Chapter 5: A Challenge and A Quest
Part Two
Author's Note: This is the second part in the two part chapter i was working on. This just needed to be a one chapter thing but it was getting way too long so i was forced to continue it here. i am really happy the way this turned out. i hope i will be getting more reviews (perhaps only on FF.net.....but ah who cares?). ::ponders for a moment:: actually, i have more reviews on my thoughtgalaxy version than on my fanfiction.net version. thats how pathetic my story is! ::shakes head:: isn't that sad?! well, when we last left the RK gang, a challenge had asrisen for kenshin, but it wasn't an everyday run of the mill fight. yahiko and kaoru were utterly dispising each other and sano was still acting somewhat cold towards miho. it all ties together starting right now!! ::winks:: ^o^ onto the story!!




Disclaimer: I don't own this series. i wish i did...excuse me whilst i go and pout >_

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"The road of life has many challenges and they all require different methods to overcome."
-Selina Gonzales


Kenshin stood out on his terrace watching the oncoming night. He noted the small cries of the last birds leaving for warmer regions. He gazed upwards and half heartedly tried to count the stars. The sun is setting earlier these days.

He sighed and looked down at his left side. It was bandaged up. He tested his range of motion which came out pathetically inadequate to his standards and he gave another long sigh.

He hadn't yet gone to bed. He would sometime soon, he thought to himself idily. But he lingered there on the porch overlooking the garden and stared up at the stars. It had become a habit. The very first night he had gotten to the dojo...the very first night he had met Kaoru, he had looked up at the night sky unable to sleep.

Sleep had never come to him easily, but when he got here, that first night, he never slept at all. He only tried to count the stars. He had slowly taken a liking to the place and grown attatched to it, but he had never given up counting the stars. He had a vow, that whenever he could count every star, he would move on. He always did.

It was a strange way of wandering, he supposed. But it suited him well. He had counted the stars many times before, and every time he set out the same night for a destination unknown.

He looked back down at his arm and turned to go inside. Inwardly he smiled to himself. When he was here, it always seemed so much harder to count them.
*****


Yahiko felt his feet under him, he felt the gravel and the roughness of dirt. He felt his legs beneath him, unsteady and short. And yet he wondered why they refused to work, as if they weren't really there at all.

He looked at the front of the dojo. He stared at its graceful arch, at its peaceful lawns, at its comforting lights beyond. In his mind he followed the path he had walked so many times before. Through the gate, across the gardens, in the back kitchen door, through the dining area, down the hallway, inside his door, into his welcoming bed. It was so easy...and yet, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Slowly he turned and looked down the pathway. It was cold and harsh. It wasn't anything like the peaceful familiarity of his room. He slowly sat down on the side of the dusty path.

"You have never done anything in your life worth honoring!"...."Why can't you ever think about some one besides yourself?"... Kaoru's words from that morning flaoted through his head. Why? Why had he done it? He stamped his foot on the ground in front of him and watched the dust from the past rise up into the air.

I could have told them. From the very start. Then nothing would have happened. I could have explained everything to them. Explained why. It would have all been over like that. He snapped his fingers in front of his face.

It was some time he sat like this, thinking to himself. The stars seemed to twinkle overhead as if laughing at his plight. He looked up at them angirly.

"What? What do you want?" He began to get up. Slowly he started off down the path. He couldn't allow himself to go back. Not now. That would only show his weakness, his cowardess. If he did that, everything that Kaoru said would be true. He had to leave in search of his honor, to prove he was worth keeping around.

"You. What are you laughing at?" He angrily glared at the mocking stars. "You don't care about me. No one does!! Well I can show them what a true hero is like!" He puffed out his chest. "I'll be just like Kenshin....only I'll be faster!" He started to smile at the thought. "Yeah...and I'll be even stronger than Sano! Boy. That'd be so cool. Sure wouldn't want to miss the looks on their faces..." suddenly his smile dissapeared.

He remembered the looks. The looks of shame, of disgrace, of distrust. But most of all he saw Kaoru. The way he had crumbled her world, the way she sat in utter despair and grasped as the small fabric of her life slipped through her fingers. The pieces of her honor shattered. Shattered by him.

