Path of Swords
Chapter One: Lord of the Dojo
The sound of bokken striking shinai rang out across the yard. Kenshin was once again doing his daily chores, but a smile crept across his face as he listened to the sounds of training coming from the dojo. How could it not bring a smile to his face? He had been a swordsman, once, even if he'd given his sakabato to Yahiko for genpukku. In his heart, he was still a swordsman, and would be a swordsman until the day he died.
It warmed his swordsman's heart to hear the sound of the next generation mastering their own swordsmanship. Even if swords would become obsolete in Meiji—already the law against citizens carrying them in public was brutally enforced for the most part—Kaoru-dono was correct about the "way of swordsmanship" surviving even if they were only allowed to use bokken.
There was one child who was very adamant about following that way.
"Watch your stance!" Whack. Kenji's voice had been stern, and Kenshin winced at the sound of a bokken meeting something besides a shinai.
"Ow! That hurt, brother!" The younger boy's voice sounded as though he were almost in tears.
Whack. "I told you, watch your stance, baka."
"Onii-san! Don't be so mean!" He was definitely crying now. Kenshin set down what he was working on, concerned.
"Don't be so stupid." Kenji's voice was angry.
Whack. "Don't you hit Kenta again, Kenji! I'll throttle you!"
"Ow! Kenko, that hurt!'
"See how you like it!"
"Baka!" Kenji yelled. Kenshin sighed and stood up. As he crossed the yard to the dojo's door, the sounds of the struggle grew increasingly painful to hear. He clearly heard a loud thump as someone—probably Kenji—hit the floor very hard. Kenta was still crying, too.
Kenshin slid open the door, and the children froze and went silent as his shadow fell across the floor. Kenko had a fist in Kenji's hair and was sitting on his back. There was a red mark on his left cheek where Kenshin assumed Kenko had hit him with her shinai. He'd have a bruise there for sure. Kenta sniffled as his teary sapphire blue eyes met his father's gaze.
"Alright. This one would like to know what's going on in here, de gozaru yo."
All three children glanced away, Kenko letting go of Kenji's hair and standing up again. Kenji stood up, too, brushing himself off before shooting Kenko a fierce glare.
"Kenji was being mean to Kenta!" Kenko shouted. Kenta shuffled his feet.
"I was not!" Kenji protested, giving his father a pleading look. "Kenta didn't have the footing right, so I just gave him a little taste of what that could earn him if he weren't fighting his kind and caring older brother."
"Kind and caring my foot," Kenko snorted. "You made Kenta cry, onii-san!"
Kenshin sighed, and turned to Kenta. "Are you okay, son? Did you really get hurt badly?"
Kenta looked down at his feet, his face turning almost as red as his brother's hair. His own hair was black, like Kaoru's. He sniffled again, then shook his head.
Kenko frowned, clapping Kenta on the shoulder. "Baka. You mean you weren't really hurt?"
"Only a little," Kenta admitted. "You overreacted, sister."
Kenji frowned. "Doesn't help when you're a crybaby, brother."
Kenta's face flushed with anger. "I am not!" He stood straight up, and there was a fierce confidence in his eyes. "I can hold my own!"
He raised his shinai towards his brother, and Kenji smiled as he raised his own bokken in turn. "No holding back this time," Kenji chided.
Kenta grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Kenshin glanced towards each of his sons, sighed, and turned to leave to dojo. They might be a bit rough with each other, but they knew their own limits.
He was proud of them.
…
A month later, Kaoru had plans to go to the next town over with Yahiko and Yutaro for extra training at another dojo. Kenji was rather disappointed with the arrangements.
"But, mother... Why can't I come along? I'm an assistant master, too! I'm your best student!"
Kaoru frowned, sighing. "Yes, Kenji. You're an assistant master, and one of my best students. That's true. And that's exactly why you're staying here. I need someone I can trust to watch the dojo for a couple days while the rest of us are gone."
Kenji crossed his arms, frowning. "No. I am not babysitting."
Kaoru clocked him on the head lightly with her bokken. "No, baka. Kenshin's staying, too. He'll take care of you three. But he doesn't teach Kamiya Kasshin... So you've got to take care of my students for me. Okay? I'm trusting you."
Kenji was about to protest, but Kaoru silenced him with a quick hug and a kiss on the forehead. "Take care, Kenji. I'll be home soon, okay?"
Kenji sighed, nodding. "Take care, Mom."
He went back in the house a little reluctantly, only to find his father getting things together as well. Kenji crossed his arms. "Dad? I thought Mom said you were staying here?"
