To Be Free
Part Six
Training
By Maria Cline
(Chapters 1-4 written by Ami-dono)
Kenshin slowly ate as Kaoru ran around looking at bokkens and cleaning. He had never seen anyone so full of energy before and was not attacking him. The coughing slowed down after he drank more herbal tea. His head had cleared up. /I wonder what she is planning to do./ He wondered as he sipped more tea. /She might be planning a nice surprise for herself but not for you. She might figure it all out./ /No! She won't!/
"So, what have you bought, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked as she finally sat down and began to eat.
"A pair of gis and a couple of hakamas." Kenshin replied as he reached into his sleeve and hand out the sack of money. "Here is your money, Kaoru-dono."
Kaoru accepted the money and said, "Okay, I'll keep this in a safe place so if you need anything, it will be here." 'I can't keep this money anyway. Kenshin needs it more than I do.'
/Why won't she just keep the money?/ Kenshin thought baffled as he watched her tuck the money into her sleeve. /She's lying. She will just keep the money for herself not tell you./
The meal passed in silence and after Kaoru cleaned off the dishes (and making sure that Kenshin get back to the futon for some more rest), she came up holding two bokkens. "Kenshin, it's obvious that you need to learn how to defend yourself. Thankfully, I am a kendo instructor so I can teach you how to fight with a sword."
Kenshin's body shook as he looked at the bokken. /What? She can't be serious…/ "Fi-fight with sword? No! No! You can't! Please! Don't make me fight again!" He pleaded as he dove under his covers and closed his eyes waiting for a beating.
Sanosuke and Kaoru were stunned. Did this former slave used to be a fighter? He didn't look like a fighter except for the cross shape scar on his cheek. Was he forced to fight or was it something else? "Kenshin, get out of that blanket. I won't hit you." Kaoru said as she put both of the swords onto the ground with a resounding clunk. "I am not going to force you to fight or anything like that. The Kamiya Kashin Ryuu is a non-killing style and I won't teach you that if you don't want to. I just want to teach you what to do in case someone tries to hurt you so you won't be taken advantage of. I'm afraid that if you leave right now, someone will take you and force you back into slavery or worse. Let me help you."
Kenshin peeked out of the blanket looking more like a child of eight rather than an adult of twenty-eight. /She does have a point. If I leave, someone will come and take me away./ /This is just an excuse to beat you up!/ "If I ask you to stop, will you let me?" He asked carefully.
Kaoru just nodded. 'Come on, Kenshin. Please, you have to trust me."
"Okay, I trust you." Kenshin smiled slightly. /You are making a big mistake./ An ominous voice whispered in his mind.
*****
The sun peeked through the windows as Kenshin washed his hands and then walked to the training room. His heart pounded at the idea of being in anything close to a fight. Still, if he want to live, he will have to relearn how to fight and hopefully without killing. /She did want me to live./ He entered the huge training room to see Kaoru standing in the middle wearing a gi and hakama with her hair tied up. He was stunned at her appearance. It was the first time that he saw her swordsman aura brightly.
She smiled as she came up. "Hi, Kenshin. Do you want to start? Are you feeling well enough to do it?"
Kenshin smiled slightly at her and nodded. His cold faded and his head had cleared up. "Hai, Kaoru-dono."
"Good, now we can start on basics... how much did you learn about self defense from Hiko?"
"Hi-who?" Sanosuke asked from his seat. He normally just hang out at the restaurant but he wanted to see Kaoru teaching Kenshin and help give any advice since he had fought unarmed combat more than Kaoru did.
"This guy that showed up before you came this morning. He was looking for Kenshin and found out he was here." Kaoru said, "You probably saw him."
"Is he a tall guy with long black hair and a tacky cape?" Sanosuke asked as he put a fishbone in his teeth.
The two just nodded.
"Oh man! Why didn't he take you with him, Kenshin? I mean, he's your friend right?"
