"First I take offense at the title of this story."
"Who are you?"
"I'm Hiko, Hiko Seijuurou, 13th teacher of the Hiten Mitsurugi School, and I don't have a drinking problem."
"You do know the first step is to admit you have a problem."
Hiko walks over and clots the narrator over the head. "As I was saying, I don't have a drinking problem, and even if I did, it's only because of that Baka Deshi of mine."
The poor narrator comments from where he lies on the ground. "But you where already drinking before you met him."
Hiko clots the narrator again in the head. "Yes, I was drinking but I didn't have a drinking problem." Hiko looks down the narrator, "You going to let me tell the story the way I want to."
The narrator nodded and waves his hands, motion for Hiko to go on with the story. Muttering something about 'talking problems out is good for the healing process'.
Hiko moved over to a seat and pulled out a jug of saka pouring himself a drink. "Well as Kenshin has told the story, I discovered a group of bandits which I had to get rid of, Kenshin being the only survivor of the battle. Well that and myself. So as a reward and celebration for my work I went to a restaurant in town and ordered a fine jug of Saka." Hiko sips the saka he had poured for himself. "I still remember the taste, some of the best saka I can remember. It was a shame to waist it on those boulders but back then I didn't have a drinking problem so I didn't mind."
The narrator raises his hand. "I thought you said you didn't have a problem."
Hiko clotted the narrator again; who with swirls in the eyes falls to the floor again. "I don't, now let me tell the story. So I returned to find Kenshin had made graves for everyone, and I felt sort of guilty not having brought any flowers or whatever, so I gave the only thing I had on me at the time. I then took Kenshin as my student. Most likely the biggest mistake of my life, and what really started me to seriously begin drinking."
Hiko looked over at the narrator who seemed to still be passed out. "I wasn't ready to be a father, and yet here I had this kid to take care. I wasn't the best role model but I think he did okay. However the only comfort I had after a long day of training the baka was in the taste of a nice cup of Saka. Now when he entered his teen-years can anyone blame me for needing to drink even more at that point."
Hiko looks around the crowd. "Okay, well then we had our argument and he left my life. Sure I drank for awhile then, but it was like…" Hiko was sniffling a bit. "…Like losing a son." He quickly dried his eyes, returning to being the cold master again. "You tell Kenshin that and you die."
The narrator nodded in earnest. "So what happened once he left. If Kenshin was the cause of your drinking problem, did you quit once he left?"
"It's not so easy to quit, but yeah. I cut way back. I found I didn't need it as much. I devoted myself to making pottery. But the lure of saka haunted my dreams; often I kept making cups, and bowls and jugs out of clay. Anything that could hold a bit of saka." Hiko gets a far of look in he's eyes for a moment but shakes it away. "But I wasn't drinking. Okay, so I was a bit, but not very much. Not as compared to when Kenshin was around."
"What happened when Kenshin returned?"
"See your learning. Kenshin came back, and drove me back to the Saka. It's all his fault I tell you." Hiko complaining to the narrator, getting rather upset even, perhaps on the verge of tears again.
"There there, it's okay. Well get you the help you need. It's good you came to right place for help." The narrator escorted Hiko out of the room. "The next step is to…"
The End
V1.0 - Okay this is so far very messy, but it only took me a few minutes to write. It came about from the idea that Hiko blames his drinking problem on Kenshin. Sure he was drinking way before Kenshin got there, but that's not what he lets Kenshin believe.