Author: Arashi
Website: www.kenkaya.com
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin nor am I making any money off this story!
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When the ship pulled into the Tokyo Harbor the next day, many relieved passengers and crewmembers disembarked and told their friends and loved ones waiting for them there in Tokyo about the terrible thing that had happened the night before. Apparently a group of armed men had attempted to hijack the ship and had killed 4 of the crewmembers, including the captain. A lone man had stepped out from the shadows and single-handedly beaten a group of almost thirty hijackers. No one had seen this happen but they had found the thirty hijackers unconscious and heaped in a pile in one of the cargo holds. A few of the crewmembers swore that they had seen the man who saved the ship, but search as they might, no one found the mysterious hero.
At the dojo, Kaoru stood watching Kenji practice. The warm summer sun was beating down from a clear blue sky. "Aren't you getting hot Kenji?" The little boy shook his head and kept swinging. "I'm going to go see if your father has lunch ready yet. You keep practicing, I'll be right back." Kenji was a good boy and stayed right where Kaoru left him, happily swinging his little shinai. At the back gate a tall, bearded, longhaired man with a sack over his shoulder quietly pushed open the swinging gate and let himself in. The good old dojo was just as he remembered. Well, maybe not just as he remembered. The air was filled with the sound of people practicing in the dojo and in the backyard where he stood a small figure was practicing with a tiny bamboo sword.
There was something oddly familiar about the small figure. The tall man walked right up to Kenji and squatted down to get a good look at him, setting his sack on the ground. Kenji seemed to ignore him completely and kept swinging his shinai. The man stood and walked around the young boy, getting a look at him from all angles. He finally reached down and picked the boy up by the back of his shirt so he could look him right in the face. Kenji stopped swinging his shinai and hung there in the air, looking into the face of a man he had never met in his life. No fear crossed Kenji's face, just a blank expression and a couple of confused blinks.
"Oi Kenshin, you sure are a lot shorter than I remember." Kenji didn't say anything but continued looking at the grinning stranger. His little shinai was still clutched in his hand and he quickly brought it up and smacked the man right in the face. The stranger grunted "ouch" in surprise and put a hand to his face to protect it from further blows. Kenji started to swing again right as a familiar voice called out.
"Kenji, lunch is ready!" Kaoru stepped onto the back porch. A moment of fear jumped inside her as she saw her young son being held in the air by a dirty, longhaired, bearded man wearing a tattered cloak that was spotted with bloodstains. She couldn't see his face clearly because he had his hand covering it protectively from her son's furious blows. Kaoru did the only thing she could think of doing and quickly whipped off one of her wooden sandals and threw it at the stranger with all her might and maternal instincts. "Let my son go!" The shoe connected solidly on the side of the man's forehead. Apparently he hadn't expected to get hit by a projectile right in that tender spot and he involuntarily took an unbalanced step backwards. He tripped into the laundry bucket with an exclamation of surprise and a loud crash as the washtub shattered and sent water spraying everywhere. Somehow in the process of falling over he had retained his grip of Kenji and held him at arms reach, safe and sound.
Something clicked in Kaoru's mind as she saw him crash to the ground. Maybe it was the surprised exclamation or the way he flailed as he fell back. Or perhaps it was the red headband blowing freely as the wind rushed against him. Maybe she had gotten a look at his face as he fell and protectively used both his hands to hold her son instead of trying to catch himself. Whatever the reason, Kaoru was running as fast as she could with only one sandal toward them.
"SANOSUKE!??" She ran up and stopped over them, looking down into the face of her long absent friend. He looked a little winded for a moment and then his typical grin spread over his now rugged features, bringing back a rush of memories for Kaoru.
"Oi Jochan, is this yours?" He held Kenji toward his mother. Kenji reached out longingly for the safety of his mother's arms. Kaoru absently took Kenji from Sanosuke's outstretched hands, her focus more on the man lying on the ground.
"It really is you! I can't believe it! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry for attacking you, I didn't recognize you and thought you were trying to hurt Kenji!" Kaoru's talking was frantic and excited but she did find time to help Sanosuke get back to his feet. He accepted the assistance and stood, quickly taking off the tattered, and now soaked, cloak. "You're really finally back!" She said happily as she grabbed Sano in a friendly one-armed hug. (Kenji was being supported in her other arm and he got squished between the two of them)
"It's good to be back." Sano patted the excited woman on the back hoping that it would help to calm her down. After years of traveling the world he wasn't quite used to the attention he was getting from his old friend. "Now, did I just hear you say something about lunch, cause I'm starving." Before Kaoru could reply Kenshin had stepped outside to see what all the commotion was about. Upon seeing Sanosuke a broad smile played across his lips. Sano stopped patting Kaoru on the back and looked over as Kenshin walked toward him. Kaoru let Sano go and stepped aside. The two men stood for a moment grinning at each other. Sano saw that Kenshin had cut his hair short. To his surprise he also noted that the cross-shaped scar on Kenshin's left cheek was fading away. Kenshin looked healthy so Sano figured that his degeneration hadn't been as bad as Megumi had made them believe it was going to be.
