Chapter 29: Shishou
It was hell at Hiko's house for the next few days. Kenshin worked until his body was numb and smelled like cleaning chemicals. Hiko was like a dictator, always looming over him, yelling about how he wanted things done.
Finally, since Hiko had gone to the store, he had some time to rest and spent it sprawled out on his bed. He wanted to think about all the things that had happened to him, but he was just too tired. His eyes shut almost immediately, and he drifted into a dream.
This dream was not like other dreams. The entire world was white and had no end. All around him was emptiness except in front of his very eyes.
The man in front of him stood far from him with his back turned and dressed in samurai clothing. His top was a fuchsia color while his pants were white. His long red hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck, just like his own.
Slowly, Kenshin approached this man, reaching out his hand. "Do you know…" Every word he said echoed. "…what's going on?"
The man started to turn around. His face turned closer and closer. Kenshin's eyes widened with suspense, wondering who he could be. A crossed shaped scar…
"GET UP, BOY!"
"ORO!" Kenshin flew up, panting.
Hiko crossed his arms. "I got you something."
"Me… something?…" He asked, blinking sleepily.
"Yeah," Hiko replied. "Since you told me that you've miraculously got a date to the dance…"
Hiko held out a tuxedo, black with a white shirt and bow tie. "It's only a rental, so keep it clean, and don't say I never did anything for you."
"Um… thank you," Kenshin replied, giving a weak smile, "but that's not for another week."
"I rented it for two weeks," Hiko told him. "I would forget."
I was having a weird dream," Kenshin said.
"All dreams are weird," Hiko replied, turning to leave.
"Hiko-san… Do you believe in reincarnation?"
A flash of that little boy standing in front of that wooden cross entered his head. "Why?" He asked.
"I've… been thinking about it a lot… I've been doing some research too. Did you know there was a man back in the revolution and Meiji Era with the same name as me? He was the Battousai. He killed many men and became a rurouni…"
"I know the story of Hitokiri Battousai," Hiko responded rather bitterly.
"Oh…" Kenshin said. "-but… It couldn't have just been a coincidence, right? I see things that never happened to me. I remember people I've never met. I… I even have a sakabatou that I think belonged to him! My name was on the trunk!"
Hiko placed his hand on Kenshin's forehead. "You're running a fever."
"I… I am?" Kenshin questioned, surprised.
"Yeah. I guess you've been doing too much lately."
Kenshin lowered his eyes. "No thanks to you..." He muttered in a dead-pan tone.
"What?"
"Nothing," He answered innocently.
"Whatever. I'm going to go see if I actually have any medicine stuff," Hiko told him, marching away.
Kenshin laid back down, too tired to change into a pair of pajamas. "I think I was close… but to what?" He ran his finger down his cheek in the shape of the cross scar, remembering when his face would bleed. It hadn't in awhile.
Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open to find that the room had darkened considerably. He hated when he slept like that. It made him feel like he didn't sleep at all, and right now, it was exceptionally bad. He felt nauseated and heavy around his eyes, but none the less dragged himself out of bed and down the stairs.
"Hiko-san?" He called weakly, looking around for any sign of him. He shivered and stumbled into the laundry room where his newly cleaned pajamas (that he cleaned himself) were folded neatly on the dryer. He changed out of his uncomfortable jeans and t-shirt and into his red and black-plaid flannel night clothes.
Finding his way back into the living room, he found Hiko just walking in with a bag in his hand. They met eyes, and Kenshin suddenly felt dizzy.
"Stupid kid," Hiko said, catching him with his free arm as he fell.
"I was just…" He trailed off, forgetting what he was off to do.
Hiko lifted him over his shoulder and carried him up the stairs and threw him down on the bed. "Now, stay there." He commanded, and Kenshin pulled his covers up over his nose.
"Oro… Yes, sir."
"Uh… Okay," Hiko dug in the bag and set out a bunch of random medical things onto the nightstand. Many of them were not necessary, such as bandages and such, but others were of some use. It looked as if he just grabbed one of everything. "I don't know much about this medical stuff. I never get sick."
