Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Feuding Hearts ❯ Rebuilding After the Storm ( Chapter 12 )

Casey awoke feeling cold and numb all over. She waited for her vision to clear, panicking to herself when it wouldn't. She couldn't move or see and at the moment the only light she could make out was coming from what seemed like a singular candle to her right. Then she heard a faint rustling and the sound of a wet cloth dripping it a bucket of water.

She turned her head in spite of the pain and tiredness she felt, finding a large shadowy figure next to her in the darkness. The wind and rain continued to rage outside wherever she was, drowning her thoughts out and throwing her deeper into the haze she was falling into.

Then something wet, cold and unexpected touched her, making her panic even more. She trying to scream but her burning vocal cords wouldn't allow it. Instead she began hyperventilating, feeling the onset of an adrenaline attack wash over her. She was in a major 'fight or flight' situation, and since 'fight' was impossible she opted for 'flight.' Without thinking she tried to get up, obviously surprising the figure beside her.

'Stupid girl, she going to reopen her wounds,' the figure though, effortlessly using on hand to push her back to the futon.

She coughed as the wind was knocked out of her.

'There. Now hopefully she gets the point.'

She opened her eyes and searched in the unbearably dim light for something to give her information, meeting of pair of amber eyes that reflected the flickering candlelight.

It all flashed back into her mind. The rain, the mud, the screaming, the blood. Those eyes of the killer of her attacks.

"No," she choked out hoarsely, thrashing the little bit her body would allow. She couldn't move her legs at all and he arms tore as she flailed them around.

"Stop it," a deep voice ordered harshly through the darkness. Suddenly she felt her wrists being held in a strong grip above her head and a warm, wet cloth press against her forehead. "You will lie here and be still, is that understood."

She had no other choices. She relaxed and nodded.

Finally, after a few calming breaths, she began trying to figure things out. That cold on her body was ice, meant to numb the pains all over her. Something had happened to her legs in that fall from the tree and now she couldn't move them at all, though she could definitely feel the pain coursing through them every time she tried to move. Her bra, though broken at the straps, was still on, as was her underwear. She was covered in a blanket, but dressed in some sort of robe-type garment. A yukata, she guessed. Maybe she really was safe.

The figure quickly covered her with a blanket and stood up, walking to the other side of the room. She felt the vibration of his steps through the floorboard and held the memory in the back or her mind.

The smell of sulfur wafted through the air, followed by the strong scent of tobacco. The the footsteps retreated further, leaving the frightened girl alone to sleep through the raging storm that mirrored the terror and uncertainty in her mind.

***

Siobhan awoke the next morning felling quite refreshed, well at least until she realized where she was and what had happened. Knowing that getting upset wouldn't help her, she got washed up, and went downstairs to buy her breakfast. Afterwards she headed out in hopes of finding her friends. She walked around all day, trying to decide what to do, and just keeping an eye out, asking a question of people here and there when she spotted a young boy sitting against the wall of a building she'd passed 3 times already. `Great, yesterday I spend my 18th birthday alone in some unknown world and now I'm spending the day after alone in some unknown world playing detective because my friends are all complete dumb-asses.'

"Excuse me, young man, but would you like to earn some money by finding someone for me?"

"Let me see the money."

"That's a good answer," she smiled as she reached into her obi and pulled out a pouch containing some small to medium currency. Most of it was actually inside her bra, which she still wore, along with her underpants, beneath her kimono.

"I'll give you half of this now, and the other half after you bring me information on my friends." She handed it to him as he nodded his agreement. After she described Alayna, Casey and Kyle, they shook hands on the bargain, and the boy headed off. For lack of anything better to do, Siobhan went across the street to a bar that didn't look too disreputable. She got a glass of water and moved off to a table so that she could wait for her information. Shortly after that she found herself lost in her thoughts once again `I really hope nothing bad's happened to them. Though if anything did then it's their fault. I told them to stay there on the path! I told Alayna not to wander off, or at least not too far. What am I going to do if something HAS happened? I know this is Japan, but WHEN? And I don't know what I'm going to do until I find them. But I'll find them; I have to keep my faith. I WILL find them. I have to. I can't be trapped in Japan without any idea about what's going on. I'm supposed to be well informed at all times!'

At this point she looked up to see her informant walk into the bar, looking for her, as it was their appointed meeting place. The boy walked over to her, pulled a purse out of his shirt, and then put it on the table. Siobhan knew this purse; Alayna had swiped it from the peddler that they'd originally dealt with.

"Did you find them?" she asked as soon as he'd settled himself.

"One of them. I found…umm…Alayna. She said to say she was sorry and something about Sano, then she gave me this and told me to bring it to you. I didn't find the others," the boy explained.

Siobhan sighed. "Okay kid. Here's your payment. If you learn anything else find me, and I'll give you some more, alright?"

"Sure! I can look again for you tomorrow!"

"We'll see. Now run along, I have to think. And thanks," she said in a dismissive tone.

The boy got up and left. Siobhan was oblivious to her surrounding though as she fell back into her thoughts. `Okay so at least Alayna's okay, but that still leaves Kyle, and Casey. God, I'm so worried about them. Hell, I'm worried about myself. What am I going to do tonight? I don't know if I'll have enough money to get lodging again. And what's this about Sano? What the hell's going on? Shit! Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me until it's too...'

"What's a pretty lady like you doing in a place like this?" a voice came from across her table. Siobhan hadn't noticed the man move from his seat in the corner across the room to the chair opposite her, that had been vacated about 15 minutes earlier.

"I'm waiting for some friends," she replied without looking up from her glass. She decided to deal with him the way she dealt with the sleaze on the subway that hit on her: don't look at them unless it can't be avoided, and fend off all personal questions.

