CHAPTER 8- REUNION ON THE BRIDGE
Sanosuke returned the Kamiya Dojo just as the sun rose. It was there he found Yahiko, still dressed in his nightwear, swinging at the air with his shinai. Curious, he approached him. "What are you doing?"
Yahiko didn't stop. "My warm-ups! Kaoru's gonna show me the succession techniques after breakfast!"
'I knew the kid would get through to Jou-chan.' Sanosuke concluded. He patted the boy on the head. "Whatever, keep it up." He went inside where he found Kaoru combing Tsubame's hair.
"What are you doing giving makeovers when everyone else is starving??" he demanded, mostly sarcastically.
Tsubame blushed. "Sorry, Sagara-san."
Kaoru patted her on the head. "It's not your fault." She shot Sanosuke a glare. "SOME people just have no patience!"
Sanosuke looked around. "Hey, where's Jiani?"
"She's asleep." Kaoru answered, going back to brushing Tsubame's hair. "She did stay up all night."
"Morning Kaoru-san." Came a froggy voice, still thick with sleep. A slumped Jiani appeared in the doorway, bags under her eyes.
Sanosuke cracked a wide grin. "Hey Jiani!"
She blinked once, squinted, and beamed. "Sano-kun! You're back!" She stumbled towards him, gaining strength with every step.
Sanosuke caught her by the shoulders. "Whoa, don't exert yourself there!"
Kaoru and Tsubame looked at each other and giggled. But it was cut short by Jiani's startled gasp.
"Oh Sano-kun! What happened to your hand?" She had seen his bloody appendage.
He sighed. "Let's just say, it's been a long night."
..........
As the sun rose over the distant mountains, a tired Kenshin walked the dirt road home. All the while, the events of the previous night irritated him to no end. Who were these people? How many more attacks would they make? What could he do to stop them?
The sparkling of water stung his strained eyes. Looking up, he saw the bridge. But as he got closer, he saw someone else. It was a tall young man wearing what appeared to be Chinese clothes. But his hair.it was spiky and white.
Kenshin gasped. "E-Enishi??"
Just then, he saw two more people seem to materialize beside Enishi. One was a small boy in tattered clothes, who also had white hair. And the second was someone who made Kenshin's heart race. It was a melancholy young woman wearing a white kimono and purple shawl. White plum perfume filled the rurouni's nostrils. "Tomoe!"
Enishi smirked. "What's wrong, Battousai? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Enishi? You're behind all this." Kenshin's fist trembled in a mix of anger, realization, and terror.
Enishi's smile lengthened. "So now you know. Now you know where those men, Kujiranami, Otowa, Inui, Gein, and Yatsume, got all their artillery from. It was my organization in Shanghai!"
"Shanghai?"
"After you killed my sister, I couldn't stand living in this new Japan. So, as a mere child, I ventured there. And there I suffered."
Kenshin looked away. "Don't tell me."
"Ten years I drank from mud puddles and ate rotting flesh, ten years of being sick and close to dying by the day." He suddenly frowned at Kenshin. "And then, I made it to the top! Now I lead the Shanghai mafia!"
Kenshin was silent for a moment. Then, he faced Enishi once more. "I understand your need for revenge, Enishi. But I am the only one who shall take it. Leave the innocent out of it!"
But the younger man shook his head. "No, I cannot do that. My revenge will be to take away everything you hold dear!" He made a fist. "Just like you did to me!"
"Your sister wouldn't want this, Enishi!"
POW! Enishi punched him hard in the face. "Don't you speak of her!"
By the time Kenshin recovered, Enishi was walking away. "The war begins ten days from now, at the Kamiya dojo."
"No."
"Oh yes." Enishi peered back at him with sinister green eyes. "There, my strongest force will present Earthly Justice. Look forward to it." With that, he was gone.
"Yes Tomoe, only ten short days." He whispered.
A vision of his sister appeared before him, smiling slightly.
Meanwhile, Kenshin squeezed his eyes shut. "Enishi.Tomoe!"
