The sun was beating down relentlessly, trying with all its fever to
piece the thick canopy of eucalyptus and cedar. Yet the road remained cool
and shaded, with only the swaying beams of sunlight glazing the dirt in
bright spots. The breeze wasn't very big, but was just enough to keep the
cooler air under the forest canopy flowing. This made the trip very easy
for the two men traveling down the dirt road to Yokahama.
"Um," muttered Sanosuke. "Kenshin, tell me again why we're going to Yokahama?"
The samurai walking next to him kept his stare ahead of him while he spoke.
"Because," Kenshin said, "I have a feeling that whoever is behind all of this has some connection with my past. There's someone in Yokahama that I need to talk to. She moved there from Kyoto fifteen years ago."
"And what makes you think she has any idea about what's going on?" asked Sanosuke.
"I don't know," said Kenshin. "I guess you could say it was the first place I wanted to start at. If she doesn't know anything, then we'll head North to Kyoto."
As they walked, Sanosuke decided to keep silent after Kenshin had mentioned Kyoto. That place held so many memories for Kenshin, most of them bad. But Sanosuke also had memories. He remembered the fight against Anji, and found his thoughts drifting, wondering what had become of the monk. Then his mind shifted to Shishio, and the fight that took every ounce of Kenshin's strength. That's when he remembered Saito.
"You know whose cigarette that was in the police station," said Sanosuke. "Don't you?"
"Yes," replied Kenshin. "Saito Hajime."
"Why do you think he would keep himself hidden from us?" Sanosuke asked.
"I'm not sure," said Kenshin. "My guess is he still wants to finish the fight he and I started all those years ago."
Sanosuke stopped walking.
"Kenshin," the tall fighter said seriously. "Do you think he could be behind all this?"
"Absolutely not," said Kenshin quickly, stopping to face his friend. "Saito may still want to fight me, but he still fights with honor. The Shinsen Gumi wolves never used such dishonorable tactics as hurting innocent people just to get at someone they wanted. In fact, I'd say that Saito was the one who gave the order for the guard to allow only us access to the old man."
"Well if that's the case," noted Sanosuke, "then whatever this is all about, it must be pretty serious if he got involved. Do you really think he stayed with the government?"
"Probably," answered Kenshin. "That's most likely why we haven't heard about that much corruption between government officials. Saito would have to be keeping that under control."
"So you're saying he's still one of the good guys?" Sanosuke asked.
"Sano," the samurai said. "Saito may want to fight me, but his loyalty and heart are for this country, following the principles of the Shinsen Gumi. He is by my standards, a good guy." Kenshin smiled wryly. "Of course, he's kind of rude sometimes."
Sanosuke couldn't help but laugh at that. Saito was indeed rather rude. He had given Sanosuke such a hard time seven years ago. If he really was alive, then Sanosuke wanted to see him again, if only just to repay the favor.
But the two men's attention was suddenly pulled elsewhere. Shouts were echoing though the forest, coming from somewhere ahead of them. They heard a man shouting orders, and then a woman screaming.
"Sano," said Kenshin.
"Right," came the tall fighter's reply.
Kenshin ran fast. He didn't really know if anyone was in danger or not, but whatever the situation was, it sounded pretty serious. Past a turn in the road and down a long narrow stretch he ran, Sanosuke following suit. The shouts were getting louder now, and he figured the action to be only a few more yards away, perhaps behind the huge rock marking a sharp dogleg in the road.
Kenshin reached the other side of the boulder, stopping in his tracks. A family was huddling together next to their overturned wagon. The father and mother were keeping their small children close between them. All around the site were men, rummaging through piles of clothing and boxes, which appeared to have been thrown to the ground when the wagon had flipped.
"Where is it?" shouted a burly man, the apparent leader of the group.
The man holding his family gritted his teeth. Kenshin could see the fear in his eyes.
"I told you before," the father shouted. "I don't have it. Please just leave us alone!"
The bandit leader cursed and approached the terrified family. He pulled out a small blade waving it in the face of the father. The wife screamed, pulling the children to her other side, away from the bandit with the knife.
"Please," the woman screamed. "Leave him alone."