"Really? What about your companion from earlier?" the man persisted in talking to her. He obviously didn't understand a brush-off. She would have to use one of her most powerful weapons against him. The doleful glare, or as her mom once called it, the "You pissed off Siobhan" look.

"He was just a messenger. Don't you have something better to do than harass me?" she asked, finally looking up, about to glare, when she realized something very important. She was sitting across from Aoshi Shinomori.

"What?" he questioned, noticing her eyes suddenly widen then quickly narrow behind the metal frames of her glasses. `She has to be the scout for the assassins. She must be here to find me, and then she'll probably be the distraction. She's too noticeable to be one of the actual assassins. That hair would be too recognizable.' He quickly thought, taking in her appearance. Long blond hair that cascaded down her back, even though it was tied up, glasses in a style he had never seen before, and green eyes. She was also tall. Definitely the distraction.

"Nothing…Mr. Shinomori," she finally replied with an ironic smile. `I lose my friends but find Aoshi Shinomori. Nice trade…wait, bad Siobhan! Well then again, at least I know him! Or I kinda know him…'

"How do you know my name?" he demanded, now convinced that he was right.

"Everyone knows about `Lord Aoshi'," Siobhan said in hopes of covering up her knowledge in a nonchalant manner, and miserably failing.

"Do they?"

"Well…actually, this girl Misao told me who you were. Because she was looking for you," she said slightly too quickly.

"You know Misao?"

"Well…uh…yes! She introduced herself because she thought I might have seen you, and she wanted to warn you about something," she announced, more confidently. It made sense. He had to believe it!

`I don't believe her.' "I suppose. Now, who are your friends?" he replied, trying to steer the conversation back to the information that he needed.

"You wouldn't know them, but then again you might have seen them. You see the truth is, we got separated, and I'm trying to find them. There'd have been three of them together and they'd probably look VERY lost."

"Yes, I have seen them actually."

"You have?! Where? Can you tell me? I should go there! Can you take me there? Please?" she asked, finally thinking that things were going her way, even though she wasn't really thinking all that clearly.

"Well, I don't see why not. I don't have anything better to do tonight," he answered. `Once we're outside, I'll make her tell me everything.'

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" she cried, quickly getting up to follow him out of the bar.

They walked for a bit until he started leading her down an unlit ally. Even with her vision adjusted she couldn't make much out, just some crates against the walls and Aoshi walking in front of her. Then she made out a wall at the end of the ally. She walked past the now stopped Aoshi to inspect the wall that made it into a dead end.

"Is there a door or some th-AAAHHHH!" her question was turned into a scream when she was roughly spun around and thrown against the very wall she been inspecting. Before she could move or scream again; Siobhan found that one of his Kodachi was against her throat, the other poised off to side ready to be brought into action.

"Don't scream again. I really don't want your blood on my blade. Now, where are your assassin friends?" Aoshi spoke in a quiet voice, with cold green eyes trained on Siobhan's frightened green ones.

"What are you talking about? And I already told you! I don't know where my friends are! And what are you talking about assassins?" she answered in a voice that like her eyes, was frightened.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I was told that there was a group of assassins after me. Three of them, and a scout who happens to be a woman. Now you show up in a bar that I'm in, where women very rarely go, looking for your three friends. A little too coincidental," he explained, nothing but his mouth moving.

"I am not an assassin! My friends aren't assassins! I'm not a scout! I'm a confused, scared, person who wants her daddy to show up and run you over with his car!" Siobhan cried out just this side of hysterical.

Aoshi stared at her for a moment. `Maybe she isn't a scout. She doesn't seem like the type, plus if she was then she'd have tried to escape already. But maybe I'd better keep an eye on her anyway. Never can be too careful…'

"Car? Is that some sort of code word?" he asked calmly, like nothing had happened, as he returned his Kodachi to their sheath.

"Uh…umm... no?" a now confused Siobhan decided. Then she realized a few things. First of all, the Kodachi were gone, so she could breathe regularly again. And then realized that she was mad. So she did what any angry woman would do. She reached up and smacked him.

"How dare you do that! That was so uncalled for! And then you don't even say anything except for `Did you mean to say cart?' You bastard! And also, you got my hopes up falsely!" Siobhan was really angry now. She was speaking in a low voice with a lot of repressed anger in it. She pulled back to hit him again, totally forgetting who he was. She didn't get to. He caught her hand at shoulder level.

"Don't hit me again. You got away with it before because I didn't expect you to. Don't try again."

"It's only fair that I should smack you! You totally got my hopes up, I finally thought I was making some headway on my search and then you pull this weird `Are you an assassin?' stunt. You lied to me!" she lashed out before letting her weight sag back onto the wall behind her.

"I'm sorry. I..." he began.

"Yeah? Well sorry doesn't cut it! Now all this time has been wasted, and I still don't know what I'll do tonight," she interrupted, a bit calmer.

"I'll help you," he mumbled, looking away.

"What? I couldn't hear you," she asked cocking her head.

"I said I'd help you find your friends. I might as well. I still don't have anything better to do. Besides if the assassins do exist, then I'm sure they wouldn't expect me to be helping someone find their friends," he replied in a slightly louder voice.

"You will?" she asked, watching him. He nodded. "Well that's wonderful, but I still don't have anywhere to spend the night. And right now that's kinda important. There's nothing I can do for them right now, but I need a room, and a bed," she said sarcastically.

"You can stay in my room tonight. That way I can keep an eye on you," he decided out loud.

