Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

Oh for crying out loud! How hard is it to write a bloody funeral scene! This funeral is seriously kicking my ass, so once more, I'm going to have to apologize for delaying it for a bit. I'm not sure exactly why writing the funeral is so hard; too many bad memories, perhaps…and maybe because trying to find information on funerals from that era is extremely difficult. BTW: I want to thank omasuoniwabanshi for the information she was nice enough to send me on traditional Japanese funerals. Thank you so much! The funeral should be in the next chapter for certain (but with my luck…). This chapter contains my first try at a bit of an action scene (Hiko and the samurai didn't count – too quick) so hopefully I didn't do too bad… and also some stuff dealing with Kenshin's abilities.

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Only the Beginning

Written by lolo popoki

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Chapter 9: Changes

When Okami rapped on the shoji the next morning, inquiring as to whether he wanted breakfast, Hiko had already been up for several hours. He had dozed fitfully for most of the night…unable to get much sleep after his unsettling experience that evening. An experience that had left him slightly on edge, and still somewhat fatigued by the time she arrived.

Stepping out into the hallway, Hiko closed the shoji carefully behind him, considerately sparing the woman from catching sight of Kenshin's body.

Okami's sad gaze lingered briefly on the shut door, before turning to the swordsman and bowing respectfully.

"Hiko-san," she murmured. "Breakfast is going to be served shortly. Katsura-san wished to ask you if you would mind eating with him in his quarters." The woman paused briefly. "If you would prefer not too, I can arrange for a meal to be brought up to your room."

"No need for that," Hiko responded quietly. "Katsura's room will be fine."

She nodded. "Katsura-san is currently out at the moment, with some last minute preparations, but he will be with you shortly, if you would care to wait for him there."

"Arigatou, Okami-san."

Bowing again, Okami walked silently down the hall, and disappeared around the corner.

Hiko sighed wearily, the last of his tension draining away. The funeral was supposed to be held around midmorning. Before too much longer, it would be all over. He would be heading back to his secluded cabin, with Kenshin's ashes, to resume his dreary, miserable existence. The swordsman closed his eyes for a moment, a sudden feeling of loneliness washing over him. He was not looking forward to his return; the empty hut would seem even emptier, knowing that Kenshin would never step foot in it again…

Oh Kenshin…

With a forlorn glance back at his deshi's room, Hiko turned and headed in the same direction Okami had gone, altering his course slightly to arrive at the Choshu commander's room. He paused to knock briefly, making sure the room was indeed vacant, before sliding the door open and entering. With a soft sigh, he drifted toward the window and gazed out appreciatively at the inn's neatly kept garden. Even in the chill, bareness of winter, the elegant and fragile appearance of the carefully tended trees and hedges was somehow soothing. In spring, with the trees in full bloom, the view most likely would be quite beautiful. Idly, Hiko wondered if Kenshin had ever been able to relax enough to enjoy the lovely sight in front of him.

Smiling wistfully at the peaceful scene, the swords-master let his mind drift, bringing back fond memories of his little red-headed apprentice.

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Kenshin had stayed away from the inn for the remainder of the night, just wandering the city, carefully mulling over Tomoe's words. Now that he had gotten over his initial shock and subsequent resolution, he was trying to work out how exactly he was going to go about his new mission.

What can I do to help people as a ghost? If Shishou refuses… what do I do? I know I do have some ability to interact with my environment, but how can I use that to my advantage?

By the time the sun had risen, he still hadn't come up with any useful ideas. Groaning in frustration, he yanked on the end of his topknot.

"Concentrate, baka! How can I make this work for me?"

Still nothing. The ghost sighed, shaking his head in disgust, and decided maybe it was time to head back to the inn. His funeral was supposed to be held sometime after breakfast, and in view of what Tomoe had said, he wanted to keep an eye on his master during what was most likely going to be a difficult experience for the older man.

I never realized…how much Shishou really cared for me. He never really showed it when I was growing up; I was actually beginning to wonder why he bothered to adopt me in the first place...

Walking down the street, Kenshin suddenly paused as he caught sight of movement on one of the roofs. Deciding to take advantage of his invisibility, he leapt up onto the edge of a neighboring rooftop and silently made his way over to where he had noticed the slight motion. The red-head was surprised by what he discovered.

