Chapter 6- A Strange Sword
Despite the shocking and unexpected arrival of Kenshin's daughter, the Kamiya dojo was silent for the rest of the night. Kaoru had taken Jiani to Kenshin's old room, telling her that she could take up residence there. It was agreed in mostly silence that the talking would wait till morning.
Jiani rose at the first rays of light, like she always had. Yawning, she sat up on the futon, noting to herself how strange it was to feel something so soft beneath her. With all of her traveling, she had never slept on such a bed. It was so comfortable that she wondered if it was good to feel.
Kaoru had given her some nightwear. "We're the same height and figure it looks like." She had said. "So you should fit in my clothes just fine." But where was her gi? Jiani stood up and looked around. Who took her clothes?
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Jiani lifted her head. "Yes?"
It was Yahiko. "Kaoru told me to tell you that breakfast is ready!"
"Did she take my clothes?"
The boy blinked from where he stood outside her room. "Eh.oh yeah. She said she was gonna wash 'em. But she also said that there's a spare hakama in your closet."
The redheaded girl found the closet and the white and brown hakama tucked inside. Sighing in relief, she reached for it. They weren't colors that suited her, but they would do. Strapping her sword to her waist, she proceeded outdoors and headed for the kitchen.
Kaoru stuck her head out to greet her. "Oh! That was fast!" She turned and growled at Yahiko. "YOU were supposed to wait and escort Miss Himura here."
Yahiko growled back while stuffing his face with rice.
"If you call my father Kenshin, then you can call me Jiani." The girl told them while sitting down. Sanosuke quickly shoved himself over to make room for her, but was too busy chugging down his drink to say anything.
Yahiko noticed the sword and cocked his head. "Eh? Why are you wearing that? Don't you trust us?"
Jiani chewed quietly on the rice she was given. "I always have my sword. It is just my way."
"You know, your father carries a sakabatou." Kaoru brought up.
This surprised Jiani. She lifted her head so her eyes were visible beneath her red bangs. "A sakabatou? A reverse-edged blade?"
"Aa."
Jiani continued eating. "Hn, he must have changed more than I thought."
Sanosuke covered his mouth and belched. It was so loud, everyone almost spit out their food. Kaoru's embarrassment turned to fury. "SANO! DON'T YOU HAVE ANY MANNERS AT ALL???"
He simply laughed, his face bright red. "Hey, better out the mouth than the other way, eh?"
Jiani closed her eyes and kept eating. Yahiko cringed. Kaoru grabbed a pot and slammed it over Sano's head. "Next time, say 'excuse me' at least!"
"Ow!" Sano rubbed the top of his head. "Yeah, yeah okay."
A faint smile of amusement appeared on Jiani's face. Once the meal was over, she sat back and stretched her back. "Kamiya-san, that was a good meal. Arigatou."
Everyone about had a heart attack. Kaoru stared at her long and hard. "You.you actually liked my cooking?"
Jiani nodded. "Why is that so strange?"
Yahiko and Sanosuke looked away and whistled. Meanwhile, Kaoru was grinning from ear-to-ear. "Kenshin's daughter is going to be my best friend! Hah, hah!"
The other three cocked their eyebrows. What was up with this weird girl?
..........
A short time later, Kaoru was busying herself with sweeping the dojo floor. This time, however, she did it with a little more enthusiasm. Even though Kenshin was still gone, she was naturally happier to have a guest around.
"Kamiya-san."
She lifted her head to spot Jiani entering. "Oh hi Jiani!"
The girl nodded in response. "Might I practice for a while in here?"
"Huh?" This struck Kaoru as strange. Kenshin had never trained in front of others before. In fact, it seemed as though he never trained at all.
Jiani unsheathed her sword slowly and held it out in front of her. It had to have been the most beautiful katana Kaoru had ever seen. Long, sharpened, and shiny, its hilt was a deep crimson mixed with gold, black, and silver. She wondered how the redhead had wound up with such a sword.
"Okay, of course."
Suddenly, Yahiko and Sanosuke burst in. "Jiani's gonna train? Can we watch?"
Jiani studied them for a short moment and nodded. "Hai."
Yahiko grinned. "Cool! I'll bet she fights like Kenshin!"
The three quickly stepped off the floor, allowing the young samurai some room. Jiani pointed her sword out in front of her and spread her feet apart. Her dark eyes focused on the wall across the room, but it appeared as though she was staring somebody down. Kaoru was amazed at her concentration.
For a moment, there was complete silence. Then, Jiani veered off to the left, twisting her sword across and down. Eyes narrow, her ponytail flying, she took off around the dojo, swiping, swinging, and stabbing. "HAHHAHHAH!!!"
Sanosuke gasped. "Damn.."
"That's nothing like the Hitenmitsurugi Ryu!" Yahiko murmured as Jiani breezed past.
Kaoru watched the moves carefully, but Jiani's speed made it difficult to see the details. "You're right Yahiko! I think she's able to handle the sword with both of her hands!"
Sure enough, as the young samurai jumped high into the air, she tossed the blade from left to right, back and forth. About a foot from the ground, she struck from the left. "HAH!!!"
She froze there, the sword's blade parallel to the ground. Her ponytail hovered in midair for a few seconds before falling across her back. A wave of dust undulated out from under her feet, carrying itself across the floor.
"Jiani! What kind of style is that??" everyone gasped.
Jiani straightened and sheathed the sword. "It's my own mix of techniques. Some of the moves come from the Hitenmitsurugi Ryu, that of my father's. Others are from the various people I have trained with and under."
"Jiani, you have to tell us more about where you came from and such!" Kaoru told her. "This whole thing is just crazy!"
The redhead samurai nodded and stepped towards them. "All right then. I'll tell you what I can."
