Chapter 3: The Family Shrine
Author's Note: Ok, so I admit, thus far my story has proved to be pretty 'blah', but huzzah! ::pats readers on the back:: you have made it this far and all your sore eyes and endless reading is about to pay off! ^_^ From this point on my story kind of deviates from your traditional RK episode or story....sooo....please don't flame me if I decide to change your fave carachter a little, k? Reading my stories??! WOW! That takes a very focused person. One who doesn't have a short attention spa- ooh! A butterfly! ::runs off stage chasing the butterfly::
Disclaimer: I don't own this series. i wish i did...excuse me whilst i go and pout >_
-Juliet Marillier
Kenshin wore a blindfold over his head and was falling about with the smaller children, lost in hysterical laughter. They were running about his feet, tugging on his hair here and pulling on his hands there.
"Here n'uncle Kinshin. Ov'r here!"
Kenshin felt about blindly for the squealing kids, unable to control his laughter.
Kaoru looked on with mild interest, smiling to herself as she sweeped the porch. She rested a moment and leaned back against the wall with a sigh. Finally, things are back to normal.
Quite suddenly, two hands shot out from under the porch to grab Kaoru's ankles.
Kaoru gasped and lost her balance, tumbling down the steps and landing with an "Oof!" on the ground. She lifted up her head and glared at Yahiko, who was now visible from his spot under the porch. He was grinning devillishly and appeared to be making an effort not to laugh out loud.
"Why you little!-"
"Ah, quit complaining." He nimbly climbed out from under the porch in one swift motion and headed over to Miho, who had been standing in the backround watching the whole episode.
Miho looked genuinely surprised. As Yahiko came up to her, she turned to face him and gave a look of helplessness.
"Well, Yahiko, you win." She handed him a few small black coins. "I guess you can catch her off gaurd."
"Yup, though its only easy when she's watching Kenshin and starts to daydream."
Kaoru sprang up from her undignified position and started yelling loudly at the two with a dark red face.
"Miho?! - you made a bet with Yahiko about me being caught off gaurd?!!?!"
Miho and Yahiko's eyes dialated as they slowly turned to face Kaoru (both with pretty big sweatdrops).
"Uhhh...Miho? You think?..."
Miho gulped. "Yup. Now would definantly be a good time to run!"
They turned on their heels and dashed away, laughing like madmans.
Kaoru quickly decided to give up pursuit, but begrudginly plotted to burn both of their portions for lunch.
*Somewhere in the nearby forest...*
He punched the air. Once. Twice. His fists moving light greased bolts of lightning. Quite abruptly he stopped in mid punch, his fist extended in front of him as he kept a firm stance.
On his outstrechted fist was a teacup perfectly balanced. Suddenly, he punched again, so fast you almost could not see the arm that followed the fist. So fast, infact, that when he rested in a fighting stance again, the teacup had switched in midair to his other fist.
His leg shot out like a bullet, proving the only thing faster than his punches were his kicks. The sound of air rushing by his leg filled the small clearing. The teacup now balanced perfectly on his right leg which was still extended in a perfect kick.
As if some hidden sign triggered him, he all at once began beating against the air. A blinding kick, a fast uppercut.
As he gained momentum his limbs became one big blur. The small teacup was lost from sight as it was propelled from arm to leg to foot to fist. He began switching stances, bobbing and ducking, dropping suddenly to sweep with his leg, only to be back on his feet the next instant thrusting mightily at the air in front of him. He wove a complex pattern around the clearing, ducking and fighting, perfectly dodging imaginary hits. All the while not a single drop had spilled from the cup.
Just as suddenly as he had started, he stopped, mid punch. The teacup balanced expertly on his right fist. His whole body was tense. He held the stance for quite some time until he slowly stood up completely. He calmly removed the teacup from his hand and took a sip.
Sano smiled. If there was anything he loved in winter, it was warm tea.
As the day slowly progressed, Kenshin looked up from his spot out on the porch. The sky held a certain forboding. In his mind Kenshin heard lessons from bygone years.
You can always tell the weather by the dusk sky. Just pay attention to nature. She hides nothing...you simply must learn to listen to her.
He mentally noted the way the clouds were moving in the distance, the small breezes that whipped his Gi around his feet.
"Hmm..." Kenshin looked up at the afternoon sky. "I suppose we will get snow within the week."
He heard the door open and close behind him but he did not turn around.
"Sempai*??" Miho's voice was hesitant.
*(a/n usually used to refer to instructors. Miho was training at the school and had only been there so long...so she is still using all the formalities.)
