"That's all you got out of him?" Kaoru shouted.
Kenshin and Sanosuke looked at her blankly, and then at each other. Sanosuke could only shrug his shoulders and wait for Kenshin to say something. Kenshin, on the other hand, was a little worried. He'd forgotten how protective his wife could be over him.
"It was all he knew," Kenshin replied with a forced smile.
"I don't care," said Kaoru. "People are trying to attack you, and I want to know who it is…and why are you so calm right now? Doesn't it bother you that someone is out there hiring people to kill you?"
"Well, yes," Kenshin said. "But the main thing that bothers me is that these guys keep including the people I care about. That's what really worries me…" He paused, took a deep breath, and risked his life. "…And that's why I'm going to go a way for a few days."
The Tokyo streets outside the Kamiya Kashin Ryu dojo were almost calming to behold. Merchants were carrying supplies to their shops, and carriages were rolling slowly through the town. Suddenly an ear-piercing roar shattered the serenity.
"WHAT?"
"Calm down, Kaoru," said Kenshin. "I'm only doing this to protect you. If I stay here, there's a chance that you could be targeted like Sanosuke was."
"I don't care," came a loud, yet emotional response. "I'm not letting my husband just up and go off alone somewhere when someone is out there trying to kill him!"
"Oi, Jo-chan," said Sanosuke. "Don't worry. He won't be alone. "I'm going with him."
Kaoru felt a little better hearing that. She opened her mouth to speak, but was surprised when another female voice said her thoughts for her.
"You are?"
Sanosuke turned quickly to see his fiancée standing in the doorway. She had come back from her trip to the mountains, and looked as beautiful as always. The last few days had been pretty disheartening for everyone, but the second he saw her face, Sanosuke's entire body felt weightless.
"Megummi," he said. "You're back." He walked up to her and embraced her in his arms. "How was your trip? Were you able to help the village?"
"Yes," the woman doctor said with exhaustion, leaning heavily on her man's chest. "The medicine worked just fine, and the villagers were all recovering nicely when I left."
Sanosuke closed his eyes as he held her.
"Sounds like you were busy," he commented.
"So busy that I haven't slept in four days," said Megummi. "And now that I'm home to rest, you're going away?"
"Megummi," he said softly. "I have to. Someone is trying to kill Kenshin. I can't let him go out there alone."
The tired woman looked up into his eyes. Her stare portrayed all her emotions at once. Sanosuke saw anger, worry, prayer, and love. In this moment, he nearly decided to stay behind. But Kenshin needed him right now, and he would not forsake his friend. To his surprise, his fiancée agreed with him.
"Then you'd better take care of him," Megummi said to him as she stepped back. "Our wedding just wouldn't be complete without Kenshin."
Sanosuke smiled at her. He then turned around to see both Kenshin and Kaoru smiling as well. The two men were the best of friends, and their women would love them unconditionally, even at a time like this. Leaving would be the best option right now, especially if they were going to keep the ones they loved out of danger.
"And just in case," said Kenshin. "Yahiko should be getting back sometime this evening. He'll protect the dojo while we're away."
"Good," said Kaoru. "Then you won't have to worry about us. Just make sure you're careful, Kenshin."
"I will be," the samurai told her. "And I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Speaking of soon," said Sanosuke. "When do you want to leave?"
"In a few hours," replied Kenshin. "Let's get something to eat first, and then gather our supplies. We shouldn't need to take much, so we should be able to make good time. I'd like to make it to Yokahama before nightfall."
Indeed, it was only a few hours before they had eaten and were ready to hit the road. Kaoru had fixed them lunch, which was surprisingly not bad, and Megummi had made sure they had enough food and water for their trip. Yokahama wasn't that far away, but it was still a day's journey on foot. The men said their goodbyes to their women, each kissing his lover before leaving the front gate.
"Those idiots better not try anything while we're away," Sanosuke said firmly. "I'd never forgive them if they hurt Megummi or Kaoru while we weren't there."
"Don't worry, Sano," said Kenshin. "Not only is Kaoru a capable fighter, but Yahiko will be there. Even you would have to admit that he's grown much stronger the last few years."
Sanosuke smiled. Kenshin was right about Yahiko. The once loudmouth brat had turned into formidable samurai. Yahiko's physical strength had doubled, as well as his techniques, both with the sword and with Kamiya Kashin Ryu. Not only that, but the young man had shed the arrogance he once had as a boy. Now, Yahiko was a true samurai, who understood his own strengths, as well as his own weaknesses. If any one did try to pull anything on the dojo while they were away, then they'd have their hands full.
"That's true," Sanosuke said. "Even if they sent real fighters and ninjas to the dojo, I think Yahiko could probably run circles around them."
"Well lets hope he won't have to," said Kenshin.
Together, the two men walked out of the streets of Tokyo and onto the road to Yokahama. The trip would be at least a day long, but most of it would be under the shade of the forest. Kenshin worried slightly about this, because the trees would provide perfect grounds for an ambush. He and Sanosuke would have to be on guard during that part of the journey.
With the sun slowly beginning its path down to the horizon, the two men walked on.
