Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, never will. …Gee, thanks for twisting that thorn into my side.
Chapter Thirteen
The silent morning air was cut by two cries.
"RYU SON SEN!!!" was the second.
Himura watched Nuhiro fall out-cold onto the floor in a boneless heap, as was the strange new morning routine.
"Drat," he muttered in retrospect. "I meant to keep him conscious."
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Obaga had been late getting back last night, Himura having pretended to be asleep when the old samurai slipped in. He had considered confronting the man then and there, but some instinct told him that if he did, his questions would be haplessly avoided by Nuhiro's skill at playing the absent-minded fool.
…Useful technique that, even if disadvantageous when he was the interrogator. Still, it was a skill he should look into mastering sometime…
Deciding to wait until morning while using the night to ponder over how he would pry into the elder's business without looking like he was meaning to, the Ishin Shishi kept silent, waiting for his chance the next day.
Obviously, he had blown that plan, seeing as to how the codger was comatose. Himura had still dragged the unconscious form to the breakfast table in case an opportunity arose when the old man regained his senses. Yuiishi didn't seem thrilled about it, but she also didn't seem to care much.
"No dead bodies at the table," was all she seemed content to say.
"He's not dead… yet," Himura replied. "A little out cold maybe…"
"Well not out cold bodies either. No consciousness, no service."
"Well he won't be this way for long…"
"Ororororoooo…" came the assuring sound of recovery.
"See? He's getting better."
"No he's not. I bet he'll lapse again in a moment."
Eyes still swirling with incoherence, Obaga dizzily murmured, "I don't want to go on the cart…"
A large bead of sweat rolled down Himura's brow.
"See?" the mistress pointed out.
"It's just taking him a while," the boy insisted. "He feels fine. Don't you, Obaga-san?"
"I think I'll go fer a walk de gozaru…"
"You're not fooling anyone, you know," Yuiishi sniffed. She then cringed as Nuhiro began to strike up a tune, unable to carry a single one of its notes. Himura looked equally as irritated now. This was clearly more than he could stand as well. "Look," she said at last. "Isn't there something you can do?"
"I feel happy!" Obaga sang. "I feel happy!"
(*Whack*)
The elder fell over, sporting yet one more bruise earned that day from the Battousai.
"Ah," Yuiishi sighed. "Thanks very much."
"…Drat," was all the other could say. "I keep forgetting I want him conscious. That's a new thing for me you know. Wanting him conscious I mean."
"Just get it off my table. Rice?"
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"So have you found out anything?"
Himura stopped sweeping the porch to cast Asuka a disbelieving look. "It's been less than a day! Give me a bre - er, I mean, cut me some slack de gozaru," he finished, hoping to keep clear of the literacy that tended to befall him.
Blowing a few strands of hair from her face irritably, she pressed, "Well get a move on it! He came home really late last night and I want to know why." Tuning away thoughtfully she mused, "I doubt it's a woman. There are plenty of girls here and he doesn't seem to be the committable type… Maybe he's a thief! Or a murderer! But I haven't heard about any thefts of deaths recently… Maybe…"
"Maybe you should just leave it to me, Askua-dono," Himura admonished. "I'm sure I can find out for you soon."
"If I left it completely up to you," the woman pouted, "I would never hear about anything!"
"Your vote of confidence is overwhelming."
"That's why I took the liberty of going through his things for you."
"What things?"
"Exactly," she said, a bit disappointed. "I only found a sake bottle and change purse, both were empty."
"Not surprising."
"…And since I was there I went through your stuff too."
"Nani?!"
"What this?" Asuka asked, holding up a bundle of light-colored fabric. A familiar bundle of light-colored fabric. Hoo boy. That bundle of light-colored fabric.
"Er, that's a long story de gozaru," he answered, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Summarize."
Himura remembered well how he had haphazardly ended up with the pale material. How could he forget? It's not every day you attempt to make a fool of yourself in public. That first day he and Obaga had started earning their keep at the brothel (boy did that sound odd) and had gone shopping; the first official day of "training." His… encounter with the cat, carpenter, errand boy, saleswoman and crate had left a deep impression on his memory (and his skull). Afterwards he had apologized humbly, helping the boy refill his water pails and dusting off and folding up the woman's wares. However… one such piece of cloth didn't quite get away so easily.
As his luck would have it, he ended up landing hard on one of the fabrics that he'd gotten entangled in, damaging it just enough that it would no longer bring in the price it once could. Since it was his fault, Himura compensated her loss buy purchasing the fabric at its original price. Now that he looked back to think about it, he probably just should have paid the price of difference. It would've been cheaper and he wouldn't have something useless on his hands, because frankly he didn't know what to do with it now. And he told Asuka just as much.
…Well, he left out the "training" bit. And the embarrassment. …And the general falling down on everyone part. She didn't need to know that.