A ninja! What's he doing out in the day? Isn't he worried that someone might see him?

Following the ninja's line of sight, all he could see was a small temple across the street. Kenshin suddenly stiffened in shock, as four familiar men exited the building.

"Katsura!" he gasped in alarm, as he saw the ninja abruptly shift, drawing out a handful of shuriken. In a moment of blind panic, the ghost didn't even think, as he reached out his hand, and shoved the ninja as hard as he could, before the man could hurl the deadly weapons.

Flailing wildly, the startled man lost his balance, and fell off the roof with a pained yelp, catching the attention of Katsura and his three bodyguards. Swearing viciously, the ninja leapt to his feet and drew the short sword strapped to his back, as two of the guards ran forward, the third staying behind with the commander. Tsuji reached the attacker first, bringing his katana around to deflect the ninja's blade, while trying to use his wakizashi to pierce the man's side.

However, the ninja swiftly dropped low to the ground, easily avoiding both strikes, and darted forward to slash at the guard's legs. Tsuji barely managed to dodge, the blade slicing through his hakama, while the other guard attempted to take advantage of the ninja's distraction to press his own attack. Again, the agile man easily sidestepped the sword's path, kicking out with his foot and catching the other man right beneath the ribcage.

Kenshin watched in horror as the young soldier doubled over, unable to breathe…leaving him helpless as the ninja once again rushed forward, his blade flashing, ready to slice open his opponent… Desperately, the red-head flew towards him, dropping to the ground and knocking the ninja's legs out from under him with a sweep kick.

With a startled cry, the ninja stumbled clumsily; and the blow that was meant to behead the guard, merely cut across the young man's left shoulder instead. Tsuji quickly stepped forward and ran the attacker through before he could regain his balance.

"Yuasa!" he cried, kneeling down next to the wounded man. "How bad is it?"

The other guard shook his head weakly, his hand tightly gripping his bloody shoulder, as he smiled up at his friend. "I don't think it's too bad, so don't worry about it."

"Baka," Tsuji muttered, relieved. "Be careful next time; we don't need to be losing anyone else right now…" He reached out and grabbed his friend by his uninjured arm and helped him to stand up.

Katsura and the third guard hurried over, warily keeping an eye out for any more threats. Concerned, the Ishin Shishi leader examined Yuasa's wound carefully, murmuring apologies as the young man flinched from his superior's prodding.

"This may not be too serious, but it is bleeding badly," Katsura said. "We should hurry back to the inn and get the doctor to fix this up quickly." He sighed heavily. He shot an irritated glare at the motionless ninja, and glanced back over at the temple. "Damn…this changes everything. Looks like we're going to need an alternate plan."

Tsuji nodded gloomily, and turned to assist his friend as the four men hastened down the road.

During their conversation, Kenshin had remained standing over the ninja's body, staring down with a troubled expression on his face.

Does this count as killing? I may not have cut him with my own sword…but my actions caused his death… Have I broken my oath already?

Stricken, Kenshin buried his face in his hands, and started to turn away, but abruptly froze as he heard a sharp gasp from the supposedly lifeless man.

He's not dead!

Staring wide-eyed, he saw the ninja roll over on his side and start coughing. Blood spattered the ground in front of him.

That might not last much longer though... How can I help him? Wait…should I help him? He did just try to kill Katsura-san…

He straightened, his eyes set in stubborn determination. His mission was to help people, and enemy or not, this ninja was still a person. But what could he do…? Thinking furiously, he suddenly recalled that there was a clinic not too far from his location. Running back down the street, he stopped in front of the clinic's entrance, and hesitated uncertainly.

Now what do I do?

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Still reminiscing, Hiko found himself blinking back tears.

Damn it… I'm so tired. It's making me way too emotional.

Starting to turn away from the window, he suddenly noticed a commotion at the far end of the garden. Katsura and three of his bodyguards had just rushed through the gate, and were trying to catch their breath. One of the guards was clutching at his left shoulder, where Hiko could clearly see a growing red stain beneath his hand.

What the hell!

Alarmed, Hiko cast out his senses for hostile ki, but couldn't sense anything close to the inn. Apparently, the guards had taken care of the problem already.

