Well, I'm glad everybody likes this so much!
BTW, the whole 'seeing underwater thing' meant that as far as Kenshin is concerned, looking around underwater is the same as looking around with his eyes closed. His eyes are still very, _very_ bad right now.
Also, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of the characters, but I do claim the move that's introduced in this chapter. Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu does NOT contain the move you are about to witness!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, Kenshin was still puzzling over the note. Kaoru, however, had gotten a different idea into her head - since there was a person seemingly out to get them, now was the perfect time to work on the more difficult moves of Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu that her father had developed. Thankfully, it was much cooler out today so Yahiko was more willing to practice.
"Swing up and around - iie Yahiko, not like that!"
Kenshin gave up on the note for the time being as he decided to watch the training. Yahiko was flailing around wildly as he tried to copy what Kaoru was doing. Kaoru herself was having some trouble with the technique.
"I never had a chance to figure out how my dad did this move before he died, but I'm pretty sure it went like this! Over and around and - no, that's not right either…"
"Great, some move. How are you gonna teach me a move you never learned - ow!"
"Smart mouth. I remember seeing my dad do it hundreds of times, its supposed to be a finishing move… 'Straight up, go around, and then straight down'. It was a little rhyme he said to help remember the right swings."
"Well, whatever he said, you're making this move look like you're trying to carry a wagon on a stick! Or Sano's old Zanbatou, or something like that."
'Sanosuke's Zanbatou. The Zanbatou is the biggest -'
"That's it!"
Kenshin's yell caught Kaoru and Yahiko by surprise. The normally calm swordsman was jumping up and down and waving the paper around like a crazy person.
"'I used to be the biggest, before I was cut down to size!' Sanosuke's Zanbatou was cut in half, that it was!"
"Hey yeah, you're right Kenshin! But that means…"
"Our mystery guy's after Sano!"
When they entered Sanosuke's house after running all the way, they were greeted with quite a shock. The place - such as it was - was a total wreck. Sanosuke blinked up at them, not pausing as he nursed a massive bump on his head.
"What on earth happened here Sanosuke?"
"That's what I want to know. Right after I got home some crazy guy dressed in black appeared from nowhere and attacked me. I regained consciousness just an short while ago."
Yahiko let out a low whistle.
"And here I thought your skull was harder then that - hey!"
While all this was going on, Kenshin was looking around for something.
"Sanosuke, did you by any chance keep a piece of your Zanbatou here?"
"Well, yeah actually. I had it hidden under some stuff, as a sort of memento from our fight."
"Where is it now?"
Sanosuke pointed up, and when they looked Kenshin, Yahiko, and Kaoru's eyes went wide. The bottom piece of the Zanbatou was jammed into the ceiling, so deeply inserted that the metal part was almost entirely hidden from view.
"Don't even ask me how he got it up there. That piece is heavier then most people, and I left the bigger piece of it back at that field."
Yahiko jumped and grabbed the handle. He basically hung in midair, frantically tugging on the sword and getting nowhere fast. Until Sanosuke reached over and gave the thing a good yank that sent the Zanbatou piece right onto Yahiko's head. Tied to the blade was another note.
"It says, 'Very good. It took you long enough, baka. Now for your second clue: A hidden snake, which you seem to enjoy grappling with. Kissing is painful, but someone else already found that out for you.' Well this guy's certainly very rude!"
"Not to mention stupid. Who'd enjoy wrestling with a snake? They're creepy!"
"I don't believe it is a real snake Yahiko. The last clue referred to the Zanbatou, so this may be something that _resembles_ a snake, that it might."
"Somebody want to tell me what's going on? What other clue?"
While Kaoru and Yahiko filled Sanosuke in on the mysterious visitor from last night, Kenshin looked over the piece of paper to try and identify some sort of markings the man might have left there. As he held the paper close to his face to see it clearly, Kenshin knew without checking someone was watching them. Of course, the door was wide open but he had a feeling that if anyone looked they would see nothing.
Kenshin didn't mention his suspicions to the others. He was getting a pretty interesting idea about who was behind all this and he didn't want to let anyone know just yet.
