Author's note: Sorry about the delay – I regularly have headaches and they have been cropping up lately, making it impossible to devote long hours in front of my monitor. Here is a chapter at last! Read and review, please!
When Sako awoke in the murky light of predawn, the memories of a few hours ago rushed to her mind and filled her with instant dread. As she reluctantly dragged herself out of her futon and fumbled automatically for her katana, she was extremely reluctant to face her master, sure that he would give her no end of grief over her show of weakness that night and certain that was plotting some considerably hard training as punishment. To her surprise, Hiko made no reference to the event, merely greeting her with a curt "Morning" as was his custom and began rapping out commands for the day's first training session the same way he did every morning. As the day progressed, Sako kept waiting for her master to catch her unaware and make some snide reference to her tears last night but the moment never came; if anything, he was a little kinder to her than he had been since the maddening heat had begun pounding the land with punishing waves of scorching intensity and making Hiko even more testy than normal.
As the days slogged by, Sako's confessions faded into the past and master and pupil kept their attention fully absorbed in her training despite the searing heat. Just as it seemed the land would erupt into flames and burn every living thing to a crisp, dark clouds rolled in one muggy day and sent torrents of cooling rain down on the parched earth. Sako, outside training with Hiko's sharp eye watching her closely, wanted to tear her clothes off and frolic merrily in the blessed relief, but she kept her composure and did not waver from the kata she was performing, although she could not help but waste a few moments thinking about what her stern master would do if she did indulge in such unwarranted foolishness. In her head, Sako could just see his face darkening to a scowl as he bellowed out "What in the blazes are you doing, you daft girl? Put your clothes back on and get back to work!" The thought made her grin broadly, but she kept her head turned from her master so he wouldn't see her mirth.
Thankfully unaware of what ridiculous visions his pupil was currently amusing herself with, Hiko looked up at the skies and gave a grunt of approval. "About damned time we had some rain," he said as the water began streaming down upon his head and shoulders, plastering his clothes to his body in a way that made Sako's eyebrow quirk in surprise that she had noticed. "Ah well, training in the rain's good for you," he continued, then commanded, "Mind you dry your sword and oil it tonight or it'll rust. Again," Sako surged forward, grateful to feel coolness spreading through the air and chasing away the baking heat but still not quite able to rid her mind either of her imagined hilarious scenario or the peculiar way she had noticed her master's broad shoulders.
The rain signaled the end of the unbearable heat and further days were warm but not uncomfortably so. Summer slipped away quickly and fall began settling in, chasing away the last of summer's warmth. Hiko was pleased to see that with the cooler weather, Sako's appetite rebounded and she quickly regained the weight and the strength she had lost in the past couple months. While she had continued to progress in her training through the hellish summer, with the coming of fall her skills began developing at an astonishing rate. Much to Hiko's surprise, during a cool week in mid fall, she completely mastered Ryushosen in just three days. Took the runt as many weeks to perfect it, Hiko remembered with a sniff as his apprentice came to a stop, sheathed her sword, and looked at him expectantly.
"Good, Sako, that was excellent," he said, permitting himself a rare word of praise and watching as her cheeks turned slightly pink. Then, to make sure the fool girl didn't get too full of herself, he demanded, "Do it again, and it better be just as perfect." With a mixed feeling of pride and mild irritation, he watched as Sako sailed flawlessly through the attack, leaving him nothing to yell at her about. Hmph, now I suppose I'll have to find something else to bawl her out for so her ego doesn't explode on me ...Hiko bit back a smile as he growled out. "Don't get cocky, girl, you've got plenty more to learn." He swore a cheeky smile flashed across her face before she dropped her head in compliance.
Fall settled over the land but despite the coolness and the rainfall, the damage of summer had been done and the harvest was poor, with the village elders still clamoring warnings of a particularly harsh upcoming winter. Hiding his concern from his annoyingly perceptive apprentice, Hiko spent quite a bit of time mentally planning and worrying about how to best prepare for the upcoming months but luckily the villagers had the same concern and needed pottery to store a lot of what they had pulled from the field, as pitiful as the harvest had been. As the season passed, Hiko's shelves emptied and his money sack filled, abet a lot slower than he liked, especially since he sometimes reduced prices for a particularly hard-up looking peasant who appeared at his door. Hiko had a distinct feeling that his wily apprentice was also quietly doing the same thing; there were several times she returned from hawking pottery in the village with less than he expected for the amount she had sold, but he let it pass. Better sell more for a lower price than have piles of pottery cluttering up the house and no money for the upcoming winter.