"Minyah," the husband said, pushing his family behind him. He again shouted to the bandit. "I don't have whatever you're looking for. I just wanted to leave the city. Please leave us alone!"
The man with the knife had had enough. He reached for the man –
CRACK.
The blade dropped from his hand as the bandit let out a wailing scream. He looked down to see his hand twisted and contorted in several directions at once. The man looked up.
Kenshin stood between the family and the bandit, sheathing his sword.
"Whatever problem you have with this man," said Kenshin, "you now have with me. Leave him and his family alone."
The wounded man cringed, gritting his teeth and looking up at Kenshin with a hateful stare. He then cracked a mile.
"Boys," the bandit shouted. "Show this punk why he should learn to mind his own business."
Kenshin watched the man as he laughed wickedly, his grin wide with yellowed teeth. The grin, however, soon turned to a smirk, and then to a look of confusion. No one had come. He looked back to see another man standing right behind him, his hands tucked complacently in his white gi. Behind the new man were his men, all of them lying unconscious on the ground.
"Did you mean those men?" said Sanosuke. "They were in a bad mood, so I thought they could use a nap."
The bandit's face lit with anger. How could just two guys overtake all of his men? The one with the sword spoke, making the man turn back around.
"Leave," said Kenshin. "Now."
The bandit stared just a second longer before turning and running back down the road. Kenshin watched him until he had disappeared behind the boulder. He then turned to the father of the family they had saved.
"Are you all ok?" asked Kenshin.
"Yes," said the man. "Thank you. Thank you very much."
"If you don't mind me asking," Kenshin said, "what were they looking for?"
The man smiled.
"This," he said.
He pulled out of his gi a diamond bracelet. It caught a beam of light and sparkled brightly, the sun gleaming off of its golden ring.
"It was an inheritance I had received from my mother," said the mother, now with the children standing in front of her. "That man who had the knife was my brother. He lost a lot of money gambling and thought he could pay off his debts with the bracelet. I thank you for sparing his life, but I'm sorry you had to get involved."
"Think nothing of it," said Kenshin. "Where were you headed?"
"We don't know," said the father. "Anywhere but back to Tokyo."
"Well then we'll help you with your wagon and escort you to the nearest town," Kenshin said. "If it would be alright with you?"
"Yes, please," said the father. "Thank you."
"Um," muttered Sanosuke. "Kenshin, tell me again why we're going to Yokahama?"
The samurai walking next to him kept his stare ahead of him while he spoke.
"Because," Kenshin said, "I have a feeling that whoever is behind all of this has some connection with my past. There's someone in Yokahama that I need to talk to. She moved there from Kyoto fifteen years ago."
"And what makes you think she has any idea about what's going on?" asked Sanosuke.
"I don't know," said Kenshin. "I guess you could say it was the first place I wanted to start at. If she doesn't know anything, then we'll head North to Kyoto."
As they walked, Sanosuke decided to keep silent after Kenshin had mentioned Kyoto. That place held so many memories for Kenshin, most of them bad. But Sanosuke also had memories. He remembered the fight against Anji, and found his thoughts drifting, wondering what had become of the monk. Then his mind shifted to Shishio, and the fight that took every ounce of Kenshin's strength. That's when he remembered Saito.
"You know whose cigarette that was in the police station," said Sanosuke. "Don't you?"
"Yes," replied Kenshin. "Saito Hajime."
"Why do you think he would keep himself hidden from us?" Sanosuke asked.
"I'm not sure," said Kenshin. "My guess is he still wants to finish the fight he and I started all those years ago."
Sanosuke stopped walking.
"Kenshin," the tall fighter said seriously. "Do you think he could be behind all this?"
"Absolutely not," said Kenshin quickly, stopping to face his friend. "Saito may still want to fight me, but he still fights with honor. The Shinsen Gumi wolves never used such dishonorable tactics as hurting innocent people just to get at someone they wanted. In fact, I'd say that Saito was the one who gave the order for the guard to allow only us access to the old man."
"Well if that's the case," noted Sanosuke, "then whatever this is all about, it must be pretty serious if he got involved. Do you really think he stayed with the government?"
