Twisted Paradise

Act 6: Trouble in Tokyo

Disclaimer: Okay, so I'm still borrowing the cast for my twisted purposes. But I don't own them! If anything, the companies that own the rights to Rurouni Kenshin have made money off me! Do you have any idea how expensive artbooks and stuff can get? @_@ Waaaugh. There was a sakabatou up on Ebay, but it went out of my price range ;_;

Notes: I better watch myself or I'll need to change the genre to like, Humor/Angst or something like that o.O Which would really be counter-productive to curing Seissouhen Depression Syndrome. Hrm. I expect this chapter to be much more serious, with some action. Gomen, but I think the humor this time around is mostly limited to the wording of some lines. But don't worry! The humor is not dead! I mean, honestly! You think I'd abandon my weirdness just to cure Kenji-kun's depression? Major note for this chapter- it's another one written on two hours sleep, after a long day, and late at night. Unlike Chaos in Kyoto- Part One, however, I think the sleep deprivation is working in the opposite direction. This chapter may even be slightly a tear-jerker. (Or I'm just a major lump of mush when I'm overtired.) In any case, you may want a tissue on hand, just in case. But it won't be sad tears, I promise! It might even be happy ones! Or something!

"Shinta, what happened to visiting Misao and Aoshi? They have a daughter!" Kaoru protested the pair's rather abrupt departure from Kyoto. "Are you sure that's what the letter to Hiko said?"
"Hai, Kaoru-dono." Shinta replied quickly as the two made the flight from Kyoto to Tokyo. "We left him with several unresolved issues, that we did. It would be unfair to Kenji to go off and play games and pranks while he's suffering."
Kaoru sighed, and smiled. The redhead did have a point. It was actually rather odd that she hadn't been particularly concerned. Possibly a side-effect of being dead? "It has been a few weeks, hasn't it?"
"Not just that." The rurouni replied, his slight frame taut with tension. "I have a feeling Kenji's going to require some help, and soon."
That caught Kaoru by surprise. "Something's wrong?"
"Hai." Shinta nodded slightly. "Hopefully we'll be able to assist. Assuming we get there in time!"
The pair shot off into the distance, spurred on by some unknown urgency.