"Well, okay, but only because I'm almost out of money. I usually wouldn't accept that offer," she accepted with a sigh.

***

Alayna woke up with a yawn feeling refreshed, dreamy and…under someone's arm! She let out a breath, moving her arm up to poke the person that was on her. She figured it was Casey and she was at home and all yesterday was just a big dream.

She had no such luck. Her hand touched a extremely hard but flat chest.

`Oh boy…' She opened one eye and then the other since she almost bumped her nose into the still sleeping Sano`s chest. A sudden shocking thought came to mind as she pulled the rather supple blanket up to find that she was still in Sano's clothing, before she let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding in.

`Better than nothing but still…' She took in a deep breath moving slightly before she actually felt Sano wake up, as odd as that sounds. His eyes were closed still but his breathing had changed from a slow easy motion to a faster motion. It was very faint but she noticed it anyways.

"Your awake," Alayna stated bluntly.

"I noticed that."

"Um…why am I…um…" She stuttered trying to think of a way to ask if they did anything. Sano opened his eyes and looked at her for a moment before his cheeks turned a slight burgundy tint.

"No no. Nothing happened. I only have one bed and I didn't feel like sleeping on the floor.

Alayna nodded, strangely feeling like she had been denied something. She never meet him but she felt like she knew him. Well besides the fact that her computer was filled with hundreds of Sano pictures and even more facts. But still. It felt deeper than that.

"Oh well, so ya hungry? Kenshin wanted us to come over today for breakfast so we can figure out where your friends went" `And also so I can keep an eye on you little missy. We'll figure out who you really are mark my words.'

"Your own clothing is still wet."

Alayna looked around the house, picking up her now clean shoes and slipped into them. She would ask who cleaned all her stuff latter, right now she had to figure out where her friends went... and how to get away from Sano. Now that was the first time that thought went through her head. Before all she wanted was to be near Sano and now all she wanted was to be away from him!

"Ya ready yet?" Sano asked poking her.

"Hu? Oh, yea I am." She bit her lower lip, following Sano outside before she shut the door after her shaking her head thinking. `What have I gotten myself into again?'

***

By late morning, the sun was able to filter through the screen walls and windows, illuminating the entire room and slowly rousing the pair from their sleep. For a brief moment she wasn't trapped in some unknown world, separated from her friends with no hope of getting home. No, all that existed was a warm feeling of comfort and contentment.

Kyle, unfortunately, was not a morning person. It took quite a few shakes, 'Come on Mom's and 'Five more minutes's until the girl finally succumbed to consciousness.

'She's so cute,' Soujirou thought, laughing a little to himself as he took his hands off her shoulders. 'I wonder how she feels about last night...'

"- today?"

"Huh?"

"What's going on today?"

Soujirou shook his head free of thoughts of last night. "Shall we ask for breakfast?" Soujirou suggested, standing up.

"Um...sure!" Kyle tried to smile, but she really wasn't looking forward to a traditional Japanese breakfast. She was starving for something like pancakes, or even an English muffin. But no, she was going to have miso soup. Bleh.

"That wasn't exactly convincing. You're not hungry?"

"'Not convincing'? What do you mean? I'm really hungry!"

Soujirou shrugged, smiling a little. "I'll go talk to the manager. You wait here."

'There was definitely something more human than usual about that smile just now,' Kyle noted as he left the room...and then she recalled yesterday's events - particularly, last night's kiss. She could feel herself begin to blush furiously. To keep herself occupied, she began folding up the blankets and futons.

"Ah, miss, that's not necessary. Let ME take care of those for you!" The elderly manager rushed over after setting a tray of food down on the table in the corner. "So, I take it the two of you rather enjoyed yourselves," he said, watching the girl's face turn an even brighter shade of pink.

"That's enough; thank you," Soujirou said sternly, but still with that odd smile.

"Oh. Uhh, pardon me, sir," he bowed hastily and ran out the door as Kyle let out a sigh of relief.

"We should eat before the food gets cold." Soujirou was already sitting at the table and had begun to eat. It took a minute or two before she went to join him. When he noticed she hadn't touched anything, he looked up.

"Yes? Oh, sorry; my mind was wandering again."

"There's no need to apologize for that, you know," he assured quietly. He wanted her to feel more at ease.

The generally soft-spoken girl was about to apologize again, but stopped herself. That left her scrounging around for something to say to break the silence she had created but she found it too difficult.

"So where are you from? You're obviously not a local," Soujirou commented, laughing slightly. "Actually, you don't look at all Japanese in the sunlight, buuut, unlike a foreigner, you do seem to know a lot of the customs here."

"Well..." 'Ok, how to get through this without lying and saying something utterly stupid?' "To be honest with you, I am a foreigner. I haven't been in Japan very long, but I've studied many things about Japanese culture before."

"Great! So you're almost right at home here."

"...Not quite," she replied, poking at a piece of floating tofu with a chopstick.

"You do have somewhere to stay permanently, though, don't you?"

Kyle fidgeted on her cushion. She had been waiting for the opportunity to bring this up ever since Soujirou found her. "We were hoping to find the Kamiya Dojo, which, we were told, is somewhere nearby here in Tokyo," she answered. He drank his tea, listening. "I... I heard from someone that Kenshin Himura was residing there," she continued, trying to seem like she knew him as a regular person and not as the legendary Hitokiri Battousai.

"Oh, the wanderer, Mr. Himura. Is that so?" He took a drink of tea and put his cup back down. For once, he became the one lost in his own thoughts. However, he decided to change the subject. "How is your name 'Sukiko' if you're not Japanese?"

"Um..." 'Tripping up and making things even more complicated for yourself already... Be honest!' "I felt it would help me blend in better in a strange place."

