Edited 8/22/06, just because. Title changed from "Gentle Heart". Thank you so much for all the reviews!
A/N: Well, it seems you've had the misfortune to stumble across my first RK fanfic. Here is ANOTHER young Kenshin fic where he has a fever! Will it ever end? No, it won't.
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or any related… stuff.

Come Forth and Lie

Ice cold mountain wind whipped through Hiko's hair. He kept his head bowed, walking against the wind. Behind him, he could feel rather hear his idiot student, Kenshin, following, part taking cover behind him. Looking up from under his bangs, Hiko could see the small hut not too far ahead. Pausing for a moment, he looked back at Kenshin, who also had his head bowed to avoid snowflakes being flung in his eyes.

The boy looked up at his master briefly, then bowed his head again and came up next to Hiko. With his student now walking along side him, the older man continued on to the hut. Kenshin stumbled slightly, and Hiko caught him by the forearm to help him regain his balance. Hiko frowned slightly, noting that his arm was a bit warm, but he dismissed it as nothing more than his cold fingers against another's flesh. Master and student pushed on through the strong winds, and finally Hiko reached the door of the hut and pulled it open, letting Kenshin go in first. He closed the door and the sound of the blowing wind immediately dulled. Kenshin was pulling off his boots, and Hiko did likewise.

"Looks like we might have a blizzard." Hiko said mildly. Kenshin nodded. The older man looked at his apprentice for a moment. He looked utterly exhausted, more then he should be. Then again, Hiko might just be overestimating him. "Are you feeling well?" Kenshin nodded again.

"Just a bit tired." Hiko looked at him for a moment, then nodded.

"I'll get started on dinner then. Go get some wood." Kenshin glanced at him in frustration, then pulled his boots back on without a word. He yanked open the door, letting a gust of cold air in, and slammed it shut. Hiko chuckled softly to himself and set about preparing dinner.
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Kenshin sighed, picking up as many logs as he could from the side of the hut. The bitter cold wind bit through his gi. Balancing the logs in one arm, he opened the door and slipped in. Setting the wood down, Kenshin took off his boots again. Outside the sky was rapidly growing dark, proving that the two had gotten home just in time. As Hiko made dinner, Kenshin settled for the simple task of cleaning his katana. His hand slipped and he cut his thumb on the blade. Drawing in a sharp breath, Kenshin inspected the cut. It was shallow and stopped bleeding quickly. He wiped the drop of blood from his katana and continued cleaning it.
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Hiko looked up when he sharp gasp. Silently, Hiko watched his student glance at his cut and resume his activity. He wasn't so much disturbed that Kenshin had cut himself, but that he didn't seem to notice that Hiko has stopped working. He studied his idiot student for a moment, then resumed making food. Shortly later, he sensed Kenshin stand and look for something else to do, most likely working on his writing.
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Later, Hiko called for Kenshin, and the boy came from his room and sat the table. Hiko noted how his head was slightly bowed, and he didn't seem to have any energy. As they ate dinner, Hiko studied the ki of his apprentice. It was clear he wasn't hungry, but he was eating anyway. He was also tired, but refused to go to bed.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Hiko asked his student. Silently, Kenshin nodded, but not very convincingly. Hiko looked at the boy for a moment longer, then reached over the table and placed a hand on his student's forehead. Kenshin jerked back when his cool hand touched him, but it was enough for Hiko. "You're sick." He said bluntly. Kenshin looked up at him, as if he didn't understand what he was saying. Hiko mentally kicked himself for not noticing before, it seemed so obvious. He boy had a fever, and a high one at that. Standing, Hiko grabbed Kenshin's forearm and pulled him up. "Get out your futon, I'll prepare medicine." Kenshin nodded hesitantly, and moved toward his room. Hiko immediately noticed he wasn't moving steadily. Hesitating, he watched Kenshin take a few more steps, and then lose consciousness.

Hiko was there in an instant, keeping Kenshin from hitting the floor. He shifted the boy in his arms, noting his face was slightly flushed. Half-dragging, half-carrying the idiot, Hiko entered Kenshin's room. He noticed that the ink, brush, and paper were out, as if Kenshin was going to practice writing, but the brush simply sat in the inkwell, and no characters were on the paper. Hiko sat his apprentice against the wall, and took out the futon, laying it out on the floor. Next, he changed Kenshin to a light Yukata. Placing the boy on the futon and covering him with a light blanket, Hiko left to get cold packs. He went outside and filled a bucket with snow, then brought it inside to melt it, and then put it back outside for a moment to chill it.

