THE IMPOSSIBLE
By: Chiki Yumeshisa

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…all original characters/ideas are mine to claim though.

AN: A side story to WHEN THE WORLD REVOLVES AROUND YOU. It becomes almost impossible to take care of such a demanding individual, how can one possibly make the heart love instead of hate even with an attitude like that?

Warnings: This first part is rather dark, I guess I was in a brooding mood.

Chapter 1:

The Voice of One Silent

Black outside.

It was all dark, it was almost frightening.

It was also very disturbing.

Luckily, it wasn't raining. It would have made the feeling even worse. The roads would get muddy and it would be a hard and long trip home.

It smelled like smoke.

Like death.

It choked him, filling his nostrils with the rotten smell. It was dirty, downtrodden and well…disgusting. He wasn't used to such conditions.

He swept his white cloak from the floor carefully.

Trust the news to reach him in the middle of training. He sniffed disdainfully, picking his way across the field, watching the shadows. Somewhere in the distance, he heard a cry, low strangled, miserable.

Hiko stepped back, wondering what to do. It wasn't very often that he stepped out of his estate to the countryside. He wasn't as close to his sister as he would have liked, but then again, he was the rebel out of the two of them. There was no one left on the planet that he could call family. So, of course, at the call that his sister was going to die, he went out to visit her for the last time.

The cry must have belonged to Himura Mitsuru, his sister's husband. Hiko had trained with him in the art of swordsmanship, and Himura had fallen in love with his younger sibling. Once they had married, Sayoko had decided to live a simple life with her husband in the countryside, allowing Hiko to inherit the company.

Now, after several months, Hiko was stepping onto their territory again, for the last time. He could smell it in the air.

The house was dim too, the dying light from their single bulb overhead flickering. Sure enough, Mitsuru was hunched over his wife, who was dead. Hiko's eyes took in his sister's still form, and felt something twist in his chest painfully. He felt tears spring to his eyes, but his attention was taken by a figure who stood by the fireplace, his purple eyes wide.

His mouth was tightly sealed together in a frown, not knowing what was going on. In confusion he backed away from Hiko.

"Mitsuru…." Hiko started to say.

"I can't, Seijuro….." Mitsuru said quietly. "I won't leave her side – I can't go on anyway." He held up a hand full of blood that he had coughed up. "I will die today too."

Hiko covered his mouth. A disease….

"Cholera….." Mitsuru informed him, before there was time to even ask. "Please take Kenshin with you……please…."

Hiko glanced to the side at the small form who shrunk away again. A storm of emotions built inside him. He wanted to scream and shout: his sister was dead. But it would be pointless, useless: there was nothing he could do anymore.

Nothing would bring her back…..

He put those feelings aside, putting on a blank face. "I'm not good with children….but…."

"Please, Seijuro, as my dying wish……" Mitsuru begged. "Teach him to be strong, teach him to be proud……please…."

After a long silence and wracking coughs, Mitsuru fell to his side in pain. Once again, Hiko turned to the small boy. "You will come with me." He informed the child. Kenshin continued to look up at him in silence. He continued to be silent as Hiko took hold of his hand and led him outside the house and didn't look back.

"Thank you……." He heard Mitsuru say weakly.

"I will be back to bury you two myself." Hiko replied.

Hiko wasn't cold hearted - he had pushed away his emotions.

There was nothing he could do.

He kept telling himself that as he climbed into his limo with the child clambering in after him.

He was a small form, not even reaching Hiko's knee and no more than three years of age. His hair was a flame red color, but in the dark, it looked like blood. He had inherited that trait from his father, the purple blue eyes from his mother. He pressed his little face against the pane of his window, watching as the car began to move, and his little home was left in the darkness of the night.

0-0-0-0-0

Kenshin looked up at the huge building. It looked like the castle that was in the storybook that his mother always read to him from. Well, at least in his mind.
Once the car stopped, the man that had taken him away helped him out, leading him up the stairs past the rows of maids and butlers that were lined up to welcome him back. They were all startled: a little boy clung onto their Master's hand wordlessly.

Little did they know that this little boy would become their Master as well.

He was a handsome child, dressed in a drab robe that was dark green in color. His purple eyes were the most intriguing thing, and they were watching them curiously. He held on to the man's hand, not knowing what else to do.

They entered the huge building, the bright lights something the purple eyes were not used to.

"Where's Nakamura?" Hiko called.

