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Disclaimer: Naaaaaaniiiii? Did someone give me Rurouni Kenshin? Did they, honto ni? ... No? Oh. Then I guess I shouldn't claim it, then. ^_^

Light of the Snow-Red Village
Part VI - Flickering Shadows: Pine of Winter - Chapter 2

As expected, Kaoru's response to Yahiko's injury was not overly enthusiastic. She shifted from a welcome, to the frantic fear of an older sister, then straight into demon-hellfire mode. Needless to say, the first two reactions did not last long.

They settled Yahiko on the engawa, removing his hakama - amidst struggles, blushes, and protests - to take a look at the wound, and hopefully remove whatever projectile had entered it. The little group was surprised when the mysterious woman pushed her way through, scolding their efforts, and demanded their attention as she examined the injury herself.

Megumi send her a sharp glare of reprimand, waving a hand. "I know exactly what I'm doing. Go find me some bandages, girl - you have to wrap the wound correctly to slow the bleeding and prevent infection." She turned to Sano. "There is a doctor nearby, correct? Go find him; I'll need proper materials if I'm going to remove the dart!"

Sano stepped forward, objecting, when he suddenly felt Kenshin's hand against his chest, holding him back. "Kenshin?"

Kenshin didn't answer right away, but merely watched the woman as she worked, checking the wound. Finally, he gave a quick nod. "Kaoru-dono, Sano. Please."

The two exchanged glances and left to find what Megumi had requested, although Sano made a mental note to interrogate Kenshin about it afterwards.

Hikari moved towards him, touching his hand to catch his attention. "Tousan?" she asked quietly.

He shook his head. "I'll... explain it later, perhaps. Right now we should give whatever support is needed for Yahiko. Explanations can wait."

Her lips tightened into a frown, but she reluctantly agreed and left to heat some water at Megumi's command.

Kenshin sat on the engawa beside Yahiko, assisting when it was necessary, but mostly watching, and wondering.

'What are you hiding?'

~*~

Megumi sat back against the porch support beam, her eyes weary and her hands sore. The boy's wound had been more serious than she'd guessed, and it was lucky for him that the street fighter had insisted she come to the dojo with them. The bullet had been lodged deep into his thigh, and it had taken the expertise of both herself and the local doctor, Genzai, to remove it. They estimated that he would be removed from his kendo studies for at least a week, an announcement which did not fare well with the teacher or the student.

It was nearly time for supper, and the red-haired swordsman, Kenshin, as they called him, was surprisingly making the meal. The two girls had at first watched and helped her with Yahiko, but when it became clear that their help was neither wanted or required - inexperienced as they were, they simply got in the way most of the time - they left to practice in the dojo.

'Two female kendo practitioners,' she mused, sipping at the cup of tea Kenshin had given her. 'Interesting.'

During the less tiring parts of her treatment, she had learned that the youngest member of the Kamiya family - while not a real family at all - was the daughter of the swordsman, and besides that there were no relations between the group. She found that just as odd; a collection of perfect strangers, unique and each with a different past, gathered together in a single, small part of the capital.

She sighed quietly, turning her mind from such thoughts, and cupped the steaming glass with both hands. The street fighter was watching her again, leaning against the fence post, his eyes sharp and dark as a falcon seeking a rabbit. She did her best to ignore him as she had done before; what she did was not his business.

Obviously unsatisfied by her feigned ignorance, he pushed away from the fence and approached, hands stuffed in his pockets.

"How's the kid?" he muttered gruffly, his gaze lowered. She was surprised; she hadn't expected him to make an attempt at politeness.

"He'll recover without any problems," she replied, her voice calm and without edge. She didn't need him snapping at her; she felt too weary to argue with him.

'I need to leave this place, now that I've gotten away for the moment. Once they are satisfied with the boy's recovery, perhaps I'll be free to go...'

"Good," he replied, a smirk spreading across his face. "I'd hate to see the brat out of commission for too long. Who else would drive Jou-chan crazy?" He gave her a guarded look. "Beside you, of course."