Soujirou had almost a sly grin on his face. "Would it be alright I asked you for your real name?"

"I'm going to have no use for my old one as long as I'm here, so I suppose that means 'Sukiko' is...my real name now..." That realization suddenly made her stomach churn. She wanted to know more about him instead of having to think about her own troubles. "May I ask you how you know that man, Kenshin Himura ?"

"As I told you, he is a wandering samurai."

"A samurai? But they're supposed to be pretty much gone by now, aren't they?"

"Yeah, but he's different. Even though brandishing a sword in public has been outlawed throughout Japan, he carries a reverse-blade. That makes him one of the few swordsmen remaining who rebel against the law to defend the people who can't defend themselves. He does it all just to repent for past sins."

"Thank you very much for telling me all that, but..." She knew she had to push farther to get him to tell her what she really wanted to know, but she could see in his eyes that he was afraid to tell her what was on his mind. "You still haven't exactly explained to me how you know him."

"Ah....well... The truth is..." he muttered as he stared down at his hands, and then to his cloak which concealed his own sword in the corner. Could he trust her? Would she trust him? "The truth is, I am a wanderer myself, and for the same reason as Mr. Himura. Atoning for...past sins." He took a deep breath. As he exhaled, his face darkened. "Still, there's something very strange about you as well."

"Soujirou..." Kyle whispered, creeping around the table to kneel at his side. Feeling daring enough, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. But she was also rather confused. "What do you mean?"

"You were pretty cold towards me yesterday evening." He laughed a little. "Quite a change, wouldn't you say?" 'She always seems like she's hiding something...' Soujirou thought as put his own arm around her waist and smirked to himself. "We may actually know one another better than we think."

Kyle almost felt like she understood what he was really saying to her. "I already know enough," the girl replied, placing a hand to his cheek and leading him into a second kiss. As it ended, Soujirou tipped himself onto his back and pulled her on top of him.

"I'm very far away from home, Soujirou. I'm not sure if I'll be able to survive here." She rested her head on his chest.

"I meant it when I told you I wanted to protect you last night." Soujirou studied a tendril of her unique blonde hair. 'She seems so fragile...'

"I know you did...and that's why I've already fallen for you," she admitted in a serious yet gentle tone of voice. "Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what, Sukiko? Do you think I'd let you push me away forever?" He brought himself up to a sitting position and beamed down at her.

Kyle straightened up and gazed into his eyes, blushing again. "All that matters is that I think we'll make each other happy," she laughed, snuggling against him.

***

"Sano, you're late, that you are," Kenshin scolded, sitting down at the table. There were three bowels set. She figured one for Kenshin, Sano and someone else, so without thinking she turned around and started hading in the other direction.

"Hey! Where do ya think you're going?" Sano yelled, grabbing her arm.

"That way," she stated as if they were stupid. "Why?"

"You were invited to breakfast and your going `that way'?"

Alayna blinked, feeling slightly dumb.

"Oh." She watched Kenshin in a dumbfounded way as they walked down, sitting on a pillow on the floor. She was rather hungry but…her lack of ability with chopsticks and the fact that she HATED Japanese food did NOT help. Her eyes glanced over each dish, making her stomach start churning.

"What? Not hungry?" Sano asked looking at her

"Ehh…" she mumbled, sweat-dropping at the steamy-looking miso soup before she picked up the unbroken chop sticks…and poke at the tofu floating around.

"Well that's not going to help you at all, that it is not," Kenshin noted, taking a sip of water.

"I rather noticed that. The fact of the matter is…." she continued mumbling, looking at the chop sticks, "I don't know exactly HOW to use these…I'm from…ehh…"

"Hmm….well I know," Sano began as he sat back, putting his hand under his chin in the generic "thinker" position. "I guess I could just feed you."

"What?! NO!"

"You would rather not eat?"

"Slightly yes!"

Sano just smirked and shook his head.

"When your hungry you can just tell me." And with that he left her to her thoughts and began talking to Kenshin about something she didn't really understand. Now was one of those times that she really wished she understood this culture a lot more. She knew Casey or Kyle would understand what they were talking about.

With that thought she almost gasped but didn't. She almost had forgotten that she had to find her friends. So, since they were ignoring her at the time she figured she could think of a good way to get away from them.

`Wait, I don't have to stay with them! I could just tell him that I am going to leave. Yeah, they can't force me to stay. That would be kidnapping!'

Alayna cleared her throat, getting both men to look up.

"What is it Miss Alayna?" Kenshin asked.

"I have to go," she informed them, sounding proud of her I-won't-take-no-for-an-answer outlook on the situation.

Conveniently, both men figured she just meant she had to go to the bathroom.

"Oh, ok. Well…go ahead," Sano replied, making her blink.

"Really?"

Sano nodded.

Alayna smiled brightly before standing up. `Success!' she thought to herself as she walked out. However, being lost in her thoughts, it wasn't long before she was ran into by a very anxious-looking Misao.

"Oh!" Alayna blinked, looking up.

"Why don't you watch where you are going?!" Misao screamed.

Alayna froze for a moment before she let her temper go.

"Me?! I wasn't the one running around like a bat out of hell!" Alayna screamed back.

"Why you…! Do you have any idea who you are talking to?!"

"Yeah! A really bitchy loud person!"

Misao gasped, gaping at Alayna as she walking off steaming, `Ha! That should teach you to yell at me for your mistakes!' She cracked her neck while walking down the stairs and headed onto the path one more time.

`Now I went onto this path and went in the opposite direction that I am going in now... so I should just follow this and maybe I could run into Siobhan, Casey or Kyle.'