"You should give it to Nikko-chan," Asuka recommended. "She's good with sewing. She makes all of the clothes for the little kids. I'm sure that one of the girls would like a kimono made out of this."
"Maybe she could make you a new kimono to replace the one I… er… nevermind," Himura trailed off as Asuka shot him a frightening glare. Before the situation could grow more awkward however, Obaga came ambling around the house, fully conscious now, and heading for the gate. "Oro," the redhead said, more for the effect of dissuading Asuka from yelling at him than from actual surprise. "Obaga-san, where are you off to?"
"Oro?" was the equal reply, but genuinely startled this time. Asuka muttered something about appearances not having anything to do with relations, but it was ignored or overlooked as the old samurai continued on. "Oh I'm just going into town to run another errand for Yuiishi-dono. I'll probably be back late."
Asuka promptly elbowed the former-hitokiri in the ribs, earning a complaint. "Follow him," she hissed quietly, so as not to arouse suspicion. The Art of Subtlety tends to be lost on girls in her line of work however, and Himura could see a slight look of apprehension dawn on Nuhiro's face.
"I'm getting to it," he muttered back before turning to the elder. "Allow me to go with you, Obaga-san. I'm sure I can help. And I've been meaning to talk to you."
"Anou… well, you see…" Obaga momentarily floundered.
"I would like you to stay here, Himura-san."
Turning around, the Ishin Shishi and brothel girl found Yuiishi Nanari standing in the doorway, looking as elegant and stern as ever.
"Is there something you need from me, Yuiishi-dono?" the redhead asked.
"Yes, I would appreciate if you stayed here and watched Nikko-chan and the children for me."
Babysitting duty again. Yippee.
"Yuiishi-sama," Asuka interrupted, "I can watch them today." Kenshin blinked, impressed that Asuka was this anxious to learn what was going on. He hadn't thought too much of it himself, but if she was this interested, perhaps there was more than met the eye? "Don't you think you should send Himura out to help an old man like Obaga with the chores?" the young woman finished.
"Hey! I'm not that old!" came a protest that was ignored.
Nanari shook her head. "I wish for Himura to watch over them. He's done a fine job in the past…"
That must mean that I'm the only one to have survived this long, Himura mused.
"…And besides, Nikko's taking the children out to the riverside today. I had already promised them a day outside and it's time to keep my word on it. I want Himura to supervise them."
They're being unleashed to the public?! the rurouni-trainee balked. Orororo. This might be difficult. There are so many more places for a kid to hide when there's a large lack of fence-confinement.
"But Yuiishi-sama, Nikko-chan's condition…" the other woman stated.
"That's why I want you to go with them as well, Asuka-chan. Keep a close eye on Nikko-chan while Himura watches the children," the head mistress charged firmly, leaving no room for argument.
Asuka sighed. "Hai, Yuiishi-sama."
"Head inside to get ready, Dear."
"Hai, Yuiishi-sama."
Nanari waited until the woman had disappeared inside before turning her gaze across the yard to the samurai. "Remember where I told you to look," she said.
"Of course, Yuiishi-dono!" Obaga smiled listlessly. "Don't worry about a thing. I'll be back in time for supper."
Nodding, the woman headed inside herself. And through that small interaction, Himura knew. Yuiishi was in on this too.
Kami, what was going on here?
"Oh, and Himura-dono." The redhead looked back at the graying swordsman, startled to find a glint of caution in his eyes. "You might want to make sure you're always carrying your sakabatou with you for a while." And with that, the man exited through the gate and was gone.
…
Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.
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The scene at the riverside was one of peace and serenity. The children were playing innocently amongst themselves, Asuka was socializing (a.k.a. gossiping) with Nikko, and the mother-to-be seemed to be in a very pleasant mood. It was a picture perfect mid-morning.
Too bad Himura missed it due to apprehensively waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Leaning back against a tree that overlooked the bank and kept him isolated from the others, he tucked his sword securely against his shoulder. It was his most favored position when expecting the unexpected and had also become a simple habit from his war days. He only wished now that he could decide what was the most unpredictable factor right now…
A possible assault (if that's what Ogaba was warning him about), or Nikko's mood. …Throw in the kids' ability to keep up this non-violent playtime.
Himura wasn't sure what had everyone in such a content state, but he figured it had something to do with Nikko's disposition. In fact, the reflection of her lighter attitude seemed to prove a bit of truth to the adage, "When Momma's not happy, ain't nobody happy." In this case, Nikko's refreshingly less-cynical essence today seemed to lift everyone's spirit. Either everyone found this to be a great relief, or her bond with others was deeper than it first appeared.
I wonder what's got her in such a good mood today, he wondered.
"The baby started kicking again last night."