The last thought made him look down with tears pricking at the back of his eyes. He started walking again. His freinds faces loomed before him. There was no question of what he had to do. Kaoru wasn't right...he wouldn't let her be.

Come with us. Come with us. The voices of the stars beckoned him like the small voices of a child. He looked down at the path with a will. He denied the urge to run back home. To return to the everyday, the place he loved and knew.

Goodbye, old freind... They echoed mournfully.

Yahiko shivered. He looked down the path and hoped not all his heroic nights would be so cold.
*****


Miho sat out on her proch, her feet dangling down towards the ground, just barely tickling the grass below.

She was quiet, so quiet you would not know she was there. She listened to the soft sound of Kaoru's sobs. She had cried all night. Miho knew well enough to let her have her time. Soon Kaoru would be rational and would want to discuss it. The sound was beautiful, in a sad way of sorts. It was like a rythmich song, melancholy, its words forgotten over time. Her sobs were soft and swooning, then gave way to short hiccups. It was lulling and melancholy, and Miho listened on sleepily, aware of the night.

Beyond the faint sound of Kaoru sobs was the deeper, more comforting sound. It was slow and steady. Like a heartbeat. Sano sleeping, his deep breaths, calm and quiet. Across the hallway, behind a door was the man who hated her. She entertained this thought in her head for a while.

Quite suddenly, she found the idea rediculously funny. She stifled her laughter, but a giggle slipped out. She quieted instantly, now aware that the crying had stopped and Kaoru had finally found rest.

She headed back into her room and hummed an old lullaby softly under her breath. Over to her fire pit she walked. Slowly she took the rod, stoking the fire and shifting the log till the flame satisfied her. Afterwards she lay cuddled under her blanket, fending off the night, letting the sounds of his soft slumber lull her to sleep.

I suppose he will never like me....I suppose whatever I said or did can't be undone...I....suppose... Sleep took her.
*****


The dojo bustled with activity. Mornings were the usually the buisiest times during winter. All the food had to be prepared at once because the kitchen fires would last only so long. The chores must be done efficiently, before the winter ice set in and made all work futile.

Koaru had not emerged from her bedroom all morning. Sano and Kenshin sat at the table with Miho, talking.

"So both of them are absent. Convienient." Sano sipped his mornining tea, its hottness making him take it in small amounts.

"They will get hungry eventually." Kenshin ate his breakfast gingerly, his mind mulling over yesterdays battle.

"Mm hm." Miho nodded her head with a smile and swallowed her mouthful. "I heard her crying last night, though. She might be asleep for a while. Crying does that to you." She reached over to the pastries and grabbed another.

Sano munched on his bread thoughtfully. "Yeah, I suppose. But it's not really like Yahiko to run from his problems like this. He's not that kind of character. He..." Sano set down his bowl and massaged his temples. "He has been acting strange lately. I wonder what got into him."

"He said he has his reasons. His reasons must be valid." Kenshin spoke mildly.

Sano's mouth twitched in irritation. "God. I wish I had the confidence you have in him. I just wish I knew what was up, thats all."

Miho looked thoughtful. "Honor makes people do funny things."

They turned to face her.

"I think it's more a lack of honor in this case." Sano said irritably.

"No. What if it was a challenge? Some one put him up to it or something?" She fell silent. They were both looking at their with her eyebrows raised. She looked down at her food. "It was only a thought."

Kenshin laughed. "No. Your guess is as good as mine. I think we are all wondering of his motivations."

Sano nodded his head. "Yeah. Something made him do it, whatever the cause. The only thing that really concerns me, though, is how he is avoiding us. He never runs from his problems." The thought was bugging Sanoske greatly. How out of chracter this was for Yahiko. Yahiko was always so eager to prove everyone wrong. He was always the first to apalogize and the first to make ammends. So why now did he hide away in his room?

There was a motion behind them, the door opening, the tired shuffling of feet.

