu and Jisaemon's destination was Edo, but whether or not they planned on taking Kenshin the entire way remained to be seen.

Kato's gaze had drifted down to the katana at Hiko's side. "Well, the boy ran off after that, with his poor father calling after him, and ended up breaking into another of my inns further down the road. I was still attending Heiji, but one of my cooks told me there was a horrible swordfight and the boy somehow destroyed one of the ovens."

At least Kenshin had the sense to fight when the opportunity arose. And from the sound of it, his training hadn't quite gone to hell. Hiko quickly suppressed the unexpected rise of pride by reminding himself why his baka deshi was in this situation to begin with.

Kato was gazing towards the doorway despondently, as if he could see the charred ruins of his inn across the street. "I suppose there was just so much commotion that the fire didn't get noticed until too late."

"What happened to the boy?" Hiko could guess, but better to have confirmation.

"Oh, they found him somewhere," Kato waved a hand vaguely. "He must've fainted dead away after so much excitement. I saw someone carrying him in the street just before they left, he looked rather rough." Kato was looking away and missed the flash of anger in Hiko's eyes.

"You've been extremely helpful. I have one more question. Do you know where this man and his son were headed?"

"I assume Edo. That's where most everyone goes. They were only here a short time though and weren't free with their words. Edo's your best bet." Kato paused, then met Hiko's eyes. "You don't just carry that sword for show, do you?" It was more statement than question.

"No."

"When you find them, share my displeasure, will you? And . . . tell the boy I'm sorry we couldn't help."

So the man wasn't an idiot; just a coward. "Gladly." Hiko said. He turned to leave but Kato spoke again, his words taking Hiko by surprise.

"Is he your son?"

It would have been simple to just say no. "What makes you ask that?"

"Your eyes. They have the same look."

"Really?" Hiko mused thoughtfully, almost to himself. It was an intriguing, if somewhat worrying, observation. "He's not my son. Just a student."

"Well . . . Ganbatte."

Hours after leaving Ishibe, Kato's remark still rang in Hiko's mind.

Noren - those curtains that Japanese people like to hang in their doorways. They can be long curtains or just short ones that you can walk/duck under.

Wow, for once I had nothing to say at the start of the chapter. *gasp* I really do love writing Hiko. Talented narcissists are so likeable when they're not real. Actually, what am I saying, they're likeable when they are real. Just impossible to live with.

Trick question: Think Hiko can find his baka deshi before things get too bad at Edo castle?

Answer: Ah, TBD my friends!

t42and24t2: Well thanks! I was actually pretty happy with that chapter myself. Hiko's reaction is coming, he's just warming up in this chapter. As for choosing a side . . . we'll see. ;)

Ayesha: Wow, I'm flattered! I'd love to see your finished work!