Himura had sensed the boy approaching a while ago (hey, he was on alert here after all), and turned to acknowledge Futashi who was now standing only a couple yards away.
"What was that?" he asked, the kid's words confusing him for a moment.
"The baby," Futashi explained, stepping closer. "It started kicking last night after you left." He cast his eyes over to his sister. "She always gets happy when she feels it kick. The other kids get happy about it too. That's why she's happy today."
Himura quickly shook off the odd feeling of having his mind read and turned back to keep watch over the company put in his charge. "I see."
Futashi stood next to him for a moment, also keeping a diligent eye on the crowd, before sitting down at his side without any complaint. Himura noticed this but didn't say anything, just like he hadn't said anything this morning when Futashi unexpectedly called off the mob of children from giving him his daily dirt bath. …Of course, that didn't stop the eldest boy from tripping him over the stairs, but something was definitely different than before. Futashi's attitude towards him seemed changed somehow. Himura didn't know why or how it happened, but heck, as long as it was happening for the better, who was he to complain?
"You actually look like you know what you're doing, ya know."
Himura blinked and turned towards the boy. "Hn?"
Futashi motioned towards him and his sword. "Sitting like that and holding your sword. You actually look like you know how to use it."
"Well I have had a little bit of practice," Himura grinned, unknowingly stating the winning entry for the Understatement of the Year award.
"So I've overheard. Asuka talked a lot about you when you and the other old man came here. Said you were swordsmen."
"Well we do carry around swords," he replied good-naturedly. "Anyone could naturally conclude that de gozaru."
"Oneesan isn't too fond of swordsmen…" he trailed off, looking pointedly at his sister across the way.
Well this conversation seemed familiar…
"I've noticed," Kenshin said a bit nervously, a bead of sweat lolling down his scarred cheek. Turning to the boy he then asked, "Is that why you didn't like me either, Futashi-kun?"
The younger crossed his arms defiantly. "I still don't like you, Fem Boy."
A weary chuckle. "Sou ka?"
"…But…" Himura looked up curiously to find the boy casting a hesitant but neutral glance from the corner of his eye. "…You're not as bad as others."
A small, and slightly sad grin. "Sou ka…"
"Don't worry," Futashi remarked casually, lightening the atmosphere. "I think she's beginning to trust you since you've hung around so long like you have. And I think that's because you're not here for the reasons other men are."
The redhead blinked, not expecting the tiny comfort given from this child. Something had changed indeed.
Maybe he should insult people's mothers more often…
Shaking his head, Himura mused that that had probably been a one-time only thing. But as long as Futashi seemed to be in a trusting and conversing mood, then maybe…
"But your sister isn't a brothel girl is she?" he politely inquired of the boy. "I was told that she doesn't work here..." Boy, did I ever get told. "…So what reason would she have for fearing the men that come for… er, other purposes?"
"It's not just them, it's all guys. She's…" He paused reluctantly, looking for the words to continue. "…Had it rough."
"I would imagine you have too." When Futashi eyed him curiously, the 19-year old smiled sympathetically. "You mentioned your mother passed away before coming here de gozaru. It must've been difficult for the both of you."
"Yeah, well… she's had to deal with other stuff. More than I really had to. I'm not the one who had to get married."
Himura blinked. So did Futashi.
"I probably shouldn't have said that," he said on an afterthought.
"Nikko-dono was married?!"
"No! …Well, kinda… it's just that she was supposed to…" The boy threw his hands up in the air. "It's complicated, and I shouldn't be talking about it!"
Sometimes there came a point where you had to let a subject drop.
…This wasn't one of them.
"An arranged marriage?" Himura guessed, piecing together the tidbits he'd gathered and trying to milk the conversation for all it was worth.
"…Yeah," Futashi hesitantly confirmed before hastily adding, "But I shouldn't be talking about it! Oneesan doesn't like talking about it."
"Well I am not talking to your sister, I'm speaking to you de gozaru," he grinned harmlessly. "I can assure you I can keep a secret." The younger folded his arms crossly and looked away. Himura decided to use a little bait. "Could it be that you traveled here with her so that she could escape the engagement? Or perhaps you did something terrible and…"
"We came here for protection, Girly Man!" Futashi blurted before he knew what he was saying. "He was gonna keep hurting her if we didn't do anything!"
The air turned heavy with their silence, tuning out the happy sounds made by the others.
"I probably shouldn't have said that," the kid then muttered bitterly.
"I won't tell anyone if that's what worries you," Himura promised, but his eyes lost their humor to the concern growing within him. "But how was her fiancé hurting her?"
Futashi must've seen the devout loyalty on Himura's face as he began to appear wavering in his stubbornness to remain secretive (not that he'd been doing that great a job anyway…) "It's a long story," he said at last.