Kaoru walked in and sat down grabbing herself a bowl. She filled it with porridge and dried fruit and began to eat as ravenously as possible while still managing basic manners.

She had dressed quickly, suggesting an effort to ignore the fact she had slept in. She still looked tired, as though she hadn't gotten enough sleep. Her eyes were red from the crying she had done the night before.

"Please pass the milk." Her voice croaked, as voices usually do in the morning.

They ate on in silence.

Eventually they were done and Miho started to clear the dishes away.

"Here, let me help." Sano stood up and took two of the heavier dishes from her.

Miho stood for a second or two. Slowly, she smiled at him and together they carried the rest of the dishes away to the kitchen.

Kenshin stood but Kaoru remained where she sat. She was staring blankly at the wall.

"Where is he?"

Kenshin looked at her, a solemn expression on his face. "Gone." He said carefully.

"Gone where." Her voice was soft. It held neither interest or hate. She merely mouthed the words and they were said.

"Away...away from here."

She turned to face him, a surprised look on her face. "Wha..."

"It was your fault that he left. Atleast, your fault for this trigger being pulled."

She stood up, a look of fear and sadness on her face. She sarted to run towards the door, but Kenshin moved in front of her way.

"Kensin! We have to go! Go get him!"

"He won't come back. Besides, he is too far away. Already he is beyond your reach or mine. He wanted to go, to prove his worth."

She looked angry at him. His words were lost on her.

"Move! We must get him!" She pushed against him with all the strength she could muster. "We have to...to..we can't just..." Her hands went limp against his chest and her head lowered in defeat. Tears started to trickle down her cheeks.

Slowly, his hand came up and held hers in place. His skin was warm and alive, she felt it in every inch of her body. She looked up. His face was serious. His eyes were narrowed and his mouth was tight. He had a solemn sort of scowl.

"He wanted to leave. He needed to. To prove it to himself more than anyone else. You merely set him off. It would have happened sooner or later. You are to blame for the trigger being pulled, for him realizing he had to leave. Nothing more. It wasn't you who drove him away."

Another tear rolled down her cheek. She looked as if she thought it was much to early to be dealing with any of this.

He released her hand and turned to leave.

"Kensin." He stopped.

There was a pause. "You can't bring him back?" She spoke like child asking for its mother.

Behind his back, he was smiling. "No. But if I could, would you want me to?"

She did not answer. He left the room...and the morning went on.
*****


Sano and Miho figured out that Yahiko had left at about noon. They said nothing, but they all noted that the lines on Kaoru's face were deep with weariness and crying. It was dinner and they had gathered around the table, the empty spot at Yahiko's normal seat seeming like a gaping hole.

"How long do you think he will be gone?" Sano tone was light, but he was looking warily in Kaoru's direction. It was the first time they had all openly discussed it.

"As long as he needs to be." Kaoru's eyes were closed and she had a firm no-nonscence sort of scowl on her face.

"I wish...I wish..." They all turned to face Miho, her voice was quiet as usual.

She looked at them all and paused. "I wish he would have left my hair ribbon."

They all burst out laughing. After a while the laughter died away and the talk turned to safer subjects.

When dinner was finished, Miho made a motion as if to clear away the dishes, and yet again Sano offered to help.

Kaoru raised her eyebrows as Sano headed away with Miho to unlaod the dishes in the kitchen*.

(a/n There were often seperate rooms in dojos for cleaning dishes, but i am too lazy. just pretend they cleanded dishes in the kitchen!! ^_^)

"Hm. Sano is in a helpful mood," She spoke mockingly.

"That he is. He talked to me about it earlier." Kenshin smiled.

Kaoru spun around and smiled innocently. "Really??" She grinned. "What did he say?"

Kenshin stammered. "Er...he uh, didn't want me to...I mean..."

Kaoru started to look angry. "Kenshin! Tell me! I want to know!!" (a/n what a glutton for gossip!!^_^)

"Uh...I think I have to go...my...sword needs a re-wrap," He egded towards the door.

