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Finding Soujiro
Kenshin walked quietly along the dirt path leading west out of Tokyo. "It's not so bad." He thought, looking up at the moon. "At least I have a full stomach." He continued to think as he absently smiled. "Kaoru Dono was pretty mad that I walked in on her. I guess that's to be expected, she seems to be a modest girl. It would have been nice to stop traveling for a while, But I guess this is for the best. I'll find the man who is impersonating Battousai and get him out of her hair. Soujiro Dono can take care of her from there." He thought. It was getting a little chilly and the dew had settled long ago, leaving everything cold and damp. Kenshin stopped and sat down by the edge of the road. He drew in a deep breath, and looked up at the moon. "It must be around four in the morning, The sun will be rising soon. Hmm?" He thought, distracted by the sound of twelve or thirteen men slowly making their way down the small road. Kenshin stood up and stepped back into the shadows under a nearby tree.
"I've never seen someone take such a beating and still smile like an idiot." One of the men said to another.
"Yeah tell me about it, He must be some kind of sick-o who loves pain."
"Whatever he is, when he wakes up he'll be in for some real pain." Kenshin listened to the voices, reading each one with his well refined Ki. Then one man's voice stood out above all the others.
"Hey, you guys shut up and get serious, if you wanna laugh and talk, you don't need to help me with my revenge!" The voice yelled back. It was a tall barrel-chested man, his arms were as Kenshin's head, and his hands looked very strong. He wore a beard, and the rest of his hair was slicked back. Kenshin could feel arrogance and hate gushing from him.
"But boss, was it really a good idea to leave Kanshu and Ryusuke to guard that Kamiya brat?"
"Don't worry about them Nishiwaki, I told them not to kill him." Battousai said, chuckling.
"Yeah, that's what I mean, they never know when to quit." Nishiwaki said.
"You really think I care if he's alive when I get back? It would be nice to show the little boy the head of his sister before I killed him, but I don't care if they beat him to death either." The fake Battousai said, again, chuckling.
"I see." Nishiwaki said, laughing as they finally walked out of earshot. Kenshin stepped out from beneath the shadows. "They're going to attack Kamiya Dojo. Then It'll take them about thirty to forty minutes to get there. I can't let them beat Soujiro Dono to death, But I have to save Kaoru Dono too. Looks like I have my work cut out for me." He thought as he shot down the street tracing their footsteps back to their source.
"What a run down dump…" Kenshin thought as he stepped up to the door of the dilapidated dojo. He knocked on the door. No answer, he knocked again, still no answer. "Excuse me, is there anyone here?" He yelled, hearing footsteps approach the door. Kenshin tightened his muscles a bit, incase he had to dodge a sword or a bullet. Guns were becoming more prevalent in this new age. He'd run into them as a Hitokiri a few times, and as a Rurouni he'd come across them a few times as well. The door opened halfway.
"It's just some bum." The man said to someone else in the room. Kenshin was unable to see the other person.
"I'm sorry to bother you so early in the morning, but there was light in your window…" Kenshin started.
"What the hell do you want, you bum?" The man said.
"I don't supposed the master of this dojo is here?" Kenshin asked.
"Hiruma Sensei is out." The man said, pushing the door closed.
"Oh, I was sure this was the dojo of the legendary Hitokiri Battousai." Kenshin said, watching the door stop, and then slowly open back up.
"What did you say, bum?" the man said, staring hatefully at him. Kenshin smiled, and in only a split second he drew his Sakaba, and flattened the man at the door. The second man sprung to his feet only to be knocked back down by a lightning fast attack. He fell back, unconscious. Now inside, Kenshin found what he was looking for.
"Soujiro Dono!" He yelled rushing over to the battered young man. "Looks like they beat him for hours." He thought. Soujiro opened one eye slowly.
"Ah, Rurouni San… This is… the hide out…" He started.
"Battousai's hideout." Kenshin finished for him. "I'm sorry Soujiro Dono, I don't have time to talk." He said, picking up Soujiro and making his way toward the door. Soujiro was conscious enough to remember who this was.
"Just like nine years ago, you're still protecting me Rurouni. But you have to protect Kaoru too." Soujiro thought, as Kenshin ran down the road as fast as he could.
It was mid day by the time the students of Kamiya dojo left to eat lunch. Kenshin had waited patiently so he might have a chance to talk to Kasshin. "He'll probably eat his lunch there. I wonder how Soujiro is doing?" Kenshin thought, pacing back and forth in front of the dojo's main gate. "I know it's rude, but I have to talk to him." He thought, lifting the latch and pushing the door open. No one was in the yard.
"Kamiya Dono, I don't mean to be forward, but I need to talk to you." Kenshin called out. There was nothing but silence for a few seconds, then the stern figure of Kaoru's father stepped out of the dojo door. "He's carrying his Bokken, I guess I over did it." Kenshin thought, sensing determination from Kasshin.