He shrugged. "Jou-chan may not mind secrets, but I don't appreciate 'em. If you're in trouble, well, fine - but we're not about to get involved unless you're willing to tell us what's going on."

Megumi huffed, placing the cup on the floor beside her and crossing her arms. "You're the ones who involved yourselves, if I recall. I didn't ask for your help."

Sano leaned closer to her, meeting her eyes with a clouded expression. "You're the one who ran down a public street screaming. In my eyes, that means asking."

The woman averted her eyes, frowning tightly. "Think whatever you like, if you do at all," she replied curtly.

"Someone like you shouldn't need to think, since you seem to act upon impulse," she continued, her lips curving into the slightest smile. "Even if you are garishly strong."

"Sano," Kenshin's voice interrupted his exclamation, peering out from the kitchen, "Could you please tell everyone it's time for dinner? Megumi-dono, if you follow me, I'll show you to the room where we'll be eating."

Megumi and Sano stared each other down for a long moment, until Sano huffed angrily and stomped away, hands shoved into his pockets. Megumi stood, carrying the teacup with her, and followed Kenshin down the hall with a bland expression of her face.

Her step hesitated for a brief moment. "It was the least I could do for his assistance," she finally murmured, her eyes cast to the floor.

That time she did stop. ".... It.... it's not as if I don't appreciate the help," she said defensively. "But... by their interference..."

"They may have made things worse for you?" he supplied, turning back to face her. His eyes were concerned and grave, his previous smile faded in the midst of the sudden seriousness of the discussion. "You may believe so, but if you are willing to trust us, I'm certain you'll find that we can be quite reliable at times."

His last remark was made almost in a joking tone, and she stared back at him, incredulous. "But - these men - do you even know who you're facing? Or why?"

She flinched slightly, but it did not go unnoticed. "If I stay here that long, you'll all be in danger."

"We are not unfamiliar with danger," he replied honestly, a flicker of a smile reappearing on his face. "And we will not hesitate to fight when we're defending someone who needs our help. I doubt you have any reason to fear."

Her first impression at that moment was that he was arrogant; far too arrogant to survive for long in this world. She tried to guess his age, to find a way to criticize his overblown confidence, but found that she could not. It was difficult to guess between his physical youthfulness, and the age-old weariness in his soft, lavender eyes.

Finally, she whispered to the floor, "I hope you can still say that when my pursuers come hunting for me."

The frantic voice from outside the dojo gate caught their attention, and Kenshin turned sharply to her, his eyes flaring with fierce protectiveness. "It seems we will get our chance," he said quietly, striding through the house at a faster pace. Despite the fact that she was taller with longer legs, she found herself struggling to keep up with him.

They met Sano, Kaoru, and Hikari in the yard, as one of Sanosuke's gambling friends stumbled inside, breathing hard from a long run. Sanosuke rushed over to him, pulling him upright.

Genji waved one hand for a moment, the other placed firmly against his chest. "Just... gimme a sec..."

Kenshin helped Sano lead the man over to the porch, letting him rest for a long moment. When he had finally regained his breath, Genji turned back to Sano, his eyes wide and horrified. "Sano-san - you wouldn't believe what Kanryuu did to those men you beat up today!"

Genji shuddered, hiding his face in his hands. "Kanryuu... he had them killed in secret, then left in a public square. No one even saw it happened - the bodies just... appeared! Whatever you did, Sano, it must have been big - he's sent his elite bodyguards after you!"

Sanosuke cursed, spinning away. "Che... I didn't think they'd get killed over it... you know anything about these elite bodyguards?"

His friend shook his head. "No, nothing. But I had to come warn you - I'm sure they'll find out where you are. You need to get out of town, Sano-san! Kanryuu's dangerous to mess with!"

The street fighter smirked slightly, raising a fist. "Yeah, well, the day Sagara Sanosuke runs from some dirty businessman is the day he stops hating Meiji. I'm not going anywhere."

Genji looked as if he wanted to object further, but thought better of it and stood. "I have to get home," he muttered. "Sano-san... good luck."