"Probably," answered Kenshin. "That's most likely why we haven't heard about that much corruption between government officials. Saito would have to be keeping that under control."
"So you're saying he's still one of the good guys?" Sanosuke asked.
"Sano," the samurai said. "Saito may want to fight me, but his loyalty and heart are for this country, following the principles of the Shinsen Gumi. He is by my standards, a good guy." Kenshin smiled wryly. "Of course, he's kind of rude sometimes."
Sanosuke couldn't help but laugh at that. Saito was indeed rather rude. He had given Sanosuke such a hard time seven years ago. If he really was alive, then Sanosuke wanted to see him again, if only just to repay the favor.
But the two men's attention was suddenly pulled elsewhere. Shouts were echoing though the forest, coming from somewhere ahead of them. They heard a man shouting orders, and then a woman screaming.
"Sano," said Kenshin.
"Right," came the tall fighter's reply.
Kenshin ran fast. He didn't really know if anyone was in danger or not, but whatever the situation was, it sounded pretty serious. Past a turn in the road and down a long narrow stretch he ran, Sanosuke following suit. The shouts were getting louder now, and he figured the action to be only a few more yards away, perhaps behind the huge rock marking a sharp dogleg in the road.
Kenshin reached the other side of the boulder, stopping in his tracks. A family was huddling together next to their overturned wagon. The father and mother were keeping their small children close between them. All around the site were men, rummaging through piles of clothing and boxes, which appeared to have been thrown to the ground when the wagon had flipped.
"Where is it?" shouted a burly man, the apparent leader of the group.
The man holding his family gritted his teeth. Kenshin could see the fear in his eyes.
"I told you before," the father shouted. "I don't have it. Please just leave us alone!"
The bandit leader cursed and approached the terrified family. He pulled out a small blade waving it in the face of the father. The wife screamed, pulling the children to her other side, away from the bandit with the knife.
"Please," the woman screamed. "Leave him alone."
"Minyah," the husband said, pushing his family behind him. He again shouted to the bandit. "I don't have whatever you're looking for. I just wanted to leave the city. Please leave us alone!"
The man with the knife had had enough. He reached for the man –
CRACK.
The blade dropped from his hand as the bandit let out a wailing scream. He looked down to see his hand twisted and contorted in several directions at once. The man looked up.
Kenshin stood between the family and the bandit, sheathing his sword.
"Whatever problem you have with this man," said Kenshin, "you now have with me. Leave him and his family alone."
The wounded man cringed, gritting his teeth and looking up at Kenshin with a hateful stare. He then cracked a mile.
"Boys," the bandit shouted. "Show this punk why he should learn to mind his own business."
Kenshin watched the man as he laughed wickedly, his grin wide with yellowed teeth. The grin, however, soon turned to a smirk, and then to a look of confusion. No one had come. He looked back to see another man standing right behind him, his hands tucked complacently in his white gi. Behind the new man were his men, all of them lying unconscious on the ground.
"Did you mean those men?" said Sanosuke. "They were in a bad mood, so I thought they could use a nap."
The bandit's face lit with anger. How could just two guys overtake all of his men? The one with the sword spoke, making the man turn back around.
"Leave," said Kenshin. "Now."
The bandit stared just a second longer before turning and running back down the road. Kenshin watched him until he had disappeared behind the boulder. He then turned to the father of the family they had saved.
"Are you all ok?" asked Kenshin.
"Yes," said the man. "Thank you. Thank you very much."
"If you don't mind me asking," Kenshin said, "what were they looking for?"
The man smiled.
"This," he said.
He pulled out of his gi a diamond bracelet. It caught a beam of light and sparkled brightly, the sun gleaming off of its golden ring.
"It was an inheritance I had received from my mother," said the mother, now with the children standing in front of her. "That man who had the knife was my brother. He lost a lot of money gambling and thought he could pay off his debts with the bracelet. I thank you for sparing his life, but I'm sorry you had to get involved."
"Think nothing of it," said Kenshin. "Where were you headed?"
"We don't know," said the father. "Anywhere but back to Tokyo."
"Well then we'll help you with your wagon and escort you to the nearest town," Kenshin said. "If it would be alright with you?"
"Yes, please," said the father. "Thank you."