DISCLAIMER!: Don't own anyone, they're all Watsuki's fabulous works of arts, mayhaps except whosthatguy... Hitoshii? Oh yes oh yes, except him. Well, hope you'll enjoy and please don't sue! ^^x Part 4 ~ Poping It was only a few weeks ago when Soujirou met an old ally.... Soujirou was walking along the deserted path he had chosen to follow that day,and he suddenly stopped halfway in his tracks. "You can come out now,whoever you are..."He said,not even raising his head as he spoke. Nearby,there was the sound of ruffling bushes,and a long-haired figure stepped out of the shadows. "Ahem,Tenken,Seta Soujirou...."The mysterious character said. "Oh,it's you!"Soujirou exclaimed with his usual smile. "It's been a long time....I have something which might be of interest to you.If you would only follow me....."The familiar red-headed male proposed. Soujirou ponders over the decision he has to make and wonders(Can I trust this guy??) ~ Pan He shook his head at his disbelief, smiling slightly to himself. *Well, after his disappearance those years ago, I must say, I'm a little glad to see the little fella alive and kicking after all...* They came to a small clearing where a hut was situated. Soujirou peeked around for a while, looked at the red-headed male and was about to start. "No, don't say anything, let's make ourselves comfortable first." Soujirou said nothing, and went along his way into the hut, where there were already a couple of cups and a pot of tea awaiting. "Come, sit." And Soujirou did not spot that faint glint of cunning ploy within the depths of those eyes... ~Rurouni Soujirou took a tentative sip from the cup of tea that was placed before him. "Hmm...sugoi ne!" His companion merely smiled and bowed a little. "You were saying, you had something that might be of interest to me? I can't for the world imagine what that could be. Care to spill the beans?" Soujirou started. "That can wait, it's been so long since we last met... finish up the tea, there's more in the pot." A few hours later... "Help you get rid of Battousai?" Soft laughter emitted from Soujirou. "Surely you can see that I'm a wandering swordsman who has given up his sword. I'm sorry, I can't help you on that. You'll have to find someone else." Soujirou got up to leave. "You will help me..." "Hitoshii...what do you mean?" A tiny whisper of fear crept into Soujirou voice. "That..." Hitoshii pointed to the cup of tea Soujirou had emptied during the course of their conversation, "...contained poison..." ~ Poping The smile disappeared momentarily from Soujirou's face,turning into a look of concern. "Heh heh,you must be joking,right?You're quite the clown,aren't you?"Soujirou tried to deny what was happening around him,using his smile to ease the tension. "Hmmph,I'm sorry,but I had no other choice to to do so...." Hitoshii replied. Soujirou started to foam at the mouth,and he slowly saw the world around him turn to black..... When Soujirou woke up,he was suprised to see himself lying on a bed in Hitoshii's hut.He held his head,still feeling the effects on the drug that he had unknowingly consumed along with the tea.Hitoshii was standing by the window,with his back facing Soujirou. "I see you have woken up....Had a good sleep?"There was a hint of sarcasm in Hitoshii's voice. "I assume you didn't do anything to me because you know I have to depend on you for the antidote,isn't it?" Soujirou had realized what was going on. ~ Pan "Of course." Hitoshii stated simply. He was not a person to be swaddling around with beat-around-the-rose-bush-words, for rather, he prefered to get straight on point, being, ahem, an impatient person by nature... "Now, if you'd allow me to get on with the plans..." "Hito-chan..." Soujirou started, quietly, hair hiding eyes from view. "... don't tell me you're doing this because of that incident so many eons ago?" Hitoshii put on a why-I'm-surprised-at-you-Soujirou smile. "Why, I'm surprised at you, Soujirou..." Soujirou went back to his memories about that fight with Kenshin, where he learned an entirely new perspective of life, one which would englighten him and allow him more than what Shishio had offered... and thought about this man in front of him now. Obviously, this personal vendetta he had against Kenshin was not similar to Soujirou's principle against principle fight with 'Himura-san'... Yet Soujirou did not see how much he would be of a use against Kenshin, since he was neither pal nor friend... only a mere acquaintance. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness knocked him down as he fell heavily onto the ground, groaning. "See, I told you you'd better cooperate if you want to live." Hitoshii started to chuckle. *But I *wasn't* resisting anything...