Fall passed quickly as the weather turned decidedly cold, trees sending brown leaves in the brisk winds. Sako seemed to relish the colder weather and as her skills continued to develop rapidly, Hiko began finding himself needing to actually exert some effort in order to stay ahead of her. While she didn't have the strength he wanted and she was not catching on to the aerial attacks he had started introducing her as fast as other forms she had learned, he had to admit the girl had speed. Not quite Kenshin's godlike speed but still...
Fast enough. Now where the hell did you go, girl? Hiko thought, momentarily baffled as Sako flew at him in a blinding flash and seemingly disappeared. It was late morning on a crisp fall day, and the blasted chit had been almost bouncing with energy since she woke up. She had been attacking like a tiger the entire morning with no sign of slowing down, and the speed at which she had charged him was, he had to grudgingly admit, impressive. As she raced forward, for one puzzling moment, he completely lost track of her, then instinct screamed a warning and he whipped his blade around to block her incoming strike.
Why you.... Hiko stifled the urge to grin, mirroring the slightest glimmer of what looked suspiciously like a smirk on her face. Instead, he kept his face impassive but internally thought, So I have to start taking you a little more seriously, is that it? Hmph, don't get too ahead of yourself, girl.
Sako, however, did not heed his unvoiced warning because she flew at him again, too focused on her speed and oblivious to her defenses, not recognizing the ghost of a smile lurking on her master's face. Suddenly, the world made a violent somersault and she found herself sprawled flat on the ground, a blade tip inches from her throat and her hands conspicuously empty of a sword handle.
Hiko was glaring at her darkly and Sako felt a knot of alarm rise up in her belly. "Speed is good," her master rumbled, the tip of the sword bouncing to emphasize his words as it moved back and forth just under her chin. "You're getting speed and that's good. But it's not everything. Get cocky and you'll see how useless speed is unless you have proper technique to back it up."
"Yes, Master," Sako responded contritely and rolled hesitantly back upright. Her sword was a good fifteen feet away and she meekly retrieved it, determined to keep her ego in check before she embarrassed herself again. She had allowed herself to become too overconfident and the hard tumble she had taken on the ground had jarred her back to reality. Contrite, she turned her full attention back to her master, determined to be more cautious.
Winter began shoving fall out of the way a lot sooner than it should have, and the end of fall was heavily garnished with frequent snowfalls. Out of necessity, master and pupil had to spend quite a bit of time each day preparing for the upcoming winter months, but Hiko simply dragged Sako out of bed earlier and made her stay outside longer each evening to make up for it. The blasted girl was gaining an annoying amount of endurance, and it took more and more effort to exhaust her; much to his irritation, Hiko had actually found himself tired at the end of more than one long day of training, something he usually covered up by giving his apprentice more chores to perform, which she completed without a quibble. Hiko had long since begun to suspect that if his apprentice ever lost her arm in a freak accident, she would simply tuck the severed limb under her other arm and calmly go about her tasks until she had time to properly attend her injuries. Her tolerance and patience levels were annoyingly high, so much so that Hiko had largely given up trying to aggravate her in attempts to amuse himself; what little reactions he could force out of her usually weren't worth the effort.
Somewhat by default or perhaps it was the result of having two adults in the house, a somewhat equal partnership gradually formed between master and pupil in regards to general household economics. Sako apparently possessed a good head for business because she often quietly suggested particular pottery items she thought would sell well or designs that were popular. Throughout the months of Sako's training, potential customers had regularly showed up at the door, and Hiko usually turned them over to Sako, both because he didn't want the bother of dealing with them and also because people tended to prefer interactions with a young female over a tall, menacing sword master who scowled when he talked. Plus, when the girl was selling items, either at the house or in town, customers would often linger and buy other items from her instead of just getting what they needed and skittering away nervously as was the case when they had to deal with Hiko. While taking on an apprentice had meant a lot of added expense, Hiko had to admit that as the months passed, Sako was more than earning her keep both in the chores she performed and the sales she made.
