Instalment number two, thank you to every one who responded, most of all Lee-san for correcting me on the meaning of Shinta - great heart…I've never seen the kanji so I used what miniscule knowledge I did have and I was wrong, thank you for paying attention and fixing my mistakes… Japanese terms at the end…though you may need to check often…I don't know what I was thinking…or if I was thinking, mou…

His master was evil, Kenshin decided as he swung the stick that had been his practise weapon for the last two years. His arms hurt and his back was getting sore. His hands had long since blistered over and developed calluses, and he was grateful for that small mercy, he could still remember what it was like to end up with his hands bleeding after every practise. He sighed, and continued to count out loud.

"Kyu-hyaku kyu-ju hachi. Kyu-hyaku kyu-ju kyu. SEN!" The last word was said in a shout and he dropped the stick, his arms too tired to support their own weight any longer.

"Baka deshi!" Kenshin gasped for breath and stood up straight.

"Hai Shishou!"

"Come with me today. There's someone I want you to meet."

"It is necessary Shishou?" Hiko scowled.

"Yes, baka. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't. I've put this off long enough as it is. I didn't want to expose who we're going to visit with your awful manners but I guess it's inevitable. He knows we're coming, so we'd better get going."

"Who are we going to see?"

"Taki Suzu. He's an ascetic."

"What's an ascetic?"

"You'll see. Come on!" His arms still dead weight, Kenshin followed Hiko, muttering words Hiko didn't think he knew under his breath. They walked through Shika, the village and market place, and continued for another hour.

"Shishou, how much farther is it?"

"Stop complaining baka deshi. Only another two or three hours left to go." Kenshin stopped dead in his tracks.

"Two or three hours!"

"Hai. Longer if you just stand there."

"But Shishou!"

"This is important deshi. I only hope that you'll remember the manners you had as a little kid and not embarrass the both of us." Kenshin ran to catch up, but remained silent the rest of the way. The sun had begun to set by the time they came to a small shrine near a waterfall. There was a man sitting on a rock watching them. He didn't move until they were right next to him, and Hiko surprised Kenshin by bowing as low as he possibly could before addressing the man.

"Suzu-sama, Kenshin-san o goshoukai shitai no desu ga. Watashi no baka deshi.(1)"

"Hajimemashite, young one. Welcome to my humble abode de gozaru yo." Kenshin bowed, much less gracefully or respectfully than Hiko, and was pushed down by his Shishou to bow properly. He would taste dirt for hours. Taki smiled.

"Please, it would honour me if you would come inside and stay for the evening meal, that it would."

"The honour is ours, Suzu-sama." The man hopped down from the rock and rolled to kill his momentum. Kenshin almost laughed as the man stood beside Hiko. Kenshin himself was almost as tall, and he was only nine. The man laughed out loud upon seeing Kenshin's expression.

"Size is irrelevant, young one, that it is. It is the strength of the spirit that counts, that it does." Perplexed, Kenshin followed Hiko as the short man moved behind the waterfall and opened a door that Kenshin didn't see until it was exposed.

"This way, de gozaru yo." The three of them went inside, and Kenshin's eyes opened wide. It was a home, and a nice one at that. The floors were covered in rugs and the walls had tapestry and kanji tastefully hung to cover the fact that it was bare stone walls. Candles lit the rooms and the main sitting area to where they were lead had a fire blazing that not only provided light but enough warmth that Kenshin's feet weren't cold.

Taki disappeared into another room and returned moments later with warm moistened towels. Kenshin watched Hiko, mindful of his earlier warning not to offend this person, and washed his face and hands as Hiko did. Taki returned with a saucer of sake for Hiko and a glass of juice for Kenshin, as well as two cups of steaming ocha for both of them. Hiko sipped the sake and nodded, smiling. Kenshin did the same with his juice, orange by the flavour. Taki rose once more and came back with nama hamaguri, then, when that was gone, disappeared into the kitchen once more.