"I have plenty of time to listen de gozaru." It seemed to be working, but the boy still looked a little uncertain. Time to throw in a pinch of male pride for the clincher. "I wish no harm to either you, your sister, or anyone else under your protection, Futashi-kun." Yup, that got the kid's ears to perk up. "In fact, I wish to aid you in keeping them safe in any way I can. But in order to do that, I need to know what I am helping to protect them from."
Himura could see Futashi's resolve melt into a slight wonder. "You mean you… you…"
Yes, even though I am a stranger, I am willing to risk anything to protect others, he prepared to say (egotism slightly getting the better of him for once).
"…You're gonna take orders from me?!" the younger finished incredulously. Himura hit the dirt face-first. "Man, this'll be so cool! My very own lackey!"
"Oro?! Er… that's not quite what I…"
"Alright, Fem-Lacky, you have to vow a solemn oath that you won't tell anyone else this unless I say so, got it?"
Oro. "Fem-Lackey"? Yeesh, this kid just can't pass up the opportunity, can he? But as long as he's willing to share some information…
Swallowing his pride, Himura gave Futashi a curt nod that still held the respect and agreement that was desired. Sitting back with his own nod, Futashi drew in a deep breath before he began. Himura waited.
"…"
And waited.
"…"
And waited.
"…"
And soon got fed up.
"While I'm young, if you don't mind," the redhead deadpanned.
"It's hard to think of where to start," Futashi grumbled back at him. "I told you it's long and complicated."
"How about just starting with an explanation of the arranged marriage?" he prodded.
"Um… yeah, good idea Girly Man."
"Thanks… I think."
Becoming quite serious, Futashi used a hushed tone to tell his tale. "My father arranged my sister's engagement. It was to a family of samurai of slightly higher class, so he thought it'd be good for her. You know, securing her a promising future and all that..."
"But her chosen husband was not the model man she hoped for," Himura concluded with a sage nod of his head.
"Heck, no! He was great!" Futashi spouted indignantly.
"Oro?!" Himura stared oddly at the boy. "B-but I thought you said…"
"Just shut up and wait for me to finish and you'd see what I was talking about!" Himura obediently clamed up. "Amatomo Seitaro treated my sister like gold, respected my parents, and even began training me a little. Oneesan was really happy to be marrying him, and they even loved each other. She once told me how lucky she was… Before…"
Himura cocked his head in curiosity. "Before…?" he gently encouraged after Futashi had remained silent for quite a while.
The boy looked off into space. "…The Bakumatsu," he finished quietly.
In a way, Himura had been anticipating that answer. Many lives had been deeply affected by the results of the war; even more had been affected due to being involved with it. And had Nikko's fiancé truly been of samurai decent, then no doubt he was likely involved. It wasn't at all new, shocking, surprising, or completely unexpected.
…These trifle facts offered little comfort however.
Before Himura realized it, the boy had continued. "Seitaro-kun left to fight, of course. His family and my dad; off to defend the Shogunate. I was too young to fight so I got left behind. Oneesan kept hoping everything would be okay, but…"
A sudden lump of dread began to form in Himura's stomach.
"…One day somebody from the Shogunate army came to the house…"
…Kami, please don't…
"…Seitaro-kun was killed after accidentally stumbling upon an assassination of an important member of the Tokugawa government."
…don't let it be…
"…He was a possible witness so I guess that's why they killed him too. And from what they told us, it wasn't just any Ishin Shishi soldier…"
…anyone else, just not…
"…but by their shadow assassin."
And the bombshell dropped in silent agony.
Futashi remained oblivious to the inner plight of the man beside him and simply continued to think aloud. "…It's stupid, really. He wasn't even supposed to be there. It was a fluke." His voice grew very quiet. "…He wasn't supposed to be there."
…Oh gods, I've done it again… Just like before…
A haunting smell of white plums and blood filled him. The graceful strokes in a journal enlightened him. The memories dragged him into a familiar pit of despair and grief and guilt…
Futashi blinked, coming out of his revere without quite remembering how he got there. Gathering his wits, he turned to the redhead beside him who had broken him from his thoughts. At least he thought so. Had he said something? It had sounded like…
"…sumanu…"
That.
"Eh?" the boy asked, vanquishing the last of his heavy thoughts. "What was that?"
Himura mumbled something again, but Futashi could only pick out a few words.
"…didn't mean… I only wanted… sumanu…… sessha… sessha wa…"
The atmosphere had turned awkward and heavy, something Futashi hated since it was an air for miserable thoughts and recollection. It's why he bossed people around so much. If he had control over them, then he had control over the situation. If he could control the situation then… When had it slipped out of his hands?
He suddenly knew why his sister didn't like to talk about this much.
Himura was lost in his own mediation.
…Tomoe… Will it happen again…?
