Author's Notes: Hey you guys! LadySword04 here with yet another story begun! I could not resist the urge to do something like this, that is before anyone who has read my story got any ideas and started something similar to this story of mine. (thoughts of being unoriginal and a copycat *shudders*). I hope you guys enjoy this, and get a kick out of it! I hope you guys also go and read my other story, Breaking That 'Sessha' Habit of His.
Disclaimer: I Do NOT own Rurouni Kenshin or any characters affiliated with the series. Though I may claim to in my dreams, I do not in reality!
WARNING: I LOVE Ceramics, and know a bit about it, so I am going to try and be very detailed in my descriptions of his work with clay! If anything confuses you, let me know! I re-read this, and man it sounds like I am teaching a class!
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By LadySword04
March 12, 2004
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Hiko's Sake Drinking Obsession Solved!
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Chapter 1: Pottery, A Letter, And A Journey Begun
The morning was warm and sunny after Hiko woke and went about his daily routine. Not a cloud graced the sky with its presence as he gazed out the window. He was in the process of making breakfast now, as he watched and listened to the birds in the woods surrounding his home. When he finished up, he sat down on his comfy pillow-like-mat at the table.
He ate quietly, occasionally sipping from his ever present dish of sake from that jug he always carried. The two of them were inseparable, wherever Hiko went, the sake jug followed like a loyal puppy-dog at his side.
Throughout the duration of his meal, he continued to enjoy the sounds of the many birds in the forest, and the sound of the wind blowing in the trees. Finishing up now, he went to wash his dishes in the sink before he began his work that day.
His goal was to work with the earthenware clay that he had purchased in town the day before. He had a few good ideas in mind as to what he could mould the clay into; it would be a something to do while he waited for the pots he made a few days ago to finish drying and become leather-hard before he could load them into his kiln.
Checking over them, and feeling each of the pieces with a gentle finger, he assessed each piece's 'progress.' Most were now cold to the touch, though not a mark was left in the clay. No dampness could be felt on any piece, and each held their shape well enough to be bisque fired.
He headed out, with the wooden board holding his work, to the large hole that he had dug over a decade ago that served as a kiln. Carefully arranging his work along the bottom and well spaced, he expertly placed logs and other plant materials delicately around each work of art.
Adding more wood to the top of the hole in such a manner that would not cause damage to the pottery below, he observed and then checked over his work of the past hour. Deciding that everything was as it should be, he started a fire for his outdoor kiln that would transform the clay into works of art.
'The kiln giveth, and the kiln taketh away.' (My ceramics teacher's favorite saying) He thought as he bowed his head reverently as he did before each firing to ask Kami to take care of his work.
He carefully observed and managed the temperature to make sure every piece fired evenly. After the first hour, he was satisfied with how everything was progressing, and adding a bit more wood to the top, he headed inside.
His potter's wheel was practically screaming for attention and the ability to help create something that day. It was situated in the center of the room, looking out the window at the outdoor kiln; that way, Hiko could keep an eye on how his kiln and work were doing.
Settling in on his stool with a pug of clay and a bucket of water, he set about his work. He began by "slapping center" or centering the clay on the wheel first with a good smack to press it securely against the wheel and get out air bubbles (which explode when in the kiln as air expands when heated. If trapped, it causes an explosion), and then by having the wheel turn slowly and patting with his hands until the clay was perfectly centered at all places. (Just remember that he will add water when the clay gets dry).
Taking an index finger and placing it on the rim of the 'splash tray,' he traced along the clay in three places to make sure that all three regions hit his finger evenly. Being unbalanced now only adds to problems later.
Taking a wet sponge out of the bucket, he then sealed the rim to the wheel. This creates a foot and an even more secure seal between the clay and the wheel. (hey it rhymes). Next, he increased the speed slightly as he used his left hand on his right wrist for balance while he using his right hand curving around the clay to support it while he opened a hole in the middle with his thumb.
With this, he drew his right hand back towards himself to open expand the hole a bit. When he got the hole to be the correct size, he used his index and middle fingers to compress the floor of the pot a few times working from the sides inward to get out any air bubbles and reinforce the clay.
His movements were fluid as they came from years of experience. Then he used the sponge on the bottom 'foot' created by the 'seal to the wheel' technique, and the inner bottom edge of the pot, he slowly drew the clay upwards into the shape of a cup. He then compressed the rim when he was satisfied with the height.
Taking a momentary break, he looked up and checked on his outdoor kiln. Everything was doing fine.
Adding a few finishing touch ups, he decided his work was complete. Adding water onto the edge farthest away from him on the wheel, he took his wire clay cutter and by drawing it taught between his hands and over the wheel in the water, he swiftly moved his hands toward himself. This caused the wire to slip effortlessly under the cup, separating it from the wheel.
Pushing the creation into the small pool of water, he then slid if off into his hands, careful not to deform it in any way before he could transfer it onto another wooden board for drying. He then wrapped a slightly damp rag over the form to prevent it from drying too quickly and thus cracking either now or during its firing.
'Clay has memory. Whatever you do to it now will come back to you after it is fired. Manipulate it too much and the clay will show signs that it has been 'stressed' by warping.'
He then went to go and clean up and reorganize all of his tools before going to check on the progress of the bisque firing.
Clearly not satisfied with the way the upper right corner was progressing, Hiko added more wood and rotated other parts before he went to sit on his log and drink sake.
Upon sitting down, a visitor of sorts in the form of a messenger arrived. His interest peaked, Hiko amiably approached the slender framed teenage boy.