As Hiko kept close watch on their supplies for winter and ran a mental tally of how much he expected the two of them to consume in the upcoming months, he was aware that Sako was considering the same questions. One early winter evening, she looked up from the dinner she was dishing out and announced quietly, "There is a winter festival in Hakuan," mentioning a town which was a three hour's walk away.
"Is there?" Hiko replied, picking up a bowl. Ever since late fall had been bringing sharp cold and the occasional snowfall, Sako had been cooking more substantial meals to keep them both warm and full. Remembering how little she had eaten during the hot summer months, Hiko was surprised at how much Sako could pack away during mealtimes now that cold weather had arrived. She must have hollow legs, otherwise I'll be damned to say where it all goes, he thought to himself more than once when he observed her steadily tucking away about as much as he was eating, to his mild amusement.
Sako scooped a generous portion in a bowl and nodded her head. "I thought it would be a good opportunity to sell more pottery, particularly if winter is as bad as predicted. It may be difficult later for people to come to us or for us to get to the village to sell."
Hiko glanced at his shelves. There was plenty of pottery sitting around unsold, and Hakuan was a reasonable distance. Sako's proposition was quite rational and it would be foolish to turn down an opportunity to make a tidy profit. "Well, if we leave early in the morning and the weather holds fair, we can return by night," he responded. "Hopefully we can sell most of what I have available now."
Sako shot him a puzzled look. She was well aware of her master's dislike of people in general and crowds in particular and although he never said anything, she knew he was more than happy to let her handle customers and go into town when they needed things. Sako had assumed he would either give her permission to go to the festival by herself or bark out something about not wasting time on some foolish revelry; the thought of Hiko actually accompanying her had never entered her mind.
Seeing her puckered brow, he grunted, "It's too far into Hakuan for you to go by yourself, especially with everything you'd need to bring and anyway, I want to see what art supplies they have. I need more paint brushes, plus we should check prices for food and see about stocking up. I don't think we have enough stored away yet."
Pausing for a moment to slurp down some noodles, Hiko scanned Sako critically and said, "You should think about what you need for the winter. Those tabi are about useless and you need a warm haori or you'll freeze." He had quickly noticed that Sako was fine outside in the cold as long as she was moving vigorously but the second she slowed down, she would begin to shiver rather quickly, despite her best efforts to hide it from him. Hmm, well, those clothes of hers are too thin for winter and a skinny little thing like her can't be keeping much heat inside, he grunted to himself. Still, she needs to learn how to generate chi better than that. A swordsman can't afford to freeze.
Sako nodded again as she glanced down at her tabi, seeing the worn spots where her toes were just about to burst through. Despite the fire, cold was creeping in from under the door and she shivered slightly to think about the worst to come.
She was still shivering just a tiny bit three days later as she and her master loaded up the hand cart with all the pottery they had ready. Keeping her feet moving, Sako tried running through the chi diffusion practices Hiko had been teaching her. She knew that her own body's energy, properly manipulated, could keep her sufficiently warm, but it was hard to refocus her chi while she was moving around attending other duties. Mainly her body protested that her current clothing was ill-suited for winter months and demanded she go back inside. However, she ignored the chill, determined not to show weakness in front of her master who, with or without his weighted cloak, was seemingly impervious to the elements be it blasting heat or freezing cold. No matter. Once they started moving, brisk walking would keep her warm.
Hiko brought the last crate out of the house and set it carefully inside the hand cart, then called out to Sako, "Catch." A wadded-up blanket sailed through the air and landed in her arms as he ordered, "Put that around you but mind you have your sword handle free at all times. You're no good to me frozen, girl. We'll get you a haori in town."