Kenshin bowed his head down so his eyes were hidden by his hair. "He felt that Sessha was not ready to come back with him."
"Oh man! I wish I could have known that. I would've knocked him off of that high horse of his!" Sanosuke growled as he pounded his fist.
Kenshin just smiled slightly. /Sessha believe that he may kill you if you did that./ He thought. "Well, Sessha haven't done much self-defense in years. This unworthy one mostly just take the hits and don't say anything."
Kaoru held her head at the type of talk. Every time Kenshin used the word 'Sessha', her heart broke. It made it sound like he was asking to be abused. "Okay... first thing, stop it with the 'sessha' and 'this unworthy one' business. If you keep talking like that, it will just weaken your confidence. You are not worthless. Repeat after me, 'I am not worthless.'"
"I… am… not…. worthless." Kenshin repeated slowly as if he had never spoken that phrase before.
"I have rights."
"I... have... I have rights."
"Good. Just keep talking like that. Keep saying 'I' instead of 'sessha' and 'this unworthy one'. Can you do that for me?" Kaoru asked. 'Can you stop acting like a slave so people can treat you with respect?'
The former slave was stunned. He had been asked to do many things, things that he would rather die than do again, but not once had anyone asked him to treat himself like he is a human being. "Se- I will try, Kaoru-dono."
She let out the breath she did not know she was holding. At least he will start to sound like he wanted to be treated with respect. She would have to deal with the 'dono' phrase next but she didn't mind it that much. She walked toward the closet and got out a huge figure. "Here's a practice dummy you can use. I built him for future classes." She came in with a tall figure made out of straw and sticks. Sanosuke scowled at the sight. The figure was dressed in a white jacket, and white pants with a familiar red headband.
"What is that?" Sanosuke asked stunned at the sight.
"My practice dummy. Megumi helped me made it. I called it, Fake Sano. We can use this to practice moves first so you won't have to worry about getting hurt or getting anyone hurt." Kaoru instructed as she patted the dummy. "We can start with the basics and see what we have to work with." She propped the dummy up against the wall. "Hit it."
"Hit it?"
"I want to see how you fight." Kaoru said, "Just hit it."
Kenshin gulped as he went into a fighting stance and stared at the dummy. /Just hit it, Kenshin./ He thought as he took a deep breath. Slowly, he pulled back his fist and punched it lightly.
"You hit like a girl." Sanosuke said in disgust. Suddenly, he found himself facing the floor below a very angry Kaoru.
"What did you say?!" Kaoru threatened.
Sano got up and rubbed his head. "I'm just telling the truth. Kenshin, you have to put some serious muscle into it."
Kenshin nodded and tried to punch harder. Kaoru watched him move. 'Interesting, his stance is right as well as his form but he just seem so reluctant to hit anything. I thought that someone who had been abused like he was might have more anger, unless he was trained not to even think about fighting. Poor guy.'
The man tried to punch several times but they were often light and didn't phase the dummy. Finally, he bowed his head down. "Gomen sai, Kaoru-dono, Se- er, I cannot fight."
"Yes, you can, Kenshin." Kaoru supported, "You have the stance down and your punches were done correctly. I think you just need motivation. Oh well, being able to punch is not everything. You just have to learn to defend yourself. You're pretty small so why don't we try to work on speed? Okay." She smiled at Kenshin again.
/She has a nice smile./ Kenshin thought and then mentally shook his head. /No, it won't work. She's ten years younger than Sessha besides it is my destiny to remain alone. If she knows the truth, she will just want to hurt me like the others./ "O-okay."
"Good." Kaoru pointed to the other end. "You and Sanosuke race to the end of the dojo and back. Kenshin, Sano's fast so I figured he might be a good way to see how fast you are. I want you to run as fast as you can."
"That's right. Think of it like a race." Sanosuke said as he smiled, "I have to warn you, I'm very fast. I had outran Tae all the time."
"Okay."