"I hope they're not TOO worried about me," she mumbled, putting her hands behind her neck. "It sure is pretty today though. No rain I hope" She smiled and kicked a rock. Things seemed to be getting better actually.

[5 minutes later...]

"What do you mean you saw her leave!" Sano screamed, shaking Misao.

"That's what I told you! I ran into her before she yelled at me and then left!"

Sano sighed, letting the ninja-girl go. 'Why does she keep running off like that?' he thought, shaking his head.

"Hey Kenshin. I'll be back. I gotta go get her…again" Sano mumbled as Kenshin said goodbye before he walked out in a slightly bad mood. Okay...he was pissed.

`I thought she was ge- Wait.' He shook his head, `She said she had to go. I thought she just meant the bathroom or something!' He kicked a rock looking up. Sano figured she would stay on the path since he did believe her when she said she wasn't from around here.

"Well... better get started," he groaned before he started to run down the path after her.

***

Blankets?

Pillow?

Where was she?

Casey's eyes opened a little, stinging from the light that was invading them. She looked around, trying to get some sort of feel for were she was, but found that action rather painful and opted for a head turn or two. The house she was in was small, most likely for one person, and barely lived in. It was very Japanese but she'd expected that from the things she'd seen before last ni-

Last night flooded back to her, almost suffocating her mind with memory after horrid memory. And then a shadowed figure, warmth, safety, sleep. She looked around frantically to seek out just who her rescuer was, realizing she lacked her much-needed glasses. Where was that stern voice?

Her heart nearly stopped beating when her gaze found the man who must have saved her. He was obviously tall, his sitting position couldn't hide that, and rather lean. He...it...that couldn't be....

"So you're finally awake?" Hajime Saitou stated plainly. He was sitting on the wall to her right, his usually blue uniform jacket stretched out on the floor next to him but the white gloves still on.

"How?" was all the girl could muster for words.

"A band of local drunk gangsters attacked you last night."

"Th-thank you?" she stuttered out, unsure as to how to respond to that.

"Don't bother with 'thank-you's" he dismissed, waving his hand before resting it on his knee. "I don't need them. I'm a police officer, it's my job."

"Of course, sir," she agreed. If this man saved her life she was heavily in his debt.

"Fujita," he corrected, getting to his feet.

"Huh?"

"My name is Goro Fujita. You're currently in my home in Tokyo." He turned to walk out after his explanation but a hand shot out and grasped his ankle delicately.

"My friends," she suddenly remembered. "I'm missing three of my friends. We got separated yesterday afternoon."

Saitou stepped out of her reached and looked down at her. Why was she telling him this?

"We'll discuss this later, right now your primary interest should be yourself," he told her in a tone that shunned any hope of arguing with him. She sighed and nodded, biting back a smile that threatened to etch on her features.

'So Hajime Saitou, is this what the 'Wolf of Mibu' is really like...?'

***

Alayna smiled a slightly dreamy smile, unknowingly running her fingers down the clothing remembering who they belonged to.

"And I slept with him too!" she said proudly. "Well…it's not like I did anything with him, but I actually did sleep with him!" She rubbed her nose while looking around before she thought she saw something... or someone... running down the path behind her that made her stop.

"Ok, what runs, and, by the looks of it, seems to be looking for…oh shit!" Alayna gasped running off the road and jumping behind a adequately placed boulder.

`Thank you God for making random boulders 'Alayna smiled, hearing someone running by.

"Ha! Fooled him!" She smiled and stoop up only to have Sano put his hands on her shoulders.

"No you didn't."

Alayna squeaked before turning around to face him and give him a rough push to the shoulder.

"You have no right to be following me ya know!"

"I do, until you tell me who you're working for," he snapped back.

"I don't have a job! Get that, Moron? UNEMPLOYED! EL BROKE-O!"

"No one just stumbles into the Kamiya Dojo these days."

"Well I did! And it was not INTO the dojo it was the courtyard!" Alayna screamed, not noticing that Sano had grabbed her wrist, holding on tightly.

"That doesn't make any sense! What were you doing there in the first place?" Sano asked, walking down to the path with her, in a calmer tone.

"I know it doesn't make any sense but I went on a walk got lost and BAM!" she lifted her hands up in a motion to slap them together before she noticed him holding onto one of them.

`What is he doing?' she thought, letting her hand fall down.

"Where did you have to go anyways?" `Maybe she really did just get lost.'

"Well…" she began, looking up as she started walking down the path again. "I kind of should find my friends. I told them I was going on a small walk and I have been gone ALL night. Siobhan is going to kill me now. She wasn't really happy with the idea of me just walking around alone anyways. We're really not from around here and me being me just wanted to be the first person to get lost," she half laughed, watching a bunny shaped cloud float by as a form of distracting.

Sano didn't say a word.

`Yeah, and probably a husband or something too.' At that thought he tightened his hand around hers, shocked at the sudden possessive feeling he got in his gut. `Fuck this! I don't care if she got a husband. This girl is mine whether she wants to be or not!'

`I wonder if he is holding onto me so I don't run away or because he forgot he was holding onto me.' Needless to say, Alayna and Sano were NOT on the same mental wavelength.

"Why are you holding onto my hand?" Alayna asked, breaking the uneasy silence.

Sano blinked for lack of an answer before he turned a deep shade a red.

"Um…"

"Is it so I don't run away?"

"Yeah! I mean, no! I mean…well…kind of."

"What do you mean `Kind of'?" Alayna ask. Instead of answering Sano stopped dead in his tracks, putting his other hand on her shoulder.

"Miss!" a young boy shouted while running up to her.