"Kenshin." Said with a grin, the word carried all the friendship and respect Sanosuke had for his friend.
"Sano." It was friendly recognition and so much more. Kenshin smiled proudly and Sano knew that he was doing his own appraisal of his long absent friend. Kenshin noticed that Sano appeared to be in good health though he was quite dirty and a little thinner than he remembered him being. Sano's youthful appearance had all but disappeared leaving a rugged and older looking man. His hair looked like it hadn't been cut in a long time and the facial hair was a new look to get used to. His skin was darkened from massive amounts of exposure to the sun. The two looked each other over for another moment and then they both reached out their hands clasping the other's forearm in a brotherly grip. Both felt the strength of the other, and Sano happily realized that Kenshin's grip was still as firm as ever. Kenshin, on the other hand, noticed a new change in his friend's grip. It was confident and sure as ever but the roughness of his hand instantly told Kenshin that Sanosuke had picked up a few calluses doing some kind of manual labor.
After a moment, Sano's grin broadened and he pulled Kenshin into a gigantic bear hug, lifting him off his feet. He started laughing, spun him around once, and then grabbed Kaoru and Kenji into the embrace. The three of them laughed and said all sorts of happy things like, "It's great to see you guys! We missed you a lot! So glad to have you back!" Kenji just enjoyed the ride. Finally, Sano squeezed them happily and yelled out with all his considerable lungpower, "I'M BACK!"
"Ack, Sano, you're squishing Kenji!" Kaoru said after another moment of enduring Sanosuke's happiness. Sano released his death grip on the Himura family and set them back on the ground. The grin was still plastered on his face and the faces of Kenshin and Kaoru.
"So yeah, I haven't been properly introduced
to this little guy." Sano said crouching down to look Kenji
in the face once again. Kenshin put a fatherly hand on the young
boy's head and proudly said, "This is my son, Kenji. Kenji,
this is Sagara Sanosuke, our really good friend we told you stories
about." Kenji looked shyly at Sano.
"Hi Kenji." Sano spoke quietly to the little boy, smiling
and giving him a little wave with his fingers. A tiny smile came
to Kenji's lips but then he buried his face in his mother's kimono.
Kenshin and Kaoru laughed.
"He can be a little shy around strangers, I mean, people he hasn't met before." Kaoru corrected herself, not wanting to alienate Sano. Sano chuckled to himself. "Say 'hi' to Sanosuke, Kenji." Kaoru whispered into her son's ear.
"No, it's alright, I am a stranger to this little guy."
"You're certainly stranger than most!" Kenshin said good-naturedly. "But you'll never be a stranger to the Kamiya Kasshin Dojo. And Kenji will get used to you in no time."
From behind Sano a vaguely familiar voice called out. "I thought I heard you yelling." The voice itself wasn't that familiar but the tone was. Sano stood and turned to look. A young man wearing a white and blue practice uniform with a sword slung at his side stood with a wide grin on his face. Familiar dark spiky hair shot out in all directions, but the young boy that Sano had known was gone. In his place stood an impressive young swordsman who had an air of maturity and strength. Time and hormones had deepened Yahiko's voice and his little body had matured. For a moment Sano realized that he had fully expected to find Yahiko just as he remembered seeing him the night he had fled the country. His surprise must have shown because Yahiko's grin got even wider.
"Have I changed that much?" Sano
quickly overcame his initial surprise and was quick to retort.
"Not at all Yahiko-chan!" Everyone broke out laughing,
including Yahiko. Apparently the affectionate suffix no longer
bothered the young man. After all, there was no way Yahiko could
possibly be considered little anymore. In the last few months
he had almost grown taller than Kenshin. As they laughed Yahiko
sprinted over to where Sano was standing. He moved in fast and
tackled Sanosuke, who had only a moment to brace himself for
the attack. The two fiercely embraced for a moment before Sano
used his foot to try and trip Yahiko to the ground. A brief wrestling
match ensued, and it was quite a different scene than any of
their previous matches. Yahiko had grown and matured in the 5
years since Sano had last seen him. He wasn't quite the pushover
that Sano remembered, to say the least. Finally, Yahiko tore
himself free and the two stood grinning at each other for a moment.