---
Kenji sighed and studied the two graves he was kneeling before, his father's sakabatou propped up against one shoulder. Suddenly he was the man of the house, so to speak, empty as it was. He'd hurried home from Kyoto, hurried back to his mother, and even then, he hadn't been able to properly say goodbye. And his father, a man he had hardly known, was already dead when he'd been found. Yahiko and Tsubame had moved into the dojo, at least temporarily, to help Kenji out. With Kaoru gone, Yahiko was left as the only master of Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu, and he'd taken up teaching.
"Otousan... why?" Kenji whispered to the quiet evening. He partly unsheathed the sakabatou and studied the blade. "Yahiko-san tried to show me your strength, but I still don't understand. I never knew you, and despised you for what you did to okaasan, but..."
Kenji was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard someone approach. He wiped his eyes on his gi and glanced over his shoulder to see who it was. A young woman, likely no older than he was, her long black hair neatly tied back, her kimono slightly sullied around the edges from walking down the muddy pathway.
"Gomen, I didn't mean to interrupt." She hastily bowed and apologized.
"It's all right." Kenji replied flatly. He felt the girl's gaze wandering up and down his lean frame and fought the urge to blush at the scrutiny. Why, oh why did he have to inherit his father's extremely petite frame?
"You don't look all right." The girl stated, kneeling next to Kenji. She glanced at the graves and bowed her head briefly. "Family?"
"Hai..." Kenji whispered.
"Siblings, or-"
"My okaasan and otousan." Kenji clung to the sheathed sakabatou, his long red hair partly obscuring his face as a fresh round of tears threatened to spill over. "I... I never really got to know them... and now..."
The girl studied Kenji quietly while he struggled to hide his sorrow. He was obviously around her age, yet in a way seemed much like a young child, confused, upset and lost, and not sure what to do about it.
"I'm Hayashi Mieko." The girl introduced herself after a moment. "And you are-?" She prompted, hoping to coax the boy at least partly out of his sorrow.
"Himura Kenji." Kenji managed to whisper, trying and failing to cover up a sniffle.
Much to the young redhead's surprise, a pair of soft arms circled his shoulders. "Ne, Kenji-san, I know it's hard to lose a parent, it must be even worse to lose them both. But it's all right to cry."
Kenji found himself stunned too senseless to disentangle himself from the girl's embrace, nor did he particularly want to. She reminded him of Kaoru, and the way his mother had always (and rather boldly) accepted her vagabond husband, no matter how long he would be away. Only this time, he was on the receiving end of such unconditional acceptance. The feeble dam holding back the flood shattered, and Kenji found himself sobbing into the girl's shoulder while she gently stroked his hair.
"That's right, Kenji-san." Mieko whispered, cradling the distraught redhead. This poor boy... He must have been hiding this for so long to break down like this. She thought to herself.
Evening twilight slowly faded into darkness as Kenji's heaving breaths slowly returned to normal. Mieko helped him to his feet, wiping his face on the sleeve of her kimono. "Feel any better?" She inquired with a slight smile. Kenji looked sheepish.
"Ano... gomen.. for.. uh... just..." The redhead stammered, finding the ground rather fascinating.
"I should apologize." Mieko smiled, earning a surprised look from Kenji.
"No, um..." Kenji looked at the girl, feeling his face flush a light red. "Ano... arigatou, Mieko-san. I think I needed that, and I couldn't-"
"In front of your friends or other family members?" Mieko finished for him. Kenji looked sheepishly at the ground again.
"Hai."
"It's getting late, Kenji-san." Mieko noted the moon's slow ascent into the night sky. "We should both probably be going home."
Screeching to a halt in the air overhead, two ghosts surveyed the scene.
"Everything seems all right, Shinta..." Kaoru frowned.
The two ghosts observed Kenji and Mieko from the air for a few more moments as Kenji offered to walk her home.
"She seems like a very compassionate person." Shinta nodded in the direction of Mieko. Kaoru nodded, ill at ease at her hubby's continued tension. True, the streets were dangerous at night alone, but...
"... I feel like we're being watched." Kenji glanced around apprehensively. He slipped the sakabatou from its resting place against his shoulder to his sash.
Kaoru watched as Shinta surveyed the tree-lined path below, and caught the subtle shift in his stance as he apparently spotted something in the shadows.
"Shinta-?" She followed his line of sight, and gasped.
"Hey, chibi!" A rough voice called out to Kenji and Mieko from the shadows off to one side of the path. "What's a shrimp like you doing with a cutie like her?"
Mieko let out a startled gasp and ducked behind Kenji, who dropped into a battle stance, one hand hovering above the hilt of the sakabatou. A number of street thugs emerged, leering at a terrified Mieko, and laughing at Kenji and his obvious choice to fight.
Kenji glowered at the men, cursing to himself. Yahiko had told him on the way back from Kyoto that he had an uncanny knack for kenjutsu, but he knew his limits. He was badly outnumbered, and they were after Mieko.
"There's no way-" Kaoru gasped and had started to say when a white and magenta blur shot past her, heading groundward. "Shinta-!"
"KENJI!" Shinta yelled. The first of the thugs lunged, faster than Kenji had anticipated. Mieko covered her eyes, fearing the worst.
Kenji wasn't quite sure what exactly happened. Liquid fire coursed through him, and with an unfamiliar battle cry, he launched the sakabatou from its sheath, knocking the first attacker back, sword arm undoubtedly broken. He felt another presence, almost as if someone else was holding the sakabatou with him, guiding his stance.
Nani-? He briefly thought.
"Don't worry, Kenji-kun." A vaguely familiar voice whispered in the back of his mind. "I'll help you."
Kaoru watched the scene from above in open-mouthed shock.