It was so disgracefully similar. Inconsequentially murdering someone's beloved before coming face-to-face with them again. The left-behind bride-to-be… Even a younger brother… A stark contrast in personality, but the story… The story was… it was…
…Going to be different.
"Hey Lackey! Snap out of it and start making sense!" Futashi ordered, hoping to put an end to this taut misery. Much to his surprise, Himura looked up and then did the most insensible thing the boy could expect.
He smiled.
Futashi knew the smile well as one that hid a lot of pain and sorrow. Many of people at the brothel wore it, including his own sister…
"Girly Man?" he asked absently, hardly realizing he was still insulting even when dumbfounded.
"Don't worry, Futashi-kun. You will have sessha's full loyalty in whatever matters you need me in."
The young boy blinked. "'Sessha'?" he echoed.
"We'll finish our discussion later," the redhead continued, paying no heed to the kid's confusion. "Until then, sessha would like to do something that might require you protecting me."
Intrigue overcoming his lost thoughts, Futashi looked up as the swordsman began to walk down to the bank. "And what's that?" he called.
Casting a glance behind him that would later be known by future peers as his "rurouni-grin," Kenshin replied, "I'm going to play with the children."
The phrase, "Dead man walking," came to mind, but Futashi could only stare.
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"Did we all have fun today?" Nikko asked the children as the small group made their way home. A chorus of positive responses answered her.
"Himura-niichan played with us!" one of the girls happily piped.
"I saw," Nikko replied with a slight smile.
"He's really funny," another little daughter remarked. "He was walking all funny and waving his hands in the air and going 'ororororo!'" Asuka laughed at the imitation.
"I think that's because you all tripped him," Nikko reasoned, her own amusement peeking through despite her mature resolution.
To which Futashi added, "Yeah, right into the river," while sneering back at the red haired man who was still soaking despite his efforts to wring the water out of his clothes. The boy then laughed, "What a clutz."
Himura merely dripped back at him.
"Make sure you change when we get back, Himura," Nikko admonished. "You'll catch a cold if you stay in those wet clothes."
"I'll be alright de gozaru," the young man replied, the small grin that had been glued to his face all afternoon still hanging there. "Thank you for worrying about sessha's health."
For a moment the woman could only stare back at him, sensing something had changed, but unsure if it was more in him or herself. At last she turned away with her nose in the air. "Humph, I'm not as worried about you as I am for the children. Do you honestly think I have time to be looking after seven ill kids? I'm going to have enough trouble dealing with my own!"
"And we love you too, oneesan," her brother deadpanned.
"Nothing personal, Futashi-kun."
"Sou de gozaru ka," the redhead sighed. "Well, sessha will be happy just getting out of these clothes, period." He picked at the yellow and purple pattern distastefully. "Nothing could be worse than this."
"As much as I agree with that," Asuka interjected, "you don't really have anything much better. That blue gi of yours has definitely seen better days."
"How did you know I had--" He recalled their conversation and Asuka's reported "investigation" from that morning. "Oh. Right." He shrugged in good nature. "Well, sessha doesn't really own anything else."
"Maybe we can fix that…" the brothel girl pondered aloud. "We could probably use… Obaga-san!"
Himura winced. "I really don't think we should be asking for his fashion sense."
"No, no, I mean there! He's over there!"
Asuka pointed down an empty alleyway they were passing, only it wasn't quite empty. Everyone stopped to peer in, following her gaze down towards the end of the narrow passage just in time to witness a familiar orange gi clad figure disappear behind a wooden fence. This might not've been so suspicious had the old samurai entered through a gate, but instead, he had slipped in through a loose board. …Plus the casual glances he cast about were just a little too casual to be… well, casual. Himura wondered why the elder didn't just save himself some trouble by carrying a large sign that said, "I am snooping around, so please just ignore me!"
Suddenly he was pushed forward from behind.
"Oro!" he yelped, skipping on one foot for a second before regaining his balance and turning back around to see who it was that had pitched him. "Asuka-dono?"
"Go! Follow!" she hissed quietly, even though they were well out of Nuhiro's hearing range. Heck, they hadn't even really been in his line of vision.
"But… I'm supposed to be watching over all of you de gozaru. Yuiishi-dono-"
"Isn't here!" the young lady insisted. "Look, this is the perfect chance for us to find out what's going on! Just go take a quick peek and find out what he's up to."
"But…"
"Don't worry about the others, I'll keep an eye on them."
"But…"
"No more buts, except for yours which I want to see hustling over there before I kick it!"
"…Oro…"
Futashi looked up at his older sibling. "I think that's your influence on her, oneesan."
"Oh hush."
Himura looked back at the fence Obaga had crept behind, then back at the group. At last he sighed. "Nikko-dono," he said, "what would you have sessha do?"