Kaoru and Kenshin watched happily as the two were reunited. Yahiko
ran a hand back through his hair in an attempt to straighten
it out.
"Chikusho Sano, you smell like dead fish." Kenshin and Kaoru burst out laughing once again. Sano looked surprised for a minute and then took a sniff in the general direction of his underarm and recoiled.
"You really do smell like dead fish." Kenshin said with a smile.
"Well, I have been on a boat for the past few weeks! Give me a break!"
"Even falling into the soapy laundry bucket you still didn't manage to improve your odor. We'll get a bath ready for you and get you cleaned up." Kaoru said.
"Mmmm.. yeah that'll be great. But first, I'm staved! Let's eat!"
"Oh that's right, I just finished preparing lunch!" Kenshin replied. "Well let's go inside and get Sano something to eat."
"Maybe we should just bring him out the food. You let him inside and the place is going to smell like dead fish for a week!" Sano took a playful swing at Yahiko, Yahiko ducked out of the way with a laugh.
"Why don't we all eat outside, it's too nice to spend the day indoors." Kaoru commented happily as they all walked toward the house.
"Alright, that sounds good." Kenshin replied.
"You guys can wait out here while I go get the food." Kaoru headed inside with Kenji while Yahiko, Sanosuke, and Kenshin took a seat on the porch.
"Kuso, Yahiko, you sure have grown up." Sano said as he sprawled out comfortably in his old spot. "How'd you get so big eating Jochan's cooking?" From inside an angry voice called out, "I heard that Sano!" The guys laughed. Kaoru and Kenji came back out to the porch, both of them carrying a tray heaped with food. In front of Sano, Kaoru set down a big bowl of white rice and miso soup. Later Sano realized it was the best food he'd eaten in a long time. (The story might have been a little different had it been Kaoru's cooking though.)
While they ate they exchanged stories and worked to inform Sano of everything major that had happened while he had been running around the world; the wedding, the birth of Kenji, Yahiko's passage to manhood, etc. Sano gave them a little summary of his adventures and promised that he'd give them detailed stories later.
"I'm full of stories now, so you don't want to get me started unless you have the rest of the day to sit here and listen. And right now I can think of a million other things to do then listen to myself talk."
"I can only think of one." Yahiko commented, a sneaky grin creeping onto his face. "Go throw you in the bathhouse and lock you in until you don't stink anymore!" He laughed and waved a hand in front of his nose trying to get the smell of dead fish from his nostrils.
"Then why don't you go make yourself useful and get the bath heated!" Sano growled.
"Ha ha, if it will get that smell out of here I'll do whatever it takes." Yahiko jumped to his feet and ran off to warm the bath. The others watched him go. Sano shook his head in amazement.
"He really has grown up hasn't he? I'm kinda sorry I missed it."
"Oh you didn't miss much." Kaoru
replied with a smile. "He went though a phase where he was
completely unbearable. I couldn't get him to do anything!"
Kenshin grinned and commented, "Yes, he really picked up
a lot of a 'certain person's' character traits over the years."
"Well that's good to hear." Sano replied with a laugh. "I'd hate to think no one was carrying on my job." The three of them laughed while the sounds of happy young voices filled the air.
"Practice must be getting out." Kaoru commented. "Oh my gosh, that reminds me! Come on Sano." She said and jumped to her feet grabbing Sano by the arm and pulling him along.
"What's up Jochan?"
"You'll see!"
They ran around to the dojo and found a small crowd of children and teen-agers gathering around two boys. It seemed that practice hadn't finished for the two of them who still had their shinai's in hand. They'd taken time to change out of their practice clothes but had apparently jumped right back into some disagreement or another they must have had during practice. Sano stopped dead in his tracks as he caught sight of a young boy wearing the character for evil on his back and a red headband. Though the young boy had aged some he was still easily recognizable. Kaoru kept running and called out, "Cut it out you two!" Sano grabbed Kaoru and pulled her to a stop.
"No wait, I want to see him fight." Sano said quietly to Kaoru. There was something in his eyes that Kaoru had never seen before. His gaze was riveted to the young boy with "Aku" on his back as he and the other boy clashed shinai's repeatedly.