"Kenshin!"
*****


Yahiko was sitting in a corner, trying to avoid being seen. He was thouroughly tired. He had been walking continuosly since last night. He hadn't allowed himself a rest, fearing that the others would head out after him and catch him if he stopped.

He had passed three villages since, and had passed through the town that was near their dojo. He had stopped in the next large town and decided to spend the night.

The smell of sweet grass, tabacco and sake drifted towards him where he sat in the back of the family pub (a/n yes, they did have family pubs!).

His night was turning out to be an uneventful first night, but he supposed not all his days as a traveler were going to be interesting.

His money was sparce, that might prove to be a problem when he needed to pass through a town or city and stay the night.

"All the same..." He looked down at his soup and felt homesick. He sighed. "I suppose it will be easier, over time."

The waitress passed him by. She smelled of a cheap perfume that was popular at the time, her kimono was worn but shone with a brilliance suggesting that at one time it had been quite beautiful. Her face was weatherworn and homely. Out of he corner of her eyes she spotted Yahiko staring at his bowl in deep thought and she slowed down, then stopped.

"Something wrong with the soup?" She looked at him concerend.

His head snapped up and he looked at her surprised for a moment or two. He laughed. "No. Really, its better than what I used to have!" He laughed again.

She smiled and leaned in closer. She looked a little worried, and gave a hurried glance both directions. She leaned in closer still and whispered. "You done something wrong, boy?"

He looked at her warily and slowly shook his head. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, is anyone after you?"

Again he shook his head.

She jerked her head towards the other corner. "That man has done nothing but stare at you ever since you got here. He's one of the regulars, but he doesn't talk much to anyone. You done something to him?"

Yahiko allowed himself a quick glance.

The man in the other corner was old. His hair was gray and dusty, his face was weathered to the extreme. His face was wrinkled, his clothes old and worn. They were an indeiscernable brown. He looked simple and poor. His eyes were wise and black. He had the look of a man who had seen many things in his lifetime. His gaze was wise and knowing, and at the moment he was scrutinizing Yahiko.

Yahiko looked back down at his bowl.

He turned to face the waitress. "Thank you."

She smiled and nodded and headed off to another customer.

Yahiko got up and slowly headed towards the old man. From the moment Yahiko laid eyes on him, he felt he could trust the man. He looked more like the wiset grandfather on earth than anything else, but that didn't mean he would let his gaurd down.

As Yahiko appraoched, he noticed the sword that lay at the old ones side and hesitated.

The old man followed Yahiko's gaze and looked down at his katana. He laughed and motioned that Yahiko take a seat. "Don't worry. It has been years since I have been able to use it properly." His voice was deep and robust. It sounded like the opening of an old door. It was wise and freindly. Yahiko smiled and sat.

Yahiko awkwardly fell silent.

"Take your time. I'm in no rush."

Yahiko looked at him surprised. "What am I supposed...who are you?"

The old man smiled. "Call me Shemo."

Yahiko wrinkled his nose. "What kinda name is that?" He instantly regretted saying it.

The old man just smiled.

"I'm sorry." Yahiko looked down at the table.

Shemo laughed. It was a pleasent sound, filled with happiness and forgotten years. "No. It's alright. You will grow out of it in time. All cildren are rude to start with." He smiled at Yahiko and Yahiko grinned back.

Yahiko suddenly felt very grown up, speaking to this man and this man speaking back like he was an equal.

"I left my home, you know. I'm out to seek fame and honor." Yahiko boasted proudly.

The old man cracked a wry smile and looked at Yahiko. "Is that so."

"Yup."

"And no one misses you?"

"Not at all."

"And you don't miss them?"

Yahiko fell silent. Slowly the answer came to him. "Why should I?"

"I agree. Why should you? They only cared for you and loved you. Why should you want to go back?"

Yahiko looked at the old man angrily. "I know what your trying to do, and it's not gonna work on me. I'm not going back, not until I have brought honor to my name."

The old man smiled and nodded his head wisely. "Indeed. I know you will not return. The matter is not if you left, or even if you will return. The matter is why you left."

Yahiko fell silent again.