* Soujirou mentally grumbled to himself, trying to help himself up. "All right, here, take this. It'll reduce the effect of the poison for a while, but no, it's not the antidote. I still need some insurance over you." Soujirou eyed the vial of plant potion in Hitoshii's hands with an unreadable expression. ~ Rurouni The throbbing in his head increased by the second. After a moment's hestitation, Soujirou reached over and gingerly took the vial offered to him. An sudden spike of pain stabbed into his mind, numbing his senses, the vial slipped from his fingers... Hitoshii caught it just before it shattered to a million pieces on the ground. He grabbed Soujirou, who was teetering on the brink of unconsciousness, tilted his chin up forced his mouth open and emptied the contents of the vial into his mouth. After a few minutes, the pain etched on Soujirou's youthful features finally dissolved. "How do you want me to help you?" Soujirou asked. ~ Poping An evil smile crept out from the corner of Hitoshii's mouth. "It's all very simple,Soujirou.As you should know,Himura Battousai is no easy target.Thus,we have to attack the weakest aspect of his defence,his companions....Firstly,we must make full use of that rooster-head friend of Battousai,who walks around thinking that he is the best fighter in the world.Promising a revival of the Sekihoutai will get him all ready to fight anyone who would stand in his way,especially a certain cross-scarred Ishinshishi veteran.Next,lure the girl and the boy living together with him.That isn't too hard,isn't it?" "If it's all so straightforward,why bother asking me....?" A confused Soujirou starts to ask. "SHUT UP!Don't ever interrupt me again,if you still want to live to see another sunrise.There's more..." Hitoshii was clearly aggravated,immersed obsessively in his plan for sweet revenge. ~ Pan Soujirou racks his black-spot-dotted brains for any reasonable answer to this, if not sudden, weird confrontation. Well, he had been looking forward to a few more years of travelling then meeting up with Himura-san in Tokyo to tell him all about what he's learnt and then get Himura-san to relate a few things about himself... That besides, he really didn't have to face to want to see Himura-san so soon again... "You," Hitoshii watched him warily, waking him from his thoughts, "don't look like the Soujirou I knew." Soujirou started, then smiled. "I'm myself, Hito-chan." "But you're not smiling all the time." Soujirou scratched the back of his head in discomfort. "Well... this can be explained, assuming you don't already know... as you should have heard about the Kyoto episode..." ~ Rurouni "My sources have told me about the Kyoto episode. What I don't understand is, how ever did Battousai change you from a cold-blooded killer to a useless wanderer..." "Himura-san didn't change me, he helped to point out another way of life I could take. I took up the challenge. If I am so useless, then why bother asking me to help?" Soujirou painstakingly explained, as if to a small child who wouldn't understand what he was saying anyway. "Don't you dare take that tone with me! I want to confuse him, make him unable to guess my next move, to guess who I am!" Hitoshii fumed, striking out at Soujirou with lightning speed but not hitting him, for the very next instant, he calmed down. "Hmm...he does talk an awful lot when he should be fighting instead..." Hitoshii mused. Soujirou's eyes narrowed. Hitoshii was clearly out of his mind, hell-bent on revenge. "But that's not the point here, Hito-chan, let's not dance around the topic any longer. Just tell me what exactly I must do, no matter how sick your plan is, I will do it. After that, give me the antidote and I'll be on my way." ~ Poping "Don't worry,you'll get your antidote if you do your job properly. Now,let me continue what I was saying..." Hitoshii looked around suspiciously,then got very close to Soujirou,and whispered into his ear.Soujirou was stunned by what he heard,and betrayed a look of amazement."But,but...."Soujirou uttered. "Hahaha,HAHAHA!!!Never expected this,eh?Only a man with my intelligence can think of something as ingenious as this.Now get going,I will wait for news of your progress."Hitoshii once again lost awareness of his surroundings. ~ Pan Soujirou busied himself with work the next few days. He'd never been so much using his wits for such a long time, it actually gave him a headache. He had to organize, plan and then carry out with the utmost secrecy, almost everything by himself. Hitoshii would appear as and when he felt he was needed to, then disappear off after settling a few things... And now came the night. Everything was ready. Soujirou had been observing Himura-san for over a week, and he found that on a particular night of the week, he'd favour himself for a walk around the neighbourhood, face set in deep thoughts. He had no idea why, but as long as it fitted into his plans... And so... END PART 4