Alayna looked up, jumping away from Sano like she'd been doing something wrong.

"Um…yes?"

"I was wondering. Is your name Alayna?" He had been looking for hours and no one besides her matched that blonde lady's description.

"Mhuu. It is. Why?" she asked, pulling him away from Sano.

"Wonderful! I was told to find you and to tell you that Siobhan is waiting for you in a bar in town."

"Siobhan? Oh boy…she is going to KILL me. You wouldn't happen to know how I can get to town do you? I'd rather walk minus one Sano," she told him, motioning to her "walking buddy."

The boy nodded, before he turned around, pointing down the path she was treading.

"Just stay on this road and you should come across the town in about…oh 3 to 4 miles. Not that far."

`3-4 miles…' She sighed loudly, handing the boy her stolen purse before she thanked him.

`Siobhan is probably going to kill me for getting lost but wait till I tell them about Kenshin, and…and…Misao and Sano too!'

Sano, however, still refused to let her out of his site. They walked down the path for awhile, Alayna so lost in her own thoughts that she had almost had forgotten that Sano was even with her.

"Hey Sano do you think you could let me…what are you-" She was cut of when he put his hand on her chin, tipped her head back and kissed her deeply.

Before Sano had any idea as to what he was doing he picked her up, flung her over his shoulder and began walking back to the dojo, surprised and pleased by the lack of resistance.

`I'm not even going to think about why I am doing this… I better just do it before I stop.' Now they were thinking alike...

***

Saitou returned later in the day, during which Casey guessed must have been afternoon, with a file containing a few blank documents and his white gloves gone. She watched him slide the door shut behind him and waited until he faced her to greet him with a slight smile. For a moment he froze, and if the gesture confused him, but quickly shook it off and continued with what he was there to do.

Before the girl could even think to ask the man offered an explanation. "I have to file a report on you, the attackers and these friends you say you lost." He sat down in his usual spot to her right and immediately began the questioning.

"Name."

'Oh shit! Think up something...anything. You can't tell him your real name it won't make any sense!' She racked her brain for a name she could use.

"Name?" he repeated when all her got was blank stare.

'Think Japanese!' "Hoshiko," she stated a little too quickly.

"Family name."

'Oh shit... again.' "I don't have one?" she offered.

Saitou narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously but didn't question her, deciding instead to simply skip that line and continue on.

"Age."

For some odd reason she felt a little daring. "Guess," she challenged.

Again Saitou was taken aback a bit. This girl was acting so casual around him he was waiting for her to address him as Goro-kun.

"I'm not in the mood for games," he stated, trying to sound annoyed though he didn't mind as much as he let on.

"It can't be that hard," Casey pushed, smiling at him again.

Saitou was to tired to fight with her. "Nineteen?" he threw out off the top of his head, though if he'd actually taken the time to think he would have probably guessed the same thing.

She gave him a quizzical look before laughing a bit.

Now Saitou was actually annoyed. He wasn't in the mood for childish jokes. "What is so funny?"

"Sixteen, Mr. Fujita," she answered.

His surprise at the answer stayed hidden from his face as he recorded the it and returned to the questioning.

"Date of Birth."

"June tenth."

"Place of birth."

She'd seen this coming and already thought of an answer. "Unknown."

"Hiding from someone?" he figured, judging by banks on the sheet and the hesitation with her name.

"No," she said to the ceiling.

For some unknown reason Saitou was curious about this girl. No one had ever been so calm around him. Not even someone as dumb as the rooster-head saw him as harmless and, with the exception of last night, she's been nothing but relaxed in his presence, if not slightly cheerful.

Without thinking he reached forward and gripped a piece of his hair, rubbing his finger across it slowly. It was very thick and wavy, a mix of red and medium brown he'd never seen before except on foreign diplomats or their families.

Casey watched him as he looked inquisitively at her hair, tilting her head to the side to get a better look into his eyes, which were narrowed in concentration. When he finally turned to face her to check her eye color he realized the awkwardness of the situating and promptly release the lock of hair.

"Your hair and eyes lead me to believe you're probably of European decent," he finally spoke as if nothing had transpired moments ago. "I'll just write that."

They sat in silence for a few moments, Casey simply watching him fill out the report about the attack last night. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nostrils, smelling something cooking in the other room.

"Soba?" she spoke without thinking.

"Yes, it's what you'll be having for dinner," he told her.

"I may be 16 but you don't have to order me around like some child," she groaned. "And for you information I happen to very much enjoy Saitou. Eh, soba!" She raised her hand up to her mouth but it was too late. She blushed a deep red but said nothing as Saitou stared down at her.

'Ok Hoshiko, now you really have my attention.'

***

"You want to stay another night?" Soujirou questioned, shifting his gaze from the window to Kyle.

Kyle laughed to herself in remembrance of her reason. "One of my friends, the mother type figure, always said that if we ever got lost that we should stay in one place and she would find us. I don't know, maybe some part of me thinks that she can and she will," she explained, kneeling next to the open window. She closed her eyes and inhaled the sweet scent of actual fresh air. No fumes from cars and trucks and busses, just some smoke from the fish being cooked downstairs.

Soujirou was so taken aback by her that he almost forgot it was his decision. "Heh, I don't mind at all."

"Are you sure?" she asked, feeling pushy.

Soujirou beamed at her and nodded a few times. As always, Kyle couldn't help smiling back.

"Thank you so much..." she replied, trailing off as she noticed that something had taken Soujirou's attention.

Kyle hadn't set up her futon yet but he had. "It doesn't look like it'll rain tonight." 'You can sleep alone if you'd like,' he finished to himself.