The woman blinked, not expecting to be put in charge of the situation so suddenly. She glanced over at Asuka for assistance. …Then realized that was a stupid idea since the girl was on a one-track mindset right now. No logical opinion there.
A tug on her sleeve made her looked down at her younger brother, and the demeanor on his face mildly surprised her. The boy was giving her an approving, silent nod, a strange notion of confidence in his eyes.
Well that made up her mind. Gods knew she trusted no one more than her own blood. And with that, she gave him her permission…
"Oh just go look already. It'll get Asuka-chan here to stop all of her nagging at least."
"Hey!"
…Without making it look like she cared, of course.
"Meanie," the brothel girl pouted.
"Alright, sessha will go on one other condition." He looked pointedly at the assembly. "You must all go home immediately. Yuiishi-dono put you in my charge and I plan to make sure I know where you are or where you're going de gozaru."
"Fine," Asuka agreed. "But you give a full report when you get back, got it?"
Flinching a little under her piercing gaze he conceded with a simple, "Hai, hai."
"Come along, children," Nikko chimed, herding the youngsters towards home. Asuka did likewise and Himura watched them briefly before darting down the alleyway. Seeing he was out of sight, Asuka quickly turned towards the eldest boy.
"Go follow him, Futashi-kun," she hushed. "I want to make sure he'd not in on this as well and not telling us."
"Un!" the boy agreed, turning around to run back and falling flat on his face in the process. Spitting dirt, he found his sister looming over him.
"Just what do you're doing?" she asked in a sweet tone that dripped poison.
"Um… obeying Asuka-san?"
"You sure know how to pass the buck, kid," came a responsive mutter.
"Asuka, I don't want you encouraging my brother like this," the sister growled.
"It's just for reassurance! What if those two men are in on something together and Himura's just playing the fool? …Well, Obaga is too I guess, but you know what I mean! We don't really know who they are, you know. What if we can't really trust them to tell the truth?"
"Oh gee, that makes me feel tons better about sending my brother to go spy on them," Nikko sarcastically quipped.
"We can't send one of the younger ones, and besides, he can take care of himself best!"
"Still not feeling better about this," she cynically sing-songed.
Asuka exhaled in irritation. "Look, I'm just saying that if we can't trust them, then we need to-"
"You can trust Himura."
Both women balked in their squabbling to look over at Futashi, who had spoke. He gazed back at them assuredly and repeated himself. (The way they were staring at him let him know that they needed to hear that again.)
"You can trust Himura," he stated firmly.
"How do you know?" Nikko questioned skeptically.
"I just know. …Trust me."
A lot of staring followed, most of it directed at the boy who stood before them. And for once, Nikko couldn't think of anything to counter with. The confidence in her brother's eyes seemed to say so much more than she ever could.
So naturally she waved off the matter with nonchalance. Bowing her head with a sigh she brushed him along. "Alright, go. But you'd better be careful, otherwise I'll box your ears in for this stupidity."
A broad grin quickly spread across his face. "Yosh!" he exclaimed, already running off. "Don't worry oneesan! I'll be extra-"
Trip. (*Wham*)
"Futashi-kun fell over into a wall!" one of the little girls giggled, apparently oblivious to the dealings of a thing called Pain. Those of similar innocence chortled along with her.
"..I… okie-dokie…" Futashi mumbled incoherently, picking himself up and continuing on his way. "...I be… extra careful…de gozaru…"
"…Maybe one of the other kids would have been better," Asuka mused. A large bead of sweat rolled down the back of Nikko's head, however, her thoughts soon turned to another matter.
Himura.
Futashi had actually used the man's name. What's more, he truly seemed to have some amount of faith in him. …When on earth had that happened?!?!
Too quiet for anyone else to hear, she uttered, "Something changing indeed…"
----------
Stealth was something Himura secretly prided himself on. It had taken him some years to develop it, but now it came as a second nature. And he didn't mind saying that he was dang good at it either.
While is was a skill of an assassin, there was something about going about undetected the Ishin Shishi liked. Maybe it was because he was a former assassin that he liked it. Drawing attention to himself wasn't the most profitable thing for him to do, especially with the reputation that tagged alongside him. Silence was his closest ally.
But for some reason, remaining soundless seemed to take more effort than he was used to. He suspected it had something to do with his shirt being so frickin' loud.
Nonetheless, he was able to slip in through the same loose board as Obaga had, noiselessly crouching inside and taking a survey of his surroundings.
He found himself in a fairly wide yard, most of the grass having died or unable to grow on the rock-speckled dirt. Judging from all the wood and stacks of boards lining the area, he guessed this must've been the back of a lumber trader, or carpenter's base. A building, possibly the shop itself, lie on the north side of the clearing which was to his left. Even from where he stood, Himura could hear activity going on in the establishment, as he could not guess its nature.