As soon as the gate closed behind him, Kaoru carefully locking it with a troubled look on her face, Sano turned towards Megumi. "So what do you have to say about this so-called elite force of Kanryuu's?"

She pursed her lips and angled her head away from his gaze. "I don't have any reason to-"

"Shit, woman!" Sano growled, spreading his palms in exasperation. "You want help, you don't want help - you're about as focused as a drunken firefly!"

Sano glared back at her, then sat down on the porch, arms crossed, looking up at Kenshin. "Is this broad really worth a fight? Chikusho."

"I doubt it matters at this point," Kenshin replied softly, "Because they now know where we are."

The rurouni's eyes were still focused on the outskirts of the dojo fence, searching. "Sano... your friend was being tracked."

"Wait," Kenshin's voice made him halt, "He's not in danger. He was merely a lead for them; this was their true target."

His friend paused, turning back to the others. "So... what are you going to do about it?"

Kenshin slowly moved his eyes to Megumi, calm and questioning. "Megumi-dono... please, explain it to us. We cannot help you if we don't know who it is we're facing."

She met his gaze for a long time, stubborn and straight-backed, until finally, she relaxed, surrendering. "Fine. I'll tell you what you need to know."

~*~

They gathered in the dining area, the meal momentarily forgotten. As Yahiko dozed in the room across the hall, Kaoru served tea for the group. They settled in a comfortable circle, all eyes turned towards the enigmatic woman Sano had dragged home.

She was quiet for a long time, gazing sightlessly into her cup. Finally, she began. "Contrary to what some of you might be thinking, I am not Takeda Kanryuu's mistress. I was a captive in his estate for three years." She hesitated again, her eyes flickering with unreadable emotion.

"And you're not going to tell us why," Kenshin murmured, a statement rather than a question.

Megumi was startled by his understanding, and nodded. "Please." He shook his head, a small, sympathetic smile on his face. "I finally managed to escape, but whatever I do, his followers always find me. I don't know what to do anymore... I was just running blindly when I ran into him." She raised her head to meet Sanosuke's judgmental gaze. "While your methods were a little barbaric, I'm grateful that you were able to stop those men."

Her lips quirked into a smirk. "I'll thank you if you're able to defeat them without luck or a thrown vegetable."

"Megumi-dono," Kenshin's voice guided her back to attention, "Do you know who these elite bodyguards are?"

She nodded. "Hai. Have you heard of the Oniwabanshuu?" Kenshin's eyes narrowed, and she frowned tightly at his response. "I thought so. For those of you who don't know, they are skilled spies and a form of ninja, who currently travel the country selling their services to those who need it - and can afford it. Kanryuu has currently employed five - including their leader, the okashira, Shinomori Aoshi."

Kenshin turned from her for a moment, in the direction of the dojo gate and the streets beyond. 'I suspected as much... a well-trained fighting ki, so skilled in hiding himself that I almost missed it...'

'Oniwabanshuu, then... like that man on the streets; the man I killed on the night I...'

"What can you tell us about them?" Sano cut into his thoughts, bringing him back to the task at hand. The two exchanged a brief glance, a silent thanks passing between them.

By the time Megumi was finished laying out an outline for all she knew of Kanryuu's estate, it was late into the night. Hikari and Kaoru dozed in the corner of the room, and even Megumi's eyes began to droop. It didn't pass Kenshin's notice.

"Megumi-dono," he said quietly, after he was certain she could take no more, "I think that is enough for the moment. It's late; you should get some rest."

She sat back in quiet relief, brushing a hand through her long, dark hair. "Hai... it has been a long day."

Kenshin moved to where Kaoru and Hikari lay, gently rousing the older girl. "Kaoru-dono?"

Kaoru groaned and squinted back at him, rubbing her eyes. "Ah, Kenshin... I fell asleep? Gomen..."

He smiled softly, shaking his head. "Don't worry about it. Is there a spare room where Megumi-dono can sleep? I think a long rest for all of us would be best."

Kaoru gazed past him and met Megumi's tired expression, finally relenting with a soft sigh. "All right... she can stay with me. But just this once," she warned, eyes narrowed.