Kenshin and Sanosuke crouched down with their feet touching the wall. "Ready… set…" Kaoru paused as she raised her hand, "go!"
The two men rushed down the long room. Sanosuke's heart pounded as his bandaged feet struck the floor. /I hope Kenshin's not going to be too discouraged by my-/ The tall man's thoughts were cut short when a red and blue blur passed him and he stopped to see Kenshin touching the wall he just left. "Huh?" His eyes bulged as he walked back.
Kaoru was thinking the same thing as she watched Kenshin tapped the wall and then lean over coughing. He smiled at her weakly and asked, "How was that, Kaoru-dono?"
"Uh… that was good." Kaoru said as she looked at the still stunned Sanosuke who was walking back. "You ran all that way and back?"
Kenshin meekly nodded. "I ran as fast as I could but I started coughing. I'm sorry."
"No! We're just amazed at how fast you are, even with that cold." Kaoru supported as she helped Kenshin up. "That can be really handy. Why don't you do that when people…"
"When they beat me up? My former masters taught me that if I ran away, I will be caught and chained. I had been through that many times." Kenshin bowed his head down to cover his eyes. "To be honest, I had forgotten how fast I was compared to others. I'm sorry." Kenshin confessed as he gazed down.
"Hey, that's nothing to be ashamed of." Kaoru paused when she realized something, "Hey, you're saying 'I' instead of 'sessha'. That's good. I like it when you talk like that." 'It makes you look stronger.' She added mentally.
He didn't know what to say or how to react. It was the first time that anyone had ever complimented him on anything that he was proud of. There were times when people complimented him but he didn't like it. "I-I-I," He blushed as he looked down, "thank you." He whispered.
"Your welcome."
*****
Kenshin's body ached slightly as he wandered through the rooms. The last time he had to endure such training was over ten years ago. He frowned at the idea of training but Kaoru did have a point. If he wanted to live, he had to try. He entered a room to see a book lying on the floor. Curious and somewhat bored, he bent over to pick it up.
*****
Kaoru meditated on the floor after the first training session. Kenshin showed promise but something deep within told her that he was holding something back. 'What could it be?' She wondered as she went into her room to see Kenshin sitting against a wall slowly flipping through a book. "Kenshin?"
The man jumped and dropped the book. "Gomen, Kaoru-dono! I did not mean to read your book!" He pleaded as he bowed quickly.
Kaoru picked up the book. It was a series of fairy tales that she had for several years. "Were you reading this?"
Kenshin nodded slightly. He didn't intend to read but it had been several years since he had the chance to actually read a book.
"Why didn't you tell me that you can read?" Kaoru asked astounded.
Kenshin just kept his head low. "You might get mad."
"Oh come on. I'm glad that you can read. It will make things a lot easier to find a job for you." Kaoru came up and handed him the book. "You are free to read any book you wish, except for my journal. That is private for me."
"I would never do that, Kaoru-dono." Kenshin shook his head as he accepted the book back. "May I ask, what are these stories? They are not like normal Japanese stories."
"Ah, Western Fairy Tales." Kaoru replied, "Those stories are so interesting, most of the time, the good guys live happily ever after and the bad guys get punished in horrible ways."
"Yes." Kenshin looked at the book. "They are good but they never seem to cover how the bad guys feel. I mean, do they ever regret what they did? Or do they just forget their crimes and just reap the rewards?"
Kaoru blinked as she frowned. "I never thought of it like that. It does seem simple, good guys win and bad guys lose. To bad that is not how things are."
"Maybe it is. Maybe in the end, the bad guys will be punished." Kenshin bowed his head down as he took a deep breath. /Like I will always be./
Kaoru slapped herself on the head. "Oh, Kenshin! I was wondering if you would like some Beef Pot for dinner tonight."
Kenshin's eyes widened. "Beef?"