"I told you before that you weren't welcome here Battousai, please leave."
"Kasshin Dono, please, I'm only asking you to listen to what I have to say." Kenshin said, dropping to his knees.
"I'll ask you again to leave." Kasshin said, raising his bokken. Kenshin stood up and took his standard passive stance. Kasshin stared his opponent down. Kenshin could feel Kasshin's mind, he was resolute, even if he hated violence. "I won't allow a killer into this Dojo." He said, lunging toward Kenshin. Kenshin didn't dodge, instead he let Kasshin's weapon hit him square on the shoulder.
"A very impressive technique." Kenshin said, holding his shoulder. "The muscles of the shoulder are bruised but no bones are broken, it's designed to degrade you opponents fighting skills. The more times you are successful with this technique the weaker your opponents attacks will be." He finished.
"You allowed me to hit you, why?" Kasshin asked.
"Because I didn't come here to fight." Kenshin answered quickly. "I came here to talk about the boy. If you'd like we can talk somewhere other than here." He suggested. Kasshin walked past Kenshin, toward the dojo gate. Then stopped and turned.
"Are you coming?" He asked.
Kasshin had decided while Soujiro was here, he'd make use of him. He'd sent him with Kaoru and Genzai to get soap to clean the dojo floor with. Kaoru usually went with Genzai alone but she couldn't carry much soap. But with Soujiro with them, he could carry at least half of a bucket. Kaoru usually talked all the way up and all the way back, but today she was relatively quiet.
"Kaoru Chan, what's wrong, you're unusually quiet today. Is it our new friend?" Genzai finally asked after a bit.
"Ah, um, no that's not it." Kaoru lied.
"I'm sorry Kaoru San, I didn't mean to make you feel uneasy." Soujiro said.
"Kaoru San? That sounds weird." She said, wrinkling her nose at him.
"I agree." Genzai said, chuckling at Soujiro. Soujiro walked awkwardly down the dirt path. Every ten steps or so he'd look down at his feet. Kaoru, becoming increasingly annoyed by this finally snapped.
"Why do you keep doing that?" She asked pointing at his feet. Soujiro stopped and tossed a few glances back and forth from his feet to her face.
"I've never worn anything on my feet before. They feel funny." He said with a puzzled look on his face. Kaoru seemed a bit more annoyed than before.
"Do you intend to go the rest of your life with nothing on your feet?" She almost yelled. He smiled, and put his hand on the side of his neck.
"No, I just wonder how long it'll take for me to get used to it." He replied.
"Don't worry so much about it Kaoru Chan," Genzai started. "he'll get used to them. Then you won't have to worry about him looking at his feet." Kaoru didn't answer, but turned her head away from them.
"I'm sorry Kaoru San, I'll try to keep from looking at my feet." Soujiro said smiling. Kaoru turned her gaze back in his direction.
"You idiot, you're being here is the reason it's so awkward not cause you're looking at you're feet." She said, angrily. Soujiro lowered his gaze toward the ground in front of him.
"Kaoru San, that's not a nice thing to say to someone." Genzai said, looking down at her.
"But he's so weird…" Kaoru said defensively.
"This is hard on him too, I'll bet." Genzai said. Kaoru looked up at Genzai with a puzzled expression.
"But he'll only be here for a few days, until he rests up, Isn't that what father said?" Kaoru asked, acting indifferent to the fact that Soujiro was standing next to her.
"We'll have to wait and see, Kaoru Chan. Shall we continue?" Genzai said, smiling at the young girl.
"Well, well, what luck I have. I plan to take my revenge on the Ishuki family, and what do I find here, the daughter of his Sensei." Everyone looked up to see a young man in a deep purple gi and white hakama. "Of course the fact that I knew you had left the dojo also had a lot to do with it."
"What does Kamiya Kaoru have to do with your revenge on the Ishuki family?" Genzai said, pushing her behind him.
"Well, the last time I tried to take vengeance, Kamiya stopped me, saying 'I won't allow you to threaten one of my students'. I don't appreciate him getting in my way, so…" He paused and snapped his fingers. Several men jumped out from behind the brush alongside the road. "I figure he'll have to stay out of it if it means his daughter's life. come on old man, just let us have her and no one gets hurt."
"I would never be able to face Kamiya Kun again if I let…" Genzai started, but was cut short by a blow to the back of the head. He fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Genzai sensei, please wake up." Kaoru said, shaking the middle-aged doctor. Soujiro stepped in front of her, spreading his arms.
"I won't let you hurt her!" He said. The gang just laughed.
"Ok, kid, I promise I won't hurt her. I tell you what, I'll let you come with her to make sure she doesn't get hurt." The lead man said laughing. Another man grabbed Soujiro by the back of his collar, and hoisted him over his shoulder.