Kenshin turned to face his son with one of his trademark rurouni smiles as he rubbed his head. "This one is only going to town to do the shopping. This one will be back before night, that he will."
Kenji glared at Kenshin, who finally dropped the smile and opened his eyes. "This one trusts you to be in charge of the students for the day. You are almost a man, that you are."
Kenji opened his mouth to protest, but Kenshin merely picked up the bo and placed it over his shoulders, smiling once more. He put a hand on Kenji's shoulder as he walked by him out the door. "You will do a fine job, this one is sure of that. Take care, son."
Kenji followed his father for a few footsteps before he stopped and stood still. Watching him walk away down the path to the dojo's doors, Kenji felt very small all of a sudden. The wind picked up, ruffling Kenshin's hair, and Kenji sighed, leaning slightly to one side as he smiled a little. "I'm not babysitting, just so you know. I'm instructing."
Kenshin turned to smile back at him, nodding. "Hai. With Kaoru-dono, Yahiko, and Yutaro gone, that does leave you in charge. As of today, you are the master of the dojo."
As Kenshin vanished from sight, Kenji couldn't stop his little smile from becoming a full-fledged grin as he turned his gaze to the dojo.
His father was right, after all. Until the other masters returned, Himura Kenji was in charge here.
…
"Put more into it!" Kenji chided, watching Ota and Shinichi spar. Shinichi was one of the oldest students in the dojo, but he also had a bad habit of going too easy on the younger students. He tried a little too hard not to hurt them. As for Ota... He still tended to hold back as well, even if he did have iron in him. He was also very easily distracted.
"Huh?" Ota asked, turning to face Kenji for one brief moment. Kenji frowned, stepping in the way. He clocked Ota on the head with his bokken.
"I said, you're holding back to much! Pay attention!"
Ota nodded as Kenji stepped away. It didn't matter that Kenji was eight years his junior—when it came to swordsmanship, Kenji was his senior. Kenji couldn't remember a time when he hadn't been studying the art. He'd barely been a toddler when Kaoru had begun teaching him.
Shinichi and Ota were both panting before Kenji finally stopped them. They had just sat down on the sidelines, grinning, when Kenji shot them a frown.
Shinichi saw Kenji's gaze, and returned it with a questioning look. "What is it, Himura-sensei?"
"Did I tell you you could sit?" he asked.
Shinichi and Ota shared a glance. "Umm..." Ota said, "You said to stop fighting."
"Yes, but I didn't say you were done," Kenji told them.
Also in the sidelines, Kenko and Kenta shared a glance. They knew their brother all too well.
Shinichi frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
Kenji held up his own bokken. "I want you to fight me, Shinichi."
Shinichi went pale. "Himura-sensei...?"
Kenko frowned, and Kenta looked at her and nodded as he stood up. "Onii-san," he said, then went quiet as Kenji's angered gaze fell on him.
"Yes, Kenta...?" Kenji asked, voice low.
Kenta frowned, then met his brother's gaze unwaveringly. "Onii-sensei... Shinichi-san is tired. Let him rest." Kenji narrowed his eyes, and Kenta hurriedly finished. "Fight me instead, brother!"
Kenji looked from his brother to Shinichi, then back to Kenta as a smirk crossed his face. "Fine. Get up, Kenta. I'll fight you."
Kenta swallowed, gripping his shinai tightly in his hands. He moved to stand opposite of his brother on the polished wooden floor of the dojo. The room was unusually quiet as the brothers stared each other down, sapphire blue eyes gazing into sapphire blue eyes.
Since a young age, Kenji had established himself as a merciless warrior. It didn't matter if his opponent were elder or younger, friend or family... He fought them all with all his strength. On one level, it was a good thing. He was fair, brutally so.
Kenta, on the other hand... Kenta was strong, but gentle. He was very like his father's rurouni self, more so than either of his siblings. At eight years old, however, he was hardly a match for his elder brother.
After what seemed like hours, Kenji finally decided to make the first move. He all but vanished in a blur of god-speed—something both Kenji and Kenko could tap into, but Kenta had never figured out—and it was all Kenta could do to anticipate his path of motion. Kenta swiftly brought up his shinai, bracing himself for the impact.
It never came. He blinked in surprise, noting that Kenji was not in front of him at all.
"Over here!" Kenji's voice called, coming from above. Kenta's eyes shot upwards, and he gaped in shock at his brother. Kenji had leapt high into the air, holding his bokken above his head. Kenta winced, closing his eyes.