Kenshin and Sanosuke looked at her blankly, and then at each other. Sanosuke could only shrug his shoulders and wait for Kenshin to say something. Kenshin, on the other hand, was a little worried. He'd forgotten how protective his wife could be over him.
"It was all he knew," Kenshin replied with a forced smile.
"I don't care," said Kaoru. "People are trying to attack you, and I want to know who it is…and why are you so calm right now? Doesn't it bother you that someone is out there hiring people to kill you?"
"Well, yes," Kenshin said. "But the main thing that bothers me is that these guys keep including the people I care about. That's what really worries me…" He paused, took a deep breath, and risked his life. "…And that's why I'm going to go a way for a few days."
The Tokyo streets outside the Kamiya Kashin Ryu dojo were almost calming to behold. Merchants were carrying supplies to their shops, and carriages were rolling slowly through the town. Suddenly an ear-piercing roar shattered the serenity.
"WHAT?"
"Calm down, Kaoru," said Kenshin. "I'm only doing this to protect you. If I stay here, there's a chance that you could be targeted like Sanosuke was."
"I don't care," came a loud, yet emotional response. "I'm not letting my husband just up and go off alone somewhere when someone is out there trying to kill him!"
"Oi, Jo-chan," said Sanosuke. "Don't worry. He won't be alone. "I'm going with him."
Kaoru felt a little better hearing that. She opened her mouth to speak, but was surprised when another female voice said her thoughts for her.
"You are?"
Sanosuke turned quickly to see his fiancée standing in the doorway. She had come back from her trip to the mountains, and looked as beautiful as always. The last few days had been pretty disheartening for everyone, but the second he saw her face, Sanosuke's entire body felt weightless.
"Megummi," he said. "You're back." He walked up to her and embraced her in his arms. "How was your trip? Were you able to help the village?"
"Yes," the woman doctor said with exhaustion, leaning heavily on her man's chest. "The medicine worked just fine, and the villagers were all recovering nicely when I left."
Sanosuke closed his eyes as he held her.
"Sounds like you were busy," he commented.
"So busy that I haven't slept in four days," said Megummi. "And now that I'm home to rest, you're going away?"
"Megummi," he said softly. "I have to. Someone is trying to kill Kenshin. I can't let him go out there alone."
The tired woman looked up into his eyes. Her stare portrayed all her emotions at once. Sanosuke saw anger, worry, prayer, and love. In this moment, he nearly decided to stay behind. But Kenshin needed him right now, and he would not forsake his friend. To his surprise, his fiancée agreed with him.
"Then you'd better take care of him," Megummi said to him as she stepped back. "Our wedding just wouldn't be complete without Kenshin."
Sanosuke smiled at her. He then turned around to see both Kenshin and Kaoru smiling as well. The two men were the best of friends, and their women would love them unconditionally, even at a time like this. Leaving would be the best option right now, especially if they were going to keep the ones they loved out of danger.
"And just in case," said Kenshin. "Yahiko should be getting back sometime this evening. He'll protect the dojo while we're away."
"Good," said Kaoru. "Then you won't have to worry about us. Just make sure you're careful, Kenshin."
"I will be," the samurai told her. "And I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Speaking of soon," said Sanosuke. "When do you want to leave?"
"In a few hours," replied Kenshin. "Let's get something to eat first, and then gather our supplies. We shouldn't need to take much, so we should be able to make good time. I'd like to make it to Yokahama before nightfall."
Indeed, it was only a few hours before they had eaten and were ready to hit the road. Kaoru had fixed them lunch, which was surprisingly not bad, and Megummi had made sure they had enough food and water for their trip. Yokahama wasn't that far away, but it was still a day's journey on foot. The men said their goodbyes to their women, each kissing his lover before leaving the front gate.
"Those idiots better not try anything while we're away," Sanosuke said firmly. "I'd never forgive them if they hurt Megummi or Kaoru while we weren't there."
"Don't worry, Sano," said Kenshin. "Not only is Kaoru a capable fighter, but Yahiko will be there. Even you would have to admit that he's grown much stronger the last few years."
Sanosuke smiled. Kenshin was right about Yahiko. The once loudmouth brat had turned into formidable samurai. Yahiko's physical strength had doubled, as well as his techniques, both with the sword and with Kamiya Kashin Ryu. Not only that, but the young man had shed the arrogance he once had as a boy. Now, Yahiko was a true samurai, who understood his own strengths, as well as his own weaknesses. If any one did try to pull anything on the dojo while they were away, then they'd have their hands full.
"That's true," Sanosuke said. "Even if they sent real fighters and ninjas to the dojo, I think Yahiko could probably run circles around them."
"Well lets hope he won't have to," said Kenshin.
Together, the two men walked out of the streets of Tokyo and onto the road to Yokahama. The trip would be at least a day long, but most of it would be under the shade of the forest. Kenshin worried slightly about this, because the trees would provide perfect grounds for an ambush. He and Sanosuke would have to be on guard during that part of the journey.
With the sun slowly beginning its path down to the horizon, the two men walked on.