He watched as Katsura sent Tsuji off with the injured man, most likely to find the doctor, and began speaking urgently with the group of soldiers that had rushed out of the inn when they saw the disturbance. After a moment, they scattered off to perform whatever tasks that they had been assigned, and Katsura stayed behind to speak briefly with Okami, who looked distressed. She shook her head at something he said, and with a quick bow, she hurried away. The commander headed for the inn with a slightly relieved expression on his face.

I wonder what that was all about?

Concerned, Hiko turned to face the door when he sensed the other man's troubled ki approaching. Katsura entered the room a few minutes later, his expression frustrated.

"What happened out there?" Hiko asked anxiously.

Katsura clenched his fists, as he began pacing angrily. "We were attacked by a ninja on the way back from the temple," he growled. "Looks like we're going to have a change in our plans. The services are going to have to be held here in the inn's courtyard, instead. We don't know how much enemy activity is in that area, so it's much too dangerous to risk having a funeral procession." Katsura scowled. "Damn it!"

Hiko's fatigue started to return, and he sighed wearily. "Is this going to be a problem? I'm sure my idiot student would care less, whether his services are held in a temple or not."

The smaller man stopped his restless pacing, and shook his head slightly, his anger fading. "No, it's not really a problem…I've talked it over with Okami-san, and she doesn't mind if we hold it at the inn. The preparations are being dealt with, and I'm arranging to have the priest brought back here. It's just…it's just that I wanted to give Himura-san a proper funeral…he deserved that much at least," he murmured unhappily. "It's bad enough that we had to rush things along like we did." The Ishin Shishi leader rubbed his face tiredly. "This damn war is just taking too much of our time and effort…"

He glanced over at the swords-master, finally noticing his own haggard appearance. He gave him a wry smile. "You look like you got about as much sleep as I did. Rough night?" he asked sympathetically.

Hiko glanced away uncomfortably. "I'm fine…" he muttered.

Katsura shot him a skeptical look. He started to say something, but was interrupted by the arrival of a servant girl with the breakfast trays. Sighing, he smiled slightly. "Oh well, I guess we might as well eat while we wait for any news."

They ate their meal in silence, both men lost in their respective thoughts. After they finished, Katsura placed the trays outside the door. Settling back down, he stared at his distracted companion for a long moment.

"Are you really all right?" he asked with some concern. "Forgive me if I sound rude, but you look terrible."

"I'm fine," Hiko said again, with a slight edge to his voice. Looking up at the commander's troubled expression, he relented somewhat. "I just want to get this over with," he sighed.

"Understandable," Katsura murmured gently. "I imagine this last minute delay is not helping, either. It might be late afternoon by the time the funeral is underway."

Hiko groaned.

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What do I do! I have to hurry!

Scanning his surroundings frantically, Kenshin's gaze finally rested on a small stick lying on the ground.

"Ah!"

With intense concentration, the red-haired ghost managed to pick up the stick, and began scratching a message into the ground, grateful that this area had dirt roads. Jamming the stick into the packed earth so it stood up straight, he turned and pounded loudly on the door.

After a moment, a middle aged man slid open the door and poked his head out. Not seeing anyone, he frowned slightly and went back inside.

"Damn it!" Kenshin growled in frustration. He pounded again on the door.

The man slid the door open almost immediately, and stepped outside, glaring around.

"All right you! Stop this foolish…" He broke off, as he took notice of the upright stick in the ground and saw the words written in the dirt. "What the…?"

The ghost waited impatiently as the man knelt down and carefully read the message, anxiously wondering if the ninja was even still alive by now.

Finished reading, the older man stuck his head through the open door and called for someone inside. A much younger man, obviously the doctor's son, stepped out of the building. After a hurried conversation, the two ran down the road in the direction that Kenshin had indicated in the note, the spirit keeping pace right behind them.

Skidding to a halt when they caught sight of the injured figure, the two men approached cautiously, and knelt beside him to assess the damage.

At first, Kenshin was afraid they were too late, as the man was so still; but he was reassured to see that the man was still breathing, although rather shallowly. The ninja was merely unconscious.

Father and son carefully lifted the man from the ground, supporting his weight between them, and headed back to the clinic.

"Father," the young man said quietly. "Do you think he'll make it?"

Kenshin waited restlessly for the answer.

The older man smiled. "Aa," he murmured. "It may take a bit of work, but I think he just might pull through."