"No, it doesn't," she agreed, looking out the window once more. "But it still might be a little cold."

Soujirou couldn't help but beam and blush at the meaning behind her words. However, something re-crossed his mind that he had been wondering all day. "Sukiko, don't you have a family?"

Kyle's breath hitched in her throat. "Yes, I do have a family... I have a mother and father. She's very nice but she's the thinker type and my dad's the feeler type. Sometimes they fight about it, but I know they still love each other. And then there's my annoying little brother, but who's never had a non-annoying little bro...ther..." she bit her lip in self-punishment for blurting all that out and making herself look pretty dumb.

"Where are they? They sound nice; you should be with them," he said, hating the idea of her leaving him, but realizing that a life like that would much better suit her than one with that of an ex-assassin.

"They're far away. Too far away..." she began whispering. "They're...they're..." 'As long as I'm here they're...' Her eyes turned to her hands clasped together in her lap. "Dead."

***

Casey just wanted to crawl into a hole and die. 'I did not just say I enjoy Saitou. I did not just say I enjoy Saitou. I did not just say I enjoy Saitou.'

"How do you know my name?" he finally asked, his voice steady and cold. That should have been enough to get the poor girl to piss her pants, but she decided on a different course of action. Play dumb all the way.

"Your name is Soba?!" she asked, trying sound shocked. "You're kidding. No wonder you give people a fake name. I would too if my parents named me that. Were yours on opium at the time?"

"You know I don't find you at all amusing," he stated, waiting for her to stop her incessant rambling.

"What, guys named Soba got bad senses of humor or something?"

"Are you done yet?"

Realizing that this just wasn't going to work, she made last a ditch effort and hid under the blanket.

Saitou's eyebrow arched up and he listened to the girl coach herself.

"Maybe if I stay still long enough he'll think I'm gone."

Amber eyes rolled as he reached out and grabbed the blanket, tearing it off her. "I know you're smarter than that so stop trying to entertain me."

"Damn, and here I thought I had a future in the theater. Well, guess that dream's shattered," Casey ranted, pretending to be sad.

"I'll let this go because of what you've been through, but if you don't stop soon I won't be so understanding," he warned, holding the blanket out to her.

She looked a little sad and embarrassed as she took the blanket and placed it messily over her. She laid on her back and sighed, prolonging having to explain as long as she could.

"I'm sorry, that was immature of me," she admitted.

"Well now that you've calmed down and stated the obvious you're going to tell me how you know my name."

She took a deep breath and forced out a lie she felt horrible giving him. "In my time here I've overheard a lot of people taking about the Revolution and those who fought in it. Many times I've heard the names Himura Battousai and Saitou, the Wolf of Mibu. I'd thought maybe you were him, since you look like him, but since you said your name was Goro Fujita I dismissed it. But when my suspicions...er...slipped out you pretty much proved I was right all along. If you hadn't reacted like that I wouldn't have given it a second thought."

She stared up at the ceiling and waited for some sort of response. Would he call her bluff? Could he even tell she'd just made it all up?

Without offering any reply Saitou stood up and walked by her feet toward the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked, silently chastising herself for sounding so needy and whiney.

"To get your food and then go back to work," he answered, not giving her any time to say something back for he shut the door behind him.

When he came back in with a tray of food Casey was a tad startled.

"I thought you said you were going back to work."

"I said I was going to get your food first, are you deaf?" Saitou asked, placing the tray on the floor next to her.

"Slightly."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, you're deaf, too?" she asked sarcastically, shocked when he actualy gave a flicker of a smile back

"A smart one, eh?" he commented, smirking a bit.

"I'm so touched you noticed," she replied, smirking right back.

"Eat," was all he had to say before he left, leaving her feeling very satisfied with herself.

"Soba and Hajime Saitou," Casey mused to herself, turning over to the bowl and pulling herself into as much of a sitting position she could muster. She winced at the sharp pain in her legs but endured as she broke the chopsticks and began eating. "Life ain't so bad."

***

Siobhan found herself sitting cross-legged on a futon across from Aoshi, who was on the other one in the room.

"Did the room come with two futons?" she questioned, breaking the silence.

"No. I had the manager get another one. I said you were my sister and we needed two," he answered bluntly.

Having nothing else to do, Siobhan started looking around the room. Besides Aoshi, there was really nothing of interest. So without noticing she started staring trance-like at a spot just over his right shoulder. This went on for about 20 minutes, until Aoshi finally grew annoyed.

"Why are you staring at me?" he sighed

"Well, when I have nothing else to do I usually just stare at the most interesting thing in the room," she replied honestly

"So I'm the most interesting thing in the room? Is that a compliment?" he pondered, slightly amused.

"If you want to take it that way," Siobhan replied, smirking.

"Are you going to sleep soon?" he asked her.

"What time is it?" she queried.

He reached over to his coat, which was laying on the floor next to the futon he was seated on, and pulled out a pocket watch. Siobhan watched intently as he opened it to check the time for her.

"Half past Midnight," he answered as he returned it to one of the coat's many pockets.

"Then no."

"When do you sleep?" he inquired.

She thought for a few seconds. "When I'm tired. See I have insomnia, so that won't be for a while. When do YOU sleep?" she turned the question around.

"I don't."

"You have to sleep sometime. All humans need to."

"If you add all the sleep that I get during a week up, it averages out to around an hour and a half a night," he finally replied. Leave it to Aoshi Shinomori to get THAT exact.

"Wow," was all she could think of. 'Oh well THAT sounded intelligent.'