Stifling a smile, Sako draped the blanket across her shoulders. While her master was frequently sardonic, demanding, and harsh, there were times he exhibited a gruff courtesy and cutting sarcasm cloaking a rather fussy concern for her well-being. He still insisted on chopping all the wood and bringing in most of the water, although Sako knew that she was perfectly capable of handling these tasks if needed. It was rather silly that he was accompanying her to town: Hakuan was not terribly far away and she had a sword at her side along with years of training in how to use it. There was no reason she couldn't have managed the handcart and journey by herself and spared her master the irritation of having to deal with the crowds at the festival. Pondering the manifold ways he could both bewilder her and test her patience, Sako stepped forward to pick up the handles of the cart, as was befitting an apprentice, but Hiko irritably pushed her aside.
"Don't be ridiculous, girl, the damned thing weighs twice as much as you and the snow's piling up. You'd just get us stuck." Easily picking the handles up, Hiko stalked forward with the cart, leaving Sako to walk behind him a few paces, shaking her head every so slightly. For all the training he piled upon her shoulders, sometimes her master acted as if he had forgotten all the strength and endurance he had been steadily beating into her and seemed to lack faith that she could handle anything remotely heavy or difficult. But she kept these thoughts to herself and followed him silently down the snow-laden road.
Hakuan was abuzz with festival cheer; the good-sized town was swarming with local people and many others from surrounding towns and areas, Sako occasionally spotting a face she recognized. Children raced everywhere with dogs, musicians and dancers performed on every corner, the smell of food filled the air, and people milled in endless numbers enjoying the festivities. Hiko eyed the cheerful chaos with mounting irritation. Too much damned noise, he mumbled to himself. His apprentice, however, had a faint glow in her eye that indicated she did not share her master's assessment, but he ignored that and focused on finding a relatively quiet place they could set up shop. As soon as he ran across a vendor, Hiko bought several jugs of sake. If he had to deal with the chaos of a festival, he needed alcohol in his veins.
Luckily, there was an empty booth the two were allowed to take over but, most unlucky (in Hiko's eyes), it was smack in the middle of a long row of booths and in the center of the maelstrom of human activity. After helping Sako unload and set up everything, Hiko retreated towards the back of the booth where he could drink and brood and glower freely at anyone who seemed tempted to try for a five-finger discount. Sako, he was grudgingly pleased to note, interacted well with customers, elegantly showcasing the wares he had crafted and artfully convincing customers to buy more than what they had originally been eying. His stock of pottery began disappearing at a rapid rate, and Hiko kept close watch over his steadily filling money pouch, alert for anyone trying to relieve him of its weight. However, it did not escape the sword master's notice that more than one male customer seemed less interested in the pottery itself than the pretty young woman selling it.
Scowling, Hiko watched as a rather rakish-looking young man swaggered up to their booth and began blatantly flirting with Sako, intent on her and seemingly oblivious of both the sword at her side and her glowering master fuming in the back of the stand. Finally, Hiko had enough. Resisting the urge to draw a blade on the brat, he shot to his feet and stalked angrily over to where the young man was leaning casually against the counter, eyes intent on Sako and completely unaware of his impending doom. Before Hiko's irate eyes, the young man moved his hand, brushing his fingers against Sako's arm in a way that just begged Hiko to remove the offending appendage from his apprentice. Violently.
Squashing the urge, Hiko loomed over Sako's head and glared pointedly at the lad. "Are you buying anything or not?" he growled and watched in deep satisfaction as the young man's face blanched and he began backing away hesitantly. Sako transferred her attention to the next customer as Hiko scowled down at her, wondering if she had drawn other male admirers in other trips she had taken to the village near their house. Don't get any bright ideas, girl, your job is to train right now, he telegraphed silently at his apprentice's back. Get tangled up with some idiot boy and I'll have the hide off you. Deepening his scowl, Hiko wondered if sending her to the village alone all those times had been the best of ideas, considering the attention she was currently attracting, and he briefly considered putting a few impaled male bodies around the house as a subtle warning that his apprentice was off limits.
"Hello, Sako-san!" two overly-bright male voices rang out, and Hiko glared murderously as two teenage boys that he vaguely recognized as inhabitants of the village near his house came up to the booth. Sako greeted them politely by name as the pair made only cursory glances at the pottery surrounding her, keeping their attention fixed on her before a stern glance from Hiko caused them to quickly make their bows and depart.
