Ruroni-chan: My editors are being quiet these days… well one at least… (Looks over at Gerry-sama who's on his cell, and typing on his computer) Of course Gerry-sama is talking to his boss, demanding I post, and making sure my mother knows the trouble I've been causing…

Gerry-sama: That reminds me… RURONI! POST THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!

Ruroni-chan: KISS IT!!! I AM!!! (Turns back) Sorry about that… Well I'll get straight to it since the workaholic and the silent one are busy, Please read review and enjoy!

A week passed, and Hiraru was still quiet. She ate little, but her body was healing, the fading bruises were proof of that. Megumi was checking her ribs. "You need to talk to Kenshin and the others," She pressed, for the umpteenth time.

"Kenshin already understands, he can explain it to the others," Hiraru replied for the umpteenth time.

Megumi took a deep breath, "He doesn't know your mind. He can't give them the answers they need." Hiraru was silent. "I've invited them here this afternoon." Megumi waited for a reaction, but got none. "You can talk to them one at a time, or at the same time, but you will see them. You're almost strong enough to leave, though you might not want to walk until your feet have fully healed, but you will be able to go back to the dojo."

She stood, taking the dirtied bandages, "They'll be arriving soon, I don't know if Sanosuke will be with them or not, but you need to speak to them each in turn." She left it at that and walked out, letting the younger woman pout all she wanted.

Kenshin, Yahiko, Kaoru, and an unhappy Sano showed up within the half hour. Once they arrived, Megumi explained how Hiraru had been acting, and told them not to leave until Hiraru had spoken to them. She stuck her head in Hiraru's room, "Hiraru-san, everyone is here, do you want to see them one at a time or all at once?"

There was no reply, though Megumi could see the other woman leaning against her pillows, watching the window. Megumi took another deep breath, and opened the door fully, "You can all go in."

Kaoru walked in almost timidly, Yahiko followed, and Kenshin basically shoved Sano in. Megumi closed the door behind them, leaving the five to work things out. Kaoru took the stool, Yahiko sat on the edge of the bed, Sano leaned on the wall opposite of her, and Kenshin stood near the door. They all watched Hiraru, an uncomfortable silence passing through them as Hiraru refused to speak.

Kaoru tried to break the growing silence. She cleared her throat, repeatedly, before she spoke, "He—are—ur…." She paused and started again, "Hiraru, how do you feel?"

"I'm confined to bed rest, my entire body hurts, and people keep bothering me. How do you think I feel?" Hiraru said shortly without looking at them.

Kaoru blushed. Yahiko stepped in, "Come on, Haru. We all came to see you. Even if Kaoru deserves to be talked to like that every now and then, that was uncalled for."

Hiraru turned her head just enough to glare at him, "I didn't ask you to come."

Sano gritted his teeth, and Kenshin spoke, "Don't you think we wanted to come? We stayed away because Megumi-dono asked us to."

Hiraru turned away again, "I would have been happy if I'd just gone to pick up my things and disappeared from your lives."

"So that's how you work?" Sano yelled, "You come into our lives, lie to us, make us like you, disappear and send a damn letter dropping a major bomb on us? You're more of a bitch than I thought!" The anger he'd been holding in for a week was finally surfacing.

Hiraru looked at him then looked away, saying nothing.

"You don't even deny it!" Sano accused, "Fucking, damn it! I would think the captain would have chosen a wife who could teach his kids some sense of right and wrong. How can you even call yourself his daughter? You're nothing but a bastard!"

"Are you done?" Hiraru's voice was soft and quiet.

Sano felt his anger bubble up again, "HELL NO!!! You bitch! You knew who I was, and you lied to me all this time! How do you know I would have been angry if you'd just told me who you were from the beginning? I understand looking for the Captain's swords, but you could have told me! Damn it! I trusted you! I thought you were a decent guy, and you just screw me over like that! In a letter no less, you fucking whore!"

Yahiko was staring at him with wide eyes, his jaw slack. Kaoru's jaw had dropped a while ago, but Kenshin seemed undisturbed by this, "Hiraru-dono, he has a point."

"Are you all done?" Hiraru's voice was still gentle

Sano snorted, and walked to the door intending to leave.

"What did you want me to tell you?" That question stopped him in his tracks, "What did you want me to say? 'Sorry Sanosuke, I've been lying to you all this time. I'm really a girl, and the daughter of the man you looked up to.' Does that work? Is that what you wanted me to tell you?" Her voice almost broke, it quivered enough that everyone could hear it. "You told me yourself, if someone had told you that, you wouldn't believe it. It would just piss you off. I would piss you off."

Sano turned around to see her still not looking at them, her good hand clenched in a fist. "It would have been better than what you did," He growled.