Kenshin picked up Hikari as Kaoru and Megumi disappeared down the hall, her body light and limp in his arms. She slept on, undisturbed by the movement, and he smiled at that.

Sano stretched, leaning back against a support beam. "I outta get home... if these guys are serious, and they know where we are, they'll probably attack soon. It'll be good for me to stay here for a few days, so I'll need to get some stuff, right?"

Kenshin nodded, then curved his head to one side, as if a thought had just occurred to him. "Sano, Kaoru-dono will need fresh water for tea tomorrow. While I put Hikari to bed, perhaps you could draw a bucket from the well? It won't take long."

Sano raised an eyebrow, catching sight of the hidden glint in the rurouni's gaze. "Sure," he replied nonchalantly, "I'll check on the other kid on the way."

Kenshin headed for the room he and his daughter shared, carrying her in his arms. He couldn't help but sigh - quietly, in a house full of those already sleeping - at the irony of the situations that lay before him.

A battle with the Oniwabanshuu awaited him, and he carried a dark-haired girl into his room once again. A Yukishiro... a Himura.

He decided, at that very moment, that he would not be sleeping in his room all night.

As he settled Hikari beneath the quilts of her futon, she stirred, her eyes flickering open a mere sliver. "Tousan?" she called questioningly, glancing up at him.

He smiled warmly and touched his cheek with the back of his hand, brushing aside a loose tendril of her hair. "It's all right, ume-chan," he murmured. "Go back to sleep."

She muttered a vague response and rolled over, all too happy to oblige. He watched her for a moment, listening to the soothing, rhythmic sound of her breathing, and stood, heading outside towards the back yard.

~*~

Sanosuke waited for him at the well, a full bucket of water resting on the damp stone. His eyes were questioning, following Kenshin's slow path as he approached.

"Well?" the street fighter asked bluntly, as soon as Kenshin was close enough to speak quietly to. "What's this about?"

"I can think of one occasion," the older man said placidly. Sano shot him a shrewd glance, shrugging after a moment when Kenshin refrained from speaking further.

"All right, fine," he conceded. "I think something's up. I doubt she's Kanryuu's mistress - not by choice, anyway - but he's not sending those ninja after her because she's some hot chick."

"I'm telling you," Sano barreled on, heedless of his friend's thoughts, "She's more of a fox. A vixen - clever, sneaky, and more likely to bite our heels and run than stick around and fight. She's hiding something important from us."

The swordsman frowned tightly, and he dug a hand into his sleeve. "Aa, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one." At Sano's surprised look, the smile flickered back for a moment. "I wanted to wait until we were alone to show you this... I'm not sure of Kaoru-dono's reaction, and I don't want to risk any arguments just yet. But I found this earlier this afternoon; Megumi-dono dropped it as she worked on Yahiko."

"Opium," Kenshin finished softly, tossing the small package into Sano's waiting hand. "I wasn't sure at first, but her skills at caring for Yahiko's wound made me wonder. If she has such knowledge of medical plants and recipes, perhaps Kanryuu's interest in her is deeper than appearances."

Kenshin shook his head. "I can't say anything just yet. But I'm hoping Megumi-dono will tell us on her own. Sano... I need you to do something for me."

"Find out if your friends or old contacts in the underground know about any ties Kanryuu might have with the illegal opium market. Any and all information you can get could be crucial." Kenshin gazed at Sano meaningfully. "I'm counting on you, Sano."

Sano grinned, shoving one hand in his pants pocket. "Good. It won't be a problem." He clapped his free hand on Kenshin's shoulder, dropping the packet of opium, and the wanderer scrambled to catch it. "Get some rest - I'll see you tomorrow."

"Aa... same to you." Kenshin waited until Sano disappeared into the street, the dojo gate closing behind him, then carried the water bucket to the kitchen. He gazed into the water for a long time, the dark, colourless reflection staring back at him, utterly unreadable. He could find no answers speaking from their depths.

Finally he turned away, ending his night-wandering on the front porch and sitting back to rest, waiting for morning to come in mercy.