"That's a thermometer," Kenshin pointed. "It measures fever."
"I knew that," He snapped, though Kenshin wondered.
Hiko removed it from the case and handed it to Kenshin. Kenshin, taking his cue, put it in his mouth.
After a moment, it beeped, and Hiko pulled it out. "Yup. You're sick."
"Sorry?" Kenshin asked.
"Well, get over it. Kaoru will be upset if you don't go to the dance with her. Plus, I don't think they'll let you miss anymore school. I know that if I was the administration, I'd be tired of the bullshit."
Kenshin blushed. "…but…" He changed the subject. "So… do you believe in reincarnation?"
"…" Hiko was silent for a moment or two. "Yeah… I suppose. Yeah, in fact, I really do…" His mind was racing backwards in time… to that vision of the little boy in front of the cross while the sunloomedagainst a blood red sky.
"Do you think that I was reincarnated?" He asked, leaning his back up on the bed stand.
"We probably all were, if you really believe in that stuff… but do you think that you were someone special, Himura?" He grinned at him and chuckled.
"I certainly am not now… but then… yes, back then, I was special… but it wasn't for good deeds…"
"You can't honestly believe you're the reincarnation of Battousai, can you?"
Kenshin was quiet. "I… I suppose not…"
Well, I certainly can, Hiko thought. "Go to sleep. I'm going outside."
"Okay…" Kenshin curled up under his sheets and closed his eyes.
-
The dream didn't come back, and when he woke up, he was bothered that it didn't. He'd only been asleep an hour and a half, but he was already starting to feel better. His mouth was dry, so he decided to get some water.
When he reached the bottom of the stairs and passed the window into the backyard, he forgot about it completely, backing up to look out again.
That was Hiko… with that sword of his… and… he was training… That swordsman style. It was Hiten Mitsurugi. Hiko did it loads better than him too. Something about it was admiral, that speed, that skill, that beauty in the technique. He'd seen it done by him before, in his dreams and visions, but he'd never seen them in real life before. A great power swept over him, and a sense of respect for this older, stronger man dug its way into his heart. This was not just a man. This was Hiko Seijirou. This was the successor to Hiten Mitsurugi. This was true strength, true ability.
-
Hiko stepped inside and looked down on the floor where Kenshin had fallen asleep. "Idiot," He said, picking him up. "What were you so interested in? I just saw it in my head…"
"Shi…shou…" He whispered in his sleep.
For some reason, Hiko couldn't stop the smile from breaking out on his face. Somehow, he now liked being called that, as if it was right. Then again, being called 'master' had to feel pretty good anyway.
"You're an annoying little twerp… but for some reason, I like you more and more," He said, laying him down and covering him up. He checked his fever. It was gone. "Look at you, Mr. Perfect. You're making me act like some sort of father, or something. You little jerk, making me worry about you all the time. I hate you, kid." Hiko's smile somehow grew. "When did I ever say I wanted to change who I was?… or back into what I once was or whatever? What am I trying to say, anyways? Stupid brat. Making me all confused."
He left the room and shut the door quietly.
Kenshin opened one eye, closed it, then smiled.. "Shishou, I've never had the chance to thank you for everything. I hope that one day… I can show you… what I've learned from you…"
Hiko fixed himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. "Shinta… is much too weak a name for a swordsman. From now on… you will be…"
"Kenshin."
"Ken… shin…"
(A/N: Bleh. This chapter is way too short, I know, but I'm still in a bit of a slump of writing anything. I've been busy with school and stuff, since I've been having a little trouble in math. Plus, I haven't even had time to brainstorm, I've been so swamped. Well, I guess it's more for quality than quantity -or at least that's what I'm hoping you feel. I really wanted to put a bit of Hiko and Kenshin together without so much comedy as mushy, father-son stuff. I recently watched Trust and Betrayal again -in Japanese!- so I guess that's why I wrote that little relationship. Next chapter will be great. THE DANCE SAGA is coming up! WOOOOOOOO! -ahem- Thanks for reading.)