Sanosuke returned the Kamiya Dojo just as the sun rose. It was there he found Yahiko, still dressed in his nightwear, swinging at the air with his shinai. Curious, he approached him. "What are you doing?"
Yahiko didn't stop. "My warm-ups! Kaoru's gonna show me the succession techniques after breakfast!"
'I knew the kid would get through to Jou-chan.' Sanosuke concluded. He patted the boy on the head. "Whatever, keep it up." He went inside where he found Kaoru combing Tsubame's hair.
"What are you doing giving makeovers when everyone else is starving??" he demanded, mostly sarcastically.
Tsubame blushed. "Sorry, Sagara-san."
Kaoru patted her on the head. "It's not your fault." She shot Sanosuke a glare. "SOME people just have no patience!"
Sanosuke looked around. "Hey, where's Jiani?"
"She's asleep." Kaoru answered, going back to brushing Tsubame's hair. "She did stay up all night."
"Morning Kaoru-san." Came a froggy voice, still thick with sleep. A slumped Jiani appeared in the doorway, bags under her eyes.
Sanosuke cracked a wide grin. "Hey Jiani!"
She blinked once, squinted, and beamed. "Sano-kun! You're back!" She stumbled towards him, gaining strength with every step.
Sanosuke caught her by the shoulders. "Whoa, don't exert yourself there!"
Kaoru and Tsubame looked at each other and giggled. But it was cut short by Jiani's startled gasp.
"Oh Sano-kun! What happened to your hand?" She had seen his bloody appendage.
He sighed. "Let's just say, it's been a long night."
..........
As the sun rose over the distant mountains, a tired Kenshin walked the dirt road home. All the while, the events of the previous night irritated him to no end. Who were these people? How many more attacks would they make? What could he do to stop them?
The sparkling of water stung his strained eyes. Looking up, he saw the bridge. But as he got closer, he saw someone else. It was a tall young man wearing what appeared to be Chinese clothes. But his hair.it was spiky and white.
Kenshin gasped. "E-Enishi??"
Just then, he saw two more people seem to materialize beside Enishi. One was a small boy in tattered clothes, who also had white hair. And the second was someone who made Kenshin's heart race. It was a melancholy young woman wearing a white kimono and purple shawl. White plum perfume filled the rurouni's nostrils. "Tomoe!"
Enishi smirked. "What's wrong, Battousai? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Enishi? You're behind all this." Kenshin's fist trembled in a mix of anger, realization, and terror.
Enishi's smile lengthened. "So now you know. Now you know where those men, Kujiranami, Otowa, Inui, Gein, and Yatsume, got all their artillery from. It was my organization in Shanghai!"
"Shanghai?"
"After you killed my sister, I couldn't stand living in this new Japan. So, as a mere child, I ventured there. And there I suffered."
Kenshin looked away. "Don't tell me."
"Ten years I drank from mud puddles and ate rotting flesh, ten years of being sick and close to dying by the day." He suddenly frowned at Kenshin. "And then, I made it to the top! Now I lead the Shanghai mafia!"
Kenshin was silent for a moment. Then, he faced Enishi once more. "I understand your need for revenge, Enishi. But I am the only one who shall take it. Leave the innocent out of it!"
But the younger man shook his head. "No, I cannot do that. My revenge will be to take away everything you hold dear!" He made a fist. "Just like you did to me!"
"Your sister wouldn't want this, Enishi!"
POW! Enishi punched him hard in the face. "Don't you speak of her!"
By the time Kenshin recovered, Enishi was walking away. "The war begins ten days from now, at the Kamiya dojo."
"No."
"Oh yes." Enishi peered back at him with sinister green eyes. "There, my strongest force will present Earthly Justice. Look forward to it." With that, he was gone.
"Yes Tomoe, only ten short days." He whispered.
A vision of his sister appeared before him, smiling slightly.
Meanwhile, Kenshin squeezed his eyes shut. "Enishi.Tomoe!"