The old man continued. "It's alright, thinking about these things. Its does not show weakness. It shows wisdom. Now, is honor really what you seek?"

"Yes." His answer was imedeate.

"Hmm...curious. How very curious." The old man sat back and smiled. He was not looking at Yahiko, but at some point off in the distance.

"I suppose..."

The old man faced Yahiko. "Yes?"

"I suppose...that I wish to prove my worth as well."

He smiled and closed his eyes at this. "Ah. That helps a little. Then I think I have a question for you."

Yahiko leaned forward with rapt attention.

"It is obvious that you have decided to quest for these things until you find them. When you return, how will you prove to the others that you have indeed found these things?"

Yahiko's face fell. This was something he hadn't considered! How could he prove he really had become the honorable person they needed him to be?

The old man laughed at Yahiko's crushed look. "Don't worry, young boy. It's simple. How else do you prove anything? With evidence."

Yahiko looked at him, utterly confused.

The old man sighed. "Bring back something that will bring honor to your family."

The idea was so simple. It was so brilliant. Yahiko's face brightened as he imagined himself bringing home a badge from the army or even the crest of the emporer! It was the perfect solution. Thats just what I'll do! Yahiko couldn't wait to be on his way, to return home and see the others beeming at him.

"It's perfect!" Yahiko turned to the old man. "Thank you so much! Oh." His smile faded a little. "But what shall I get?"

The old man waited for Yahiko to calm down.

Yahiko turned to face him. "Would you happen...."

The old man laughed. The sound was comforting. "A sword. You shall bring home a sword, for there is nothing you can bring home that will bring you more honor." The old man had a strange look on his face. He laughed to himself. Yahiko looked confused.

Yahiko looked at his old bamboo training staff. The bundle of bamboo tied together. He tried to imagine himself brining home a glorious sword and him as the expert swordsman, yet he could not summon up a picture. It was strange. He had always dreamed aobut it, pretended he was a master like Kenshin, but now that he actually had the opportunity to become one....

"I don't know." Yahiko was hesitant. "If I am to become a swordsman, I really wanted to be taught by my freinds." He fell silent again. Now it dawned on him. His freinds. It was all coming together. He now realized he couldn't train under them now that he had left. He turned to face the old man.

Shemo was laughing. "You figured out, eh boy?"

Yahiko looked sad. "Oh."

The old man laughed harder. He started coughing in mid laugh. Yahiko made a motion to help if the old man couldn't regain his breath.

"No...I'm fine." The old man brushed off Yahiko. He slowly reached down to his side and picked up his sword.

Now that the man had picked it up and was examining the hilt and sheath, Yahiko had time to examine it too.

The sheath was plain, but it looked as if it was made of a hard black metal. It had intricate designs down the sides. It was really quite beautiful. It looked like it was old. Older than even the man that held it. The sheath was faded somewhat, the hilt needed rewrapping.

The old man unsheathed it. The sword had a few knicks, but it was quite a magnificent blade. It shone in the lamplight. Yahiko was mesmerized by it, it seemed to ring as the man slowly tested it through the air. It was truly a work of art. Even in the lamplight Yahiko could tell someone had poured all their skill into this blade.

The old man twirled it around, switched it from hands, the motion of the blade seeming to hypnotize Yahiko. Suddenly the man brought it down and slashed the side of Yahiko's face.

Yahiko felt it as if in slow motion. He felt the small sting, as the blade skimmed over his brow, over his right eye. He was shocked. He could feel the small amount of blood starting to trickle down his face. He could still see quite clearly out of both eyes.

He lifted his hand up to his face to touch the wound and recoiled from the sting. He got up angrily and faced the man. He had recieved little more than a cut, but it was enough to leave a scar. (a/n think like that scar that Scar had from the lion king) Yahiko had felt that for sure he could trust this man.

"Why?!" Yahiko glared angrily at the man and stood up, starting to back away.

"I had to." The old man stood up. He didn't look like he hated Yahiko, he didn't look angry or evil. He was smiling, a freindly patient smile. He sheathed the sword and slowly held out the hilt towards Yahiko.