"Yeah, Sano, Megumi, Dr. Gensai, and his granddaughters are going to be eating there tonight." Kaoru explained as she smiled. "Of course, we would have to pay for Toritama, that guy has a tab as long as my arm."
"And you want me to come along?" Kenshin asked barely able to grasp the idea of eating with other people in a public place. Many times, he was asked to stay home or outside tied up at a post.
"Of course, silly. Have you ever had Beef Pot before?"
Kenshin shook his head.
"Oh, well it's great. The Akebeko makes the best Beef Pot in Tokyo! So, why don't you change into your new clothes and we can head over there. Okay?" Kaoru smiled sweetly again.
Kenshin blushed as he nodded. "H-hai."
*****
As always, Kenshin walked behind Kaoru and Sanosuke and then being urged to catch up. "Come on, for a fast guy you walk like a turtle." Sanosuke urged as he waved him forward.
"I'm sorry." Kenshin hurried up and walked beside them. /Sessha wonders what Dr. Gensai is like. Sessha hopes he is nice. Sano-san told me that the granddaughters are cute./ /They are going to hand you to them./ The skeptical part of his mind whispered. Kenshin paused and thought, /Don't you ever be quiet?/
A shiver went through his spine as he looked up to see a pair of strange eyes in the darkness. He looked at his friends and then at the alley again to see nothing.
"Is something wrong?" Kaoru asked concerned.
"It is nothing; I thought I saw a wolf." Kenshin answered softly as he walked on.
"A wolf in Tokyo?" Sanosuke repeated, "No way. There may be dogs but there cannot be a wolf in a city like this."
"True."
"Here it is." Kaoru announced as they came up to the restaurant. "Ah, the Abebeko. You will love the food here."
"Yeah, it's the best place to eat and run at." Sanosuke agreed.
"You should know." A tall woman said as she came up and asked, "When will you pay your tab, Sanosuke-kun?"
"Hi, Tae-san." Sanosuke said as he
smiled slightly.
"Kenshin, this is Tae, she's the main manager of this
restaurant. Tae-san, this is Kenshin,
he's going to be staying with me for a while." Kaoru introduced.
"Oh! He's so cute!"
Tae gushed as she beamed at Kenshin who stepped back nervously. "Oh, don't be shy." She insisted. "I won't hurt you." Her tone of voice became
softer and she added, "You are among friends now. I will do what I can to help you."
Kenshin's face paled as he stepped back even further. "You-you know?"
"I told her because she's my friend." Kaoru whispered, "Don't worry only she, Dr. Gensai, and us knows about this. No one else will know. You need a fresh start so the less people know the better."
Kenshin stared at her. "But... if people know about what you are doing, won't that restore honor to your dojo?"
Kaoru shook her head. "I want to save you just because you need help not because I need the publicity. I will restore honor to the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu Style but in my way and on my own."
The man smiled as he looked down. /Kaoru-dono is such a strong woman./
"Come on, Kenshin, let's get something to eat." Sanosuke offered as he came up. "Beef pot is the best."
Kenshin nodded at the gesture and followed the group inside.
*****
The place was buzzing with activity as Kenshin looked around in awe. It had been many years since he had been in a restaurant. His past masters preferred that he stayed at home locked up and ready to do anything they wanted. He shook his head at the memory. It was not the time.
"Ah, our booth." Kaoru said as they came up to the booth with Megumi and three other people sitting at.
"Takuni!" Megumi gushed, "Ken-san! I see that you cannot pass an opportunity for a free meal, Tori-tama."
The elderly man bowed at his table. "Hello, Kenshin. Megumi told me so much about you. I had been very busy for the past couple of days so we didn't get a chance to meet earlier. I am Dr. Gensai and these are my precious granddaughters."
The two girls stared at Kenshin for a moment and then smiled. "Hi! Ken-nii!" The slightly taller girl said as she held up her hand. "I'm Suzume and this is my little sister Ayame!"
"Hi!" Ayame chirped as she stood up.