Hiraru turned her head sharply, angry tears running down her face. She sat up, faster than they thought she could. She reached for something off the bedside table and threw it at him. It hit the door behind him with a 'thunk', other objects followed, and Sano dodged them with ease. "LIAR!" She screamed after she'd run out of things to throw, "You wouldn't have liked it either way! You would have yelled at me either way!!!" Kaoru moved, restraining Hiraru with little difficulty, even trying to be gentle. "My mother spent every day of my life telling us how dangerous my father's name was. If she wasn't afraid of the government, she was afraid of you, the men my father trusted! I trusted you, I was the one that insisted you and the other cadet would never harm us! But you did it anyway!"

"Hiraru, please!" Kaoru tried to get her to lie down, "You'll hurt yourself."

"I trusted you after the two of you pushed me out of a tree, I trusted you after you took my father's name, I trusted you the most when I found out you were the one with my father when he died. And now you call me the backstabber! You were next to him when he died and you didn't even bother to check to see if he had any family before you took his name! Go to Hell! If I ever see you again, I'll kill you with my bare hands!" Finally Hiraru let Kaoru pull her back onto the pillows.

"Tree?" Sano stared at her for a minute, "You're that girl? The Captain was right there next to you and you didn't call him dad or hug him or anything? How could you be so cold blooded?!" He asked running a quick hand through his hair. "You know what, fine!" Sano yelled back, "I hate you too!!! I don't know why I even bothered to come help you! You're a useless piece of shit!"

"Fine!" Hiraru yelled.

"FINE!" Sano wrenched the door opened violently.

"Fine!" She yelled again.

"FINE!" Sano roared before he slammed the door shut.

Hiraru lay back in her pillow, breathing heavily, angry tears running out of her closed eyes and down her face. Kaoru, Kenshin, and Yahiko slowly stood to leave. "I'm sorry," She sobbed.

All of them looked at her.

"I'm sorry I lied to you," Her voice was amazingly quiet after yelling, "I trusted you, really I did. I just grew up knowing how dangerous my last name was, so I made one up, but then I found out who Sanosuke was… I wanted to tell you all then, but I didn't know how you'd react, so I kept it to myself."

Kaoru moved next to her, placing a hand on her arm. Hiraru flinched.

Taking several deep breaths she continued, her eyes still shut, "Yahiko, when you found the inscription on my grandfather's sword, I lied. Every generation, a member of the last priest's family is chosen to be the next light of the shrine, the next Hiraru. I was chosen, and my mother before me, and her mother before her. It continues down a very odd line, of both male and female recipients. My grandmother was renamed after her brother died, and everything else was the truth, but that was a lie. My mother named my youngest brother after my father's brother, and my father took the name Sozo to honor the name of his brother. My brother was not given my mother's maiden name. My mother's maiden name is Akata. That too was a lie, but other than that I tried not to lie to you." She rolled so her back was facing them, and she curled around her broken arm, "I'm so pathetic… I couldn't tell the people I trusted the most what I was… I'm sorry… I'm so very sorry…"

Kaoru tried to touch Hiraru's shoulder, but she flinched again, "Hiraru-san, it's alright… We forgive you."

"Yes, but I don't," Hiraru replied, "To seek forgiveness one must first forgive oneself… I can't forgive what I've done. Not yet, anyway."

"Haru…" Yahiko said.

"Please," Hiraru's shoulders had started to shake, "I'm very tired. Could we continue this another time?"

"Alright, Hiraru," Kaoru stepped back, "We'll visit you tomorrow, as soon as we can." Kaoru and Yahiko left, but before Kenshin did he pause at the door.

"You handled that fairly well, this one believes," He mused, "Now you just have to believe what you told us, and tell it to Sano. This one hopes you can manage that, I too had trouble realizing that I was not always to blame for what I'd done. And in the end, I was not able to do so alone." He smiled at the huddled form of the young girl, "Get some rest Hiraru, daylight can come unexpectedly."

Ruroni-chan: Sounds like Hiraru and Sano are having a fight again… of course when isn't Sano fighting with one of the women he knows? (Sighs) I'm posting this sort of early where I am so I'm going back to bed.

Gerry-sama: RURONI, POST THE NEXT CHAPTER ALREADY!!!!!

Ruroni-chan: Shut up, old man! I just did! I need you to edit the next chapter for me to post it! NOW LET ME SLEEP!!!

Gerry-sama: RURONI ANGEL!!!! WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!?!?!?

Ruroni-chan: Okay… looks like I'm going to need to find a hiding place then sleep… Remember to review while I'm passed out! (Runs away with Gerry-sama chasing her, meat clever in hand)

Review my fanfiction or I'll send Gerry-sama after you