'T-tousan-?! If not for the other temporarily sharing his body, Kenji's jaw would likely have more than surpassed Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu's god-like speed in its plunge to the floor.
"Hai. Gomen nasai for being away for so long, Kenji-kun. But we can talk later. Right now we have to protect that girl-" The rurouni sized up the gang.
Mieko-chan. Kenji corrected.
"Aa. Well then, Kenji-kun," The elder Himura smiled slightly to himself. "I'll show you what true strength is. If there were much fewer of these men, I think you would have been able to handle it yourself, but-"
But I just don't get it. And there are too many for me to handle. Kenji reluctantly admitted.
In an instant, the redhead crouched low to the ground and sprang into the air, sakabatou held overhead, violet eyes locked on target.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu! Ryu Tsui Sen!"
This is-! Kenji almost couldn't believe it.
"Hai. Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu. The sword that protects people from sorrow."
Mieko watched in awe as Kenji dodged and countered attacks from all sides, stunned beyond her fear as one by one, the would-be muggers fell before the steel of the redhead's sword.
Kaoru was cheering her son and husband on from above, knowing without a doubt who the victor would be. In short order, the burly men had been reduced to an unconscious heap.
Kenji stared. It was like a daydream, or a fantasy. In his mind's eye, he watched Shinta, or rather, Kenshin, calmly sheathe the sakabatou and look his son straight in the eye.
"Otousan..." The younger redhead gaped.
"Hai, Kenji. Your okaasan and I were worried about you." Kenshin smiled. "I'm glad you're all right."
Kenji found himself at a loss for words. He had spent countless nights thinking of what he would say to his father, if he ever saw him again. Why had he left Kaoru so often, why he had left him so often, and why had he disappeared and not returned for so long. But Kenji couldn't for the life of him bring that hatred to bear. It seemed so... petty, in the face of the situation, in the face of this undeniable, improbable proof that his father did in fact, care about him.
"Okaasan's here, too-?" Kenji finally managed to squeak out, glancing around.
"Ne, Kenji, over here." Kaoru's voice drew his attention.
"Okaasan-!" Kenji's voice cracked as he approached the pair.
"Maa, maa, it's all right, Kenji." Kenshin grinned, "We're both all right, and glad to know you're safe."
"Otousan..." Kenji found himself sniffling again, then flinging himself into his parent's arms. The two embraced their distraught son.
"Gomen, Kenji, I know it must have been hard on you when I left." Kenshin smiled, untucking the sakabatou from his sash.
It took Kenji what seemed an eternity to regain his composure.
"But you're going to leave again, aren't you?" Kenji wiped his eyes and looked from Kenshin to Kaoru, and back. Slowly, they both nodded.
"Our time is done, Kenji." Kaoru began slowly. The younger redhead nodded reluctantly, and found the sheathed sakabatou held out to him by Kenshin.
"But we'll always be there for you, Kenji." The elder redhead held out the sakabatou. "I know Yahiko already gave it to you, but I think now you truly understand the meaning."
Numbly, Kenji took the sakabatou with a nod.
"Ano... Kenji, we need to go now." Kaoru smiled and patted her son on the head. "I think Mieko-chan is realizing the fight is over."
Though it seemed like an eternity, Kenji was jolted back to reality to find the battle not even two minutes over, clutching the sakabatou.
"M-Mieko-san?" He glanced over at the girl, barely daring to believe what he'd seen was true.
"Kenji-kun..." Mieko gawked. "Y-you..."
"Protected you." Kenji finished for her with a slight smile, showing her the dull edge of the sakabatou. "The sword that protects."
---
Stealthily, Kenji crept up behind Yahiko, sakabatou at the ready. The feisty master of Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu glanced behind him, to find the redhead had disappeared.
"Kenji..." Yahiko muttered. He was caught completely by surprise by a shout from overhead.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu! Ryu Tsui Sen!" Kenji yelled with a grin. Yahiko barely had time to bring his bokken up to take the worst of the blow, and ended up with a mildly large lump on the head.
"Kenji! Bakayarou!" Yahiko flailed. "Where'd you learn that?! Hiko said he wasn't going to teach Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu to anybody else!"
Kenji grinned, propping the sakabatou up against his shoulder. "You wouldn't believe me, Yahiko-kun."
Yahiko grumbled and rubbed the bump on his head. Ever since the redhead had met Mieko, he seemed to be in much better spirits than he had been after Kenshin and Kaoru had died.
"Yahiko-kun, remember what today is?" Kenji grinned. "You agreed to start teaching me Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu, remember?"
Yahiko sweatdropped. He had completely forgotten. Well, whatever happened to him, at least he's recovered. The dojo seems so much more alive now. Yahiko grinned. "Let's go then!"

Author's notes: *flails* Sessha wa baka de gozaru! (Did I even say that right?) I'm trying to CURE Seissouhen Depression Syndrome! Not make it worse! Blarg. At least it ended on a lighter note. I tried, but I could not find any funny way to go about the chapter with Kenji. Oh! By the way! As I was sitting here writing this, I think I got haunted by something o_o. I'm the only person up in the house, and while I was sitting here typing, I felt something brush up my spine. And it wasn't my shirt or my hair, either o.o; I jumped so bad I banged both knees and one elbow on the computer desk. BUT! In spite of being high-strung beyond words by that, I got the chapter done!
And you might notice that during the fight and the weird little daydream thing, our dear rurouni is referred to as Kenshin, not Shinta. He was using a sword, wasn't he? =p Now, I'm tired, freaked out, and I think about to be caught up at 2 am, so I'm going to end this spiel now.
Next time! Another wacky chapter, for certain! I need to break the seriousness of this chapter big time! Not sure if the next chapter will take place in Tokyo or Kyoto, but it will be funny, I swear it! Until then, ja ne!