A woman came running after a few minutes of waiting. "You called?" She asked, bowing slightly. A look of relief that he had come back safe flooded her eyes.

Hiko let out a brief smile. "Yes, I did. I have someone I want you to meet, and take care of."

He pushed Kenshin forward slightly. "This is my nephew, Himura Kenshin. He'll be living with me from now on." He looked at all those who were present in the room. "You will treat him as you would me: with respect. I have chosen him to be my heir."

All the workers bowed with acknowledgement.

Kenshin had no idea what was going on, so he merely smiled shyly when some of the maids smiled down at him. When Nakamura bent down to take his hand, he refused to let go of Hiko's. He didn't want to go with this woman. He didn't know her. Then again, he didn't really know Hiko either, but there was something familiar about him at least. His childish instinct told him that he didn't know this stranger.

He tried to hide behind his Uncle's robe, but Hiko pulled him away gently. "Kenshin, this is Nakamura. I want you to go with her." He pried his fingers out of Kenshin's tight grip on them. He then handed Kenshin over to her.

"Do clean him up. He looks dreadful."

"Yes, sir." She turned to the small boy and gently picked him up. "Kenshin, hmmmm? You're a cute kid."

Kenshin pouted and didn't say anything. He wanted his mother.

But she was asleep with his daddy at his house, and he had been told not to wake her.

He was brought upstairs to a room where he was given a shower and comfortable clothes. Then, he sat on a big bed, swinging his legs as Nakamura went to get him some food.

It was a large room, enough to fit at least 20 people in without it being crowded. She called it his 'bedroom'.

She came back with a toy and a tray of steaming food. "Would you like to play?" She asked, handing him the colorful robot she held. Its arms moved up and down with the simple push of a button.

Eagerly, Kenshin took it from her, without answering. He was fascinated. It lit up too, and he liked the blinking lights.

He didn't want to eat though, and when she tried to feed him, he turned his head. He didn't look like he wanted to cry, just simply stubborn.

"Please, Kenshin, eat something." She begged, but he simply began to play with his newfound toy, almost as if he were ignoring her. She tried again, but he scrambled away from the spoon, scooting down to the foot of his bed. He gave her a stubborn look again.

"You are just like your Uncle." She sighed, putting down the spoon in defeat.

He suddenly put the toy down too, and looked up at her, rubbing his nose with his small hand. He yawned, and pulled away from her. He wanted to go home and sleep. He didn't want to play with the strangers anymore. He got up and made his way to the door, which was so high up he couldn't reach it.

Nakamura smiled to herself. How adorable. "No, Young Master, you can't go outside. It's time for bed."

Kenshin didn't like the sound of that. He wanted to go home. He pushed away from her, but fell limp when she picked him up and placed him onto the comfortable bed once more. She tucked him in gently, pulling the blanket up to his chin for him, and he tried to get up, out of it. Didn't she understand? He didn't want to be there.

She pushed him back down though, and tucked him in again, ruffling his red hair which now felt soft to the touch.

Hiko came in then, and realized the child was getting ready for bed. "Thanks a lot, Nakamura. I'm afraid I'll be even busier so I won't have a lot of time to watch over him. If you would please…."

Nakamura nodded and gave him a helpless look. "He refuses to eat."

Hiko glanced at Kenshin once more, who again, gave him the stubborn look. "He will when he's good and ready." He addressed the little boy. "Behave, okay?"

Kenshin felt his eyes fill with tears. He wanted to go home. He sucked in a breath and fell back against his pillows, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. He wanted the woman gone, but at the same time, he was scared.

He saw Hiko sit by his bed, telling Nakamura that tonight, he would watch over his nephew.

Feeling a little better having someone familiar sitting close by, Kenshin closed his eyes, and soon fell into a deep uneasy sleep.

Hiko watched him with his dark eyes, sitting rigid in the chair next to the bed. He was amused: at such a young age, this child had one powerfully silent voice.

Trauma perhaps?

He hoped not.

The child hadn't cried at all. Was he somehow mentally ill?

Nakamura interrupted his thoughts. "Sir, I found this in the child's robes…." She held something out to him in the palm of her hand.

At the sight of it, Hiko's blood ran cold.

TO BE CONTINUED….

AN: That's the first of a few random moments in a timeline that will (hopefully) piece some unanswered questions in WTWRAY. I hope you liked it – and even if you didn't, please do review! This will be updated regularly as I see fit along with its counterpart story.

Thanks for reading,

- Chiki