I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Dunno where this idea came up from…I guess I like to see Hiko and Kenshin get along, and show that Hiko really does care for Kenshin deep down. And that Kenshin was so cute as a little kid! Kawaii! Ahem, anyway, I think that's all.

Fixed the grammar and other mistakes of the story. I took out some Japanese, but left others in since it felt more appropriate. I believe the ones still in there are common terms ("baka", which means "idiot"; "arigatou gozaimasu", which means "thank you"; "shishou", which means "master"; "ano", which means "um"; "hai", which means "yes"; "baka deshi", which means "stupid student").

Something He Isn't Good At

Chapter 1

Hiko positioned himself, barely at ready, in front of the little nine-year-old boy standing poised with his sword. "Attack."

Little Kenshin leapt forward, and ended up back in the water again.

Hiko grunted. "Baka! You can't do anything right!"

Kenshin stood up shakily. The water was very cold in the early autumn. He shivered.

"Don't act so melodramatic!" Hiko growled. "Or you'll find yourself at the other end of the waterfall! The current is fast this time of year!"

Kenshin didn't have to be told that twice. He was barely keeping a foot hold, the water coming up to above his knees sometimes, and spraying in his face as it hit the rocks. He winced whenever the freezing water hit him like it was daggers. Hiko was unaffected by the coldness of the water, but he wasn't always swimming to get back up after being knocked down. Kenshin wanted a break. His arms were tired, he was shivering, and he could barely feel his feet anymore.

"Well?" Hiko demanded. "Attack!"

Kenshin gritted his teeth and did his best, but it was a weak attack since he was exhausted. Hiko grunted and knocked him back, easily.

"Baka." Hiko growled. "If you don't put more swing into it next time, then you'll go flying back again."

Kenshin wearily stood up, breathing hard. "G-gomen, shishou…"

"Shaddap." Hiko growled. "And attack!"

Kenshin put on a determined face, but could barely even get himself into the air because he was so tired. Hiko blocked the attack as hard as he could this time, and sent Kenshin flying down into the fast current. The poor kid was carried down until he was out of sight, screaming for help.

Hiko put his sword over his shoulder and walked on shore, shouting, "When you finally crawl back, then we'll resume!" He walked towards the hut, ignoring the boy who was straining to stay on a rock as the current got to fast and the water got too deep.

"Shishou! Help!" Kenshin shouted, tears running down his face. He coughed and sputtered as the current splashed freezing water against the rock he was holding, weakening his grip. "Shishou…ah!" He slipped and the current took him down stream.

Kenshin cried out for help again as he tried to catch onto rocks, but only ended up smacking into them. Pain shot through his weary body, and he was finding it hard to stay afloat. He cried out again, sliding under the water, then came back up, gasping for breath as the current took him out.

Hiko looked up at the little clock sitting on the wall. It had been four hours, and his baka-deshi still wasn't back. "Where the hell is that kid…?" He stood up and looked outside. The sun was beginning to set, and the boy still wasn't back. He didn't see any sign of the kid. "He's in big trouble when he gets back for being late."

Hiko went back inside to finish dinner. He liked to let the boy cook since Kenshin was better at it, but the boy was probably in a lake somewhere, and struggling to get back, so he had to make himself dinner. "Humph." He sat down and ate the rice ball.

Kenshin woke up as the sun finished its decent, bathing the world in darkness. He had been washed up on shore. He was soaking wet, freezing, hungry, and exhausted…not to mention a bit scared. His sword was gone…he had dropped it on the shoreline back at Hiko's place when he went flying. He wearily tried to push himself up, but failed, slamming back into the ground.

He coughed some water out of his lungs and tried again, desperately trying to ignore the pain from the little cuts and scrapes he had received from hitting the rocks. This time, he made it to his feet. He looked around, not recognizing the place where he was at all, but figuring that if he followed the river, then he'd make it back. He bit his lip, scared. But which direction was the house…? Kenshin looked around for some kind of reference point, and saw the rocks a bit to the north.

"That way!" Kenshin exclaimed, and stumbled off. His teeth chattered as a cold wind blew. He grabbed the opposite sleeves of his gi top and clutched them to him in an attempt to stay warm. The forest was very cold and creepy in autumn, and there wasn't even a place where he could settle down for the night and resume his walk in the morning where he wouldn't become bait for some hungry animal. Nor was there anything he could use to warm up with.

He just kept on walking, hoping that the exercise would warm him up. He fell down and then rubbed his toes, trying to get feeling back into them. When he did that, he shivered again and stood up to resume his walk. He stumbled a bit in one direction, then to the other, then fell over. His stomach growled. He weakly turned over on his back and stared up at the stars through the trees that were beginning to lose their leaves.

Moaning, he pushed himself up and looked around, then saw some fish in the water.

After a few failed attempts, he finally was able to catch one. Now his hands were numb, but at least he had food. He tried to get a fire going, but couldn't feel the wood and started to cry a bit in frustration. He sat down and shivered again, shaking his hands. Finally, he was able to pile up the wood and get a fire going, after another hour or so. He placed the long-dead fish on a stick and placed it by the fire, rubbing his hands together and staying near it to warm up.

Hiko looked outside, then back at the clock. It was almost 11:30pm. Hiko wondered what Kenshin was doing. The boy had been washed down stream nearly seven hours ago. He wouldn't admit it, but he was starting to grow concerned for his disciple.

Kenshin resumed his walk after devouring the fish and putting out the fire. He wished he could have stayed in front of it to dry his cloths completely and warm up, but he knew that it would spread and burn down the whole forest if he did, so he continued on. He picked up a long, thick stick and used that to help him get up the little hills. Going down was easy; he had been carried over mini-waterfalls by the current. But hiking up was another story.