He smiled. "Call me Kenshin." He turned and faced her. "Is there something you need?"
She opened her mouth and stammered a little bit. She and Kenshin had not gotten to know each other that closely in the week she had been there and it seemed as if this was something she felt awkward trying to explain to him.
"Is something wrong?" He was genuinely concerend.
"It's just...well, the dojo." She pointed back inside the house.
This immedeatly got his attention. "Kaoru - is Miss Kaoru alright? Is anyone hurt?" His question came out somewhat rushed and this seemed to make Miho a little shyer.
"Umm...perhaps, I - well, what I mean...perhaps, maybe you should see this.." She motioned slightly for him to follow and she herself headed back inside.
He did not ask any more questions. He followed with a sense of apprehension.
"I was cleaning out the old storage room next to the family shrine. I noticed it when I was carrying a box to the old pantry when I happened to pass by the room. The door was open so..." She walked into the family's shrine room. As she opened the door for Kenshin to follow, he only began to take in the scene. "It was like this when I got here."
He let his eyes sweep over the room and take it all in. Chalk had been mixed with dye and ink to make a cheap mixture...a mixture perfect for Grafitti. Over by the shrine there was writing all up on the walls and alter. The alter itself was smashed and the weekly offering was gone, most likely stolen. Now that Kenshin was inside the room, he could better notice the holes in the paper walls around him. All around him the carefully placed rugs (which were only used for significant or special rooms in Japanese dojos) were all messed up. There were many tears and stains of mud and paint all over them.
(a/n There were probly very few things that were more disgraceful than this in the Meji era of Japan, but at the moment none come to mind. To disgrace the family honor was considered a flat out challenge to most people. I don't know if I can fully explain the importance these people took in honor and family seeing as modern day people don't have those values anymore. Anyway, this might have been even worse for Kaoru considering she has fought SO much to keep her family's name in honor...)
The scene of vandilism was horrendous. Kenshin looked slightly down so that his red bangs covered his eyes. His mouth was tight and small with anger. His face was tense with rage and shrowded in the shadow of his crimson hair.
"Go get Miss Kaoru, please." His voice was under tight control.
Miho turned and went back out the door cautiously, leaving Kenshin standing in the middle of the room. He did not move an inch.
A couple of minutes later, two sets of footsteps appraoched and the door opened behind him. Miho stepped in and moved aside so that Kaoru could follow.
Kaoru stepped through the door. She stopped in mid-step, her foot hovering in place above the ground.
All three of them were silent for a minute or so. Kenshin's eyes were still shrouded in shadow, Miho stood in the background by the door looking like she was about to cry, and Kaoru was absolutely still. She had the look of someone who was accepting what was happening because they thought they were in a dream.
Slowly Kaoru's foot lowered all the way to the ground and she stood there, quiet and motionless. Her eyes were distant and somewhat glazed, like she couldn't quite see the room at all. She remained utterly still as if fearing motion would make the world come crashing down on her.
"Who..." Her voice was so sad it barely sounded human. It held a terrible softness that made Miho want to cry but only made Kenshin tense a little more.
Maybe it was coincedence, maybe it was bad timing, but at the very moment Kenshin turned around was the very moment the small boy had chosen to try and sneek from the room.
You could not see him move, it was so fast, save you did notice this matts fly up. In the next instant Kenshin had the boy round the neck in an effective hold.
It all happened so fast it took the girls a few seconds for the scene to sink in. Miho gave a surprised "Eep!" when she looked up at the boy and Kenshin, not a few feet away from her.
Kaoru looked on to the scene, her face like a blank mask. Kaoru's face resembled something quite beautiful at that moment, like a porcelain figurine thats insides had been scoured of any emotion or feeling at all leaving a pretty but hollow face.
Everyone was silent.
Kenshin's eyes were seemed to be faintly glowing in his anger. Slowly he raised the boy's head up so they could have a look at his face. His hands were covered in paint and they sheilded his face from view. In one deft mevement, Kenshin knocked the wind out of the boy making his hands drop to his stomach.
Three gasps could be heard as they stood there looking at a panting Yahiko.
Author's Note: Wow! That turned out better than i thought it would. Well, what has happened? Yahiko? Returning to a life of crime?? and what will Sano think??! stay tuned for my next chapter. coming up you ask?? why, more challenges for kenshin, a big fat fight, some interesting ideas, and something completely new!! stay tuned because ::bum bum bum:: the plot is about to thickin in my next chapter 'A Challenge and A Quest'...ok, i have to be careful not to do the Dragonball z thing and give everything away in the titles...^_^(). ja ne.