He appeared again with two plate loaded with food. There was ohyou, tako, ebi, masu, and hamachi on the plate with fish. Rice and udon as well as yudeta jagaimo for starchy foods. On the plate of vegetables there were ninjin, me kyabetsu, kyuuri, toumorokoshi, akai piiman, and kureson. Small cups of shoyu, oiru, and osu were placed about. Kenshin stared, but remembered to wait for Hiko to begin before he touched anything. As they ate, Taki pulled out a koto and fue and began to play them both, the koto with his feet and the fue with his hands and mouth. Only when they slowed down and Hiko began talking to him did he stop, and then it was to clear away the empty dishes.

Kenshin was startled again to see Taki carrying out another set of bowls, he placed them down and sat with the two guests to pick at the kuri and hashibami. Kenshin waited for Hiko to make his selection, then picked up a ringo. He was too full to eat anything else. Finished, he placed the core in the bowl for the shells, skins and cores and finished the last of his ocha. He was drowsy and didn't really pay attention to the conversation going on between the two older men, content to play with the top that he had since before he could remember. It wasn't until he heard his name that he realized he had almost fallen asleep.

"Oro?" Hiko sighed.

"Baka deshi, you are falling asleep sitting up. Taki offered to take you to bed." Kenshin let the insult slide and nodded as he felt a yawn start.

"Hai. Gomen." Taki smiled.

"There is nothing to be sorry for. You are young and have been traveling all day, and now are warm and have a full belly. It is understandable that you are feelings sleepy, that it is. Now, sessha can see that Hiko neglected to mention that you will be staying a few days, if not weeks, so you can borrow a couple of my old things to sleep in, that you can."

"Arigato." Then it hit him.

"Shishou! A few weeks?!" Hiko smiled.

"Maybe a month or two. It may take you longer than most to learn good manners and how to cook, and well as the other things that Suzu-sama can teach you much better than I can."

"A month!"

"Hiko-dono, honestly. You didn't tell him anything de gozaru ka?" Hiko flushed, and Kenshin was floored.

"Well, no. Sumanu Suzu-sama, I didn't think he'd pay attention." Taki pouted, the biggest look of disapproval Kenshin had seen on his face. He turned to look at the boy and smiled again.

"Well then. Sessha is pleased to have you here, Kenshin-dono. It is the hope of your Shishou that you learn to take care of yourself and, more importantly, learn to read the ki of those around you, that it is."

"Ki?"

"The life energy of every living thing. You will learn more in the upcoming days, that you will. But for now, sessha thinks you should get some rest, de gozaru yo." That said, Kenshin found himself picked up and brought into a room up the stairs. Before his eyes the futon unfolded itself and the blankets opened. Taki placed him on it, he hadn't even broken a sweat despite how close they were in size. Handing him a yukata, Taki smiled again.

"Strength of will, Kenshin-dono, and proper manipulation of ki is what enables me to not only pick you up, but move things without touching them. It can also help with things like an opponent that is much larger than you, and gives you speed unmatchable any other way. You can also read strengths and weaknesses as well as the overall health of your opponent. Given time and practise, one can even heal with it, that one can. For instance, sessha knows that you have a scrape on your left calf, right?" Kenshin nodded, then showed the injury to the young man.

"Hai. It's very small though." Taki smiled and placed his hands over it, they glowed for a second and Kenshin's leg felt very warm. When he took away his hands, the scratch was gone.

"Daijoubu de gozaru ka?" Kenshin looked at the small man and nodded.

"How come you talk so oddly?" Taki blinked, then laughed.

"Ah, young one. Sessha's speech is not odd at all. How old do you believe sessha to be?"

"Sessha is you, right?"

"Hai de gozaru."

"I'd say you're about thirty, maybe thirty-five, why?" Taki laughed.

