Title: Reunion
Author: Mir
Date: November 2001
...
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin was created by Watsuki Nobuhiro, published by Shueisha in "Jump," and produced by Sony Entertainment. I do not receive compensation for my writing.
AN: This story is set during episode 41 of the anime during which Kenshin returns to see Hiko. The scene is short - no more than a minute, I think - but it struck me as being significant. This reunion occurs during the Kyoto arc, but it doesn't spoil anything except this one scene.
...
Beneath the forest canopy, I walk alone. Shadows drip from the laden branches, and rotting leaves swallow my footsteps. Every moment brings me closer to a man I have not seen for fifteen years. The last time I used these wooded paths I had been a boy brimming with idealistic dreams and desires. Now, I hardly recognize my surroundings.
Ahead, bright sunlight washes across the clearing, and I pause at the forest edge, reluctant to cross into the light. The rounded kiln, glowing red and orange with heat, is a new addition. Since when has my master become a potter? Resting on a log before the blaze, the man shouldering the red and white cloak of a hiten mitsurugi master seems oblivious to his surroundings. He is as unreadable as ever.
In every way, from the sight of his black hair falling over the collar of the cloak to the proud squaring of his shoulders, this is the Seijuurou Hiko I remember from my childhood - childhood, if I'd ever really had one. I'm not certain what I had expected to find after more than a decade of absence. Had I thought that he might have grown old and soft over the years? No, not my master, of course not.
So I linger at the tree line, trying to calm my mind, nudging the memories aside with each breath - in, out, in, out - until my head clears and I stand once again in the present, hidden within the cover of the dappled shadows. And although my heart still races nervously within my chest, I can't afford to indulge my uncertainty forever. Time is running out.
When I refocus my eyes on the clearing, he is still seated like a statue before the fire. He is the same in every way that matters my mind whispers, but I don't trust myself. I have to know for sure. The irregular crackling of the flame masks my approach, and I concentrate on suppressing all emotion as I creep forward. Then, stopping directly behind him, just one step away, I reach down and loosen my sword from its sheath.
He tenses at the snap, and the cloak ripples above well-toned muscles. Yes, and his ki flares as strong as I remember it, no, stronger. My mind is satisfied; there's no need, but I complete the move anyway, drawing my sword and slicing horizontally over the log faster than most eyes can see - connecting with nothing. He lands lightly behind me, barely making a sound as his boots touch the dirt, and he straightens, not even a hair out of place.
"Attacking a poor defenseless potter out of the blue from behind like that, you're certainly a rude fellow, aren't you?" Somehow I'm relieved to find that his attitude hasn't changed either. The cool arrogance, the confidence, the superiority complex - no, it is I who has changed, not he.
"The Seijuurou Hiko I know is no ordinary potter." Finally I pull my gaze away from the dancing flames, look over my shoulder, and meet his eyes once more. I remind myself to breathe, and my fear begins dissolve into relief. "It's been quite awhile... Master."
And to my surprise, his eyes widen and a fleeting hint of amazement flashes across his features. "So it's you." How many times had I wished I could have dislodged his unvarying attitude of smug superiority? How many times had I failed to break through that impenetrable calm? Fifteen years later, I finally manage to do both.
"Yes, Master." The forest is quiet, motionless, respectful, and we stand together in silence, the reunion complete. "I've returned."
...
That's it, I'm afraid - nothing more (although in the anime I am aware that the scene cuts away and then comes back to Kenshin and Hiko inside the latter's little hut).
Years after writing this, it did occur to me that in the Kyoto arc, Kenshin asks for help locating Hiko, and this implies that Hiko's location at the time was not the same place where He and Kenshin had lived.
[m]