He heard a growl and paused. He brought the stick up into the position that he was taught, taking an at-ready stance. Sweat dripped down his face, and he heard it again. Just then, a wolf who had strayed too far from his pack lunged at him. Despite his weariness, Kenshin decided that he was not about to become dog food. He moved to the side and smacked the piece of wood down on the wolf's head, knocking it out, then took off running away from it and didn't stop until he was a good mile away from the area.

Hiko sat on the ground, his arms crossed against his chest. Now he was getting worried. But not too worried. Maybe the boy had become fish-bait for some creature. Hiko looked up at the clock.

1:24am.

Kenshin coughed from his position on the ground. He felt sick. He curled up into a ball, not wanting to move, but knew that if he didn't, he would either freeze to death or become food for some animal. His muscles straining with every move he made, he managed to push himself to his knees, then used the stick to help him to his feet. A bit hunched over as he leaned heavily on the stick for support, he resumed his trek, inching his way back, step by step. He felt a little woozy, then fell over. He blinked as things started spinning wildly. He was definitely scared now. He moaned and pushed himself up with the stick, getting back to his feet.

"Shi…shou…" Kenshin moaned. "Help…me…"

He knew that his master couldn't hear him. The area wasn't even looking familiar yet. Though, the part of the stream a few yards up was starting to resemble something familiar. Kenshin whimpered, his lip trembling, along with his entire body. Aching all over, he continued his crawl-walk north. His breath came out ragged, and a cold wind caused him to stop and shut his eyes against it, breathing hard and shivering badly. He was cold, but he continued his walk.

Exhaustion was setting in, and his entire body felt sore. Pain tore through his leg where he had taken a nasty fall a little while ago, and blood stained the white gi-pants he was wearing. Things went in and out of focus, but he squeezed his eyes shut against it, then opened them and continued on. He was scared, cold, tired, and wanted to sleep.

Kenshin whimpered weakly again and collapsed to the ground, his strength giving out once more. He lay there, breathing hard and soaking wet, for a good half an hour. He felt his eyes close, but then shook his head and forced himself back up. He growled resolutely, and started off again. He was determined to make it back and show his instructor that he was no stupid, weak boy.

Hiko didn't realize he had fallen asleep until the chiming of the clock woke him up. He looked at the clock, then outside, then back at the clock again.

Kenshin still wasn't back, and it was growing lighter out now as dawn approached.

Hiko stood up and frowned. He wondered if the boy had been seriously injured or killed. With a frown, walked outside and stretched, then watched the sun start to come up.

Kenshin was weary to the bone as the sun started to rise, and he was hungry again. His legs gave out, and he fell down. The stick he had been using had broken when he fought against a hungry bear. Somehow, he managed to beat it. He had gotten beaten back a lot, and was scratched up. Not from the bear's claws or teeth, but from flying into the ground or rolling into trees or tripping over rocks during the fight. He had looked around for another stick, but was unable to find one strong enough to support his measly weight.

The boy coughed again, feeling very sick. He groaned and pushed himself up, stumbling over to the river, then collapsing in front of it. Weakly, he leaned forward and took a long drink of water. He leaned back against a rock tiredly and wiped the water off of his mouth.

Since he was hungry, he tried to catch some fish, but they slipped through his scratched up, tired fingers each time. Finally, he gave up on it, and started to all but crawl back. The terrain was looking familiar now. He found a good stick on the ground and, groaning, got to his feet. He nearly fell right back down, but stayed up. Breathing hard, he crawl-walked bit by bit back to the place where smoke was coming from in the distance.

Hiko finished his breakfast and sighed.

It was 8:47am.

"Where the hell is that kid?" He looked around as he threw another piece of wood at the base of the chimney, causing more smoke to come out. "This should help that baka find his way back. I bet he got lost. He can't miss this smoke signal, if he's learned anything." Hiko glanced out at the horizon, concern shining in his otherwise emotionless eyes. "I wonder where that boy is…"

Kenshin saw the smoke, and it started to get closer. Everything seemed to drag on for eternity, and he barely had the strength to keep on walking. He moaned and coughed. He caught himself from falling again, then stumbled and leaned against a tree, his breath coming out hard and ragged. He wanted to just go curl up in a hole somewhere and never come out, but he knew that if he did that right now, then he'd die. He coughed again, then squeezed his eyes shut against the dizziness that came over him and resumed his walk after it had passed.

Finally, he could see the sun reflecting off of the forgotten blade of his sword that had gone flying when he was knocked back. The idea of him finally returning back fueled him with some energy that he really didn't have, and he moved a little faster. The stick snapped when he leaned into it too much, so he picked up the sword and used that to get back.

Hiko looked up and noticed a lone figure limping over to the house. At next glance, he saw that it was the little boy, Kenshin.

"Baka-deshi." Hiko growled, then raised his voice, "Oi! Baka! Get your pathetic ass over here!"

But Kenshin couldn't. Hiko blinked as the figure wavered, then collapsed and didn't get up again. Hiko started forward, expecting it to be a trick since the boy was still weakly clutching the sword in his hand that he had been using to help him get back.

But when he got closer, he broke into a run and stopped when he saw the boy. The child was flushed with a high fever, and his gi was torn up and he was bleeding in some places. His hair and parts of his clothing was still wet, and his breathing was very shallow, a look of pain spread across his face.

Hiko's face masked his concern for his student, but his eyes hid nothing. He gently picked up the fallen boy and carried him back to the house, glancing at the clock as he went in and laid Kenshin down on the futon, then covered him up after getting him into some dry and clean cloths and cleaning out the wounds.

10:21am.

TO BE CONTINUED…