'Until I am certain.'
BTW, the whole 'seeing underwater thing' meant that as far as Kenshin is concerned, looking around underwater is the same as looking around with his eyes closed. His eyes are still very, _very_ bad right now.
Also, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of the characters, but I do claim the move that's introduced in this chapter. Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu does NOT contain the move you are about to witness!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, Kenshin was still puzzling over the note. Kaoru, however, had gotten a different idea into her head - since there was a person seemingly out to get them, now was the perfect time to work on the more difficult moves of Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu that her father had developed. Thankfully, it was much cooler out today so Yahiko was more willing to practice.
"Swing up and around - iie Yahiko, not like that!"
Kenshin gave up on the note for the time being as he decided to watch the training. Yahiko was flailing around wildly as he tried to copy what Kaoru was doing. Kaoru herself was having some trouble with the technique.
"I never had a chance to figure out how my dad did this move before he died, but I'm pretty sure it went like this! Over and around and - no, that's not right either…"
"Great, some move. How are you gonna teach me a move you never learned - ow!"
"Smart mouth. I remember seeing my dad do it hundreds of times, its supposed to be a finishing move… 'Straight up, go around, and then straight down'. It was a little rhyme he said to help remember the right swings."
"Well, whatever he said, you're making this move look like you're trying to carry a wagon on a stick! Or Sano's old Zanbatou, or something like that."
'Sanosuke's Zanbatou. The Zanbatou is the biggest -'
"That's it!"
Kenshin's yell caught Kaoru and Yahiko by surprise. The normally calm swordsman was jumping up and down and waving the paper around like a crazy person.
"'I used to be the biggest, before I was cut down to size!' Sanosuke's Zanbatou was cut in half, that it was!"
"Hey yeah, you're right Kenshin! But that means…"
"Our mystery guy's after Sano!"
When they entered Sanosuke's house after running all the way, they were greeted with quite a shock. The place - such as it was - was a total wreck. Sanosuke blinked up at them, not pausing as he nursed a massive bump on his head.
"What on earth happened here Sanosuke?"
"That's what I want to know. Right after I got home some crazy guy dressed in black appeared from nowhere and attacked me. I regained consciousness just an short while ago."
Yahiko let out a low whistle.
"And here I thought your skull was harder then that - hey!"
While all this was going on, Kenshin was looking around for something.
"Sanosuke, did you by any chance keep a piece of your Zanbatou here?"
"Well, yeah actually. I had it hidden under some stuff, as a sort of memento from our fight."
"Where is it now?"
Sanosuke pointed up, and when they looked Kenshin, Yahiko, and Kaoru's eyes went wide. The bottom piece of the Zanbatou was jammed into the ceiling, so deeply inserted that the metal part was almost entirely hidden from view.
"Don't even ask me how he got it up there. That piece is heavier then most people, and I left the bigger piece of it back at that field."
Yahiko jumped and grabbed the handle. He basically hung in midair, frantically tugging on the sword and getting nowhere fast. Until Sanosuke reached over and gave the thing a good yank that sent the Zanbatou piece right onto Yahiko's head. Tied to the blade was another note.
"It says, 'Very good. It took you long enough, baka. Now for your second clue: A hidden snake, which you seem to enjoy grappling with. Kissing is painful, but someone else already found that out for you.' Well this guy's certainly very rude!"
"Not to mention stupid. Who'd enjoy wrestling with a snake? They're creepy!"
"I don't believe it is a real snake Yahiko. The last clue referred to the Zanbatou, so this may be something that _resembles_ a snake, that it might."
"Somebody want to tell me what's going on? What other clue?"
While Kaoru and Yahiko filled Sanosuke in on the mysterious visitor from last night, Kenshin looked over the piece of paper to try and identify some sort of markings the man might have left there. As he held the paper close to his face to see it clearly, Kenshin knew without checking someone was watching them. Of course, the door was wide open but he had a feeling that if anyone looked they would see nothing.
Kenshin didn't mention his suspicions to the others. He was getting a pretty interesting idea about who was behind all this and he didn't want to let anyone know just yet.
'Until I am certain.'