Might need more than a few bodies than that, Hiko thought and glanced angrily at the boys' retreating backs until they had disappeared into the teeming mass of humanity and other people stepped up to the booth to divert his attention. By early afternoon, they had sold almost everything and Hiko's mood had been greatly restored by the clinking of coins in the sack at his waist. "That's about it, then," he said to Sako. "Best get what else we need." She nodded and followed her master out into the festival to take stock of what was on sale. Hiko's commanding presence and the sword at his side neatly cut a wide swath through the crowd, everyone giving the sword master ample berth to pass and Sako trailing a few feet behind him as they visited the other booths to find what they needed.
At a clothing stand, Hiko shook his head as Sako picked up a lower quality haori and a pair of cheap-looking tabi. The girl was practical and frugal to a fault, but this was not the time to be stingy. "I don't want you freezing, girl, you need something warmer than that," he pronounced and moved his attention to better-quality garments. While the thick blue haori and warm foot coverings he ended up picking out for her made a significant dent in his money pouch, he handed the ryo over without a quibble, knowing Sako's small frame needed the protection. It was going to be a long winter of hard training outside and the last thing he needed was for her to develop pneumonia. Sako thanked him in that quiet way of hers, but he noticed how her eyes fluttered to an exquisite silk kimono displayed prominently in the booth, a brief pang of longing dancing across her face. Snorting, he scanned the garment; from the looks of it, the both of them could eat for a winter on what it cost. With its delicate embroidery and trailing sleeves, the kimono was entirely impractical for a swords woman; she'd tangle herself up in the floor-length sleeves or step on the trailing hem while trying to fight in it. However, for a brief and unbidden moment, Hiko's mind conjured up an image of what Sako would look like gussied up in such an outfit. The mental picture made him clear his throat and turn his head firmly from the garment.
Sako, however, had transferred her attention to looking out over the festivities carrying on around them, the faintest of smile upon her face. Having made more off his pottery than he had anticipated and feeling several cups of sake floating pleasantly through his veins, Hiko was in a rather indulgent mood so, catching her attention, he dropped several coins in her palm. "Here girl, go amuse yourself for awhile."
Sako's cheeks turned pink as she looked at him in surprise. "Master, I..."
"Go on, now," Hiko said expansively. "You've earned some time off. But," a warning quivered in his voice, "stay out of trouble and be back at the booth in two hours or I'll tan your hide." Although Hiko had idly threatened to beat her on more than one occasion, he had never actually followed through: Sako had never committed an offense serious enough to warrant it, and Hiko had deep-seated moral qualms about raising his hand to a woman. The first idiot, though...he thought with a smirk. Kenshin had not fared quite so well at avoiding his master's wrath.
"I will. Thank you, Master," Sako smiled and disappeared into the teeming crowd. Hiko watched her go noting the way people's eyes moved in puzzlement from her face to the sword at her side, many villagers unacquainted with the oddly disjointed sight of a small, pretty young woman carrying a blade with the quiet confidence of one who obviously knew how to wield it and wouldn't hesitate to do so if pressed. Suddenly remembering the collection of male admirers who had flocked to the booth, Hiko almost called Sako back to his side but he stayed his hand. The girl wasn't a fool and she had an absorbed focus in her training that little was able to derail. He was reasonably assured that she wasn't going to fall for some idiot smooth-talker with a handsome face.
Still...Scowling, Hiko abruptly turned his attention back to the next booth, feeling his low tolerance for crowds and noise rapidly dwindling. However, even for a misanthrope such as himself, it was occasionally useful to mingle with others, abet grudgingly. By lurking and listening, he could pick up on what was happening on the outside and what current struggles Japan was enmeshed in, based on clusters of conversation erupting around him. Not that it did him much good to know, but it wasn't entirely useless to keep vague tabs on what was happening throughout the land. Usually hearing about it was enough to send him back to his hut cursing humanity for its collective stupidity and marked preference for conflict at all cost, but Hiko tried to sift through the information as best he could and pick out anything that was potentially valuable. At least no one was still whispering of the Battousai, the demon of Kyoto who infamy had gripped people in so much fear for years. Hiko had never heard word of Battousai without feeling the tiniest knot of worry that the man behind the legend was actually...