…Not from this distance anyhow.
The former assassin put his skills to good use and soundlessly covered the ground between him and the structure, taking cover behind a woodpile that lie a few yards away. Now he could hear some of the murmuring going on inside. It sounded like a group of men, judging by the number of voices and various shuffling sounds he picked up. They were keeping themselves reserved, but obviously they were not expecting an eavesdropper, otherwise they would've gone to the extra precaution of hushing their voices and posting a guard.
"…too soon to reschedule. It's too risky now," Himura could heard one say.
A second voice refuted the first with, "That's exactly why we need action. They won't think we would…"
"They'll still be ready for us. They're already tightening the search." The first again.
"Yes," a third agreed. "We need to relocate before we can reschedule."
"To where?" Second.
"Leave that to me." A new voice, commanding and deep.
"Hai, Lord," replied the collective.
Intrigued by mystery that underlined this piece of conversation, Himura nearly forgot the reason he'd come here in the first place. That is, until that very reason stepped out into his eyesight just as the redhead had moved forward to slid around the house. The sudden way Obaga had melted out of the shadows nearly made Himura panic (more out of fear of being caught spying than an actual start, really). How the elder had managed to stay so well hidden despite his brightly colored gi, he had no idea, but then again, he was running a similar experience…
Nuhiro's back was too him, but with the confident way the old samurai had revealed himself, there was no doubt in Himura's mind that the man had detected his presence before hand. (So much for stealth.) The redhead waited a moment for a hushed order or instruction, but the elder remained stubbornly silent. It seemed he was angry.
Himura couldn't help but to glance to the side, feeling slightly ashamed for not obeying Obaga and Yuiishi's wishes to remain with the others. It had been his given duty after all. His instructor had every right to be mad.
Heaving an internal sigh, Himura remained silent as he approached sullenly, yet cautiously so as not to arouse suspicion from within. At last when he was close enough, he breathed the man's name in respectful tones, intending to ask what he would have him do.
Before he could get the question out however, it seemed that uttering the elder's name created quite an unexpected reaction.
"ORO!"
Time froze as Himura stared at Nuhiro in shock, who was panting heavily and looking at the younger man with wide and frantic eyes. The noise of hurried motions came from within the building, but they were temporarily ignored as the two broke out into a hushed but irate banter.
"Don't sneak up on me like that, Himura-dono!"
"Baka! I thought you knew I was here!"
"How in the world was I supposed to know that de gozaru ka?! You're supposed to be guarding Nikko-dono and the others!"
"I was standing right there!"
"Well gee, how could I have missed that? Oh that's right. It's because I'm not psychic!"
"I'd argue with you further but we need to hide now!"
"Right, we'll continue this after we save our hides. "
And with that the pair dived behind the nearest stack of lumber just as the main door leading outside slid open with a dramatic flourish. Peeking out from their spot, the two swordsmen could make out about a dozen other swordsmen brandishing their blades as they leapt into the yard.
Wood was the only thing that met their eyes.
"Well I feel stupid," one remarked after seeing no enemy in sight.
"I wasted a perfectly good battle cry for nothing," another agreed.
"Will you two idiots shut up," one of the men growled. "Someone's gotta be out there." Turning to another he barked, "Go out the gate and check for spies! The rest of you, spread out and check the perimeter."
"Perimeter?"
"The yard, you dolt."
"Oh, right."
"It's stupid questions like that that make us exclude you from the planning," the leading man muttered. Himura noticed that the voice was too high to be their lord. That meant he must still be inside or resting near the entrance. From his current vantage point, which consisted of the wedged space between a stack of boards and the fence (currently shared with Nuhiro), he couldn't confirm anything on the situation. …Other than it wasn't good.
A pair of these men, whomever they were, were approaching their position while doing a decent sweep of the grounds. Himura still had no idea who they were, what they were doing, and why Obaga had been stalking them. But something told him if they were caught, the consequences wouldn't result in a pleasant invitation to tea.
He didn't want to ask if it could get any worse, afraid that it actually would.
…The challenge was taken anyway.
"Intruder found!" the henchmen that had been charged to check outside the gate announced, pulling in tow his captive who was squirming viscously.
"Lemme go ya big jerk!"
Himura tensed, eyes widening as his sweat turned cold. That voice. It can't be…
"It's just a little runt," one of the other men laughed.
"Stupid kid! Made us all panic for nothing."
Daring to peek out just enough to observe the action, Himura found that indeed, there struggling in the arms of one of the swordsmen was Futashi. He realized the boy must've followed him and cursed the ill luck of it all. Beside him, Obaga was looking equally perturbed, both unable to decide how they could help in their current situation.
"I'm not a runt!" Futashi bellowed. "I'll show you!"