Despite the shocking and unexpected arrival of Kenshin's daughter, the Kamiya dojo was silent for the rest of the night. Kaoru had taken Jiani to Kenshin's old room, telling her that she could take up residence there. It was agreed in mostly silence that the talking would wait till morning.
Jiani rose at the first rays of light, like she always had. Yawning, she sat up on the futon, noting to herself how strange it was to feel something so soft beneath her. With all of her traveling, she had never slept on such a bed. It was so comfortable that she wondered if it was good to feel.
Kaoru had given her some nightwear. "We're the same height and figure it looks like." She had said. "So you should fit in my clothes just fine." But where was her gi? Jiani stood up and looked around. Who took her clothes?
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Jiani lifted her head. "Yes?"
It was Yahiko. "Kaoru told me to tell you that breakfast is ready!"
"Did she take my clothes?"
The boy blinked from where he stood outside her room. "Eh.oh yeah. She said she was gonna wash 'em. But she also said that there's a spare hakama in your closet."
The redheaded girl found the closet and the white and brown hakama tucked inside. Sighing in relief, she reached for it. They weren't colors that suited her, but they would do. Strapping her sword to her waist, she proceeded outdoors and headed for the kitchen.
Kaoru stuck her head out to greet her. "Oh! That was fast!" She turned and growled at Yahiko. "YOU were supposed to wait and escort Miss Himura here."
Yahiko growled back while stuffing his face with rice.
"If you call my father Kenshin, then you can call me Jiani." The girl told them while sitting down. Sanosuke quickly shoved himself over to make room for her, but was too busy chugging down his drink to say anything.
Yahiko noticed the sword and cocked his head. "Eh? Why are you wearing that? Don't you trust us?"
Jiani chewed quietly on the rice she was given. "I always have my sword. It is just my way."
"You know, your father carries a sakabatou." Kaoru brought up.
This surprised Jiani. She lifted her head so her eyes were visible beneath her red bangs. "A sakabatou? A reverse-edged blade?"
"Aa."
Jiani continued eating. "Hn, he must have changed more than I thought."
Sanosuke covered his mouth and belched. It was so loud, everyone almost spit out their food. Kaoru's embarrassment turned to fury. "SANO! DON'T YOU HAVE ANY MANNERS AT ALL???"
He simply laughed, his face bright red. "Hey, better out the mouth than the other way, eh?"
Jiani closed her eyes and kept eating. Yahiko cringed. Kaoru grabbed a pot and slammed it over Sano's head. "Next time, say 'excuse me' at least!"
"Ow!" Sano rubbed the top of his head. "Yeah, yeah okay."
A faint smile of amusement appeared on Jiani's face. Once the meal was over, she sat back and stretched her back. "Kamiya-san, that was a good meal. Arigatou."
Everyone about had a heart attack. Kaoru stared at her long and hard. "You.you actually liked my cooking?"
Jiani nodded. "Why is that so strange?"
Yahiko and Sanosuke looked away and whistled. Meanwhile, Kaoru was grinning from ear-to-ear. "Kenshin's daughter is going to be my best friend! Hah, hah!"
The other three cocked their eyebrows. What was up with this weird girl?
..........
A short time later, Kaoru was busying herself with sweeping the dojo floor. This time, however, she did it with a little more enthusiasm. Even though Kenshin was still gone, she was naturally happier to have a guest around.
"Kamiya-san."
She lifted her head to spot Jiani entering. "Oh hi Jiani!"
The girl nodded in response. "Might I practice for a while in here?"
"Huh?" This struck Kaoru as strange. Kenshin had never trained in front of others before. In fact, it seemed as though he never trained at all.
Jiani unsheathed her sword slowly and held it out in front of her. It had to have been the most beautiful katana Kaoru had ever seen. Long, sharpened, and shiny, its hilt was a deep crimson mixed with gold, black, and silver. She wondered how the redhead had wound up with such a sword.
"Okay, of course."
Suddenly, Yahiko and Sanosuke burst in. "Jiani's gonna train? Can we watch?"
Jiani studied them for a short moment and nodded. "Hai."
Yahiko grinned. "Cool! I'll bet she fights like Kenshin!"
The three quickly stepped off the floor, allowing the young samurai some room. Jiani pointed her sword out in front of her and spread her feet apart. Her dark eyes focused on the wall across the room, but it appeared as though she was staring somebody down. Kaoru was amazed at her concentration.
For a moment, there was complete silence. Then, Jiani veered off to the left, twisting her sword across and down. Eyes narrow, her ponytail flying, she took off around the dojo, swiping, swinging, and stabbing. "HAHHAHHAH!!!"
Sanosuke gasped. "Damn.."
"That's nothing like the Hitenmitsurugi Ryu!" Yahiko murmured as Jiani breezed past.
Kaoru watched the moves carefully, but Jiani's speed made it difficult to see the details. "You're right Yahiko! I think she's able to handle the sword with both of her hands!"
Sure enough, as the young samurai jumped high into the air, she tossed the blade from left to right, back and forth. About a foot from the ground, she struck from the left. "HAH!!!"
She froze there, the sword's blade parallel to the ground. Her ponytail hovered in midair for a few seconds before falling across her back. A wave of dust undulated out from under her feet, carrying itself across the floor.
"Jiani! What kind of style is that??" everyone gasped.
Jiani straightened and sheathed the sword. "It's my own mix of techniques. Some of the moves come from the Hitenmitsurugi Ryu, that of my father's. Others are from the various people I have trained with and under."
"Jiani, you have to tell us more about where you came from and such!" Kaoru told her. "This whole thing is just crazy!"
The redhead samurai nodded and stepped towards them. "All right then. I'll tell you what I can."