Ridiculous. The kid was stupid, overly idealistic, hopelessly soft-hearted about defending the weak and all gung-ho about making a new world where all could live in peace but he wasn't a killer.
Then what did you train him to be all those years you put a sword in his hand? A potter? A farmer? You trained him to kill.
But still...
Shaking his shoulders uncomfortably, Hiko firmly steered his mind towards more mundane issues such as how much rice he could reasonably expect him and Sako to eat in the upcoming winter months. From the way the girl had been tucking in meals lately, he wanted to hedge his bets and the food prices in Hakuan were a little cheaper than their nearby village. Plus, he still needed to track down some paint brushes and possibly more glaze. Poking and hunting, the tall sword master stalked through the busy stalls in the festival, pointedly ignoring the nervous glances tossed freely his direction and the skittering movements of people hurrying out of his way. Eventually his footsteps brought him back to their empty booth where he waited until Sako appeared on time and, much to his approval, unaccompanied. Her face was flushed with a becoming glow and she had a small sack of items slung over one shoulder, but even in the festive air, she still maintained the quiet control as befitting the pupil of Hiten Mitsurugi.
"There you are," Hiko tossed a greeting over his shoulder as he was stacking the items he bought into the hand cart. "We'd best get going so we have enough daylight to get home." The afternoon was waxing late and they had three hours to walk before reaching home. Sako nodded and silently helped her master finish packing, jars of sake lined up neatly against boxes of food items and the other odds and ends Hiko had purchased. When they were done, she slipped her new tabi on her feet and settled the haori around her body, grateful for their warmth. Picking up the cart's handles, Hiko directed it out of the village, his apprentice following quietly behind him.
Outside the village, Hiko felt welcome silence descend upon him again. The bustle of the village had made his head ring uncomfortably with all the damned noise, and it was a relief to be away from it all and heading back into the silence of the woods. On the main road, snow was piling in soft drifts and falling down in fat flakes to dust their shoulders and heads with white. Sako was silent but there was a bouncy, ephemeral element about her chi that indicated she had quite enjoyed herself at the festival; however, her face displayed only calm dignity and alert watchfulness.
Internally, Hiko grunted in approval. A student of the blade shouldn't stoop to childish amusements and should always conduct herself with rectitude and gravity. Sako had maintained such an attitude from the start of her training, and he was pleased to see that the festivities had not unsettled the zanshin spirit she had already possessed from her first day of training and had been cultivating ever since.
Then a snowball hit him square in the back of the head. Hiko juddered to a stop, incredulous at what had just transpired and angry with himself for being taken completely unaware. He hadn't sensed any premonition whatsoever, and the assault had been entirely unexpected. Jerking his head towards his apprentice, Hiko glared at her blackly but was greeted with only mild curiosity from the little fool: Sako bore not the slightest indication that anything out of the ordinary had just happened and for one brief moment, Hiko wondered if there had been a third party involved in the assault, so convincing was her expression. Then, the merest glimmer of mirth shone in the blasted girl's eye, marking her guilty. Why you little...
Ignoring her, Hiko swung his eyes forward, noting the faintest trace of uncertainty that skittered across his apprentice's face as he let the incident pass without a word. Good. Let her sweat. Striding forward, he didn't even bother knocking the snow off his shoulders and hair as he bid his time, waiting. She followed him, her footsteps noiseless in the growing snow under her feet as the silence settled heavily over them.
Now. Pouncing without warning, Hiko seized Sako's collar and stuffed a generous handful of snow down the front of her gi, pushing it against her bare skin. She squeaked in surprise and began thrashing around trying to break free, her efforts entirely too ineffective for someone who had spent the last six months in heavy martial arts training. I'll have to teach her some empty-hand techniques next, Hiko realized as he easily scooped her up into his arms and deposited her unceremoniously into a particularly tall snowdrift.
