AN: I'm borrowing the way Kenshin's eyes change color straight from tag0. I can't remember if that's cannon to the anime or not, so I figured best to err on the side of caution.

Is almost six months too long to go between updates? Probably. I kinda forgot where I was going with this, so bear with me as I figure it out again. But I haven't abandoned it yet!

5

Kaoru sets about making tea while Himura and Saitou sit in the dojo. Yahiko faces the two of them, studying them intently. Himura's trying to figure out if this is going to make it easier or harder to leave Tokyo when the boy speaks up.

"So you're actually the hitokiri Battousai?"

"Yahiko!" Kaoru scolds him.

"What? You're taking too long, and you want to know too!" Yahiko protests. Kaoru smacks him on the back of the head as she hands the two men cups of tea. She then sits down beside Yahiko with her own cup. She still looks shaken, her ki streaked through with anxiety, but she's not quite as nervous as she was, Himura notes. Yahiko just radiates curiosity. The boy doesn't really know enough to be scared.

Himura sighs and sets aside the cup of tea. "Yes, I am." He's dropped the rurouni act, but he keeps his gaze focused on his lap. Years of instinct makes him hide the temper staining his eyes amber. Saitou glances at him from the corner of his eye.

Some of it sticks.

His fist clenches.

"Hey!" Kaoru leans forward, a scowl on her face. "Look at me."

There's something about the force of her voice that makes Himura's head snap up. Amber eyes fade back to cold blue. Kaoru nods. "Good. I'm sorry for getting scared earlier – everything just caught me by surprise, that's all. I imagine this isn't something you wanted us knowing." Himura shakes his head. "Okay then. Outside this dojo, we'll call you Kenshin and Fujita. Here, though, you don't have to hide. I'll call you by your names."

Now she has Saitou's complete attention. "You really want to keep us around, knowing who we are?"

Kaoru shrugs. "Why would that bother me? If you were a danger to me, you would have killed me by now."

Saitou and Himura exchange looks. By now Himura's eyes have faded back to violet. Saitou's gaze flickers back to Kaoru. "You are either very brave, or extremely foolish."

Kaoru flashes him a grin. "Foolishly brave, then."

"I'll go with that."

Himura speaks up again. "With Yamagata in the picture, it might not be wise to stay here." he says, and despite the violet eyes, his voice is still Battousai. It puts Saitou at ease. "We might have to leave regardless."

Something that might be pain flashes across Kaoru's face, but she hides it almost as fast as it comes. "If you have to leave, then that's what you have to do. I won't stop you. But I hope that you know that, as long as I'm the assistant master at this dojo, you will always have a place here." She stands up. "Come on, Yahiko. We still need to finish your training for the day."

Himura and Saitou watch them go. The wolf glances at his companion. "Come on. I need to walk." Himura merely nods and follows him out of the dojo. Saitou lights two cigarettes and passes one off to him. He takes it with a small smile. Saitou takes a drag on his cigarette before speaking. "We really should leave."

The small swordsman doesn't reply. He simply watches the taller man as he paces the dojo courtyard. He can see that quick mind running through all the possibilities and not liking a single outcome he finds. It would amuse him if he wasn't doing the same.

"Separation would be best, then." Saitou continues after a moment. "One swordsman is obvious. Two is just asking Yamagata to find us again."

Himura looks up at the sky, considering. "Separation would be best." he muses. That stops Saitou in his tracks. The hitokiri lowers his gaze, meeting the wolf's gold eyes. He knows his own have gone a cold blue once again. "However, I find that idea intolerable. You are not the only one who's gotten tired of playing pretend."

Saitou doesn't visibly relax at that, but some of the tension eases from his shoulders. "According to Kamiya, we won't have to pretend here." He sighs. "If Yamagata manages to get me transferred, then I imagine Sanosuke will find his way here. The man loves to harass me, and that will just cause more problems."

"Sanosuke?"

"Fighter-for-hire. Sagara Sanosuke, former Sekihoutai."

Himura's eyes widen. A slow smirk crosses his face. "So we will have three very dangerous men all under the same roof, assuming Kamiya allows him to stay here."

Saitou nods. "It would make us a very tempting target."

"Only once."

The wolf considers that. A smirk to match Himura's crosses his face. "I see. If the Meiji era cannot guarantee our safety – "

"Then we will guarantee it ourselves." Himura agrees. "Ours, and everyone who chooses to ally with us."

Saitou laughs, long and loud. "An Imperialist, a Shinsengumi, and a Sekihoutai. The Meiji is going to regret pushing us out into the open like this." Himura merely smirks and takes another drag on his own cigarette. Saitou returns the smirk. "Kamiya may have bitten off more than she intended."

"This is the woman who went head-to-head against a man three times her size with a wooden sword." Himura says dryly. "I believe she will simply view it as a challenge." He looks up at the sky, cigarette hanging from his hand. "The only problem I can foresee is if we have to run. I have no desire to get dragged back into the politics."

"Neither do I." Saitou says. He sighs. "We'll deal with that if it happens."

"Agreed."

From the dojo, Kaoru watches them discuss things. She smiles to herself when she sees the tension ease from their shoulders, a sure sign a decision has been made.

Looks like they're staying.