It was quiet again, so she picked up the hairbrush that had been in her purse when she and her friends had gotten there. That morning, she'd put all the important stuff that she could into her obi, then tied it as tight as possible so the stuff wouldn't fall out. Now she used it to brush her hair. When she looked up again she realized that Aoshi was staring at her now.

"Why are you staring?" she asked, not missing a stroke.

"Your hair is blond."

"Wow! I never noticed! I thought it was purple!" Sarcasm dripped from her words though Aoshi chose to ignored it.

"I just realized that you know my name, but I don't know yours. What is it?"

`Oh shit! I can't say Siobhan! That's so European! I mean dude, hello, its Gaelic! What was that cool word I saw on that dictionary site…uh…' "My name is Shizuka," she answered, after her lightning thought process.

"Were your parents wishful thinkers?" he asked smirking. (Shizuka means serenity)

"Did yours like the color green?" Siobhan snappily replied. (Aoshi roughly translates to green light)

"Touché."

She smiled widely, savoring her small victory. She returned to brushing her hair until Aoshi took out a Kodachi. Due to her earlier experience with them she was a bit jumpy at the site of them. She tried to watch calmly until he started doing maneuvers with it while still sitting on the futon. At this point her nerves gave up and she spoke up.

"What happens if that thing slips?" Siobhan asked in what she thought was a reasonable voice.

"It won't," Aoshi answered without pausing.

"Now that you've said that you've jinxed yourself, and now it WILL slip," she retorted sharply.

"Do you think so? Let's see."

He brought the blade up to a vertically straight position.

Siobhan sat up straighter herself.

This was a challenge and there was no way in Hell she was backing down.

He suddenly swung the blade down in an arc, stopping next to her neck. She didn't move, in fact she didn't even look at the sword whose tip was pressed into the side of her neck; she just stared straight into his eyes, not even blinking. They sat there like that for a few seconds before he pulled the blade back and sheathed it

"It didn't slip," he finally said.

"That doesn't mean it won't next time," she recanted with the tinniest smile. They both felt that something important had just happened, but neither was sure what. Without thinking much of it she went back to brushing her hair. Since she was concentrating, and it was quiet, Siobhan started humming. It was a habit that she'd hum during silence when she didn't know what to say. After a while it can make even the strong speak.

"Why are you doing that?" Aoshi finally asked.

"Humming? Why am I humming? Well because silence is uncomfortable, and I can't sing out loud right now. It's how I stay calm," Siobhan explained in a mater of fact tone.

"You sing?" Aoshi questioned.

"Yes, I do. Does that seem strange?" Siobhan demanded.

"No. What songs do you know?" he asked her, realizing there would be no silence because she seemed totally incapable of maintaining it.

"You wouldn't know them." Siobhan said looking away.

"Why not? I do enjoy music."

"All of my songs are in English, Italian, , French, Spanish, German or Latin." She explained as she looked back.

"Do you travel, learning languages?"

"No."

"Where are you from then that you can speak so many languages?"

"I can't speak them. I can only sing in them."

"You didn't answer my question. Where are you from?"

"Uh…the West," she decided after a quick pause.

"Where's your family from?" he asked, still thinking about why she had blond hair.

"The West," she quickly repeated.

"Then why are you here?"

"Because I'm not there?"

"You are so childish."

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are."

"I'm 18! That isn't childish! And I'm more mature than some people who're really old!"

"That statement alone was childish."

"It was not! It was simple truth!"

"Well you have the simple part right."

"Don't insult me! There is nothing simple about me!" She was really getting angry now.

Realizing that he was pushing her too far, due to the fact that she was turning bright pink, he decided to drop the subject. In hopes of calming down, Siobhan started to braid her hair. It wasn't until she finished that she realized she didn't have anything to tie it off with. However, at that moment she realized something very important.

"Aoshi," Siobhan began as she took off her glasses and laid them beside her futon.

He looked over "Yes?"

"I think I'm tired," she got out before falling back on to the futon, asleep.

Aoshi Shinomori stood up and walked over to her. He looked down and smiled. The girl was finally quiet! He got down on one knee and reached to the end of the futon grabbing the sheet and pulling it over her to her shoulders. Without realizing how uncharacteristic of him the action was, he reached up to touch her cheek, feeling her react by murmuring and pressing softly into his hand.

"Sleep well, Shizuka."

***

When Saitou returned to his house, a half-smoked cigarette in his mouth, he was recalling his conversation with Chou before he left.

'What's wrong, Saitou? Yer leavin'... on time,' Chou observed, sounding rather concerned. 'Dat ain't like you.'

'What can I say?' Mibu's Wolf replied with a smirk. 'I have a 16-year-old girl at home in my bed. Can't keep her waiting, now can I?'

He laughed a little to himself at the memory of the massive nosebleed the broomhead got at that.

He slid out of his shoes at the door, followed by the coat and gloves as he made his way across his small home. He slid quietly into his room, taking his place to the right of the futon as if he'd done it a thousand times before. The girl was sleeping soundly, her yukata wrinkled and twisted around her the same way the blanket was. Saitou didn't know if she was the smartest or dumbest person he'd ever met. She knew who she was dealing with, supposedly.

Saitou exhaled his last breath of smoke and absentmindedly flicked the end of the cigarette out the window.

"Well, Hoshiko, what am I going to do with you?"

***

(Back at the dojo....)

"Kenshin, where did Sano go?" Yahiko asked, broom in hand. "He's missing dinner and even if it is Kaoru's garbage it's unlike him to pass up free food....free ANYTHING..even if it wasn't offered."

"I'll explain it to your when your older," the swordsman replied with a laugh.

"Explain what? Hey Kenshin, get back here and tell me where he is!"