Yahiko stared at the hilt and remained motionless. "What..."

The old man sighed. "You need a sword to start your journey. But, you may only have it if you follow my rules."

"What..." Yahiko could not register what this man was saying. A journey? Why offer his sword to him? What was this man playing at?

"Take it."

Slowly Yahiko reached out his hands and clasped the hilt. The sword was light. It flowed through the air easily. It was indeed, as if it had been made for Yahiko. He took the blade halfway out of the sheath and studied its surface. He put it back in its sheath and looked at the man. He felt he could trust the man, even if he had been injured. He did, after all, have the mans sword.

"Now. Why did you strike me?"

"That is not important. You will understand why on your own. That is an answer that will come to you later on during your travels."

Yahiko felt that this conversation was important and it was imperitive to ask the right questions, or he would miss something.

"If...if I have your sword...then why must I still go on a journey?"

The man laughed softly. "Just because you have a sowrd doesn't mean you know how to use it. Besides, that is not the right sword, you must use another."

Yahiko looked surprised. "But this blade is perfect! What if I don't want another?"

"Then you will never prove yourself."

Yahiko thought about this. "Alright..." He said slowly. "Which sword do I need?"

The old man smiled. "You learn fast. You were truly meant for this task." He closed his eyes as if he was dwelling on a long bygone memory.

Yahiko waited patiently.

"It is a blade. An ancient blade, a legendary blade. It survived four centuries of war. It survived era's of warring states and countless revolutions. It is the only sword. The only."

Yahiko was raptly paying attention.

"You must find the Merasume."

Yahiko stood still for a moment. Then, slowly, he began to laugh. His laughter reached a point where he had tears in his eyes.

The old man was neither angered by the laughter nor impatient with it. Indeed, he seemed amused by Yahiko.

Yahiko finally stopped and looked at the man drily. "You really are off your rocker."

The old man smiled. "Yes."

Yahiko looked at him strangely. Then he sighed. "It doesn't exist, ok Shemo? I can't find a sword if it's not real!" He sounded exasperated.

"Its real."

"Prove it."

The old man reached inside his pocket and slowly pulled out a pakcage smaller than the palm of his hand. He handed it to Yahiko.

Yahiko looked at him quizzically, but he took the package and began unwrapping it. A small dagger fell onto the table. It was a shuriken. (a/n chinese throwing star) Yahiko examined the blade. It was perfect. Not perfect as in good. Perfect as in perfect. There were no flaws. It was so light you could not tell you were holding it unless you looked down and saw it in your hand.

The light reflected off the blade. It was beautiful. It was so tiny and perfectly measured in every way that Yahiko could not stop staring at it.

He flipped it over and over. There were no flaws. There was nothing, except for the best steel Yahiko had ever seen.

"He made that. Marasume did. He was the only smith ever worthy of being called a master. He made many of those, though only few are left today. There, look." He pointed to a small scratch on the side of its pointed blades. Yahiko had not even noticed it. It was the only imperfection on the entire blade. Yahiko could not even see scratches from handeling. It was perfect save for this tiny mark. He looked at it closer. When he realized what it was, he gasped and almost dropped the blade. It was the signature of Marasume!!

The old man smiled. "He was the only master smith, and yet, he never made swords. He made an abundance of every other type of weapon imaginable. People came far and wide. People from all over the world, just for the chance to see one of his weapons. But he only made one sword. Only one. The legendary Marasume. And you, my young freind, you must find it."





Author's Note: Okay, sorry that was so long, but it needed to be. i needed to explain all the stuff that was going to happen. anyways, the next chapter is in the process of being written and i have everything until about chapter fourteen plotted out. btw, i wanted to forewarn you fans out there that i will not be explaining why yahiko vandilized the family shrine in this series. i am posting a new little five chapter mini series that will explain all that. why make a seperate series for that, you ask?? because i can! ^_^ bwa ha ha ha ha gak! *coughs* excuse me. until my next chapter. and please read and review that new mini series!! ja ne! =^.^=