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The thing Hiraru had to do before the real party began was perform a dance. Akira-san explained that it was a sign of respect to the people for the person with the birthday to perform. Sure enough, Tatsou had joined his sister in her performance by playing the flute as she dance. As she became more and more entranced with her performance, a dance to a song about how the wind plays with each of the seasons. In the beginning Hiraru was a budding flower on a spring stem, the fans she waved were the petals. As the music warmed she became a bird soaring on summer winds, then an autumn leaf which twirled and fluttered, lifted on and off the ground. She seemed to like that one the best, as her smile became the widest.

The last part of the dance she was a snow flake, spinning wildly in the gusts of a great blizzard. Finally she made one final twirling leap, and went to her knees, her fans landing perfectly on either side of her but her hands up using her long, full sleeves to cover her turned away face. The music made an instant stop just like her. After a second the gathered crowd cheered loudly, Akira-san watching his granddaughter with a proud smiled. He spoke to Sano just above the sound of the crowd, "She told you Shiro has stepped up her ceremony to tomorrow?"

Sano eyed the man who wasn't looking at him and answered, clapping, "Yes."

"Tonight will be the last chance for you and your friends to get her out of here," Akira said, he sounded nearly angry, "Right after the dinner, the monks will take away her meal, I'll urge her to go use the toilet. Wait outside the back side of the temple with Katsu. I will make sure there are clothes for her in his packs, and gather your things so the lot of you can hide in the forest for the night and head out in the morning."

"She doesn't want to go," Sano said as the monks began play a loud happy song, several young couples separated from the group and joined an apparent common dance.

Akira-san stared wide eye and opened mouthed at the taller man, "What? Why would she wish to stay? She was so happy with you."

Sano crossed his arms and watched as more villagers joined the dance, Kenshin and Kaoru in their midst, "She's resigned herself to keeping this damned promise, she made with your wife and daughter. I said I'd take her away and she thought I was joking. She told me she was going to finally stand up and stop running."

"It's not that I'm not proud of my granddaughter for keeping a promise," Akira-san nearly growled in frustration, "but she's picked a very bad moment to become this prideful. I will tell her I wish for her to go, and that I wish her to be happy. Be waiting." He turned and walked off.

Sure enough after dinner, Sano and Megumi had explained what was happening to the others, Sano adding in the facts the others didn't know. When he finished they all agreed to wait together. That was where they were standing when Tatsou came storming out of the temple. He drew back his hand and started punching the side of a large tree several feet away from the back garden. When he'd beaten the tree until his knuckles were bloody, he stopped and stormed over to Sano, yelling at him, "SHE JUST ANNOUNCED TO THE ENTIRE TEMPLE AND THE VILLAGE THAT TOMORROW SHE'S BECOMING THE HIIRARU! WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TAKE HER AWAY FROM HERE BEFORE THAT SADDISTIC BASTARD COULD POLLUTE HER BRAIN?"

Sano blinked at him, "What?"

"YOU HEARD ME!" Tatsou turned, pacing, then bent over and picked up a large stone and threw it at the tree he'd been hitting. He took several deep breaths before he turned back and spoke slowly from between clinched teeth, "Hiraru announced to the entire room that she will be going up to the Shrine of light to meditate, because tomorrow she would be taking on the official title of Hiraru and she hoped everyone would be there to join her in another celebration after the ceremony." He spat into the bushes looking at each member of the Kenshingumi, "I thought you were her friends. I thought you would have seen what that bastard was doing to her. I thought," He turned his glare even harder at Sano, "You would have had half the brain to hit her over the head and dragged her off this mountain when Shiro started to eye her like a piece of meat, even if she didn't want to go."

Sano growled and moved without thinking. He picked up Tatsou by the front of his robe, "And I would have thought you and your stupid ass brother would get it through your brains that your loving sister hates more than anything in the world is when the two of you fight. I would have thought you would have noticed how she comes so close to crying when you and 'that bastard' start yelling." Sano shoved Tatsou against the side of a nearby pillar, "She loves both of you. She wants both of you to be proud of her. She wants the both of you to be happy with her choices, instead of blaming each other for ruining her."

Sano took several calming breaths, glaring straight back at the other male, "She had problems choosing what to do because she didn't want to make either of you unhappy. She did what she wanted to do, not what you or your bastard brother wanted. I told her I'd take her away, she said she was going to stay and keep her promises."

Tatsou pulled out of his hold, "What about the promise she made me? What about promising to run away with me? What about promising to travel the country?"

Sano continued to glare at him, "She did run away. She did travel the country, just not with you. And unlike you, she came back to her responsibilities. She realized where she was needed, and where she wanted to be. I respect her enough to let her do as she wishes. If you care anything for your sister, you'll stop standing in her way, and you'll help your brother see where the both of you are ruining her happiness. You say all you care about is her happiness. Then I dare you to stand back and look at her. Look at her without thinking about what you want."

Sano turned and led Katsou back up to the house. He ignored the surprised looks of Kenshin, Kaoru and Megumi. Yahiko looked from Sano to Tatsou, finally he sighed and stepped up to Tatsou. "You know," He said, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "Haru is our friend, but sometimes I think we like and respect her more than you and the rest of your family. I mean Sozo adores her, and Akira-sama seems to care at least what she thinks, but you and your brother. You two are just playing who's sword is bigger, and who can control who better. You know the more you try to control someone the more likely they are to hate you for it."

Kenshin put his hand on Yahiko's head, "That's enough…" He told the boy, "Go, this one wishes to talk to Tatsou-san."

The spiky hair boy snorted, but jogged of, going to the night's booths with Kaoru and Megumi. Kenshin turned back to Tatsou after the other three had become obscured with other people. "Tatsou, This one thinks Yahiko is right. So is Sano. Sano sees what you and your older brother do to Hiraru-dono, so do the rest of us, but Sano resents you for it. He likes you, but he cannot stand you for what you do to Haru…"

Kenshin paused as he noticed how Tatsou tightened his fists, in anger. "This one believes Sano thought you would be as great as Captain Sagara. Your sister has already proved she is as kind and honest as the captain. You have shown us something much like Hiraru-dono, but your hate for your older brother mars you in all of our eyes. Have you thought perhaps of what Hiraru wishes? Not just what you and your brother wish? Have you asked her, without pressing her to choose your side?"

Tatsou tightened his fists even more. Kenshin sighed, and turned to walk away. He paused before he'd gone too far, and said without looking at the younger man, "Think about what was said tonight before you do what this one can see you are planning. Acting without thinking could cost you more than you are willing to pay."

O.O

Kenshin knows something…. (Sorry about the Cliffy Ms. Krys ()…)

Unfortunantly… I'm going to be spoiled, and refuse to post a chapter until three different people review. So… no one's going to find out anything until I get reviews.