"A message from Tokyo to you sir." Was all the boy said before becoming intimidated and averting his eyes while he handed the letter to Hiko. As soon as he felt Hiko take the letter, he quickly darted off.
While grabbing the letter, he muttered a swift "Thank-you" in his own gruff egotistical manner.
Curious as to who in their right mind would be sending him a letter, he opened it and began to read.
(The letter)
Shishou,
Kaoru told me just yesterday that she would love to see you again, and asked that I invite you to stay with us for awhile. Yahiko and Sano as well have expressed their interest in seeing you once again as well. We all hope that you can come. It would be an honor to have you stay. Honestly Shishou, if you don't mind my saying, we all think that getting out of your hut in those secluded mountains of yours will do you some good. As I have said, we all look forward to your arrival and visit, whenever and for however long you can stay.
Signed,
Kenshin and the Gang
(End Letter)
'Hmm. That baka deshii of mine wants me to come for a visit does he. I know that he won't stop writing to me which interrupts and bothers me until I do go and visit. That was the fourth letter this week, well, I will give him credit for being so persistent. However, I am going to make sure that they don't want me to come over again! Nothing too drastic, I just won't go out of my way to be polite.' he thought with an amused smile on his face.
With that final thought, he headed in to make himself lunch and pack. He had decided to leave for Tokyo the next morning on the first train there.
'I can't believe that I am doing this.' He thought.
The rest of his day was spent lounging around drinking his sake. He made dinner then went to bed after cleaning up; the same routine every day.
******** Meanwhile At The Kamiya Dojo ********
"Alright everyone, I sent the letters a few weeks ago well spaced out over a couple of days as well to Shishou, so he should be arriving soon, that he will. I just hope they convinced him that we won't stop pestering him until he decides to visit." Kenshin said calmly while giving a rurouni grin at the end.
"Oh yeah! Phase one down!" Sano exclaimed with a grin that reflected in his tone.
"Okay, everything is set. We have plenty of 'code word pissed as a parrot' (Australian term for 'drunk as a skunk that we have here. If you want to know where it came from just e-mail me or maybe if enough of you ask I will put it in an 'author's note' at the beginning of next chapter) to tie him over, Megumi is packed and ready to come at a moment's notice, and all the other necessary items on this list have been purchased!" Kaoru happily stated with her never ending upbeat and perky but confident demeanor. She was obviously pleased with her little errand's outcome and the sense of accomplishment that came with it.
"Good. So we are all set then. This should get interesting!" Kenshin smiled as both Yahiko and Sano gave him their own grins.
"We all know what we have to do, so don't worry. This is going to be the most fun we've had in a while! I mean, it has been so long since we did anything like this!" Kaoru simply stated.
"I can't wait! Maybe I can learn some of the moves that Kenshin learned from him. I mean, Kenshin won't pass on any of the skills he knows and Kaoru isn't exactly the best teacher in the world. She's so ugly it's hard to focus!" Yahiko teased.
Poor kid, he never saw the double bokken of doom attack that Kaoru had perfected the week before. Let's just say the kid would be 'out of commission' for a long time!
"Gee, I sure hope Yahiko will be alright. Kaoru-dono was it really necessary to pummel him so violently?" Kenshin's rurouni side took over.
Clearly still trying to calm down, Kaoru glanced over at him and raised her bokkens this time and said, "If I were you I would be quiet now or you're IN FOR A WORLD OF PAIN KENSHIN!!!"
"Yes, yes, okay! I am sorry that I am!" He said while waving his hands in front of his body in his own attempt to calm her down and prevent bodily harm.
"You had better be!" Kaoru huffed.
Becoming serious again though he continued, "I agree Kaoru-dono, and the fact that we are doing this to Hiko, and that this time I am in on this little scheme makes it even better. The last time you all tried to break a habit of mine, you left me out of the plans. I am just glad that it's Shishou this time and not me!" Kenshin said in a calm but good-natured way. (Reference to Breaking That Sessha Habit of His).
Rather gloomily he added, "I just hope that he takes this the right way and doesn't do something he will regret."
"Kenshin, I am sure that nothing like that will happen! Come on, it's just Hiko and we have plenty of supplies to stop him if he becomes violent as all addicts do! This is for his own good. He needs to realize that he can't cover up his problems by drinking to escape them. He has to face whatever demons he has inside, and defeat them first. He may be strong, but we have you and intelligence on our side here. Plus, Megumi has a special medicine if we need it." Kaoru added in a hopeful manner.
"I just hope this works." Kenshin said.
"It will. She was the one who organized the plan to stop you from saying 'sessha,' and it worked. I am positive that her plan will work again. There's not a doubt in my mind that if anyone can pull this off, it's Jou-chan. Once she sets her mind on something, it's impossible to stop her. I wouldn't try if I were you." Sano added trying to convince Kenshin and pull him out of that trance he put himself into while thinking. Putting a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder, he added, "Trust her, she knows what she's doing. And if she needs any help the Kitsune and I are here. Don't worry!"
Owari for now. . . .
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Author's Usual EnD RaNt: Hiya again! I know, I have 2 other stories, but I had this idea FIRST and I wanted to get it up. I know, I have this obsession with being original. Anyways, PLEASE let me know if you liked this sort of 'Introduction/Prologue' to this story and if you think that it would be worthwhile to read. As of yet, this is the only chapter I have mapped out, though that will change soon!
Please review! I LOVE to hear YOUR opinions, as they mean the world to me and help me become a better writer! *hugs readers and reviewers!*