Dipping a cloth in the cold water, he wrung it until it was dry, and finally placed it on his student's forehead. Kenshin stirred slightly at the discomfort, but didn't awaken. Leaving the redhead for a moment, Hiko prepared medicine for when the boy regained consciousness. Opening his medicine chest, Hiko took the necessary ingredients for lowering a fever. He put a kettle on the fire and heard Kenshin mumble something. Hiko stood still, listening to see if he was awake. There was a silence, and Hiko moved to stand in Kenshin's doorway. He had curled into a ball and was shivering slightly, his hand clutched the blanket as if his life depended on it.

"Sakura…" The boy's whisper came quite suddenly and carried sadness with it. It took a moment for the name to sink in. Sakura was one of the girls that had tried to protect Kenshin, wasn't she?

"No!" The whispered objection was spoken with a desperation, which caused Hiko to feel sympathy for the young boy. He was so young, and had gone through so much. Hiko could only guess that he was reliving the bandit raid. After a moment, the kettle whistled, and Hiko left to retrieve it from the flames. He poured Kenshin a cup of the steaming water and added the medicinal herbs to steep. Checking up on his baka deshi, Hiko found that his fever hadn't risen, but hadn't lowered either. Hiko placed a fresh cold pack on the boy's forehead, and settled against the wall to get some rest as well.

It was late at night when Hiko woke again. Keeping his eyes closed and his breathing even, he tried to discern what had caused him to wake. He heard Kenshin sit up, and opened his eyes. Silently, Hiko watched his student. By his ki, he could tell that his student was slightly confused, then slowly recognizing where he was.

"So you're finally awake." Hiko said clearly to his student. The boy tried to whirl around, but was hit by vertigo and took a moment to recover. Smirking, Hiko walked over to his disciple and put a hand on his forehead. His fever had risen slightly, but he would be fine. Without a word, Hiko grabbed the now-cold tea and brought it to Kenshin. He boy took a few sips of the bitter liquid, then pushed it away. He rolled onto his side, facing away from Hiko and said,

"I don't feel good." Hiko smiled at his apprentice's innocence.

"You'll feel better in the morning; just try to get some sleep."

The next day, Hiko let Kenshin sleep in. The boy's temperature had dropped and would be out of bed by tomorrow. The older man wanted to eat outside, but the snowy winds were still blowing. It seemed just short of a blizzard. Hiko didn't become concerned about Kenshin until midday. Placing his hand on his idiot student's forehead, he found that Kenshin's fever had shot back up. Hiko sighed. He couldn't go to town to fetch a doctor, it was too cold, and it was on the verge of a blizzard. Even if he did get to town with no problem, he doubted a doctor would walk through so much snow just to get to the cottage.

He prepared another cold pack for Kenshin and kept himself busy until he guessed that he should change it. Hiko would never admit it, but he was getting frustrated. He honestly didn't know what to do—he was a fighter, not a doctor. Just then he heard Kenshin cry out again, and he softly made his way to the boy's door, a little concerned. He boy was crying—a rare sight—and was tossing in his sleep.

Finally, Hiko couldn't take it anymore. He kneeled down next to Kenshin and gently touched his shoulder. The boy's eyes snapped open, making Hiko take a sharp breath. Did he…? No, it couldn't be. For a moment, Hiko thought he saw Kenshin with amber eyes, but it must have only been an illusion. Quite suddenly, the teary-eyed redhead crawled into Hiko's lap and cried into his chest. For a moment, Hiko had no clue what to do, then he gently rubbed the boy's back.

"There were dead people everywhere!" his student cried into his chest, "And I did it, I killed them all! But I didn't want to, Shishou! I couldn't stop myself! I don't want to become a murderer, I don't!"

Only two years later, his baka deshi left to become exactly that.

End Come Forth and Lie

Wow, I did it. I'd say I finished this pretty fast, and I did fairly well, if I do say so myself. Mostly told from Hiko's perspective… At times it was a bit hard to write, but I like the outcome. As for the title: it used to be called Gentle Heart, the translation for Shinta's name (or at least the one I've always heard). I then changed it to Come Forth and Lie. Why? Think about it a little.

Yukata- A light summer kimono, often used as sleepwear
Ki- A swordsman's spirit
Shishou- An old-fashioned term for 'master'