/They are so cute./ Kenshin smiled as he bowed. "Hello, Dr. Gensai-sensei, Suzume-chan, Ayame-chan. It is an honor to meet you." He sat down and picked up the chopsticks.
"Let's eat." They chanted and they started to eat. Kenshin took his bowl and started to eat.
"It is good." He said amazed as he ate faster. Kaoru's food was better than what he had before but the food was far better.
"You doubt my taste?" Sanosuke chuckled. "I told you it's the best place to eat and run at."
"You never had beef pot before, Ken-nii?" Suzume asked stunned.
"Never. It had been years since I even ate in public." Kenshin replied warmly at the little girl's voice.
"Why? Uncle Sano ate out all the time and he never have money!" Suzume pointed out.
"Yup! Yup!" Ayame agreed.
Kenshin just bowed his head. "I was never allowed, that is all."
"Oh." Suzume grabbed Kenshin by the hand and said, "You can eat with us any time you want!"
"Eat with us!" Ayame repeated happily.
"Thank you." Kenshin looked down again as he stared at the hand. The two girls were radiating innocence that he could not help but feel warm from. Children always make him feel warm. Kaoru had that radiance but it was much lower and hidden.
Kaoru gasped at the friendliness between the girls and Kenshin. A part of her was jealous of the three. 'Kenshin seem so trusting to those girls. But, they are just little kids who didn't know about his past and they are so open. I wish Kenshin would feel that way to me.'
"Oh, Megumi-dono, may I ask, what made you decide to move from Aizu?" Kenshin asked.
Megumi froze as she glanced at Kaoru and Sanosuke who was stared at Kenshin. "I... was looking for my family. How did you know I was from Aizu?"
Kenshin gulped as he stiffened. /Oh dear. I did it again./ "You have a distinct accent."
"Oh." Megumi blinked. "I'm sorry, I was just stunned. I haven't been in Aizu for years. I didn't even know I have an accent. Have you been to Aizu before?"
"A few times." Kenshin replied, "I detected the accent during our check up."
"You must have an excellent ear to pick that up. What are your plans?" Dr. Gensai observed as he studied him. /He's not an ordinary former slave./
"I do not know. I am still getting used to this." Kenshin replied. "Kaoru-dono is giving me self-defense lessons."
All of a sudden, there was a loud cough. The group ignored the coughing and Kaoru continued, "That's right. I thought that it might be a good idea if Kenshin learns to defend himself just in case."
Then there was the sound of someone gagging on some soba.
"Yeah, no offense, kid but you are pretty weak." Sanosuke agreed.
Then there were a pair of thuds. Kaoru scowled as she looked outside. "Who keeps on making those noises?"
"Just ignore them, Jou-chan." Sanosuke advised, "They're probably just a pair of drunks or something."
*****
"'He has to learn to defend himself'. Pathetic." The man muttered as he walked outside.
Tetsu went up next to him and asked, "Is it really him?"
Saitou scowled as he took a puff on his cigarette. "Yes and no."
Tetsu glared at him. "I hate it when you get all cryptic on me."
The taller man closed his eyes and let the cigarette dangle in his fingers. "He was the Battousai but he had broken down into a mere puppy who relied on weak idiots for protection. He was nowhere near the man the man I fought. He was not even carrying a sword."
"Well, carrying a sword has been illegal for two years."
"That should not stop him, Tetsu." Saitou dropped the cigarette and stepped on it hard. "True samurais live by the sword not under the fist. You and I had seen and arrested many samurais who had fought to keep their swords out in the open. It is better if he died by the blade and not broken down. Seeing him like that turns my stomach."
"Will you kill him to put him out of his misery?" Tetsu asked softly.
Saitou's lips twitched as he moved his foot to show the crushed cigarette. "That is his decision." He replied as he put his hands in his pockets. "Come, Tetsu, we have plans to make."
The young man shrugged as he looked up at the moon lit sky. "Of course."
To Be Continued...