Sako momentarily disappeared into the snow, then burst to the surface, eyes flashing with the heat of battle, a hand planted on her blade and something very much like a smirk on her face. Oh, you want to play then? Hiko thought, reaching for his own sword. Very well, I'll indulge you. Sako flew at him, practically gliding along the surface of the snow as he fended her off easily, watching as she dipped and flashed around him, sliding a little on the slick surface but easily putting to use the considerable speed she had been accumulating over the past several months. Hiko attacked and parried, watching her every movement carefully and noting the unaccustomed grin of amusement, bordering on impudence, dancing around on her face.
He let her play for several minutes before a skillful twist of his arm brought her to an instant standstill as the edge of his blade flashed forward, almost touching her neck as she froze, defeated but still grinning. Smirking a bit in triumph, Hiko looked at her, noting the trickle of sweat working its way down from her temple as her chest heaved with exertion, rising and falling in a way that was oddly mesmerizing. The thought of winning faded away as Hiko's eyes locked in on Sako, noting how her full lips were open and panting, red against her skin and soft in a way that practically begged his touch...
Just what the hell do you think you're doing, Seijuro? he demanded of himself as the reality of what he was currently thinking smashed into him like a sword blow. Those damned odd eyes of the girl were still wide and flashing with amusement, sending unaccustomed sensations quivering along his frame as he stiffened in confusion and mild disgust with himself. As he kept his gaze on her, the playfulness in her eyes disappeared, to be replaced with a hint of confusion.
"Alright, that's enough," Hiko growled, stepping back and resheathing his sword in attempts to cover up the awkwardness. The crisp air suddenly seemed thick and close, and he was having a little trouble pulling it into his lungs. Reaching for the safety of sarcasm, he snapped out, "I'd like us to get home sometime before dawn unless you fancy spending a night in the woods and snow, which you are welcome to. And if you're that full of energy you need to work off, you can pull the cart home with me riding in it." Turning his back on her, he picked up the cart handles again and stalked forward, rigorously ignoring the quiet tumble of mixed feelings sloshing around his head and vaguely aware that his heart shouldn't be thudding quite so hard after a brief skirmish like that. I must be getting old, he grumbled to himself.
Silently, Sako fell in place behind her master, eyes dropping to the snow and innards yammering quietly with a multitude of thoughts. She had been nearly as surprised as Hiko when the snowball had left her hand and plastered itself across the back of his head; it had been a childish impulse spurred on by the high mood the festival had left her in, and she had been astonished at her audacity, certain her master would bawl her out thoroughly before assigning her a long list of chores to complete before bed. She had never suspected he would have responded by dumping snow down her gi and throwing her in a snowdrift, and his actions both thrilled and unsettled her. Remembering the ending of their battle, she saw again in her mind how Hiko's normally dark, sardonic eyes had momentarily lost their hard edge, allowing for a brief second something warm and unguarded to slide into view before with a jerk, his regular expression had seized control and he had turned away from her.
The brief view past her master's gruff exterior was unsettling Sako and making her stomach dance a funny jig, not sure to make of what had happened. Lifting her eyes to his tall, strong frame as it stalked forward, shoulders fixed and rigid, his head pointedly turned from her, Sako felt nothing but confusion welling up inside her.
It's my fault, I was not acting like a proper apprentice, Sako berated herself. I will be careful not to indulge in playfulness again, she vowed. I do not want my master thinking that I am not taking my training seriously. Swallowing the contrary emotions vying for attention, Sako drew herself up and reached inside herself for her training to call upon her inner calm and steadiness.
After a few moments of quiet meditation, Sako felt tranquility pouring through her again and she welcomed its steadying presence. I will be a proper apprentice, she vowed again. As she stepped forward, grateful for the new tabi on her feet to protect her from the snow, Sako realized with a jolt that Hiko had been quietly compressing the snow under his feet, tamping it down to make it easier for her to walk in her geta. For some reason, the gesture very nearly brought tears to her eyes.
Despite his gruffness, my master is a kind man, she thought. He is most gracious to train me and to care for me as he does. I will not fail him. I will complete my training. I will keep the vow I made to you, Mother. I will not fail you both.
Snow continued to fall as master and pupil walked quietly along the road towards home.
Geta – wooden soled shoe
Haori – a loose outer garment resembling a coat
Tabi – a split toe foot covering
Zanshin – state of awareness, focus, and calm