"They're both pretty good." He commented as he watched. "A lot better than I thought he'd be"
At last Fujita Tsuyoshi delivered a blow to Higashidani Outa that sent him reeling and he collapsed to the ground. Tsuyoshi walked over to Outa and stood gloating over him.
"Ahou I win again." He was about to give Outa a good kick to keep him from getting up, when he was lifted into the air from behind. Tsuyoshi looked down at Outa in surprise while he saw the same look returned in the beaten boy's face.
"You beat him, that's good enough. You need to learn how to be a better winner or you'll end up being the loser in the end." Tsuyoshi looked in surprise behind him to find a large, longhaired, bearded, smelly man holding him in the air. Sano took and casually tossed Tsuyoshi over the heads of some of the other students and into a bush. Kaoru's frantic, "Ack Sano don't!" was completely useless. Sano smiled down at Outa.
"So you took my advice and got stronger, eh round cheeks?" Outa just stared in awe and admiration. Sano reached out one of his hands to the boy. Outa was speechless. He took Sano's offered hand and was instantly pulled to his feet. A moment passed where Sano grinned down on Outa and Outa grinned up at Sano.
"It's you!" Outa finally managed to say. "You're my my big brother!" Sano's smile dropped.
"Who told you that?" He sounded surprised.
"Kaoru-dono and I figured it out." Sano took a look back at Kaoru who just shrugged.
"He told us his story and we put two and two together. It wasn't very hard to figure out Sanosuke." Outa had taken a tentative step closer to Sano and gave his pants a little tug to get his attention. Sano turned back to look at his young brother that he'd only met for a few days and had never really had anything to do with. A look of concentration was on Sano's face and it was easily mistaken for anger or disappointment. Outa's excitement died and the smile left his young face. He looked down at the ground and stammered.
"Um... I I think you're really great. And I... um I wanted to be like you because you were so brave." Sano's look softened as Outa continued speaking and staring at the ground. "You're the hero of the whole town, you know. Since nobody knew your name they call you Yama Arashi." (Mountain Storm)
"Yama Arashi?" Sano asked quietly. Outa looked up and saw that Sano didn't look angry anymore. His courage returned gradually as he continued speaking.
"Yeah Yama Arashi. It's because of all the noise you made when you defeated Fudosawa's two hundred men. Everyone thought it was a storm or a rumbling in the mountain. You're a legend now. And I was I was really happy to find out that you had friends here in Tokyo. And when they told me about you, I remembered stories Uki told me about the big brother I never met. Instructor Kaoru said that she thought you were the same person, so I asked father and he told me and Uki the truth. I was so happy, and you should have seen Uki. She wanted to find you right away but you had already left Japan. She almost jumped on a boat and went looking for you. But she was engaged and so she didn't."
As Outa talked some of the students stood around listening, and others said goodbye to Kaoru and Yutarou and left. Tsuyoshi pulled himself free from the bush and had busied himself removing twigs, leaves, and dirt from his clothing and hair. He had a few scratches and bruises but was otherwise uninjured from his flight. He watched Sanosuke and Outa as the two talked. A look of determination was set on his face. After a moment, he walked up behind Sanosuke and nailed him with his shinai right in the back of his left knee. Sanosuke swore and regained his balance. He turned angrily to find Tsuyoshi standing there defiantly with his shinai firmly gripped in both hands.
"You think you're pretty tough or something picking on a little kid?" Sano's eyes narrowed. "I'm not afraid of you. You try and fight me face to face!" Sano almost laughed but Tsuyoshi came at him intending to nail him again. Sano caught the bamboo sword in one hand and picked up Tsuyoshi with the other.
"Sano don't!" Kaoru was running toward the two of them. Sano ignored her and tossed Tsuyoshi back into the bushes.
"Man that kid's annoying. Who the heck does he think he is?" Sano had turned back and aimed his comment at Outa with a cocky grin, but Kaoru was the one to reply.
"That's Fujita Tsuyoshi!" Sano gave a quick 'who cares' kind of shrug. Kaoru reached Tsuyoshi and pulled him out of the bushes helping him get the twigs out of his hair and clothes.
"If my father was here he'd teach you a lesson!" Tsuyoshi yelled at Sanosuke. Sanosuke didn't look impressed.
"Oh yeah kid, I'm real scared now." Sano commented dryly. Kaoru looked absolutely exasperated.
"Sano, Tsuyoshi's father is Saitoh Hajime!"
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Sano's back! Horray! And now he's throwing Saitoh's kid into a bush... *sigh* What happens when Sano meets Saitoh's wife? How do Outa and Sano treat each other? Read the next chapter!