In a feat Himura wasn't sure if he'd call daring or stupid, Futashi turned around and swiftly kicked the man holding him in an area that let the redhead know he'd have to talk to the boy later about fair fights. Using the opponent's stunned state, Futashi managed to twist out of his grip, punching the man's nose while stepping back to gain some distance. The brute fell to his knees, bellowing his pain with curses. If it weren't for the other nine men closing in on the kid, Himura would have had to admit that the little guy wasn't bad.
"Okay brat, playtime's over!" the commander yelled.
"Yeah!" another agreed. "Now it's beat-you-up time!"
A pause.
"Koeji, you don't get to talk anymore."
"Aw."
Seeing the boy lose his ground, Himura immediately turned back towards Obaga.
"So what does your training say we do now?" he hissed.
The mustached samurai bowed his head in momentary pondering before snapping it back up with a focused gaze. He propped his sword out in a signal for the offensive, encouraging his companion to do the same.
"Where The Oro can't save you, a good round of smackdown can."
"At last," Himura said with a grin that wasn't entirely rurouni-like, "a lesson I like."
The attack came with almost no warning…
…Hence why the two hiding men barely avoided it.
Their small conversation had just been loud enough to catch the attention of one of the closer guards, who quickly discovered their position and cleaved a good amount of their cover away. Dashing in opposite directions, their evasion was nothing less than skilled. Their landing on the other hand could've used some work.
There was a twin cry of, "Oro!" as Nuhiro nearly broke his neck tripping off a log and when Himura somehow missed the "low bridge" from a board jutting out of its pile. The dramatic part of their entrance was lost, but at least it drew enough attention away from the kid.
"Futashi-kun!" Himura said, rubbing away some of the pain in his head. (With a bit of distain he thought how Obaga was right; he was a natural.) "Daijoubu ka?"
"Girly Man?"
"Intruders! Quick, surround them!"
"Help!" the boy shouted. "I'm gonna die!"
"Don't worry, Futashi-kun. Sessha and Obaga-san are here to help you de gozaru."
"That's why I'm crying for help."
The redhead frowned. "…No respect these days…"
A swordsman stopped in front of Himura, pointing his blade at his throat. "You," he said darkly, "are going to suffer a death that will involve much… uh, dying."
The entire group stared at the man.
At last the one that seemed to currently be leading them cleared his throat. "Koeji, for the last time… Stop. Talking! "
"Sorry," he pouted.
The circle of foes tightened, narrowing the possibility of a non-violent escape. Obaga had managed to find his way over to his pupil, and they were currently holding ground back-to-back. Himura wasn't in any way worried. These men would be no trouble taking out, and he knew well enough that the older man behind him could take care of himself. But… the samurai seemed to be hesitant in starting a fight.
"Obaga-san?" he asked.
Nuhiro cast a glance back at the red haired youth and opened his mouth to say something, but whatever words he was going to speak never got said as a new voice filled the air.
"What are you all waiting for? Are you going to kill them or should I?"
Himura recognized with a start the deeper sound of the voice he'd heard earlier. The voice of their lord…
Turning towards the direction of the doorway to the building, he saw a broad man standing there, short black hair slicked back, a katana and wakizashi hanging by his side. Possibly formidable; definitely in charge. But as to who he was, Himura didn't have the slightest…
"A-Aroji?!" Futashi sputtered, wide-eyed and slightly panicked.
"Hn?" The wide man looked equally startled by the presence of the boy, but his surprised soon melted into a forbidding amusement. "Futashi-kun… Well, well. What a pleasant coincidence."
Himura blinked, staring back and forth between the two but unable to think of anything to say. So Obaga said something for him.
"This is bad de gozaru. This is real bad."
End of chapter thirteen.
Author's Notes:
*pops up out of the ground* I LIVE!!!!
Wow, I am SO sorry, minna! Not updating this story for over a month! Curse you Writer's Block! Apox an ye and yer house!
I know I said I had gotten over it, and I had! …Plotwise. The wording to some of these scenes just wouldn't come out right, and then there was one scene in particular that was just killing me! I spent a good week's worth of time on it before realizing it wasn't really important to the plot, so I got rid of it entirely. Things went a lot smoother from there. (Yay!)
After writing this chapter, I realized, "Hey, this could be two chapters!" I considered breaking it up so I'd be able to update later this week for sure, but in the end I decided that you have all waited much too long, and to reward your patience, I'd give you the extra long chapter!
Hmm… funny how I also reward you with a cliffhanger… *dodges flames*
Nikko's past, the developing bond between Kenshin and Futashi, "sessha," and Obaga's whereabouts all done up into one chapter! Whoo, as you can see, this was the plot turner, ne? Hope I didn't overload anyone. More to come! Those of you who wanted action, you're getting it!
Until then (which hopefully will not be nearly as long as this past time), ja ne!