Apprentice

Chapter Ten

Visitors from the Aoiya

"I don't remember it being this far," complained Misao loudly as she walked behind Aoshi up the mountain.

"It is precisely the same distance as the last time you were here," replied Aoshi, stopping briefly to let her and Yuki catch up to his longer strides.

"I know," frowned Misao, "but it SEEMS longer."

"Ka-chan, why do I have to go see Kenji-chan with you?" asked Yuki in a high, whiney voice. She was dressed as her mother, in a comfortable dark blue and gray gi and hakama, suitable for hiking in the woods.

"Because Kenji hasn't seen another child in a month, Yuki-chan. Besides, Omasu and Okon were too busy to watch you today, they have to do some shopping for the restaurant." Misao had caught up and was now standing with her daughter beside her much taller husband.

"I could have stayed with Jiya!" protested Yuki, pushing her bangs out of her eyes and flipping her two long braids over her shoulders.

"Jiya is too old to put up with your nonsense," said Aoshi, looking down at his daughter affectionately. He was reminded acutely of Misao at the same age when Yuki would forget to be the quiet and obedient child that she usually pretended to be.

Yuki clamped down on her lip before the response she had thought of could pass through them. Arguing with her mother was one thing, but with her father quite another. In fact, no one she could think of had ever dared, except her mother and Jiya, of course. Not that it was ever very effective.

"It's not much further, but I'll allow you to rest if you wish," said Aoshi. Of course he knew that to challenge Misao thusly would only get the desired result of getting them there more quickly. "Who says I need to rest?" retorted Misao, wiping her brow with a handkerchief taken from inside her gi and taking a small sip of water from he bamboo container. She offered a sip to her daughter, who obliged herself, also.

"Then, shall we proceed, ladies?" asked Aoshi, when they were through catching their breaths.

"Don't be funny," Misao huffed, "You pick the oddest times to tease me, Aoshi."

"I was not teasing you, Misao," he replied quietly.

"Tell that to someone who believes it," she retorted, seeing the glint in his eyes. Walking quickly past him, she was now determined to be first one there.

Aoshi smiled faintly at her determined figure striding in front of him.

Yuki looked up at her father and raised one eyebrow quizzically at him, then shrugged and continued walking.

It was stiflingly hot, and Kenji's crimson hair was plastered to his forehead and the back of his neck and he had taken off his gi because of the heat. His muscles ached in places he didn't know he had muscles before. He was tired, he was hungry, but what he really wanted more than food or drink or even sleep was to make Shishou Hiko SHUT UP!

Shishou Hiko was counting. He was counting because Kenji was doing 300 repetitions of the latest kata with his bokken that he had been taught, and he was doing 300 repetitions because he had spilled miso soup on Shishou's boot during lunch.

"Two hundred fifty-six....two hundred fifty-seven...straighten your right leg...two hundred fifty-eight, you're losing focus on your left side....two hundred fifty-nine. Only forty left? I should have given you more!"

Kenji ignored the pain in his side and straightened his stance on his right leg, focused his attention more to the left, and prayed that Shishou Hiko would suddenly keel over from whatever it was from which old people suddenly keeled over.

The pain in his side spread to his right shoulder and down to his elbow. He gritted his teeth, blew on the sweat that trickled into his eyes and took stance again.

"Two hundred and eighty-three...Two hundred and eighty-four...What the hell is that look on your face, boy, are you going to cry?...Two hundred and eighty-five....

Kenji was starting to give a little grunt of pain with each kata executed, but he doggedly repeated the stance and follow through. He had begun to focus on the pain in his side as an incentive to continue around number 200. Each repetition was bringing him closer to sweet relief. That and wishing for Hiko to die became his sole purpose to breath, sweat, move and finally to live.

"Three hundred. Stand down."

Kenji had taken the stance again, the sound of Shishou's voice not registering with him.

"That's enough, boy, do you hear me?' yelled Hiko, walking over to Kenji, who was still blindly holding the bokken in the first position stance. His eyes were narrowed into amber slits of pure savagery.

A bokken came at Hiko's chest with astounding speed, barely glancing off his left shoulder as he turned with equally astounding speed to dodge the blow.

"Chikuso!" yelled Hiko, moving with godlike speed behind Kenji and grabbing his right elbow and wrist, he flipped the bokken out of Kenji's hand before he could strike again.

Kenji went limp in Hiko's grasp, a dazed look on his face replacing the former enraged expression. Hiko shook him lightly.

"What the hell was that all about?" he yelled in Kenji's face, lightly slapping him on the cheek.

Kenji shook his head as if to clear it and said, "Nani?"

"Why did you attack me without warning, baka, I want an answer NOW, boy!"

"I attacked you, Shishou?" asked an amazed Kenji. His face was a study in incredulity.