"Arigato. That made my day. I'm over one hundred years old, Kenshin-dono. Ki does that as well. Sessha's speech is the same way it was when sessha was born, things have changed in the outer world, that they have. The words sessha uses, such as sessha, are, or were, considered to be highly honourable and polite."

"That's why Hiko didn't want me to talk."

"Oro?"

"He said I would offend you."

"Ah, Hiko-dono thinks too much. It will be sessha's pleasure to teach you, that it will, modern manners and all." Kenshin smiled as Taki helped him put on the too big yukata.

"One more question."

"If it is in sessha's power to answer, sessha will."

"What does sessha mean? I don't see where it would fit in. I know watakushi is for being very polite, watashi for being polite, atashi is for women, boku for men, ore is a little rougher, but I have never heard sessha." Taki pulled the blankets up to cover Kenshin before replying.

"Sessha means 'this unworthy one' and is a bit extreme, even when sessha was growing up, that it is."

"Ah, arigato Suzu-sama."

"Dou itashimashita, komodo-chan." Kenshin didn't reply, he was already asleep. Taki sighed and went back down the stairs to where Hiko was waiting. The taller man looked up as Taki entered the room.

"Well?" Taki sighed and frowned.

"He bears a great destiny. Sessha sees much blood and more pain, but the necessity of it is even larger. He must learn Mitsurugi ryu, and he will leave before he knows all. He will save Japan, Hiko-san, but the cost may be too great for him to bear. He will learn all of the technique, but the ryu will die with him. Do not be too harsh when he feels he must leave, or when he returns. He is a great soul, and aptly named. Heart of sword. Sessha feels he should have Himura, as well. His hair flames like the sun, and his eyes will shine golden. Therefore, heart of sword from the scarlet village. Kenshin Himura." Hiko sighed.

"You are sure of this?"

"Has sessha been wrong?" Hiko nodded.

"I see. May I go rest now? I would like to leave before he wakes." Taki nodded.

"That is most wise, that it is. He will adjust better without you watching over him. He loves you, Hiko, like the father he can no longer remember, that he does." Hiko nodded again.

"He is the son I never had."

"Ah. Come. Let's get you to bed de gozaru."

"Hai. I have a long day tomorrow."

"Hai, that you do, that you do."

(1) honourable Suzu this is Kenshin, my stupid pupil

Japanese terms

Akai piiman - red pepper

Arigato - thanks

Baka - stupid

Baka Deshi - stupid pupil

Daijoubu - all right, are you alright?

De gozaru…yo/ka - polite (very polite) form of speech that is a bit antiquated, yo is an emphatic, ka is a question

Dou itashimashta - your welcome, it was nothing

- dono - archaic form of respectful address like Ms. or Mr.

Ebi - shrimp

Fue - bamboo flute

Gomen - sorry

Hai - formal yes

Hajimemashite - pleased to meet you

Hamachi - yellow tail

Hashibami -macadamia nuts

Kanji - Chinese characters

Kodomo-chan - child

Koto -harp

Kureson - watercress

Kuri - chestnuts

Kyu hyaku kyu-ju hachi - nine hundred ninety eight

Kyu hyaku kyu-ju kyu - nine hundred ninety nine

Kyuuri - cucumber

Masu - trout

Me kyabetsu - brussel sprouts

Nama hamaguri - clams on a half shell

Ninjin - carrots

Ocha - tea

Ohyou - halibut

Oiru - oil

Oro - exclamatory, may be similar to ara - oh!

Osu - vinegar

Ringo - apple

- sama - form of extreme respect, like sir, your majesty…

Sen - thousand

Sessha - explained in the story

Shika - deer

Shishou - master

Shoyu - soy sauce

Suzu - little bell

Taki - plunging waterfall

Tako - octopus

Toumorokoshi - corn

Udon - noodles

Yudeta jagaimo - boiled potatoes

Yukata - summer time kimono, single light layer sometimes used to sleep in