"Kudusai San, when you're through, can I kill this kid?" The man asked.
"Do what you want, I only want my vengeance. If you want to kill the kid, knock yourself out." He answered. Soujiro squirmed but it was no use. Kaoru had been knocked out, and hoisted over another shoulder.
"Dammit, If only I was as strong as the Rurouni…"
"So why is it you want to get rid of this boy, is he really that much of an annoyance?" Kasshin asked, taking a sip of his tea. He'd chosen a reserved dining room at a local restaurant, the Akabeko, to speak to Kenshin. "I want to know how he came to be traveling with Hitokiri Battousai. I want to know why it's so important that he stay at Kamiya dojo." Kasshin said, setting his cup down on the table. Kenshin watched as a small drop of tea ran down the side of the cup, following its contour until it reached the bottom. It emptied out onto the table and followed the ring on the bottom of the cup.
"I know…you won't believe what I tell you, But…It was my last task in my life to change his."
"What?"
"I will die in about sixty years, having lived my life the best I could live it. I made mistakes, and I wasn't perfect. But I lived most of my life dedicated to pacifism."
"I see, so you're saying you've already died, and have come back to change this boy's life?" Kasshin said. Kenshin was taken aback by the accuracy of Kasshin's assumption.
"Yes, I've already changed the path his life will take, but I must make sure that he is taken care of, otherwise the same thing that happened before, could happen again." He said, now fairly confident that Kasshin would let Soujiro stay.
"And why did you choose my home?" Kasshin asked.
"I can't tell him because I will marry is daughter, I can't tell him his grandchildren will be the children of Battousai…" Kenshin thought. "I passed through Tokyo once before, and helped out your daughter, I didn't tell her who I was, she asked me to stay, but I couldn't. She was very lonely, I just thought If she had someone around, a friend, or maybe a brother…" Kenshin said, looking into his cup.
"You're still hiding things, your Ken Ki is strong but you still can't keep everything hidden." He said, standing. "The boy can't stay, whatever true reason you have for him to stay with us cannot be for any good purpose. Hitokiri were the most cowardly warriors of that war. But Hitokiri Battousai was no fool, I don't completely believe you, but something like that is very hard to believe." He added, turning to leave.
"Kasshin Dono!" Kenshin said standing up.
"You'll have to find another place to take him." He said over his shoulder.
"But…" Kenshin started, interrupted when two young men burst into the room.
"Kamiya sensei, You have to come back to the Dojo!" Sho, one of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu students, franticly said.
"It's Kudusai again, He's threatening Tenchi!" Sansuke, another student added. Kasshin didn't say anything. He bolted out of the room, paying quickly. Kenshin shot off behind him.
"Tenchi! Don't give up, Kamiya Kasshin Ryu won't fail you!" Yuji yelled at his friend, as Tenchi pulled himself up.
"Heh, don't be so sure, you only have half of that wood sword left, what do expect to be able to do with that?" Kudusai said.
"Kamiya Kasshin Ryu Teaches the student to use everything he has to defend himself. Half a sword is more than enough for a master, but Tenchi hasn't mastered Kamiya Kasshin Ryu yet." Kasshin said, stepping into the dojo doorway.
"Ahh, Kamiya himself. Why don't you just have a seat and watch as I exact my revenge on this punk, for the disgraces…" Kudusai yelled, interrupted by Kasshin
"I told you before, I won't allow you to threaten my students, you can try to take your revenge when he's mastered my skill." Kasshin said, raising a bokken to his enemy. Kenshin peeked around the dojo door, observing the scene.
"But you'll be too busy saving someone else" Kudusai said.
"What, saving who?" Kasshin asked.
"You're only daughter." He answered, to the shock of Kasshin and Kenshin also.
"Kaoru said something about one of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu's students being killed, but I always thought he was killed on the street, by himself. Could Kasshin Dono have told Kaoru this to keep her from blaming herself?"
"What have you done with her?!" Kasshin asked, angrily.
"She's safe, at my place. You'll have to go an get her. Alone if you know what's good for you.
"Kaoru…" Kasshin said.
"All I want is a chance for my revenge, If Tenchi can defend my attacks then I'll give in for now. And if he can't he'll die. You don't even have to watch, just go and get your daughter and everything will be done when you get back." Kudusai said, wearing a shitty smile.
"You bastard, Kamiya Kasshin Ryu won't give in to threats." Kasshin said.
"Then I hope you told her you love her last time you saw her." Kudusai said, turning to leave.
"Wait!" Kasshin said, pausing and lowering his head.
"Kamiya sensei, I have no choice, I have to fight him. I'll be fine, You taught me well." Tenchi said, smiling at his Sensei. Kasshin remained silent. Tenchi readied himself to fight, as the dojo fell silent. One lone footstep could be heard. Everyone looked to the doorway to see a small red-haired man, carrying a sword by his side.
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