"Yes, idiot! What were you thinking?! Hiko demanded again.

"I think, I think, I was angry, Shishou!" said Kenji, now struggling to get free from Hiko's grasp.

"Angry at what?" demanded Shishou once more.

"AT YOU!" Kenji yelled and giving one of those eel-like wriggles that only children can perform, broke free of Hiko's grasp and ran towards the river as though ten demons were pursuing him.

"Come back here, you little ass!" roared Hiko, running after him.

Just then, Aoshi, Misao and Yuki came within hearing distance of the clearing by the river where Hiko and Kenji had been training.

"What was that noise?" Misao wondered aloud. "Was that Shishou Hiko yelling like that?"

"I bet Kenji is being a bad boy again," exalted Yuki, suddenly perky in spite of being tired and hungry from her hike.

"Quiet," ordered Aoshi, listening intently.

Suddenly, Aoshi ran towards the river, shouting, "Wait here!" to Misao and Yuki.

Naturally, Misao disobeyed this request and broke into a run behind her husband. "Wait here!" she yelled at Yuki, who naturally ignored that request and flew after her mother and father.

Aoshi had reached the river's edge in time to see Kenji jump into the swift current and then Hiko plunge in after him. He ran back to the clearing and to Misao's surprise, towards Hiko's nearby cabin.

Kenji had no idea that the river was so powerful in this spot. The calm swimming hole he and his father had practiced in bore little resemblance to the roaring, body-pummeling expanse he now found himself in.

He was being pulled and tossed against rocks here and there, although fortunately, the river wasn't over his head. But, it was swift and he couldn't stand against the current.

"HELP!" Kenji screamed, trying desperately to grab onto something solid. His left arm struck a large jagged rock and he cried out in pain, but hung on for dear life, cold numbed fingers grabbing frantically at any crevice they could find purchase in.

Hiko fought the current more successfully than Kenji had, and was able to control his progress down the river until he could see Kenji clinging to the rock. He swore under his breath, hoping the boy could hang on a few seconds longer until he could get there.

Long seconds later, he was close enough to reach the back of the boy's hakama and he wrapped his fingers around the cloth and pulled Kenji towards him. However, Kenji had a death grip on the rock, and he resisted, thinking the river was trying again to claim him.

"Let GO!" roared Hiko against the noise of the current, but Kenji was unhearing. He screamed and pulled himself tighter to the rock. But he was no match for Hiko's greater strength and he wrenched the boy loose. Kenji instinctively transferred his iron grip to Hiko's shirt, and wrapped his arms and legs around him tightly.

Just then, Hiko heard a voice from the rivers' bank over the roar of the water. He looked up.

"Catch!"

A looped rope came within grasp and Hiko reached for it with one hand while keeping hold of Kenji's clothing with the other.

"Hang on, Kenji-chan," he thought grimly to himself. He looped the rope around himself and Kenji, with Aoshi pulling steadily, they slowly made their way to the river's edge.

Misao was waiting anxiously beside Yuki, wringing her hands, but she had presence of mind enough to go into the cabin and had retrieved two blankets, some towels and had run to put water on to boil.

Finally, Hiko was within arms reach of Aoshi, and Aoshi pulled him and Kenji up onto the bank. Hiko sank to his knees and attempted to unwrap Kenji's arms and legs from around him. "Kenji-chan, let go," he said hoarsely, and motioned to Misao.

She brought a blanket over and put it around them both.

Kenji was still holding tightly to Hiko, so Hiko attempted to wrench the boy's arms free.

"Allow me, Hiko-san," said Aoshi, kneeling in front of them.

"Kenji-chan, come here to me," Aoshi said in a quiet calm tone. Kenji raised his head, and croaked, "Uncle Aoshi?"

"Yes, Kenji-chan, I'm right here," Aoshi said.

Kenji relaxed his grip on Hiko and looked towards the sound of the familiar voice.

"I was in the river," he said hoarsely, and turned around to look into Aoshi's eyes.

"I saw," replied Aoshi, "but you're safe now."

Hiko wrapped the blanket around the boy and Misao brought the other one over and handed it to him.

"Come inside, Kenji-chan," said Aoshi, "you need those scrapes tended and you need dry clothing." Kenji suddenly sat down on the ground, very pale.

"I feel sleep..." and slumped to the ground. Misao gasped.

"He fainted," muttered Hiko, "the chibi-baka."

Aoshi gently lifted Kenji into his arms, straightened and carried him into the cabin.

"You need to get some dry clothes on too, Hiko-san," said Misao, suddenly all business. "I'll have tea ready in a second."

"Just heat up some sake and then leave me alone, weasel girl," growled Hiko and followed Aoshi into the cabin.

"MEN!" huffed Misao, hands on hips, looking at her daughter. Yuki raised one eyebrow and nodded wisely.

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