He heard Kenji's sandals hit the floor as he felt the wind from the movement brush against him, messing up his hair. It took Kenta a minute to realize he wasn't hurt at all. He opened his eyes as he lifted his head, and found Kenji staring back at him as well. He'd stopped mid-swing with expert accuracy, his bokken hovering just above Kenta's head. By the smirk on his face, Kenji knew it, too.
He pulled away, tucking his bokken back into his belt. His form was perfect, infuriatingly so. Mostly because he was all too aware of his own perfection.
Kenji grinned down at his little brother. "Guess this means I'm still the lord of the dojo, hm?"
Kenta frowned, looking down as he nodded. "Hai, onii-san. I mean, sensei."
Kenji nodded, crossing his arms. "Good. Your lesson's over, then, onii-chan. Get back to your seat. And you, Shinichi..." Kenji turned his gaze back to the man. Shinichi was already getting up again. The fight between the brothers had given him a short rest, anyway. Kenji smirked as he returned to his position at the front of the dojo's floor. "That's right. It's your turn." Kenji said, smiling. "Everyone here must fight me before they leave, understood?"
The dojo was silent in unspoken agreement. No one dared speak at that moment.
Kenji lowered himself into a sword-drawing stance. "If you wish to taste the floor, feel free to come at me!" he said, hand resting deftly on his bokken's hilt. "I'll prove to all of you I'm worthy of my place as the dojo's heir!"
By the time class was dismissed for the day, Kenji had beaten every other student in the dojo... And he'd hardly even broken a sweat. When Kenshin came home, he was surprised to find his younger children sulking in the yard, and Kenji singing—yes, singing—in the bath.
"Did something happen today, de gozaru yo?"
Kenta and Kenko shook their heads. "No," Kenko said, drawing a circle in the dirt with a stick. "Nothing much. Onii-san was... his usual perfect self."
Kenshin didn't miss the sarcastic tone in his daughter's voice when she said perfect, but he didn't have a chance to question it before Kenji walked down the deck wearing fresh clothes and a broad smile on his face.
Kenshin smiled in turn, and figured it was best to let it slide. "Tadaima," he said.
Kenta and Kenko smiled. "Okaeri nasai," they said in unison as Kenji leaned against the wall with a grin. Kenshin tilted his head a little, and Kenji finally chimed in.
"Okaeri nasai," he smiled. "Welcome home, Dad."
It seemed the day had been a good one after all.
Author: And from that day on, Kenji was indeed dubbed the dojo's lord, though often the word "fierce" or even "demon" would be included in that sentence somewhere...
This chapter was actually very fun to write, despite Kenji's arrogance. I think that was the hardest thing to write. I liked him better in "Heart of a Sword," when he was a cute little kid.^^ Oh, well. Kenji's supposed to be more cynical than Saito and have a bigger ego than Shishio, so I wanted to put at least a little of that in here. (If not all of it...) Kenji is also supposed to "master Hiten-mitsurugi Ryu's techniques just by hearing about them," so his using Ryu Tsui Sen on Kenta is based off that idea. (Yahiko knew it, so it's entirely possible he taught Kenji that one.)
Besides, he's fourteen, so it's pretty normal for him to be a little obnoxious. At that age, even Kenshin had a tendency to argue with his elders. (And I'm pretty sure Kenshin says "If you want to taste the ground, feel free to come at me!" at some point in the anime... so that phrase referenced that.)
For those who didn't read "Heart of a Sword," Kenko and Kenta are introduced there. Kenko's name means "Child of Swords" and Kenta's means "Strong Sword/Strength of a Sword." They're twins.
...
Japanese terms you might not know in this chapter (I used quite a few, I know...):
Baka; stupid/foolish/dumb/idiot/etc. (A pretty generic Japanese insult.)
Onii-san; older brother/big brother.
Bo; wooden pole.
Hai; yes. (I used this one last chapter, too.)
Onii-chan; little brother. (Kenji stresses the chan, though... So he's kind of insulting Kenta. "Little brother.")
Tadaima; I'm home. (Literally "I'm here," I believe... But it's used when coming home.)
Okaeri Nasai; Welcome home. (I had to look that one up for this chapter. So I learned a new Japanese word!^^)
...
The other terms (shinai, bokken, sakabato, Bakumatsu...etc) are either explained in the manga itself or should be common knowledge (like sakura).
...But still, if anyone's confused by anything just ask!
Scarred Sword Heart: Thanks for the review.^^ I hope it's as worth the wait.
See you next time!