Dazed, the ghost stood staring, as the clinic door closed behind the three men.

I did it…

Sagging in relief, Kenshin actually grinned, feeling almost giddy from his successful endeavor. This feeling… he hadn't felt anything like it since before he had left the mountain…such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment! As the ghost closed his eyes, an odd sensation building up inside him, he threw his head back…and for the first time in almost five years, Himura Kenshin laughed.

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Terry-McElrath: That was such a wonderful review! I am really glad you're still enjoying this fic! As for when Hiko and Kenshin finally meet face-to-face, it will probably be in the next chapter, some time after the funeral. Also, I think I'll actually reveal who the artist is as well. Quite a few people have been asking about him, so what the heck.

Nekotsuki: Yeah, I had Tomoe make an appearance. How could I not, really? I think it's almost required in this situation :) Thanks again for the Kiyosato correction! Still haven't fixed it yet…I'm lazy :)

Ellie: Yup! Interesting twist indeed! Do you approve?

Sailor-Earth13: I'm glad you find it interesting! Hope you continue to enjoy it!

Night-Owl123: I got a real kick out of imagining that painting…glad you liked it! I don't know about meeting the Kenshin-gumi quite yet, but I am thinking of including Saitou in some way.

Peacebunnie: Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you like it so far! You find it addicting? Wow…I'm flattered!

xZig-zagx: I'm so glad you're still enjoying my story! I put a lot of thought into Tomoe's character, so I'm hoping I managed it okay. Glad you liked the painting too! Did they take your story down again? Bastards… (growls)

SiriusFan13: Thank you! Your favorite chapter so far? I have to admit, after rereading it a couple times, I think I'm actually happy with it now. I wasn't quite sure before. Thanks again for your Saitou suggestion!

A lilmatchgirl: I see you've changed your name… I don't have Kenshin jealous of Kiyosato, because all he wanted was for Tomoe to be happy; and if she's happy with her fiancée, that's good enough for him. I like Tomoe too; I never understood why so many people hated her so much… That movie, "Ghost"… I don't remember a whole lot of it, because I saw it so long ago; but when you mentioned it, I remembered that one scene where he and Demi Moore are playing with the clay. That just brought up a rather disturbing image in my head, you know, what with Hiko being a potter…Oh God… ((shudders and starts slamming head against the wall))

Blaze Coyotlhart: Welcome back! I know what you mean about having your parents monopolizing the computer… My dad used to practically live on the net! Unfortunately he died last year…I would much rather fight him for the computer… Anyway, to answer your question: I'm still not sure if I'm going to bring him back or not, but going back in time to change events, would negate everything he accomplished, so definitely not something like that…

Rabid Turtle: I'm glad you liked the Tomoe/Kenshin interaction! I put a lot of thought into that, so I'm glad I seem to have pulled it off.

omasuoniwabanshi: I'm so happy you still like this story! The story is kind of a mix between the two of them, but yeah, Hiko is going to be something of the main focus. He's one of my favorite characters too, and I was always disappointed that he wasn't really given much time in the series. Thanks again, so much, for your assistance on the funeral issue! I was going crazy trying to find anything at all, and that article was very helpful.

a.k.a. Arashi: Thanks again for your nice review! I'm really glad you like the direction this fic is headed. Hiko really needs to get off that mountain and actually do something with his life! The reunion should be in the next chapter, but I'm not guaranteeing anything, seeing how that usually ends up…

Ridicully L: Thanks for reviewing! Glad you liked the pictures!

Swirly: Thanks! Yeah, it's kinda sad, but hopefully once Hiko and Kenshin are reunited, I'll have more humor in it. Not sure if I'm going to bring Kenshin back to life or not yet…but don't expect anything soon anyway. He'll be a ghost for a while.

JaneDrew: Thank you for reviewing again! I'm glad you still like the story and that you enjoyed the paintings! Don't know about bringing the Kenshin-gumi in yet, but it's an idea I'm not discarding at this point. Although with Hiko's involvement, things might not exactly be the same…

Kkwy: Glad you like it! Thank you so much for reviewing!

Rubber Shuriken: Eeep! So sorry! Hope this chapter will suffice for now…

Freda Potter: I'm happy you liked the paintings! And I'm glad that I managed to do a good job with Tomoe…she's tricky to write.